Head of Design

The role

We’re hiring a Head of Design to define how product experiences are built at Opto.

Today, our product does not yet match the ambition of what we’re building. Onboarding is not self-serve, workflows are fragmented, and design is not consistently shaping product decisions. This role exists to change that.

You will own product design as a function and play a central role in shaping the product itself. This is a hands-on leadership role. You will build and lead the team while directly designing critical parts of the product.

You will work alongside product and engineering to define what we build and how we build it, pushing for simplicity, clarity, and high quality across every experience. You will bring design into strategy, not just execution.

We’re looking for someone who thinks in systems, not just screens. Someone who has strong opinions about what good looks like and is willing to push for it. Someone who takes ownership of outcomes, not just deliverables.

What you’ll do

• Personally lead design on our most critical product surfaces, setting the standard for quality and usability. 
• Bring a clear point of view on designing AI-native products, including how to build trust, transparency, and effective human-AI interaction.
• Define how product experiences are built at Opto, from onboarding through core workflows, establishing principles for simplicity, clarity, and trust. You live in the app and know your job isn’t over once something ships.
• Work alongside product and engineering to define direction, challenge decisions, and ensure we build coherent, end-to-end experiences.
• Push teams to simplify, cut scope, and focus on what actually drives user value.
• Bring design into strategic decisions early, shaping roadmap, prioritization, and how we approach problems.
• Establish design systems, patterns, and practices that scale across the product and compound over time.
• Lead and grow the design team, setting a high bar for craft, thinking, and execution.
  

What success looks like

• Design consistently shapes product decisions, not just execution.
• Core workflows feel coherent, intuitive, and built for how our users actually work.
• The product has a clear, unified interaction model across surfaces.
• Teams ship high-quality experiences with a strong focus on outcomes.
  

• Strong product sense and high quality bar. You know what good looks like and push teams to reach it.
• Comfort with ambiguity. You create clarity in evolving environments and help teams move forward.
• AI-native mindset. You've incorporated AI deeply into your workflow and have a point of view on how design's role is evolving

• 0-1 product design experience. You've built products or major features from scratch and can articulate what you shipped, what you cut, and why.
• Experience contributing to or reaching product-market fit. You understand how design drives learning, iteration, and adoption.
• B2B product experience, ideally in fintech or data-heavy environments with complex workflows.
• Experience leading designers, or a strong senior IC who has operated at a leadership level and is ready to own a function.
• Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Bonus

• Fintech or private markets experience.
• Founder or early-stage experience.
• Experience building or shaping discovery and research practices.
  

• A real product problem to solve. This is not a design system cleanup. You’ll be shaping how a complex, high-stakes product should work from first principles.
• High-leverage domain. Private markets are large, growing, and structurally underserved by software.
• Direct access to users. We have distribution and relationships with the people we’re building for.
• Design is core to the strategy. We are intentionally building a product and organization where design plays a central role in how decisions are made.

Please fill out the below fields, and attach a Resume and Cover Letter. Why a Cover Letter? We receive a high volume of applicants, and we have real humans that read each and every resume, we encourage you to use creativity in your Cover Letter and speak directly to why you want to join our team! 

We will review your resume in as timely a manner as we are able to, so kindly refrain from reaching out to hiring managers or other Opto team members via email or linkedin, as this won't improve or fast track your application. 

Opto has a high bar for talent, and we are committed to building the best teams possible. Candidates are never subjected to discrimination based on race, citizenship, religion, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, sensory, mental, or physical disability, or any other characteristic.

The successful candidate for this role can expect a generous compensation and benefits package. The cash salary range for this role is $250,000-$290,000 dependent on skills, experience and expected contribution. 

All full time employees at Opto enjoy:

• Significant equity
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Unlimited PTO
• Retirement savings plan (401k)
• Learning, Fitness and Commuter stipends
• Paid Holidays

This position is based primarily onsite in either our San Francisco or New York City offices.