Senior Director - Product Design (CX)

Company Description

Organizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of “solutions” that promise to simplify their lives. To create a better experience for their customers and employees. To help them grow. Software is a choice that can make or break a business. Create better or worse experiences. Propel or throttle growth. Business software has become a blocker instead of ways to get work done. 

There’s another option. Freshworks. With a fresh vision for how the world works.

At Freshworks, we build uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Our enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Our people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive. Over 72,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks’ customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency. And, over 4,500 Freshworks employees make this possible, all around the world. 

Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.

Job Description

The Sr. Director, User Experience for the CX business will be a strategic leader responsible for shaping and executing the UX vision across our suite of CX products. This leader will drive a customer-centric culture, champion design excellence, and ensure our products deliver intuitive, impactful, and delightful experiences at scale. The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in UX strategy and execution with proven leadership in building and inspiring high-performing teams.

Key Responsibilities

Lead with Vision & Strategy

• Define and communicate a compelling, clear, and actionable UX vision for the CX product suite, aligned with Freshworks’ overall mission and strategy.
• Lead end-to-end UX strategy and execution for all CX products, ensuring consistency, usability, and measurable impact on customer satisfaction and business metrics.
• Develop and connect team charters to the broader company vision, ensuring every UX initiative supports Freshworks’ business goals.
• Demonstrate strategic thinking and adaptability in the face of complex product and organizational challenges.
• Serve as a visible thought leader for UX both inside and outside Freshworks-representing the company at industry events, with customers, and in the broader design community.

Champion the Customer

• Establish and implement customer-centric UX strategies, setting clear goals for usability, accessibility, and customer delight.
• Oversee direct and indirect customer feedback collection, analysis, and integration into the design process, ensuring the voice of the customer is central to all decisions.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Success to resolve escalated customer issues and drive continuous improvement in the customer journey.
• Drive short and medium-term plans to enhance customer satisfaction and product adoption through exceptional user experiences.
• Partner with research and analytics teams to define and track key UX metrics (e.g., task success, NPS, CSAT, time-to-value).

Cultivate a Growth Mindset

• Create a culture of trust and psychological safety where team members are empowered to share ideas, experiment, and learn from failure.
• Recognize and reward innovative thinking, rapid iteration, and successful results within and across UX and product teams.
• Lead by example in embracing new challenges and setting high-impact goals for yourself and your teams.
• Demonstrate humility and openness in acknowledging areas for individual and team growth.

Invest in People

• Build, mentor, and inspire a diverse, high-performing UX team, leveraging global talent and resources for competitive advantage.
• Set clear quarterly goals, provide regular feedback focused on both effort and outcomes, and support team members through coaching, mentoring, and formal training.
• Foster a “One Freshworks” mentality, investing in cross-functional relationships and promoting a sense of belonging across teams.

Execute with Excellence

• Create and drive plans and roadmaps for the effective execution of large-scale, cross-functional UX initiatives.
• Ensure alignment of UX priorities with broader company and functional strategies, and promote planning and accountability across multiple teams.
• Delegate operational responsibilities to develop future leaders and focus on strategic alignment across departments.
• Invest in robust stakeholder engagement, ensuring UX priorities are well-represented in cross-functional decision-making.
• Advocate for accessibility and inclusive design, ensuring our products are usable by all customers.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in UX, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing managers, as well as large, distributed/global teams.
• Demonstrated success in building and scaling UX teams in fast-paced, SaaS or enterprise software environments.
• Deep expertise in user-centered design, design thinking, and agile product development.
• Proven track record of delivering world-class digital experiences that drive measurable business outcomes.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working with global teams and customers is highly desirable.
• Experience working in the B2B or B2B2C SaaS area is preferred. 

Additional Information

The annual base salary range for this position is $257,000 — $338,000 USD

Compensation is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to location, experience, job-related skills, and level. Bonus/equity may be available.

Please note this is a hybrid role that requires an in-office presence 3 days / week (Tue-Thur)

Freshworks offers multiple options for dental, medical, vision, disability and life insurances. Equity + ESPP, flexible PTO, flexible spending, commuter benefits and wellness benefits are also offered. Freshworks also offers adoption and parental leave benefits.

At Freshworks, we are creating a global workplace that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity. We are committed to providing equal opportunity for all and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer work environment that advances the goals of our employees, communities and the business.