Head of UX Design and Research

About the Role:

Wing is looking for a Head of UX Design and Research to join our Product & UX team. This role is hybrid based in Palo Alto, CA. In this role, you will architect the future of autonomous logistics, defining how individuals, merchants, and partners interact with the world’s leading drone delivery ecosystem. You will lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of UX designers and researchers responsible for a diverse and mission-critical portfolio: Consumer-facing apps, Partner & Merchant integrations, and the Internal Tool surfaces that power our flight and logistics operations.

Your mandate is to move beyond traditional digital paradigms to solve the unique challenges of the physical-digital intersection. 

Working at the intersection of cutting-edge hardware and cloud-based logistics, you will partner with senior Product, Engineering, and Aviation Operations leaders to shape product direction from conception to flight. You will be the catalyst for a culture of design excellence, ensuring that Wing’s technology is not only functional and efficient but also intuitive, proactive, and human-centric.

What You’ll Do: 

• Drive deep-dive insights into how users perceive and interact with autonomous technology in their daily lives
• Craft seamless interfaces for our mobile applications and building robust integration frameworks for our global partners
• Optimize the complex service blueprints that connect ground operations, hardware maintenance, and real-time delivery logistics
• Design the sophisticated toolsets used by operators to monitor and manage a global fleet of autonomous aircraft
• Manage and grow a team of UX Designers and Researchers, fostering an environment of innovation and rigorous user testing
• Define the design language for the entire Wing ecosystem—from the app a customer uses to order a meal, to the dashboard a merchant uses to fulfill it, to the internal tools used to clear it for takeoff
• Map and improve the end-to-end service journey, ensuring smooth handoffs between automated systems and human operators
• Collaborate with cross-functional leads to navigate the complex regulatory and technical landscapes of the drone industry, ensuring design is a key driver of Wing's strategic objectives

What You’ll Need: 

• 15+ years of experience in UX and/or product management, with a track record of launching impactful products7+ years of experience leading, mentoring, and scaling high-performing product teams.
• BA/BS degree in Design (e.g., interaction, film, graphic, visual communications, product) or a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience designing for AI-powered systems, automation, or other agentic technologies where building user trust is critical
• Deep experience setting vision and strategy for design challenges
• Proven track record of managing and scaling a multi-disciplinary design team across multiple, interconnected product surfaces or focus areas
• Exceptional executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence technical and business leaders and articulate design's value to senior leadership
• Experience in design thinking leadership (e.g., establishing new frameworks, driving organizational change) to address complexity in highly collaborative, cross-functional organizations