UX Design Manager, YouTube Illustration and Imagery

Job description

At Google, we "Focus on the user and all else will follow." As a UX Design Manager, you will drive this vision by defining product strategy, mitigating complexity, and conceptualizing ecosystem-level UX. You are a systems-level thinker and a fierce advocate for both your users and your team.

You will be responsible for guiding the careers of your direct reports, helping them realize their full potential while fostering a culture of forward-thinking design. With a practiced eye for quality, you will transform complex workflows into elegantly simple experiences. You will collaborate closely with Engineering and Product Management leaders to align business goals with design innovation, leveraging your passion for brand, craft, and execution.

In this role, you will join a new team as an experienced creative leader, driving illustration production for YouTube UX. You will lead the team, mentor talent, and define the creative goal for a new illustration style across all of YouTube, shaping the visual language for billions of users.

As a part of a leadership position, you will guide creative talent, manage cross-functional stakeholder relationships, and actively roll up your sleeves to support the team. You will advance the growth of a scalable pipeline for generating visual assets, leveraging a blend of in-house talent, external artists, and AI-driven methods. Your role requires a systematic approach to creative output, ensuring brand consistency and operational efficiency across all products and platforms.

At YouTube, we believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share, and build community through our stories. We work together to give everyone the power to share their story, explore what they love, and connect with one another in the process. Working at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and boundless creativity, we move at the speed of culture with a shared goal to show people the world. We explore new ideas, solve real problems, and have fun — and we do it all together.

Responsibilities

• Define a new illustration style for all of YouTube, ensuring creative excellence and brand consistency (involving community-based artists where applicable).
• Mentor and guide the team in creating high-quality illustration and animation work, setting creative standards and fostering professional growth.
• Create and implement internal guidelines for illustration and animation.
• Manage and organize all visual assets, exporting for various formats and colorways for different themes.
• Lead team capacity planning, monitor project metrics, and ensure successful, timely delivery of initiatives.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in product design or UX.
  
• 3 years of experience leading design projects and managing people or teams.
  
• 3 years of consumer product design.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in managing and mentoring creative teams, with a track record of fostering individual and team growth.
• Experience managing and scaling creative production using a blend of in-house resources, vendors, and AI pipelines.
• Understanding of design systems and how to translate brand strategy into cohesive and scalable visual guidelines.
• Understanding of brand guidelines, cultural sensitivities, and legal/licensing rules for creative content.