Director, Product Design
full-time•Toronto
Summary
Location
Toronto
Type
full-time
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About this role
Director, Product Design
Department: Industry Managed Solutions (IMS)
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Toronto, ON
Description
Role Summary
At GS1 Canada, we enable industry and healthcare stakeholders to share trusted, standardized product data that drives transparency, efficiency, and better outcomes for Canadians. Our digital platforms connect retailers, manufacturers, healthcare providers, and consumers with accurate, interoperable information across the supply chain. As we evolve our design function, we’re looking for a Director of Product Design to elevate user experience into a strategic, high-impact capability at the heart of our mission.
This is a true player-coach role: you’ll define the design vision and strategy while also rolling up your sleeves to produce UX flows, prototypes, and polished UI. You’ll introduce clarity, process, and rigor; champion user research and insights; and build a culture where design is seen as essential, influential, and deeply integrated into GS1 Canada’s product strategy
This is a true player-coach role: you’ll define the design vision and strategy while also rolling up your sleeves to produce UX flows, prototypes, and polished UI. You’ll introduce clarity, process, and rigor; champion user research and insights; and build a culture where design is seen as essential, influential, and deeply integrated into GS1 Canada’s product strategy
This is a hybrid role, requiring periodic in-person attendance.
Key Responsibilities
Elevate Design Into a Strategic, High-Impact Function
- Define the long-term design vision and translate it into a clear, actionable strategy and roadmap.
- Build a culture where Product Design is a strategic partner across Product, Engineering, Data, and Industry teams.
- Reset expectations around experience quality, process, and user-centered design.
Lead Design Strategy Across the Product Portfolio
- Partner with Product leadership to influence roadmap decisions using user insights, experience principles, and holistic design thinking.
- Own the end-to-end experience strategy across GS1 Canada’s digital platforms, ensuring coherence, clarity, and usability.
- Establish design principles and patterns that scale across complex workflows and data ecosystems.
Hands-On Design Execution
- Personally design UX flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity UI for major initiatives.
- Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering to iterate quickly and ensure experience quality.
- Champion accessibility, simplicity, and a consistent design system.
Build a Modern Design Process & Operating System
- Introduce design rituals that elevate collaboration and design outcomes.
- Mature and expand our design system and reusable component library.
- Implement workflows that balance velocity with quality.
Own User Research & Insights
- Lead a practical, actionable research approach that informs product decisions.
- Identify research priorities and synthesize insights into clear recommendations.
- Build lightweight measurement frameworks to track UX improvements.
Own Design Tools & Data-Driven Decision Making
- Own and optimize design tools (e.g., Figma).
- Develop strategies for leveraging behavioral data and insights to improve usability.
- Ensure design decisions are grounded in evidence, not assumptions.
Integrate AI Thoughtfully Into the Experience
- Identify opportunities to incorporate AI into workflows, automation, and decision support.
- Partner with Product & Engineering to design intuitive and trustworthy AI-enabled experiences.
- Bring awareness of emerging AI UX patterns into GS1 Canada’s product strategy.
Lead and Mentor the Design Team
- Manage and develop designers, providing clear direction and coaching.
- Foster a creative, high-performance culture.
- Shape future team structure and hiring as the function grows.
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
- 8+ years in UX/UI or Product Design (B2B SaaS or data-driven platforms required) with leadership experience.
- Proven track record of leading design teams in fast-paced, agile environments.
- A player-coach who excels in both strategy and hands-on design execution.
- Experience elevating a nascent design function into a strategic, influential capability.
- Portfolio showcasing strong UX thinking, UI craft, and complex workflow design.
- Strong systems thinker with experience building design systems.
- Skilled in user research, usability testing, analytics, and insight synthesis.
- Familiarity with AI UX patterns and designing AI-enhanced experiences.
- Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners and raise the quality bar.
- Hands-on proficiency with modern design tools (Figma required).
- Entrepreneurial experience and mindset are not required but are considered an asset.
Other facts
Tech stack
UX/UI Design,Product Design,Leadership,User Research,Usability Testing,Analytics,Design Systems,Prototyping,Collaboration,AI Integration,Agile Methodologies,Design Strategy,High-Fidelity UI,Wireframing,Team Management,Creative Culture
About GS1 Canada
GS1 Canada is part of GS1, the global not-for-profit organization behind the first barcode and the world's most widely used supply chain standards. GS1 Canada supports business success through global barcodes and the development of industry-directed solutions that meet common business needs. Their collaborative approach, powered by GS1 standards, delivers measurable value to Canadian businesses of all sizes.
As a leader in product data quality, GS1 Canada ensures the seamless exchange of accurate, trusted data between trading partners, fostering operational excellence and consumer trust. By providing essential tools and insights, they empower industries to work smarter, reduce costs, and create a more sustainable future.
To learn more about GS1 Canada and our leadership team, visit our website: https://gs1ca.org/about-us/
Team size: 201-500 employees
Website: http://www.gs1ca.org
LinkedIn: Visit
Industry: Non-profit Organizations
Founding Year: 1997
What you'll do
- The Director of Product Design will define the design vision and strategy while also engaging in hands-on design execution. They will elevate design as a strategic function and lead the design strategy across GS1 Canada’s digital platforms.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Director, Product Design do at GS1 Canada?
As a Director, Product Design at GS1 Canada, you will: the Director of Product Design will define the design vision and strategy while also engaging in hands-on design execution. They will elevate design as a strategic function and lead the design strategy across GS1 Canada’s digital platforms..
Why join GS1 Canada as a Director, Product Design?
GS1 Canada is a leading Non-profit Organizations company.
Is the Director, Product Design position at GS1 Canada remote?
The Director, Product Design position at GS1 Canada is based in Toronto, Canada. Contact the company through Clera for specific work arrangement details.
How do I apply for the Director, Product Design position at GS1 Canada?
You can apply for the Director, Product Design position at GS1 Canada directly through Clera. Click the "Apply Now" button above to start your application. Clera's AI-powered platform will help match your profile with this opportunity and guide you through the application process. You can also learn more about GS1 Canada on their website.