Design Manager

About Vogo Vogo is a global travel platform that brings all types of accommodations into one place, making it easy for travelers to find the perfect stay. From downtown hotels and luxury resorts to private vacation rentals and remote cabins, Vogo offers the widest selection of accommodations worldwide. Vogo's proprietary technology then scans billions of data points to surface the best deals across millions of properties, streamlining discovery, and booking for every traveler. Since launching out of Wilbur Labs in 2018, Vogo has rapidly become one of the most trusted travel platforms globally, surpassing $1 billion in gross bookings in just two years. Vogo is headquartered in Dallas and led by a team of travel industry veterans. About this Role Vogo is seeking a Design Manager to lead and scale our product design organization across core traveler experiences. This role combines hands-on design leadership with people management, mentorship, and cross-functional partnership to help shape the future of Vogo’s consumer experience across web, iOS, and Android. You will manage and mentor a team of designers while also driving high-impact strategic initiatives across discovery, booking, loyalty, post-booking, and traveler engagement experiences. You’ll play a critical role in elevating design quality, strengthening design systems, improving team processes, and helping build a strong user-centered culture across the company. The ideal candidate is an experienced product design leader with exceptional craft, strong systems thinking, and a passion for mentoring designers and building high-performing teams. You are comfortable moving between strategic leadership and hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment. This role reports directly to the Chief Product Officer. This is a full-time hybrid position, based in Dallas. Role & Responsibilities: Design Leadership Manage, mentor, and grow a team of product designers across multiple product areas Provide regular design critiques, coaching, and career development support to elevate overall team quality and effectiveness Foster a strong culture of craft, collaboration, user empathy, and continuous improvement Help establish scalable design processes, rituals, and operating frameworks across the organization Product & Experience Design Lead mobile-first design initiatives crafting intuitive, high-quality experiences across iOS, Android, and web platforms that feel native, performant, and cohesive Drive end-to-end product design from concept through launch, influencing product strategy and business outcomes Translate complex user needs and business requirements into elegant, intuitive user experiences Ensure high-quality interaction design, visual design, motion, and UX consistency across the customer journey Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing and Operations teams to shape product direction and execution Design Systems & UX Excellence Help evolve and scale Vogo’s design system, component libraries, tokens, documentation, and UX standards Establish consistent patterns and scalable frameworks across platforms and product surfaces Champion accessibility, responsive design principles, usability, and design quality across all experiences Drive alignment between brand expression, product usability, and business goals User Research & Customer Understanding Champion a user-centered design process and advocate for research-backed decision-making across the organization Guide and support UX research efforts including interviews, usability testing, surveys, and behavioral analysis Synthesize customer insights into actionable product and design opportunities Partner with analytics and product teams to incorporate qualitative and quantitative insights into decision-making Cross-Functional Leadership Collaborate closely with PMs and Engineering leaders to define product strategy, priorities, and roadmap direction Facilitate alignment across stakeholders while balancing customer needs, business goals, and technical constraints Present design strategy, rationale, and outcomes clearly to executive leadership and cross-functional teams Minimum Qualifications: 7+ years of product design experience with a strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking and exceptional execution 2+ years of experience managing or mentoring product designers Proven experience leading complex, high-impact consumer product initiatives across mobile and web platforms Strong portfolio showcasing UX, visual design, interaction design, systems thinking, and product strategy Experience working on consumer-facing products with significant user impact Deep proficiency in Figma and modern product design workflows Strong understanding of design systems, accessibility, responsive design, and mobile UX best practices Demonstrated ability to balance multiple priorities and lead effectively in fast-moving environments Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills Strong collaboration skills with Product, Engineering, and cross-functional partners Portfolio demonstrating strong design thinking and execution required Preferred Qualifications & Prior Experience: Experience designing travel, marketplace, ecommerce, fintech, or subscription-based consumer products Strong eye for brand cohesion and understanding of balancing creative expression with product usability and brand integrity Prior startup experience working in high-growth, fast-paced environments Experience building and scaling design systems across teams and platforms Experience leading or contributing to user research programs and experimentation initiatives Comfort experimenting with emerging AI capabilities while maintaining a high bar for quality and craft Ability to move fluidly between ambiguity, strategy, and hands-on execution In-house product experience strongly preferred Benefits & Perks: Competitive salary + equity Top-tier laptop provided 100% company-paid health benefits for base plan coverage, with the option to upgrade to higher-tier plans 401(k) with company match Unlimited, guilt-free vacation days Annual wellness stipend (gym + other wellness activities) Monthly house cleaning stipend Annual travel allowance Monthly cell phone & internet usage stipend Charity donation company match Employee referral bonus Team offsites/activities