Head of Design

About Wego: We're on a mission to help people discover the real value of travel — to inspire, to give more reasons, to make it easy — for you to go. Our company was founded back in 2005, and since then, we've imagined and created some of the most well-loved products for travelers all around the world. Today, Wego is used by millions of people every month — people who travel for adventure, work, family and for many other reasons. That's why we work tirelessly to make your experience of planning and booking flights, hotels and trips as seamless as possible. The Opportunity We are seeking a visionary Head of Design & UX Research to lead and scale our design and research function into a world-class, industry-defining organization. This role is not just about managing teams—it's about shaping the future of our products and brand, driving innovation, and embedding design excellence at the core of our company's strategy. As the steward of both Product Design and UX Research , you will partner with leaders across product, engineering, brand, marketing, operations, and commercial to ensure design and research deeply influence business decisions. You will champion a culture where design and research insights fuel innovation, unlock new growth, and deliver experiences that delight our users across every touchpoint. Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Vision Define and champion a bold vision for design and UX research that elevates our company's competitive advantage. Partner with executive leadership to align design strategy with business goals, ensuring design and research are central to product innovation, brand identity, and customer engagement. Anticipate industry trends, emerging technologies, and shifts in user behavior to future-proof our product experiences. Serve as a visible ambassador for design and research—inside and outside the company—helping position us as a recognized leader in customer experience. Operational Excellence Build scalable processes, systems, and design operations that enable teams to move fast while maintaining craft excellence. Establish metrics and frameworks to measure the impact of design and UX research on product adoption, user satisfaction, and business outcomes. Create and maintain a world-class design system that ensures consistency, quality, and brand alignment across all products and platforms. Research & Insights Institutionalize UX research as a core decision-making engine across the company. Drive continuous discovery of user needs, motivations, and behaviors using advanced research methods (qualitative and quantitative). Ensure research insights translate into actionable strategies that shape product roadmaps, brand initiatives, and growth opportunities. Culture, Collaboration & Influence Foster a culture of creativity, experimentation, and design-driven innovation. Inspire and mentor designers and researchers, creating clear career paths and nurturing the next generation of design leaders. Act as the connective tissue across product, engineering, marketing, and commercial teams, ensuring that design principles are integrated into every stage of development. Lead workshops, critiques, and strategic design sprints that unlock creativity and alignment across the company. Leadership & Talent Development Attract, retain, and develop world-class design and research talent. Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within the design organization, ensuring our products reflect and serve all users. Represent the design and research team at industry events, conferences, and thought‐leadership forums. High-Impact Special Initiatives Personally drive the design and research vision for mission‐critical projects and new product initiatives. Lead cross‐functional innovation sprints that push the boundaries of what's possible in our product ecosystem. Who We're Looking For A seasoned design leader with experience scaling design and research teams in world‐class product organizations. A strategic thinker with a proven record of shaping product direction through design and research. A craft‐driven designer at heart , with a portfolio demonstrating transformative, user‐centered work. A business‐minded executive who understands how design directly drives growth, differentiation, and loyalty. Experienced across platforms (Web, Mobile Web, iOS, Android) with expertise in design systems and multi‐language / multi‐market contexts. Adept with modern design and prototyping tools (we use Figma) and fluent in collaborating with engineering on implementation details. A thought leader with a strong presence in the design and research community. Extra Credit Experience in product‐led companies at scale, ideally with global reach. Strong visual sensibility, with ability to craft or guide high‐quality graphics, motion, and brand assets. Familiarity with front‐end and back‐end technologies to improve design‐engineering collaboration. Experience designing for international audiences, including right‐to‐left languages and culturally diverse markets. #J-18808-Ljbffr