āØ AI Insights & Summary
Spotted Zebra is redefining the future of hiring with its AI-native platform, and they're looking for a visionary Senior Director of Product to lead this transformation. This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-growing, award-winning Series A company and shape not only a groundbreaking product but also an AI-native company culture. You'll work directly with the CEO, leverage advanced AI tools, and build high-performing teams to deliver intelligent hiring solutions to global enterprise clients. If you're a strategic product leader passionate about AI, innovation, and creating a better hiring experience, this role offers immense impact and growth potential.
About Spotted Zebra
Spotted Zebra is building an AI-native, end-to-end hiring platform designed to help leading organizations find the right people faster and more fairly. Their platform integrates Interview Intelligence, Skills Assessments, and an AI Interview Agent, powered by their AI assistant, Spot. They are an AI-native company, using AI to accelerate growth, enhance customer relationships, and empower their team.
What We Do
Spotted Zebra's platform offers "Interview Intelligence," "Skills Assessments," and an "AI Interview Agent" in one powerful solution. Their AI assistant, Spot, works seamlessly with talent teams, providing insights to predict success, speed up hiring, ensure governance, and allow focus on human interactions. They are committed to building an AI-native company culture where AI amplifies speed, customer focus, and employee leverage.
Our Dazzle (Team Culture)
A group of zebras is called a "dazzle," and Spotted Zebra fosters a culture where their team thrives. They encourage continuous learning, a positive mindset, and mutual encouragement as they navigate challenges and explore new grounds together.
What You'll Be Doing
As the Senior Director of Product, you will work closely with the CEO to set the strategic direction for Product and Design, influencing the broader Product, Design, and Engineering organization. You will translate advances in AI, customer insights, and commercial opportunities into a winning strategy, driving global product expansion and communicating the product vision to key stakeholders. You will also build and lead a high-performing Product and Design organization, embedding AI-augmented ways of working and fostering a strong partnership with Engineering.
Key Responsibilities:
- Product & Design Organization Leadership: Own and lead the Product and Design functions, setting strategic direction, priorities, and fostering a high-performance culture. Directly manage and coach individual contributors, ensuring high quality and craft. Oversee organizational design, budget, and headcount planning.
- Engineering Influence & Collaboration: Act as a senior cross-functional partner to Engineering leadership, influencing technical roadmap prioritization, driving alignment on delivery trade-offs, and ensuring strategic context for decision-making.
- AI Augmented Delivery (AAD): Set the standard for AI-Augmented Delivery across Product and Design, embedding AI into strategy, discovery, research, prototyping, design, specification, and decision-making to increase speed and quality. Model AI usage and develop team capabilities.
- Talent Attraction: Utilize your professional profile and reputation to attract exceptional talent to Spotted Zebra through thought leadership and external engagement.
- Global Product Strategy: Define and champion the long-term product vision, leading expansion into international markets like the United States, incorporating global growth needs into product strategy. Advocate for the customer voice at the executive level.
- Executive Leadership & CEO Partnership: Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO, representing the company in key moments such as fundraising, board engagement, and partnership discussions. Bring the product and technology perspective to investor conversations.
- Cross-functional Ownership: Take accountability for functions at the boundary of product and go-to-market, such as Solutions Architecture, ensuring integration with Engineering and customer-facing teams.
- Scaling through Fundraising & Growth Stages: Bring experience in navigating funding rounds and building operational foundations, processes, and team structures for rapid growth. Lead organizational design decisions and proactively manage strategic risks.
Must-Haves ā
- Product & Design Leadership at Scale: Experience leading Product and Design organizations across multiple teams, directly managing high-performing individuals and maintaining hands-on involvement.
- Engineering Partnership: Proven ability to partner with Engineering leadership, influence technical direction, drive alignment, and provide leadership continuity.
- AI-Native Delivery: Experience building or transforming a product function to operate in an AI-native way, embedding AI tools into workflows.
- AI Tooling Fluency: Hands-on proficiency with AI tools for product and design, with a sophisticated understanding of AI's application in B2B products.
- IC Management & Coaching: Ability to directly manage, coach, and develop team members, setting high expectations and providing honest feedback.
- Hands-on Capability: Willingness to get hands-on with strategy, discovery, or unblocking critical work when needed.
- Scaling through Funding Rounds: Experience guiding a high-growth startup through funding rounds and building scalable operations.
- Global Product Experience: Ability to develop and execute product strategy across international markets, particularly the US enterprise market.
- Executive Presence & Investor Readiness: Comfort operating at board and investor level, with experience in fundraising narratives and due diligence.
- Cross-functional Ownership: Experience owning functions beyond core product and design (e.g., Solutions Architecture).
- B2B SaaS at Enterprise Scale: Deep experience building and scaling enterprise SaaS products.
- Strategic Product Thinking: Ability to balance long-term vision with near-term execution.
- Customer Co-creation: Experience engaging executive stakeholders at enterprise customers to shape product direction.
Nice-to-Haves š
- Experience in HR technology or adjacent people-tech markets.
- Track record of building products for both enterprise and mid-market segments.
- Experience establishing or scaling a product presence in the United States.
- Background operating as or alongside a Chief Product Officer or VP of Product.
Benefits & Perks
- Meaningful share options
- Health insurance
- Enhanced pension
- Nursery salary sacrifice scheme
- 25 days holiday (excluding bank holidays)
- Remote-first work environment
- Work from home budget
- L&D budget
- Dental cover
- Eye-care support
- Co-working space budget
- Wellbeing allowance
- Travel insurance
- Electric car scheme
- Access to the latest AI-powered tools and technologies.