Design Director Jobs in San Jose, CA
Design Director jobs in San Jose are concentrated in the North San Jose tech corridor, Downtown, and the Santana Row and West San Jose areas, with demand running strong across enterprise software, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. eBay, McAfee, and Renesas are among those hiring right now. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Design Director JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 93+ Design Director jobs
McAfee is seeking a Director of Product Design to lead our product design and systems team, raise the bar for design quality, and help the organization deliver better product experiences with greater speed, consistency, and business impact.
This leader will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Research, Content Design, and executive stakeholders to shape UX strategy, strengthen design operations, and integrate design earlier into planning and delivery. A key focus is advancing AI-driven product design workflows—improving how teams explore concepts, apply the design system, prototype, critique, QA, and hand off work to Engineering, including pushing beyond traditional Figma-based handoff toward more executable, implementation-ready outputs.
The role is also accountable for strengthening the design system as a foundation for scale, setting clear expectations through the levels and skills framework, and developing managers and senior ICs who can deliver high-quality, production-ready work.
What You’ll Do
Set UX strategy and direction across multiple teams, connecting customer needs, business goals, product strategy, and measurable outcomes.
Advance AI-enabled product design workflows that improve concept exploration, prototyping, design system application, critique, QA, and handoff—pushing the organization beyond static files toward more executable, implementation-ready deliverables.
Strengthen the design system as a platform for consistency, efficiency, accessibility, reusable patterns, implementation fidelity, and cross-platform quality.
Raise the quality of design deliverables by defining what “excellent” looks like across flows, edge cases, interaction details, content, accessibility, specifications, and engineering handoff.
Build operational excellence through stronger planning, prioritization, design reviews, decision-making, documentation, and cross-functional alignment.
Lead and influence cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Research, Marketing, Data, and executive stakeholders to align strategy, scope, trade-offs, and delivery plans.
Grow talent and design culture by coaching managers and senior ICs, applying the levels and skills framework, and building a culture of ownership, feedback, high craft, and measurable outcomes.
What You Bring
10+ years of product design experience, including leadership of managers, senior ICs, or multiple design teams.
Proven ability to set strategy, translate ambiguity into clear priorities, and connect design work to customer and business outcomes.
Strong experience with design systems, reusable patterns, cross-platform design, and design-to-engineering handoff.
Practical fluency with AI-enabled product design workflows and strong judgment about where AI can improve speed, quality, system adoption, and implementation readiness versus where human craft must lead.
Track record of raising design quality, delivery discipline, operational effectiveness, and implementation fidelity across teams.
Experience using research, data, experimentation, and customer insight to guide product direction and validate decisions.
Strong executive communication, storytelling, stakeholder management, and cross-functional influence.
Experience mentoring and developing design managers, senior designers, and future design leaders against clear level expectations.
Commitment to inclusive design, accessibility, privacy, trust, and responsible AI practices.
Success Looks Like
Teams deliver higher-quality work with clearer expectations, stronger rituals, and better handoff.
AI-enabled product design workflows improve concept exploration, prototyping, design system usage, critique, QA, and engineering handoff quality.
The design system reduces inconsistency, rework, and implementation ambiguity.
Design is engaged earlier in planning and contributes more directly to product strategy and business outcomes.
Managers and designers understand what great looks like at their level and have clearer paths for growth.
- Bonus Program
- 401k Retirement
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life, Short Term Disability and Long-Term Disability Coverage
- Paid Parental Leave
- Support and Community Involvement
- 14 Paid Company Holidays
- Unlimited Paid Time Off for Exempt Employees
- 96 Hours of Sick Time and 120 Hours of Vacation for Non-Exempt Employees Accrued Each Year
We're serious about our commitment to diversity which is why McAfee prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or any other legally protected status. Pay Range: The anticipated compensation for this position is USD $149,610.00/Yr. - USD $245,790.00/Yr. depending on experience and qualifications. Job Applicant Privacy Notice: Please click here to view and download the Job Applicant Privacy Notice, which applies to all McAfee job applicants who are residents of the state of California.
McAfee is seeking a Director of Product Design to lead our product design and systems team, raise the bar for design quality, and help the organization deliver better product experiences with greater speed, consistency, and business impact.
This leader will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Research, Content Design, and executive stakeholders to shape UX strategy, strengthen design operations, and integrate design earlier into planning and delivery. A key focus is advancing AI-driven product design workflows—improving how teams explore concepts, apply the design system, prototype, critique, QA, and hand off work to Engineering, including pushing beyond traditional Figma-based handoff toward more executable, implementation-ready outputs.
The role is also accountable for strengthening the design system as a foundation for scale, setting clear expectations through the levels and skills framework, and developing managers and senior ICs who can deliver high-quality, production-ready work.
What You’ll Do
Set UX strategy and direction across multiple teams, connecting customer needs, business goals, product strategy, and measurable outcomes.
