Head of Design

Role summary

We seek an exceptional consumer and/or games Design Leader to join and elevate our Volley Design team. This role is pivotal, encompassing a wide range of design disciplines, including UX/UI, customer insights, game design, art, animation, visual, and voice design. As the Head of Design you’ll oversee design across our games portfolio and all consumer touchpoints.

This is a full-time role reporting to the VP of Product.

This job opportunity offers a hybrid work arrangement, and we are specifically seeking candidates who are comfortable with on-site attendance in our Bay Area office 2-3 times per week and are either currently residing in or near the Bay Area or willing to relocate for on-site work.

What you'll do at Volley

• Lead and expand a talented design team, fostering a collaborative environment
• Drive product strategy, team culture and operations as a key member of the Product Leadership team.
• Innovate and refine design practices, from game development to customer research and design systems
• Raise and meet the bar for quality in our games and experiences
• Balance user needs with business goals to create outstanding, engaging products

Stuff you may have done before

• Led a design or creative team for a game studio, game team or consumer product
• Served as the head of design for a consumer or games start-up
• Experience building a design culture and hiring/managing a diversity of design roles such as UI, UX, customer insights, art, game design
• Your experience preferably spans small to large-sized tech companies
• Your approach has delivered breakthroughs in user experience and design

Must-haves

• 3-5 years of experience leading design teams for Consumer or Gaming
• Experience collaborating on product visions and building 0 to 1 products
• Experience establishing or improving design processes, systems, and cross-functional partnerships so design is a high-impact driver of product experiences that delight customers
• You are recognized for your ability to inspire and effectively lead teams through hands-on involvement and strategic thinking
• Solid background designing for consumer products across platforms and stages of the journey
• Bonus: Loves trivia games

Our stack

• Figma
• Amplitude
• Usertesting
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Roku, FireTV, Alexa Smart Speakers

Your first 90 days

• Meet the team, cross-functional partners and onboard onto inflight and upcoming projects
• Lead design lab and start managing and mentoring the team
• Build an understanding of who our current audience is and who our target audience is - over time becoming the driver for customer advocacy, research, and personas
• Cultivate qualitative feedback first-hand and over time expand our user research and playtesting capabilities, programs, and processes
• Create a plan to partner with engineering on a design system and visual language across Volley

The hiring process

• Stage 1
  • Recruiter Screen
  • Hiring Manager Screen (VP of Product)
  • Screen with Design Leader
• Stage 2
  • Portfolio Review
  • Cross-Functional: Engineering
  • Cross-Functional: Product
  • Team: Current Designer
  • Leadership: VP of Product
• Stage 3
  • Founder’s Chat

What's in it for you

• Your medical, dental, and vision insurance is 100% covered by Volley, for yourself and all dependents and we match 401k!
• We offer a flexible, hybrid work-from-home and in-office work model.
• We offer 4 weeks of paid time off (enforced 2-week minimum), 16 paid holidays, 40 hours of bereavement leave, and unlimited sick days.
• Our generous parental leave policy includes 24 weeks at 100% pay for birthing parents and 12 weeks at 100% pay for non-birthing parents.
• We offer visa support for eligible candidates, making relocating for the job smoother and more streamlined.
• A full breakdown of our benefits is **here!**

For Pay Transparency: The salary range that we expect to pay for this position is $214,510 - $294,952 annually. This is a portion of the pay band for the role and level we are seeking. The final offer amount will depend on experience, education and skills. Base pay is only one part of the total package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work

About Us

Volley is the leading developer of AI-powered games for smart TVs, Amazon Alexa, and mobile devices. Our games attract millions of users every month. Popular Volley games include Song Quiz, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune.

We believe voice interfaces will become the main way people access entertainment in their living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and cars. We’re building a bundled subscription product similar to Netflix or Spotify for the emerging category of “AI-powered games.”

Volley was founded by Max Child and James Wilsterman in 2016. We're headquartered in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. We’re a quickly growing team that truly enjoys working together. If you think you would enjoy creating joyful games on top of a rapidly evolving AI technology stack, please get in touch!

Volley believes in an inclusive workplace and is committed to building a team from a variety of backgrounds. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive the other benefits and privileges of employment.

Underrepresented candidates and candidates from nontraditional backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply!