Head Of Design Jobs in California
Head Of Design jobs in California rank among the most active markets in the country, concentrated in technology, entertainment, consumer products, and fintech, with openings at every level from junior design manager to VP-adjacent creative leadership. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are the dominant hiring centers, anchored by employers such as Apple, Netflix, and Adobe, which maintain large design organizations across the state. Demand is strongest for heads of design with expertise in product design systems, brand experience, and cross-platform UX. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 9+ Head Of Design jobs
About Quizlet:
At Quizlet, our mission is to help every learner achieve their outcomes in the most effective and delightful way. We’re a $1B+ learning platform used by two-thirds of U.S. high school students and half of college students, powering over 1 billion learning interactions each week.
We blend cognitive science with machine learning to personalize and enhance the learning experience for students, professionals, and lifelong learners alike. We’re energized by the potential to power more learners through multiple approaches and various tools.
Let’s Build the Future of Learning
Join us to design and deliver AI-powered learning tools that scale across the world and unlock human potential.
Why Join Quizlet?
Massive reach: 60M+ users, 1B+ interactions per week
Cutting-edge tech: Generative AI, adaptive learning, cognitive science
Strong momentum: Top-tier investors, sustainable business, real traction
Mission-first: Work that makes a difference in people’s lives
Inclusive culture: Committed to equity, diversity, and belonging
About the Team:
Design at Quizlet is a small but mighty team with outsized reach: our work touches 60M+ learners and over a billion learning interactions every week. We own design across the full surface area of the company — the Quizlet product itself, our brand and marketing, and the internal tools that make us fast.. We work embedded with product, engineering, and user research in tight weekly cycles, and we demo working software, not mockups. Right now we're doing the most exciting work in the company's history: reimagining Quizlet from the ground up as an AI-native adaptive learning platform.
About the Role:
This role has a deliberate arc. You'll join as a hands-on principal designer: for your first several months, your job is to get your hands dirty shipping the future of Quizlet — setting the visual and experiential direction of our next-generation learning experience and building it yourself, using AI tooling that lets a single designer produce working, production-quality prototypes at a pace that used to require a team. Once you've shipped and learned deep context, you'll step up to lead design across the company — managing our product designers and the contractor network behind our brand and marketing work. You'll report to the VP User Experience and work daily with product, engineering, and marketing leadership. If you've been waiting for a role where you get to both define what a company looks and feels like and build it with your own hands, this is it.
We’re happy to share that this is an Hybrid position in our San Francisco/NYC office. To support collaboration, we ask employees to be in the office at least three days a week: Wednesday and Thursday.
In this role, you will:
Design core learning experiences used by 60M+ learners generating 1B+ interactions per week — work where a small improvement reaches more students than almost any product in education.
Set the visual and experiential direction for the future of Quizlet, and ship it: working prototypes built with AI-assisted design and development tooling, not static mockups handed over a wall.
Build and maintain design systems that span product, marketing, and internal tools — systems robust enough that contractors, PMs, and marketers can build with them without heavy oversight, and that evolve as the product does.
Own how design learns — partner with user research, data science and product marketing to turn learner insight, market trends, and brand signals into design standards the whole team builds against.
Execute high-visibility brand and marketing design when the work demands it: campaigns, feature identities, executive and board presentations, motion work, and launch moments.
Transition into leading the design organization — hiring, developing, and managing designers and a contractor network across product and brand, and owning design quality company-wide, with final sign-off on the look, feel, and experience of everything we ship.
Partner closely with product, engineering, marketing, and executive leadership to navigate competing priorities and keep design velocity high as the company moves fast.
Champion an AI-first way of working across design — raising the bar for what one designer can ship and helping the whole team operate at that new speed.
What you bring to the table:
15+ years of product design experience, including consumer products at significant scale, with a portfolio demonstrating principal-level craft and strong visual taste.
Proven systems design ability: you've designed and maintained design systems spanning multiple surfaces that other contributors could pick up and run with.
Fluency operating at both altitudes — setting design strategy and creative direction, and personally executing polished work at high velocity when the workload demands it.
An AI-first design practice: you already use AI tools to design, prototype, and ship faster, and you're eager to push that further.
Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally — navigating difficult conversations and competing priorities across product, engineering, and marketing with low ego and high effectiveness.
Comfort with the arc of this role: hands-on IC first, leadership second, in a small team where everyone builds.
Bonus points if you have:
Brand marketing or creative direction experience — you've set brand strategy that ladders up to company vision, defined illustration systems, or led a rebrand.
Agency background, with the range and speed that comes from building across unfamiliar categories.
Motion design and animation chops.
Experience managing and project-managing contract designers.
A genuine interest in learning science and education — the "why" behind everything we build.
Ambition to grow with the role: our five-year vision is that this person builds and leads the design organization of an AI-native company that redefines how the world learns.
Compensation, Benefits & Perks:
Collaborate with your manager and team to create a healthy work-life balance
20 vacation days that we expect you to take!
Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, Dental, VSP Choice)
Employer-sponsored 401k plan with company match
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth
Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, Commuter benefits, and Wellness benefits
40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice
We strive to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome!
We work to create a holistic interview process, where both Quizlet and candidates have an opportunity to view what it would be like to work together, in exploring a mutually beneficial partnership.
We provide a transparent setting that gives a comprehensive view of who we are!
In Closing:
At Quizlet, we’re excited about passionate people joining our team—even if you don’t check every box on the requirements list. We value unique perspectives and believe everyone has something meaningful to contribute. Our culture is all about taking initiative, learning through challenges, and striving for high-quality work while staying curious and open to new ideas. We believe in honest, respectful communication, thoughtful collaboration, and creating a supportive space where everyone can grow and succeed together.”
Quizlet’s success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As an equal opportunity employer and a tech company committed to societal change, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Come join us!
#LI-Onsite
To All Recruiters and Placement Agencies:
At this time Quizlet does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and/or profiles.
Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website or to any Quizlet employee. Quizlet will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm nor will it be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. All unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of Quizlet.
Compensation Range: $212K - $289K
About Quizlet:
At Quizlet, our mission is to help every learner achieve their outcomes in the most effective and delightful way. We’re a $1B+ learning platform used by two-thirds of U.S. high school students and half of college students, powering over 1 billion learning interactions each week.
We blend cognitive science with machine learning to personalize and enhance the learning experience for students, professionals, and lifelong learners alike. We’re energized by the potential to power more learners through multiple approaches and various tools.
Let’s Build the Future of Learning
Join us to design and deliver AI-powered learning tools that scale across the world and unlock human potential.
Why Join Quizlet?
Massive reach: 60M+ users, 1B+ interactions per week
Cutting-edge tech: Generative AI, adaptive learning, cognitive science
Strong momentum: Top-tier investors, sustainable business, real traction
Mission-first: Work that makes a difference in people’s lives
Inclusive culture: Committed to equity, diversity, and belonging
About the Team:
Design at Quizlet is a small but mighty team with outsized reach: our work touches 60M+ learners and over a billion learning interactions every week. We own design across the full surface area of the company — the Quizlet product itself, our brand and marketing, and the internal tools that make us fast.. We work embedded with product, engineering, and user research in tight weekly cycles, and we demo working software, not mockups. Right now we're doing the most exciting work in the company's history: reimagining Quizlet from the ground up as an AI-native adaptive learning platform.
About the Role:
This role has a deliberate arc. You'll join as a hands-on principal designer: for your first several months, your job is to get your hands dirty shipping the future of Quizlet — setting the visual and experiential direction of our next-generation learning experience and building it yourself, using AI tooling that lets a single designer produce working, production-quality prototypes at a pace that used to require a team. Once you've shipped and learned deep context, you'll step up to lead design across the company — managing our product designers and the contractor network behind our brand and marketing work. You'll report to the VP User Experience and work daily with product, engineering, and marketing leadership. If you've been waiting for a role where you get to both define what a company looks and feels like and build it with your own hands, this is it.
We’re happy to share that this is an Hybrid position in our San Francisco/NYC office. To support collaboration, we ask employees to be in the office at least three days a week: Wednesday and Thursday.
In this role, you will:
Design core learning experiences used by 60M+ learners generating 1B+ interactions per week — work where a small improvement reaches more students than almost any product in education.
Set the visual and experiential direction for the future of Quizlet, and ship it: working prototypes built with AI-assisted design and development tooling, not static mockups handed over a wall.
Build and maintain design systems that span product, marketing, and internal tools — systems robust enough that contractors, PMs, and marketers can build with them without heavy oversight, and that evolve as the product does.
Own how design learns — partner with user research, data science and product marketing to turn learner insight, market trends, and brand signals into design standards the whole team builds against.
Execute high-visibility brand and marketing design when the work demands it: campaigns, feature identities, executive and board presentations, motion work, and launch moments.
Transition into leading the design organization — hiring, developing, and managing designers and a contractor network across product and brand, and owning design quality company-wide, with final sign-off on the look, feel, and experience of everything we ship.
Partner closely with product, engineering, marketing, and executive leadership to navigate competing priorities and keep design velocity high as the company moves fast.
Champion an AI-first way of working across design — raising the bar for what one designer can ship and helping the whole team operate at that new speed.
What you bring to the table:
15+ years of product design experience, including consumer products at significant scale, with a portfolio demonstrating principal-level craft and strong visual taste.
