Director of Product Design (AI Canvas)
Cisco
The application window is expected to close on: Sep 5th, 5 PM ET 2025
Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
The Platform Experience Group is redefining how users interact with Cisco’s products by building the foundation for AI-powered, agentic experiences and Generative UI. Our team leads the evolution of a unified, intelligent design system that spans Cisco’s product portfolio — enabling products to feel deeply integrated, responsive, and adaptive to user intent.
By combining systems thinking with emerging AI capabilities, we empower product teams to deliver context-aware, self-optimizing, and user-augmenting experiences — at scale. From reusable AI components to frameworks that support agent-driven workflows, we’re building connective tissue that allows every Cisco product to act smarter, feel more human, and deliver more value with less effort.
Please note: If selected you will be asked to participate in an AI-Driven Design Project Showcase in the interview process.
Product Brief: https://youtu.be/ah_z7EAxPrE?si=uSZVYumfA4KXYW9X
Your Impact
As a Director of Product Design for AI Canvas, Platform Experience Group you have
· Extensive experience in AI tooling and Generative UI — including design for LLM-integrated products, AI assistants/copilots, adaptive workflows, or ML-powered internal tools.
· Deep understanding of platform-scale design systems and the complexities of designing foundational experiences at enterprise scale.
· A track record of building and leading teams that include product and systems designers.
· Experience working on initiatives with long-term strategic implications, cross-organizational impact, and technical depth.
· Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership skills.
· A passion for mentoring and building strong, inclusive design cultures grounded in curiosity, craft, and continuous learning.
· Extensive Design System experience.
What you'll do
· Lead a high-performing design team responsible for platform and generative UI experiences, AI tooling, and design systems.
· Serve as a thought leader for AI-driven design within Cisco.
· Direct the design, testing, and research of user interfaces and intelligent workflows across product portfolios.
· Establish and drive clear roadmaps for AI-integrated design experiences, collaborating closely with senior cross-functional leaders.
· Champion user-centric methodologies to identify opportunities, enable innovation, and influence product vision across business units.
· Represent the Platform Experience function at the senior leadership level, contributing to product, operational, and people strategies.
· Ensure the team upholds the highest standards of usability, accessibility, and design excellence.
· Drive strategic alignment and OKRs across design, product, and engineering.
Minimum Qualifications
· 5+ years of experience leading product design teams or first-line design managers, demonstrating the ability to attract, lead, and mentor senior AI product designers.
· Proven experience in GenAI design leadership, with experience communicating and driving UI/UX strategies that align with business objectives.
· Proven experience with journey mapping, design thinking, research, user testing, and/or experimentation to develop actionable and measurable end-to-end consumer experience.
· 10+ years of working with customers and internal teams to define scope, targets, project plans, and deliverables.
Preferred Qualifications
· Prior experience designing AI-first or AI-integrated enterprise software or platforms.
· Background in systems design, interaction design, or human-computer interaction (HCI)
· Familiarity with privacy, trust, and responsible AI principles in product development.
· Strong presence as a thought leader - through public speaking, writing, or community engagement.
Why Cisco
The Internet of Everything is a phenomenon driving new opportunities for Cisco and it's redefining our customers' businesses worldwide. We are pioneers and have been since the early days of connectivity. Today, we are building teams that are expanding our technology solutions in the mobile, cloud, security, IT, and big data spaces, including software and consulting services. As Cisco delivers the network that powers the Internet, we are connecting the unconnected. Imagine creating unprecedented disruption. Your groundbreaking ideas will impact everything from retail, healthcare, and entertainment to public and private sectors, and far beyond. Collaborate with like-minded innovators in a fun and flexible culture that has earned Cisco global recognition as a Great Place to work. With roughly 10 billion connected things in the world now and over 50 billion estimated in the future, your career has exponential possibilities at Cisco.
Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, give our egos a break, and give of ourselves (because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, bold steps, and take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought and a dedication to equality for all, there is no moving forward. So, you have colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. A passion for technology and world changing? Be you, with us!
We offer extensive employee benefits including unlimited PTO, 10 paid volunteering days, paid birthday off, 401k match with NO vesting, generous health/dental/vision benefits and much more.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
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When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.
Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:
.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.