Product Design Director at Samsara - Remote US/Canada — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
Remote-First, But Geography-Gated
This role is explicitly remote within the United States or Canada only — so while it's location-independent in the traditional office sense, it is not open to global nomads or those based outside North America. You must maintain legal work authorization in the US or Canada to qualify.
Timezone Considerations
As a Director-level role leading design managers and collaborating with cross-functional partners, expect significant synchronous overlap with North American business hours (likely ET/PT). This is not a fully async role — leadership and stakeholder meetings will require consistent availability during US/Canadian working hours, making it challenging to operate from far-off timezones such as Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe long-term.
Visa Options
- US-based: TN visa (for Canadians), H-1B, O-1, or green card holders are viable. No digital nomad visa applies.
- Canada-based: Canadian citizens/PRs, or those with open work permits, are eligible.
Salary vs. Nomad Cost of Living
The $235K–$294K USD salary is generous by any standard. For context: annual living costs in Lisbon run ~$24K, Bangkok ~$18K, and Medellín ~$15K — but this role requires US/Canada residency, so that arbitrage isn't directly applicable unless you're a US/CA resident working from home while physically present in those countries temporarily.
Perks Relevant to Mobile Workers: A professional development stipend and employee-led flexible remote model are positives for those who prefer working from home or co-working spaces domestically.
Who We Are
Samsara (NYSE: IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations™ Cloud, a platform that enables organizations that depend on physical operations to harness Internet of Things (IoT) data to develop actionable insights and improve their operations. At Samsara, we are helping improve the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the physical operations that power our global economy. Representing more than 40% of global GDP, these industries are the infrastructure of our planet — including agriculture, construction, field services, transportation, and manufacturing — and we are excited to help digitally transform their operations at scale.
Working at Samsara means you'll help define the future of physical operations and be on a team that's shaping an exciting array of product solutions, including Video-Based Safety, Vehicle Telematics, Apps and Driver Workflows, and Equipment Monitoring. As part of a recently public company, you'll have the autonomy and support to make an impact as we build for the long term.
About the Role
Samsara's mission is to improve industrial efficiency, safety, and quality at a massive scale through the use of sensors and software. Our suite of IoT products and software platform brings the benefits of sensor data to traditional industries like transportation, food and beverage distribution, construction, state and local government, and K-12 education. We help our customers transport food, medicine, and other goods safely across the country, monitor deliveries for unsafe conditions, and help fleet managers improve the efficiency of their operations.
Samsara's Product Design team is responsible for crafting user-friendly features, workflows, and interfaces that our customers use every day to run their operations. This involves talking to customers, working with engineers and product managers to understand problems, rapidly designing and iterating on mocks and user flows, and communicating ideas effectively to stakeholders. We also build design systems that underpin all our products to ensure a consistent and cohesive user experience.
We're looking for an experienced Product Design Director who will build out an already high-caliber group of designers and help shape the product experience for all our customers.
This is a remote position based in the United States or Canada. Relocation assistance will not be provided for this role.
In This Role, You Will:
- Lead, grow, coach, and mentor a team of design managers
- Engage with customers to deeply understand their operations and people
- Ship high-quality designs based on these customer needs
- Collaborate with partners to define opportunities and deliver best-in-class experiences
- Define and drive the product design strategy across product areas
- Create and refine tools, systems, and processes that improve team health and output
- Champion, role model, and embed Samsara's cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, Win as a Team) as we scale globally and across new offices
- Hire, develop, and lead an inclusive, engaged, and high-performing team
Minimum Requirements for the Role:
- 4–6 years (or more) of product design management experience
- Strong portfolio that showcases ability to lead teams that ship elegant solutions to complex problems
An Ideal Candidate Also Has:
- Track record of shipping step-changes to the UX that drive customer and business impact
- A history of hiring, growing, and retaining great talent
- Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional partners to ship high-quality experiences
- Experience identifying and instituting changes that improve employee experiences
- Expertise in providing feedback that accelerates career growth and improves product quality
- A desire to improve yourself, the team, and product experiences
Compensation
The range of annual base salary for full-time employees for this position is below. Please note that base pay offered may vary depending on factors including your city of residence, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Annual Base Salary: $235,600 – $294,500 USD
Total Rewards
At Samsara, we build for the people who keep the global economy moving. We want owners, not passengers, which is why our rewards are designed to fuel high-impact builders. Our compensation program delivers above-market total compensation through a combination of base salary, performance-based bonus/variable pay, and equity (for eligible roles) in a high-growth public company. We meaningfully differentiate pay for our top performers, who have the opportunity to earn above-market compensation that can outpace the broader market over time.
Beyond compensation, we provide the foundations that enable long-term success: a flexible, employee-led remote model, a professional development stipend, comprehensive health and parental leave plans, and more.
Flexible Working
At Samsara, we embrace a flexible working model that caters to the diverse needs of our teams. Our offices are open for those who prefer to work in-person, and we also support remote work where it aligns with our operational requirements. All offers of employment are contingent upon an individual's ability to secure and maintain the legal right to work at the company and in the specified work location, if applicable.
Belonging at Samsara
At Samsara, we welcome everyone regardless of their background. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, and other characteristics protected by law.
Accommodations
Samsara is an inclusive work environment, and we are committed to ensuring equal opportunity in employment for qualified persons with disabilities. Please email [email protected] or click here if you require any reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process.
Our Commitment to Authenticity
We use Tofu, a fraud detection tool, to validate the authenticity of applications and protect against identity fraud. Please see Samsara's Candidate Privacy Notice for more information.
Fraudulent Employment Offers
Samsara is aware of scams involving fake job interviews and offers. Please know we do not charge fees to applicants at any stage of the hiring process. Official communication about your application will only come from emails ending in @samsara.com, @us-greenhouse-mail.io, or @mail3.guide.co. For more information regarding fraudulent employment offers, please visit our blog post here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Product Design Director role fully remote?
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How much design management experience is required?
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