Director, Product Experience & Design

About CData Software, Inc.CData is the data layer between AI and ROI—delivering the connectivity, context, and control that make enterprise AI more accurate. One platform for live access and data replication across 350+ sources, semantic intelligence that ensures context-aware responses, and built-in governance for every AI-to-data interaction. Powering AI and analytics workloads for Anthropic, Databricks, Microsoft, Google, Palantir, and more than 10,000 customers worldwide.Behind that impact is a global team of passionate problem-solvers, engineers, and innovators who are redefining what’s possible in data connectivity.Headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, CData has over 500 team members, with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. We take pride not just in what we build, but in how we build it: together, with curiosity, creativity, and a shared drive to push boundaries.Director, Product Experience & DesignJob SummaryThe Director, Product Experience & Design will lead the vision, strategy, and execution of user experience and interface design across the organization, ensuring a seamless,innovative, and differentiateduserexperience across CData’s product portfolio. This leader plays a critical role in transforming CData into an AI-native product organization by defining how AI is incorporated into user workflows, product experiences, and customer journeys. Working closely with Product and Engineering leadership, the Director will drive the evolution of our products toward intelligent and highly engaging experiences that deliver meaningful customer value and business impact. The Director, Product Experience & Design will be responsible for leading a team of UX designers, elevating design quality across multiple products, influencing product strategy, and championing a customer-centric approach to product development. The ideal candidate combines exceptional design leadership with strong product thinking, a deep understanding of modern SaaS applications, and experience designing AI-enabled user experiences. Why This Role Matters:This role will be instrumental in transforming both how our products are designed and how our design team operates. The Director will help define the future user experience of our platform, drive adoption of AI-native design tools, workflows, and practices, as well as elevate product quality, usability, and customer experience across the portfolio. Location(s):Research triangle, NC, or East coast (preferred)Eligibility: Applicants must be US-based and legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or in the future.Key Duties & Responsibilities:Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Lead & advocate for user-centered design solutions that support both the short-term product goals and long-term business objectives across the organization. Define and execute a company-wide UX/UI strategy that creates consistent, scalable, and high-quality experience across all products and customer touchpoints. Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership to shape product strategy, roadmap priorities, and customer experience direction. Lead the transformation of the UX organization toward AI-native design practices, leveraging AI tools and workflows to improve research, prototyping, design iteration, and team productivity. Drive CData’s evolution toward AI-native experiences by identifying opportunities to leverage AI, automation, copilots, interfaces, and intelligent workflows to improve customer outcomes. Define best practices for designing AI-powered experiences, including user trust, transparency, explainability, human oversight, and responsible AI principles. Evaluate emerging AI technologies, design patterns, and industry trends to ensure CData remains at the forefront of product innovation. Act as the principal Product Experience leader across the organization, influencing executive stakeholdersand advocating for customer-centered decision making across the product portfolio. Define product requirements through collaborative brainstorming, customer journey mapping, prototyping, and design exploration. Oversee the creation and evolution of a comprehensive design system that ensures scalability, consistency, and efficiency across all products. Establish and monitor UX, product adoption, engagement, and customer satisfaction metrics to measure the impact of design decisions and inform future investments. Champion exceptional end-to-end product experiences that increase customer adoption, engagement, retention, and overall product differentiation. Leverage customer research, product analytics, and user feedback to identify opportunities to improve usability, adoption, andmarket fit. Mentor, develop, and grow a high-performing design organization while fostering strong partnerships across Product, Engineering, Customer Success, and GTM teams. QualificationsMust Haves: 10+ years of demonstrated experience leadi