[Hiring] Head of Design @Vanta

Role Description

Vanta is hiring for a Head of Design (VP) to lead our design organization — setting direction for a ~40-person team, shaping the next generation of AI-native product experiences, and building the quality systems that let great design ship at scale.

The Design team at Vanta shapes how security and compliance teams experience Vanta — from a startup founder building their security program for the first time to an enterprise security team managing hundreds of controls. The org spans all areas of Vanta — GRC, Trust, Platform, Self-serve, and AI — and includes product designers, visual designers, design engineering, content designers, and a user researcher, led by experienced design directors.

As AI fundamentally changes what products can do and how they get built, this team is at an inflection point:

• The right leader will define what it means for a design org to be genuinely AI-forward.
• Enabling designers to move faster, ship more, and contribute to product direction and delivery in new ways.

This is the right role for a design leader who:

• Leads with AI fluency.
• Brings strong taste and craft across interaction design and visual design.
• Has the operational instincts to build the systems that make quality a consistent property of the whole org.

What you’ll do as Head of Design at Vanta:

• Lead a team of ~40 designers and design directors across GRC, Trust, Platform, Self-serve, and AI — setting org-wide direction and enabling each leader to do their best work.
• Lead the team building the next generation of agentic, AI-native product experiences — defining what great design looks like as Vanta’s products are increasingly shaped by AI.
• Establish an AI-native design practice: evolve agentic UX patterns, redesign team workflows around AI tooling, and define how design engineers and designers collaborate in an AI-first environment.
• Bring a strong point of view to design decisions — engaging deeply on interaction design, visual quality, and product direction, and building the trust that allows design decision-making to scale.
• Set a clear, shared standard for design quality across Vanta — spanning visual design, interaction design, and AI-enabled experiences — and build the systems that hold that bar consistently: design system, definitions of done, and launch review frameworks.
• Drive design as a first mover: shape design direction proactively, establishing the taste and systems that set the pace for the product and the org.
• Build strong partnerships with Product and Engineering, establishing shared quality frameworks embedded in how the whole org ships.
• Recruit and grow the team — develop existing leadership, maintain a high bar for AI fluency and design craft across every hire, and close capability gaps as the org evolves.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of design experience, with 5+ years leading and scaling large design organizations, with director-level reports.
• Deep fluency in interaction design and visual craft — enjoys getting into the weeds, providing precise direction, and holding a high bar for quality across design decisions.
• Deep B2B SaaS experience — understanding the constraints of building for SMB and enterprise customers, complex workflows, multi-user products, and platform-level design challenges.
• Org-level AI fluency: has built AI tooling, workflows, and cultural adoption into a design team’s practice, enabling teams to ship more and move faster; has a clear point of view on how AI changes design roles and team structure.
• Proven track record building quality systems: design system ownership, definitions of done, launch review processes, and quality frameworks built in partnership with Product and Engineering.
• Has led design through a company inflection point — navigates ambiguity, adapts the org, and maintains quality and momentum when the business is changing fast.
• Strong XFN leadership — trusted by product and engineering counterparts, navigates fast-moving and opinionated exec environments, and drives alignment on shared outcomes.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for current or future employer sponsorship.
• Responsible for protecting Vanta and customer data in how your team operates and delivers results.
• Open to using AI to amplify their skills and strengthen their work - demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact.

Benefits

• Industry-competitive salary and equity.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 100% of employee-only benefit premiums covered for most medical plans.
• 16 weeks fully-paid Parental Leave for all new parents.
• Health & wellness stipend.
• Remote workspace, internet, and cellphone stipend.
• Commuter benefits for team members who report to the SF and NYC office.
• Family planning benefits.
• Matching 401(k) contribution with immediate vesting.
• Flexible PTO policy, plus 80 hours of Sick Time.
• 11 company-paid holidays.
• Virtual team building activities, lunch and learns, and other company-wide events!
• Offices in SF, NYC, London, Dublin, Tel Aviv, and Sydney.