Advance AI-enabled product design workflows that improve concept exploration, prototyping, design system application, critique, QA, and handoff—pushing the organization beyond static files toward more executable, implementation-ready deliverables.
Strengthen the design system as a platform for consistency, efficiency, accessibility, reusable patterns, implementation fidelity, and cross-platform quality.
Raise the quality of design deliverables by defining what “excellent” looks like across flows, edge cases, interaction details, content, accessibility, specifications, and engineering handoff.
Build operational excellence through stronger planning, prioritization, design reviews, decision-making, documentation, and cross-functional alignment.
Lead and influence cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Research, Marketing, Data, and executive stakeholders to align strategy, scope, trade-offs, and delivery plans.
Grow talent and design culture by coaching managers and senior ICs, applying the levels and skills framework, and building a culture of ownership, feedback, high craft, and measurable outcomes.
What You Bring
10+ years of product design experience, including leadership of managers, senior ICs, or multiple design teams.
Proven ability to set strategy, translate ambiguity into clear priorities, and connect design work to customer and business outcomes.
Strong experience with design systems, reusable patterns, cross-platform design, and design-to-engineering handoff.
Practical fluency with AI-enabled product design workflows and strong judgment about where AI can improve speed, quality, system adoption, and implementation readiness versus where human craft must lead.
Track record of raising design quality, delivery discipline, operational effectiveness, and implementation fidelity across teams.
Experience using research, data, experimentation, and customer insight to guide product direction and validate decisions.
Strong executive communication, storytelling, stakeholder management, and cross-functional influence.
Experience mentoring and developing design managers, senior designers, and future design leaders against clear level expectations.
Commitment to inclusive design, accessibility, privacy, trust, and responsible AI practices.
Success Looks Like
Teams deliver higher-quality work with clearer expectations, stronger rituals, and better handoff.
AI-enabled product design workflows improve concept exploration, prototyping, design system usage, critique, QA, and engineering handoff quality.
The design system reduces inconsistency, rework, and implementation ambiguity.
Design is engaged earlier in planning and contributes more directly to product strategy and business outcomes.
Managers and designers understand what great looks like at their level and have clearer paths for growth.
- Bonus Program
- 401k Retirement
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life, Short Term Disability and Long-Term Disability Coverage
- Paid Parental Leave
- Support and Community Involvement
- 14 Paid Company Holidays
- Unlimited Paid Time Off for Exempt Employees
- 96 Hours of Sick Time and 120 Hours of Vacation for Non-Exempt Employees Accrued Each Year
We're serious about our commitment to diversity which is why McAfee prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or any other legally protected status. Pay Range: The anticipated compensation for this position is USD $149,610.00/Yr. - USD $245,790.00/Yr. depending on experience and qualifications. Job Applicant Privacy Notice: Please click here to view and download the Job Applicant Privacy Notice, which applies to all McAfee job applicants who are residents of the state of California.
See All 93 Design Director Jobs in San Jose
Find roles in San Jose that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Design Director JobsDesign Director Job Market in San Jose
Who's Hiring
- eBay12
- McAfee12
- Renesas12
- Astera Labs12
- Cadence Design Systems12
Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware17
- Technology & Software6
- Construction & Real Estate6
- Consulting & Professional Services6
Design Director Jobs in San Jose: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a design director job in San Jose?
Design director roles in San Jose are driven by the city's deep concentration of enterprise software, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies, so candidates who can show experience leading product or hardware design at scale have the clearest edge. The North San Jose tech corridor and Downtown core hold the most openings, with smaller clusters in the Santana Row and West San Jose areas. A portfolio demonstrating cross-functional leadership and shipped products resonates most with local hiring teams.
Which companies hire design directors in San Jose?
San Jose design director roles are posted by eBay, McAfee, and Renesas and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. The local employer mix skews toward large technology and semiconductor companies alongside growth-stage hardware and software firms rooted in the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
Are there remote design director jobs in San Jose?
Yes, though availability depends on the role type. About 57% of design director openings tied to San Jose are remote or hybrid as of October 2026, with fully remote arrangements more common in software and brand design than in hardware or physical product design. San Jose's enterprise software employers tend to offer the most flexible arrangements for senior individual contributors and player-coach director roles.
How can I get a design director job in San Jose with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Jose is moving into a senior designer or design lead role at a mid-size enterprise software or consumer electronics company, then building toward director responsibility from within. Local technology companies frequently promote from senior individual contributor roles when a candidate can demonstrate cross-functional influence and mentorship. Targeting companies in North San Jose and Downtown with active design teams gives you the best chance to grow into a director title without starting at that level.
Which industries hire the most design directors in San Jose?
San Jose design director roles concentrate in Electronics & Hardware, Technology & Software, and Construction & Real Estate, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. San Jose's identity as the heart of Silicon Valley means technology product companies, from semiconductor firms to enterprise software makers, generate the bulk of ongoing demand for senior design leadership.
Related Jobs in California
See All 93 Design Director Jobs in San Jose
Find roles in San Jose that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Design Director Jobs