VP of Design, Mercury
$304-380k
+Stock options. Salary applicable to US based applicants only. For applicants based in Canada, the salary is CAD 276,600 - 345,800
Banking services for startups and small businesses
Job no longer available
Banking services for startups and small businesses
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$304-380k
+Stock options. Salary applicable to US based applicants only. For applicants based in Canada, the salary is CAD 276,600 - 345,800
1001+ employees
Company mission
To make scaling tech companies simpler with a personalized banking stack for startups, and power the next generation of companies that will shape the American industry.
Role
Who you are
- You have deep care and understanding around what makes a product excellent
- You can tell when and why something’s excellent and articulate clearly (and kindly) when it’s not
- You’ve led, shaped, and grown design organizations that include product design, brand design, user research, and other critical functions
- You have experience driving strategy at the executive level, aligning stakeholders on a vision, and evangelizing the work that your teams do to the broader company
- You can tell when you’ve hit on the right amount of process/structure without it feeling stifling or unnecessary
- You’ve led design leaders, coached them, and helped them grow in their skills and abilities
- You keep up on design trends and like to stay in practice, even if it’s been a while since you were an individual contributor
- You can drive design team processes such as design critiques, and are able to guide the team to ask the right questions to elevate the quality of the user experience
What the job involves
- We are looking for a leader who can grow our design team of 40 people further, set Mercury’s vision for how to build excellent banking* experiences, and help turn that vision into reality
- In this role, you’ll balance your time across:
- Leadership & Strategy
- Set and maintain a vision for how the company approaches quality
- Set standards and processes to ensure high-quality design outcomes
- Set vision and staff work on systems that help teams build a coherent product experience (e.g. design systems, brand guidelines, content design systems)
- Develop and execute a cohesive design strategy that aligns with and drives Mercury’s overall business objectives
- Collaborate with executive leadership to integrate design thinking into strategic planning and decision-making processes
- Product Design
- Be eager to understand the details of the product we are building and help teams shape the approach to solving product problems
- Establish and refine design processes, methodologies, and best practices for product development
- Create structures that support systems thinking and help set the longer-term vision for customer-facing experiences
- Partner with Product Management and Engineering leaders to shape the product groups’ structure and processes that support product vision
- Brand Design
- Oversee the evolution and consistent application of the company's brand across marketing materials, communications, and other brand experiences
- Ensure brand guidelines are developed, maintained, and effectively communicated throughout the organization
- Team Management
- Build, grow, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of design leaders across brand and product disciplines, as well as other design functions such as user research, content design, and design operations
- Foster a culture of ownership, active thinking, helpfulness, and appreciating quality
- Manage talent, budgeting, and hiring for the design department
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Partner with Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success teams to ensure design supports go-to-market strategies and customer needs
- Work closely and build alignment with Engineering and Product Management to balance design vision with technical feasibility and business requirements
- Collaborate with the People Team to think and execute strategically on talent strategy
- Work closely with other departments to apply design thinking to internal processes and employee experience
Our take
Frustrated by the archaic, fee-laden banking services offered to entrepreneurs, the founders of Mercury set out to create a better solution. They envisioned a platform that was dynamic, tech-driven, and free from unnecessary fees.
Mercury delivers on this vision by automating business payment processes, offering FDIC-insured accounts, and providing full API access, empowering entrepreneurs with greater control and efficiency. This approach stands in stark contrast to traditional startup banking, which often burdens young businesses with high fees and limited functionality.
By prioritizing user experience and offering a free service tier, Mercury has attracted over 200,000 businesses and achieved a $3.5B valuation as of 2025. As a rising unicorn in the stagnant world of startup banking, mercury is backed by substantial funding and poised for continued growth, constantly adding new features and expanding its team to further disrupt the industry.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
50% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Mar 2025
$300m
SERIES C
Jul 2021
$120m
SERIES B
Total funding: $450.9m
Company benefits
- Health, dental, & vision
- 12+ weeks of paid parental leave
- $600 USD custom WFH equipment setup
- Unlimited vacation policy (with a mandatory minimum)
- Annual $1K learning & development budget
- Paid 6-week sabbatical after the 5-year mark
- Weekly $100 food budget
- Monthly $100 wellness budget
- Monthly $50 cellphone reimbursement
- Pet-friendly offices with free tea and beverages, plus lunch and snacks
- Unlimited vacation policy (with a mandatory minimum)
- Retirement matching up to 4% of base salary (401K/RRSP)
- Inclusive fertility, hormonal health, and family-forming benefits through Carrot Fertility
Company HQ
SoMa, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Jason Zhang
(Co-Founder & COO)Jason graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology before spending over 4 years at Heyzap in Business Development.
Immad Akhund
(Co-Founder & CEO)Immad graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Masters in Computer Science. He then worked as a Software Developer at Aquila and Bloomberg. He also founded Clickpass and Heyzap, and was a Part-time Partner at Y Combinator.
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