Proven systems design ability: you've designed and maintained design systems spanning multiple surfaces that other contributors could pick up and run with.
Fluency operating at both altitudes — setting design strategy and creative direction, and personally executing polished work at high velocity when the workload demands it.
An AI-first design practice: you already use AI tools to design, prototype, and ship faster, and you're eager to push that further.
Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally — navigating difficult conversations and competing priorities across product, engineering, and marketing with low ego and high effectiveness.
Comfort with the arc of this role: hands-on IC first, leadership second, in a small team where everyone builds.
Bonus points if you have:
Brand marketing or creative direction experience — you've set brand strategy that ladders up to company vision, defined illustration systems, or led a rebrand.
Agency background, with the range and speed that comes from building across unfamiliar categories.
Motion design and animation chops.
Experience managing and project-managing contract designers.
A genuine interest in learning science and education — the "why" behind everything we build.
Ambition to grow with the role: our five-year vision is that this person builds and leads the design organization of an AI-native company that redefines how the world learns.
Compensation, Benefits & Perks:
Collaborate with your manager and team to create a healthy work-life balance
20 vacation days that we expect you to take!
Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, Dental, VSP Choice)
Employer-sponsored 401k plan with company match
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth
Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, Commuter benefits, and Wellness benefits
40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice
We strive to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome!
We work to create a holistic interview process, where both Quizlet and candidates have an opportunity to view what it would be like to work together, in exploring a mutually beneficial partnership.
We provide a transparent setting that gives a comprehensive view of who we are!
In Closing:
At Quizlet, we’re excited about passionate people joining our team—even if you don’t check every box on the requirements list. We value unique perspectives and believe everyone has something meaningful to contribute. Our culture is all about taking initiative, learning through challenges, and striving for high-quality work while staying curious and open to new ideas. We believe in honest, respectful communication, thoughtful collaboration, and creating a supportive space where everyone can grow and succeed together.”
Quizlet’s success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As an equal opportunity employer and a tech company committed to societal change, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Come join us!
#LI-Onsite
To All Recruiters and Placement Agencies:
At this time Quizlet does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and/or profiles.
Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website or to any Quizlet employee. Quizlet will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm nor will it be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. All unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of Quizlet.
Compensation Range: $212K - $289K
See All 9 Head Of Design Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Head Of Design JobsHead Of Design Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Head Of Design Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Non-Profit & Social Services
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in head of design jobs across California.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in design, human-computer interaction, or a related field
- Eight or more years of design experience including leadership of multidisciplinary teams
- Proven ability to build and scale design systems across product and brand touchpoints
- Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end design ownership from strategy through execution
- Experience partnering with product management and engineering in an agile environment
- Proficiency in Figma, Sketch, or equivalent tools alongside presentation and storytelling skills
Head Of Design Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a head of design in California?
Reaching a head of design role in California typically requires a degree in design, human-computer interaction, or a closely related field, followed by progressive experience as a senior individual contributor and then a design manager. California employers, particularly in tech and entertainment, place heavy weight on a strong portfolio that shows cross-functional leadership, systems thinking, and measurable product or brand impact rather than any state-issued license or certification.
How much do head of designs make in California?
Head of designs in California earn a median of about $137,780 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $81,500 for the lowest 10% to over $249,210 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire head of designs in California?
Employers hiring head of designs in California right now include Logitech, Front, and Kikoff, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's concentration of technology headquarters, streaming studios, and consumer-brand companies means design leadership roles turn over regularly, particularly in the Bay Area and Los Angeles corridors.
Which California cities have the most head of design jobs?
The California cities with the most head of design openings are San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. San Francisco and the broader Bay Area dominate because of the density of technology product companies headquartered there, while Los Angeles draws heavily from entertainment, streaming, and direct-to-consumer brands, and San Diego adds volume through its growing biotech and defense-adjacent tech sector.
Are there remote head of design jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most leadership roles. About 43% of head of design openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting the desk-based and collaborative-digital nature of design leadership work. The parts of the role most commonly done remotely include design reviews, stakeholder presentations, and roadmap planning, while on-site presence is more common during hiring cycles and major product launches.
How can I get hired as a head of design in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into a lead or principal designer role first rather than applying directly to head of design positions. Large California tech companies such as Google, Salesforce, and Meta run structured associate and new-grad design programs in the Bay Area that build the cross-functional credibility hiring managers expect. Building a portfolio that shows systems thinking and team mentorship, even informally, and targeting design manager openings at mid-size California startups gives candidates the leadership proof points needed to step into a head of design role within a few years.
Where can I find and apply to head of design jobs in California?
You can find and apply to head of design jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Find the roles that fit your experience and location, then apply directly to each one.
See All 9 Head Of Design Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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