Product Design Manager

Product Design Manager
Location: Brighton
Department: Product
Position type: Full-time, hybrid (Mondays and Wednesdays in office)

The role

As Product Design Manager, you will lead and develop MPB's multidisciplinary Product Design team across UX, UI/Visual Design, Content Design and Research. Reporting to the Head of Product Design, you'll balance people leadership with operational oversight and design quality assurance, ensuring the team is supported, resourced, and delivering high-impact work across the MPB product ecosystem.

Working closely with the Lead UX Designer, Product Ops and Product Leads, you'll help create the conditions for excellent design delivery while enabling the Head of Product Design to focus on strategic direction and long-term vision.

What you will be doing People Leadership

• Line-manage designers across UX, visual design, content design and research.

• Provide coaching, performance reviews, career development support and day-to-day guidance.

• Lead UX Research governance, including thought leadership and large-scale research projects.

• Foster a healthy, collaborative design culture grounded in autonomy, trust and continuous improvement.

• Partner with Product Leads and Technology leadership to ensure smooth discovery and delivery.

Design Operations

• Lead and maintain design rituals, processes, hiring practices and feedback cycles.

• Ensure alignment with product and squad-level ways of working.

• Collaborate with Product Ops on:

  • Research operations

  • Design tooling, documentation and process improvements

  • Rituals like crits, retros, reviews and sprint planning

• Own onboarding, hiring operations and resource planning for the design team.

• Maintain and evolve MPB's design career frameworks across all disciplines.

• Support SDLC optimisation in collaboration with Product Ops and Product Leads.

Quality Assurance

• Work with the Lead UX Designer and Head of Product Design to ensure consistent, high-quality design output.

• Review work regularly with designers and provide clear, actionable feedback.

• Coordinate and facilitate team-wide design critique and QA processes.

• Stay closely involved in day-to-day squad workflows without micromanaging.

• Implement and evolve design critique practices, review cadences and QA standards to continually raise the bar.

• Promote best practices across the full design lifecycle.

Practice & Culture Development

• Support the growth of craft excellence across all design disciplines.

• Help nurture an inclusive, high-performing and collaborative design culture.

• Coordinate knowledge-sharing, design learning and team development initiatives.

Cross-functional Alignment

• Act as the main point of contact for PMs, Product Leads and Product Ops on design delivery.

• Work with the Lead UX Designer on team-wide initiatives (e.g. platform improvements, NLX rollouts, content patterns).

• Support planning and prioritisation of design work across product areas.

• Translate strategic design direction into operational clarity for squads.

• Build strong partnerships across product, engineering, data and marketing.

What we are looking for

• Experienced in managing cross-functional product design teams (UX, visual, content, research).

• Strong background as a product designer with a deep understanding of end-to-end design practice.

• Proven ability to coach, develop and retain high-performing design talent.

• Strong design judgment with the ability to provide detailed, constructive feedback.

• Solid understanding of design operations, QA processes and delivery frameworks.

• Comfortable working in cross-functional product teams with Agile methodologies.

• Excellent communication, facilitation and conflict-resolution skills.

• Strong partnership instincts with product, engineering, data and marketing.

• Track record of improving team workflows, rituals, hiring and onboarding.

• Working knowledge of research ops, design systems or AI/NLX UX is a plus.

Our Values; applied

Better, Connected: We collaborate and embrace diversity - creating a safe space for all

Empowering and Empowered: We take ownership, show accountability, and celebrate success

Insight-driven: We analyse, review, and adapt based on data

Agents of Change: We're innovative, promote sustainability, and inspire growth

Focussed on Excellence: We aim high, work smart, and deliver efficiently

Passionately Ambitious: We strive to improve, encouraging creativity and honesty

About MPB

We are MPB, the largest global platform for used photography and videography equipment. Our platform transforms the way that people buy, sell and trade in photo and video kit. MPB is a destination for everyone, whether you've just discovered your passion for visual storytelling or you're already a pro.

We recognise the benefit of inclusive practices to better build a diverse community here at MPB. Our commitment to ensuring inclusion fuels and connects us as one with the diverse community of visual storytellers that we serve.

MPB customers come from all walks of life, and so do we. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of family makeup, race, sexuality, religion, gender identity, disability or age. At MPB, every employee has the opportunity to make an impact and grow.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• 1 wellbeing day off per year
• 5% employer contributory pension scheme
• Private healthcare
• Access to EAP with a range of employee discounts
• Buzzing social calendar
• Dog friendly workplace
• Bespoke Learning Management System - the MPB 'Learning Lab' with access thousands of free courses to upskill in any areas you'd like; whether personally or professionally
• 2 volunteer days per year for charity which aligns with MPB values, and of your choosing