VP of Product Design

CookUnity is a chef-to-you marketplace connecting talented chefs with consumers, revolutionizing meal delivery. We bring small-batch, restaurant-quality meals to eaters nationwide, crafted by a diverse collective of all-star chefs. With over 100 inspired chefs from cities like NYC, LA, Austin, and more, our weekly subscription offers a wide range of hand-crafted meals to cater to various palates and dietary preferences.

By delivering over 1 million meals per month, we're also empowering working chefs, tripling their income, and supporting their growth. CookUnity believes in fueling stronger communities, partnering with Food Bank For New York City to combat food insecurity across all five boroughs.

About the Role

This is a leadership role in a growth-focused startup and will report directly to our Head of Product. You will manage our Product Design and User Research teams, and partner closely with CookUnity’s founder/CEO and leaders in Engineering, Marketing, CX and Chef teams. Your role is instrumental in establishing a cohesive UX across our digital and physical products, bringing the product vision to life and inspiring innovation! We very much care about our customers’ journey through experiencing amazing food, with a desire to leverage our brand voice and a mobile-first strategy to excite and engage our Eaters.

What You'll Do

You’ll be the visionary driving our design and research strategy across both our eater and chef-facing digital platforms. At CookUnity, we're on a mission to build the ultimate chef marketplace, transforming lives for chefs and eaters worldwide—and you'll be the creative force ensuring our digital experience captures every emotion and job to be done to achieve this.

As part of our growing team of product designers and researchers, you’ll bring your expertise in leading teams behind high-growth consumer marketplaces or e-commerce products. You'll thrive in a space where experimentation meets structure, crafting a cohesive digital experience that beautifully integrates brand assets, video content, and the unique personalities of our chefs.

Come lead the charge in creating a unified design framework that powers both ideation and execution, ensuring seamless alignment between design, product, and engineering! We’re looking for someone with a strategic and growth-oriented mindset, ready to develop your team’s careers while playing a key role in CookUnity’s senior leadership. You should also be willing to roll up your sleeves and flex your creative muscles, setting a high bar of quality.

If you're excited to make your mark in the world of food tech and eager to shape the future of the culinary experience, then join us. Together, let’s revolutionize the way the world eats—one pixel at a time.

Responsibilities

• Lead and own the company’s digital product design, UX research strategy, and design system, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Build and mentor a high-performing design team, driving impact and quality through coaching, skill development, and the adoption of best practices.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing to deliver high-quality, impactful products on time.
• Drive human-centered design practices, leveraging quantitative and qualitative research to inform decisions and innovate user experiences.
• Champion breakthrough design ideas that enhance customer satisfaction and align with the company’s brand and business needs.
• Communicate design strategies and progress effectively to internal and external stakeholders, fostering alignment and collaboration across teams.
• Guide your team through quantitative and qualitative research activities for CookUnity (frequent surveys, user interviews, in-product testing) across both eaters and chefs, and collaborate with Product and Data to draw out insights for action on the teams.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in product design, at least 4+ years in a leadership role focused on consumer marketplace or e-commerce products.
• 4+ years of experience managing designers.
• You're experienced in leading, resourcing, and building cross-functional teams.
• You have demonstrated the ability to operate successfully in a time-sensitive and fast-paced environment.
• You have experience as a strategic design leader and collaborating with executives.
• You have a mastery of modern User research techniques.
• You have proven experience creating beautiful, easy-to-use, mobile-first, high-converting digital shopping experiences.
• You have experience with Digital and also Physical products. You master lifecycle-focused research.
• You love food!

Benefits

🩺  Health Insurance coverage

🌅 401k Plan

📈 We grow, you grow: Stock Options Plan granted on Day 1 

🌟 Eligible for a bi-annual performance bonus 

⛱ Unlimited PTO 

🗓️ 5- year Sabbatical: After 5 years with CookUnity, you get a 4-week paid sabbatical

🐣 Family leave: 12 weeks for primary caregiver and 6 weeks for secondary caregiver, fully paid

🕯 Compassionate Leave: 3-5 days each time the need arises

🥘 A generous amount of CookUnity credits to enjoy our amazing meals, added to your account, monthly

🧘🏽‍♀️ Wellness perks: access to a nutritional coach and fitness subsidies to build a healthy lifestyle

👩🏾‍🏫 Personalized Spanish coach

🌟 Awesome opportunity to join a company that is looking to change how we eat and how chefs work!

If you’re interested in this role, please submit your application and if we think you might be a fit, we'll get in touch with you. Thank you for your time!

CookUnity is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to creating a community of inclusion and an environment free from discrimination or harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or physical or mental disability.