Head of Design

Vanta is hiring for a Head of Design (VP) to lead our design organization — setting direction for a ~40-person team, shaping the next generation of AI-native product experiences, and building the quality systems that let great design ship at scale.

The Design team at Vanta shapes how security and compliance teams experience Vanta — from a startup founder building their security program for the first time to an enterprise security team managing hundreds of controls. The org spans all areas of Vanta — GRC, Trust, Platform, Self-serve, and AI — and includes product designers, visual designers, design engineering, content designers, and a user researcher, led by experienced design directors. As AI fundamentally changes what products can do and how they get built, this team is at an inflection point: the right leader will define what it means for a design org to be genuinely AI-forward — enabling designers to move faster, ship more, and contribute to product direction and delivery in new ways.

This is the right role for a design leader who leads with AI fluency, brings strong taste and craft across interaction design and visual design, and has the operational instincts to build the systems that make quality a consistent property of the whole org.

What you’ll do as Head of Design at Vanta:

• Lead a team of ~40 designers and design directors across GRC, Trust, Platform, Self-serve, and AI — setting org-wide direction and enabling each leader to do their best work

• Lead the team building the next generation of agentic, AI-native product experiences — defining what great design looks like as Vanta’s products are increasingly shaped by AI

• Establish an AI-native design practice: evolve agentic UX patterns, redesign team workflows around AI tooling, and define how design engineers and designers collaborate in an AI-first environment

• Bring a strong point of view to design decisions — engaging deeply on interaction design, visual quality, and product direction, and building the trust that allows design decision-making to scale

• Set a clear, shared standard for design quality across Vanta — spanning visual design, interaction design, and AI-enabled experiences — and build the systems that hold that bar consistently: design system, definitions of done, and launch review frameworks

• Drive design as a first mover: shape design direction proactively, establishing the taste and systems that set the pace for the product and the org

• Build strong partnerships with Product and Engineering, establishing shared quality frameworks embedded in how the whole org ships

• Recruit and grow the team — develop existing leadership, maintain a high bar for AI fluency and design craft across every hire, and close capability gaps as the org evolves

How to be successful in this role:

• 15+ years of design experience, with 5+ years leading and scaling large design organizations, with director-level reports

• Deep fluency in interaction design and visual craft — enjoys getting into the weeds, providing precise direction, and holding a high bar for quality across design decisions

• Deep B2B SaaS experience — understanding the constraints of building for SMB and enterprise customers, complex workflows, multi-user products, and platform-level design challenges

• Org-level AI fluency: has built AI tooling, workflows, and cultural adoption into a design team’s practice, enabling teams to ship more and move faster; has a clear point of view on how AI changes design roles and team structure

• Proven track record building quality systems: design system ownership, definitions of done, launch review processes, and quality frameworks built in partnership with Product and Engineering

• Has led design through a company inflection point — navigates ambiguity, adapts the org, and maintains quality and momentum when the business is changing fast

• Strong XFN leadership — trusted by product and engineering counterparts, navigates fast-moving and opinionated exec environments, and drives alignment on shared outcomes

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for current or future employer sponsorship.

• Responsible for protecting Vanta and customer data in how your team operates and delivers results.

• Open to using AI to amplify their skills and strengthen their work - demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact.

What you can expect as a Vanta’n:

• Industry-competitive salary and equity

• 16 weeks fully-paid Parental Leave for all new parents

• Health & wellness stipend

• Remote workspace, internet, and cellphone stipend

• Family planning benefits

• Matching 401(k) contribution with immediate vesting

• 11 company-paid holidays

#LI-remote