Senior Design Manager at Backmarket

HI, WE’RE BACK MARKET. We’re here to help make tech reliable, affordable, and better than new. We're a global marketplace for refurbished devices, helping lower our collective environmental impact by providing trustworthy, affordable tech with 92% less carbon emissions than new. Yep, you read that right. Turns out refurbished tech is way better for the planet than new. In fact, With every device purchased on Back Market, our positive impact on the planet grows. From our Customer Care representatives to our software engineer, every individual at Back Market cuts the planet — and consumers — a break. Our mission is simple: to do more with what we already have. Are you ready to join us? DESCRIPTION Join our Design team of 24 designers spread across Europe, New York, and Tokyo. Our diversity fuels our approach and passion to build products that make sense and feel good. We're part of the Product org, and we are obsessed with making refurbished tech irresistible. We zoom out for the big picture, sweat the details, and shape experiences for both customers hunting for deals and the refurbishers keeping devices alive. As a certified BCorp, we’re committed to making a real impact - already preventing over 1 million tons of carbon emissions in our quest for tech circularity. YOUR MISSION (IF YOU ACCEPT IT): 🥇 You'll own the design strategy for Back Market's purchase experience. This means search, product discovery, comparison, checkout, plus all the services and partnerships we're building to make circular commerce the obvious choice. You'll lead a team of 4 designers (3 product designers, and 1 content designer right now). You’ll coach, challenge, and enable them to deliver high quality work. You'll be their biggest advocate yet also their closest critic, in the best way possible. You'll partner with Product and Engineering counterparts to co-own the vision, turn insights into experiences that move conversion metrics while keeping our users' needs front and center. You'll also join our Design leadership crew, with fellow managers and craft leads, to raise the bar across the entire org. WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON: - Define and execute the vision and design strategy for our purchase experience, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to balance business goals and user needs - Roll up your sleeves on critical projects where strategic vision meets hands-on craft - Champion design quality and user-centricity in every conversation, especially when trade-offs get messy - Model the kind of leadership that makes people excited to come to work: empathetic, positive, proactive, and a little bit rebellious (challenging the status quo, because we’re Back Market) - Set the standard for collaboration, rituals, and operational excellence - Lead your team's growth through 1:1s, feedback, design guidance, career development, and making sure they're doing work they're proud of YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE IF: ⭐ YOU HAVE: - Experience in design leadership, including managing distributed teams (3+ direct reports), or equivalent people leadership experience - Expertise in e-commerce or marketplace purchase experiences, with a track record of improving conversion rates and user satisfaction through design - Strategic chops balanced with tactical execution: you can paint the long-term vision and also notice when the button hierarchy is off - Track record of leveraging AI in your work and in your team’s work - Hands-on experience with experimentation, A/B testing, and using data to make design decisions - Strong organizational instincts: you bring clarity when things get chaotic and help teams prioritize what matters - Emotional intelligence: humble, caring, and supportive - Excellent English communication skills (we're international) and the ability to inspire your team while influencing senior stakeholders NICE TO HAVE: - Hands-on experience with purchase funnel optimization - Fluency with modern design tools (Figma, prototyping, AI tooling) and building frameworks that scale WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN US ? ✌🏼 At Back Market, we’re committed to hiring and supporting diverse teams of people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives — it’s one of the reasons we’re such a high-scoring certified B Corp company (93.2). No matter your role and seniority level, you’ll enjoy impact-driven work with hands-on career development in an innovative, driven, and fast-paced environment — with benefits to match, like: - A mission driven work environment where your day to day makes an impact on the planet. Seriously. - Hybrid work environment, with 2 remote days a week and 1 remote work week per quarter, plus 3 flex days. - Employee Resource Groups, including mentorship programs, comprehensive accessibility policies, and cultural competency training. At Back Market, we strive to create a workplace that embodies the world we’re trying to change. We’ve embedded our diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into our DNA — from dedicated staff to employee resource groups to our company values. We know that the perfect background for a role doesn’t mean the perfect fit — we encourage you to apply for a role even if you think you may not have all the qualifications. If reasonable accommodations are needed for the interview process, please do not hesitate to discuss this with the Talent Acquisition Team.