Cognite

We are seeking an exceptional and visionary SVP of Design - UX and Documentation to lead our global design organization. This is a critical leadership role that will shape the end-to-end user experience of our cutting-edge products, from intuitive user interfaces to comprehensive technical documentation, ensuring a seamless and empowering journey for our industrial users. You will be instrumental in defining and driving our design strategy, building and mentoring a world-class team, and fostering a culture of user-centricity across the entire organization.

As a global leader, you will be responsible for harmonizing design principles and practices across multiple products, platforms, and geographies. You will champion the voice of the user at all levels of the company, translating complex technical concepts into accessible and impactful experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Design Leadership:
• Define and articulate the overarching UX and documentation vision and strategy for Cognite's product portfolio, aligning with company goals and market needs.
• Drive the evolution of our design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency across all products and platforms.
• Establish and champion best practices for user research, interaction design, visual design, content strategy, and technical documentation.
• Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Sales/Services leadership to integrate design thinking throughout the product lifecycle.
• Advocate for user-centered design principles and the importance of high-quality documentation at the executive level.
• Team Building and Mentorship:
• Build, inspire, and mentor a high-performing global team of UX designers, content designers, technical writers, and researchers.
• Foster a collaborative and innovative design culture, promoting continuous learning, skill development, and knowledge sharing.
• Define career paths and growth opportunities for the design organization, attracting and retaining top talent.
• User Experience (UX) Excellence:
• Oversee the end-to-end UX design process, from discovery and research to wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation.
• Ensure all product designs are intuitive, efficient, and delightful for technical and non-technical users in complex industrial environments.
• Champion accessibility and inclusivity in all design decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement based on user feedback, analytics, and industry trends.
• Documentation Leadership:
• Define the strategy for Cognite's technical documentation, ensuring it is comprehensive, accurate, easy to understand, and easily discoverable.
• Lead the development of innovative documentation solutions, leveraging AI and other technologies to enhance the user's ability to learn and succeed with our products.
• Establish standards and processes for content creation, review, and publishing, ensuring consistency and quality across all documentation assets (e.g., API docs, user guides, tutorials).
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to ensure documentation is tightly integrated with product releases and features.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Act as a key liaison between design and other departments, fostering strong relationships and ensuring seamless communication and alignment.
• Represent the design organization in executive leadership discussions, presenting strategy, progress, and impact.
• Drive the adoption of a user-centric mindset across the entire organization.

Required Qualifications:

• 15+ years of progressive experience in UX design, product design, or a related field, with at least 8 years in a senior leadership role managing global teams.
• Proven track record of defining and executing successful design strategies for complex enterprise software products, preferably in B2B SaaS, industrial tech, AI/ML, or data platforms.
• Extensive experience leading and scaling multi-disciplinary design teams, including UX designers, content designers, technical writers, and researchers.
• Deep understanding of user-centered design principles, information architecture, interaction design, and visual design.
• Demonstrated expertise in building and evolving robust design systems.
• Strong understanding of technical documentation best practices, content strategy, and modern documentation tools and technologies (e.g., docs-as-code).
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and inspire at all levels of an organization.
• Experience working in an agile development environment.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating leadership in design strategy, successful product launches, and impactful user experiences.
• Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with generative AI and its application in product design and content creation.
• Familiarity with industrial domains (e.g., oil & gas, manufacturing, utilities).
• Experience leading design teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.