VP of Design

San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Portland, OR, or Remote within United States

Overview

At Mercury, we believe that thoughtful design can change an ancient industry shaped by complexity, friction, and indifference—and that intentionality, care, and taste can marry power and beauty, form and function, where these concepts are taken for granted. As we build a radically different kind of banking experience, design isn’t an aesthetic layer added at the end. It’s how our products are shaped, how decisions are made, and how customers experience us every day.

* Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC‑insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

Responsibilities

• Set the bar for design at Mercury — define, articulate, and evolve a design philosophy that keeps quality, craft, and customer experience at the center as we scale.

• Scale what makes Mercury special — ensure our products continue to feel thoughtful, elegant, and distinct, even as our teams, surface area, and velocity grow.

• Build systems that scale without compromising craft — develop design systems, content frameworks, and operational practices that help teams move faster while maintaining a high design standard.

• Stay close to the work — engage directly with critical design moments to shape direction, unblock teams, and reinforce taste, judgment, and clarity.

• Partner as a true executive peer — work closely with Product and Engineering leadership to align strategy, team structure, and execution, operating as part of a design–product–engineering trifecta.

• Help shape Mercury’s brand and experience — partner with Marketing leadership to help build a design‑driven brand and guide the evolution of how Mercury looks, feels, and communicates.

• Build the design organization Mercury needs next — grow and support a world‑class design org, including developing leaders and building nascent functions like UX Research, Design Systems, and Design Operations.

• Represent design at the highest level — partner with Mercury’s executive team and founders to ensure design thinking informs company‑wide decisions and long‑term strategic investments.

• Explore new frontiers thoughtfully — help shape how emerging technologies like AI are introduced at Mercury and shape the financial industry, ensuring they meaningfully improve customer experience, are applied responsibly, and are grounded in strong design judgment.

Qualifications

• Deep love for design craft — you have strong taste, a clear point of view on what makes products excellent, and the ability to articulate why something works (or doesn’t).

• Understand both function and form for complex products — you think about how visual and functional design come together, and have a deep desire to understand customer needs and how the product works.

• Proven design leadership — you’ve led and scaled design organizations with multiple disciplines, and you know how to grow teams without losing quality.

• Executive‑level influence — you’ve partnered closely with senior Product, Engineering, and Marketing leaders and helped shape company strategy through design.

• Credibility through experience — you’ve worked in design‑led environments where craft, rigor, and customer experience genuinely mattered and viewed as a competitive advantage.

• Comfort with complexity — you can balance long‑term vision with near‑term execution, especially in an increasingly sophisticated B2B and consumer product context, with rapidly evolving industry and regulatory standards.

• Ability to attract and develop talent — you’re a magnet for great designers and a thoughtful coach to senior leaders.

• External presence and curiosity — you’re engaged in the design community and excited to help elevate Mercury’s reputation as a design‑led company.

Salary

• US employees (any location): $327,200 - $409,000

Mercury values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Mercury are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities or special needs.

If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role.

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