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- Q2 Product & Design Hiring Report
Q2 Product & Design Hiring Report
Product & Design teams are staying lean.
Companies are being selective with their headcount, prioritizing Product Designers, then Product Managers (as a close second), who bring specialized skills, move fast, and get buy-in across the board.
👋 Allow us to re-introduce ourselves.
Creative People is a human-centered search firm building best-in-class marketing, brand creative, product design, and product management teams for both full-time and contract hires.
Executive People, a division of c/p, is dedicated to building leadership teams for the world’s most innovative startups.
What’s shaping the market right now across Product & Design:
Strategy > shipping → PMs aren’t just here to build. They’re here to decide what not to build. Strong business instincts, roadmap storytelling, and exec alignment are more critical than ever.
Design is getting more strategic → Startups are investing in Design. There's a clear seat at the table for Design to influence business decisions.
Cross-functional fluency is a must → PMs and designers who can speak the language of engineering, GTM, and customer success are rising to the top.
AI is reshaping product → PMs and designers are expected to think through both the look and function of AI-native features and user flows.
What we’ve been working on:
Here’s an update on some of our recent placements.
Product Design
Product Management
Growing your team? 👇
Candidate Spotlight ⭐️
Below is a curated group of standout full-time candidates who are actively looking for their next role. If you'd like an intro to any of these profiles, just hit reply.
Lead Product Designer/Head of Design
Product designer + team leader with experience driving growth-focused initiatives
Previously at Level, Airbnb, and Weebly
At Level, scaled the design team from 2 to 10 while collaborating with the CEO to define product vision; led 0–1 design for core experiences including Transactions, Payments, and Reports, and built the design system from scratch
At Airbnb and Weebly, led key growth and monetization initiatives across web and mobile, shaping the host journey, improving activation, and creating new UX frameworks that enhanced user experience at scale
Based in NYC and looking to lead design for early stage startups
Senior Product Designer
Versatile Designer with 7+ years of experience across B2B and B2C
Previously at Square
Experience building 0-1 products from her time at a marketplace startup, where she touched almost every part of their mobile app
Most recently at Square, where she focused on tools for sellers, and revamping different experiences to reduce transaction time
Based in SF, open to hybrid and looking for a team where she can have a lot of ownership and build, but also have strong teammates and leadership around her
Product & Growth Leader
Brand + systems thinker with deep in-house experience
Previously at Peloton (9+ years)
Led design for major product launches (Bike+, Tread, Guide) and global 360° campaigns
Built scalable frameworks + systems across brand, product, and marketing
Based in NYC and looking for senior design leadership roles at brand-led companies
Lead Product Manager
Expert in building 0→1 products and simplifying complex workflows into intuitive, user-first features
Previously at Square, Weebly
Built personalized experiences across Square’s e-commerce platform and POS app, joining through the Weebly acquisition
Strong cross-functional leader with deep experience partnering across Engineering, Design, Marketing, and Ops
Based in Arizona and available ASAP; looking for his next opportunity to lead product at a fast-growing startup
Contractor Spotlight ⭐️
Below is a curated list of freelance and contract talent available for short-term or project-based work. If you’d like an intro, just hit reply to this email.
Based in SF and led 0→1 launches, mobile redesigns, and membership products at NerdWallet and JP Morgan Chase, with a focus on intuitive fintech experiences
Combines strategic thinking with impactful design, building products used by millions across startups and large institutions
All-inclusive rate $135 - $180/hr (depending on scope + duration), available immediately
Ian Nyquist | Staff Product Designer | Portfolio
Led end-to-end product design for startups and top brands like Netflix, Paypal, Samsung, SAP, LG, and eBay
Multi-disciplinary designer with expertise across UX, interaction, motion, and visual design, grounded in user-centered research and product strategy
Experienced across desktop, mobile, TV, and wearables in B2B, B2C, fintech, edtech, and e-commerce
All-inclusive rate $165/hr, available immediately
Edmund Chen | Mid-Senior Product Designer | Portfolio
NYC-based product designer with experience at DojoMojo and Proxima, specializing in B2B and DTC ad/marketing tech SaaS products
Strong in UI, design systems, and cross-functional collaboration across product, engineering, and marketing teams
All-inclusive rate $105/hr, available immediately
If any of these stand out, just reply! We’re happy to set up an intro or send over more info. 😊
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