Director, Experience Design, PDMS - Canada

Job Requisition ID # 26WD96145 Position Overview We’re hiring a Director of Experience Design within our Product Design and Manufacturing Solutions (PDMS) organization. This person will lead experience design across Autodesk’s core manufacturing, design, and data management tools, supporting engineers and other manufacturing professionals across design, manufacturing, and operations workflows.  This role will focus primarily on continuously shipped cloud and SaaS-based solutions, and it will focus on the convergence of solutions in the Autodesk Fusion Platform.    This is a critical leadership role reporting to the Senior Director of Experience Design focusing on Data and Process Manufacturing, PDMS.  You will lead and grow a high-performing team of designers within a 100+ global Experience Design organization driving transformation toward modern, future-shaping, AI-first experiences that advance both customer productivity and usability. You will partner closely with Product Engineering and Development, AI and Machine Learning, and Business leaders to shape the strategy and future of Autodesk’s Manufacturing platform and experiences.  This leader will be play a key role in evolving our products and services from best-in-class applications into AI-first, agentic, and deeply integrated experiences aligned with Autodesk’s Manufacturing Industry Cloud vision - both elevating the tools millions rely upon today and re-imagining how manufacturing companies evolve over time.   The ideal candidate will be a true agent of change, thrives in fast-paced environments, inspires cross-functional teams, and excels at translating complex technical challenges into actionable value for our customers.  You will champion innovation, rapid prototyping, continuous improvement, and quality of outcomes, while helping develop and execute the experience vision, strategy, and operating model across the full product development lifecycle - from concept through design and make and operations.    This role is supporting our R&D center-of-excellence in Toronto, ON, Canada. We support a hybrid work environment, with flexible working hours, and the role can be based within an hour drive to Toronto. Travel requirements are approximately 10%.    Responsibilities  Vision & Strategy  Execute and champion a multi-year user experience design vision for Autodesk’s manufacturing solutions, grounded in real customer workflows and outcomes  Shape how AI-first and agentic experiences fundamentally change how customers treat manufacturing processes —moving from feature-centric software to intelligent, proactive, and integrated systems  Establish a clear north-star for unification, modernization, and experience cohesion across products, solutions and platforms  Partner with executive leadership to align experience strategy with Autodesk’s Manufacturing Industry Cloud and broader business strategy    AI-First & Agentic Experiences  Shape and drive the adoption of agentic-AI, generative-AI, and AI capabilities with Autodesk’s manufacturing solutions  Lead the evolution of manufacturing design and make solutions into agent-powered experiences, including copilots, assistants, automation, and proactive workflows  Partner with AI/ML teams to integrate emerging agentic frameworks (reasoning, tool use, memory, orchestration) into real-world manufacturing workflows  Ensure experiences remain cohesive, trustworthy, transparent, and human-centered, even as autonomy increases  Coach teams on AI-augmented workflows both for Autodesk and our customers; AI isn’t just what teams build – it’s how they work    Design Systems, Platforms & Foundation  Drive experience consistency and scalability through design systems, shared patterns, critical user journeys, and foundational UX capabilities  Ensure manufacturing design tools work as part of a cohesive ecosystem, not isolated products—across desktop, cloud, and connected services  Balance innovation with craft, usability, performance, and technical constraints in complex, mature products  Support the development and use of our Weave design system and demand thoughtful design for multiple form-factors and devices, with an eye for accessibility    Leadership & Organizational Excellence  Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing global team of user experience professionals with broad skillsets, including research and content design; develop a level of proficiency across these skillsets within each employee  Advocate for and demonstrate how agentic experiences can be utilized to optimize performance and broaden skillsets; lean into innovative solutions and methodologies  Coach and develop senior design managers; establish clear charters, expectations, and growth paths, especially those focusing on role transformation through AI.  Foster a culture of customer empathy, experimentation, quality, and accountability at scale; encourage regular use of our own solutions and a culture of critique  Ensure operational excellence—clear prioritization, healthy team structures, sound decision-making, and strong execution rhythms    Cross-Functional Partnership & Influence  Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across Product, Engineering, and Data Science professionals  Advocate relentlessly for customer-centered decision-making while balancing business and technical realities  Represent the voice of user experience design in executive forums and strategic planning    Minimum Qualifications  12+ years of professional experience in user experience (UX), product design, or experience design, with 5+ years leading large, multi-layered teams or portfolios  Proven experience leading design at scale across complex, multi-product ecosystems  Demonstrated success driving large-scale experience unification and modernization efforts  Experience building or evolving AI-assisted or agentic product experiences  Deep expertise in human-centered design, research, design systems, and design operations – including the incorporation of AI tools as a core competency  Strong executive communication skills—able to distill complexity and influence at all levels of the organization and present a clear point-of-view to senior leadership  Experience working in highly collaborative Agile/Scrum environments    Preferred Qualifications  Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in interaction design, HCI, or a related field  Experience designing professional tools for manufacturing industries, CAD modeling or highly technical enterprise domains  Experience designing multi-platform ecosystems (desktop, cloud, services); preference for experience in SaaS-based software systems with AI capabilities  Learn More About Autodesk Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software – from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made. We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk – it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world. When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us! Salary transparency Salary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. For Canada based roles, we expect a starting base salary between $169,000 and $247,500. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience and geographic location, and may exceed this range. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package. Diversity & Belonging We take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/diversity-and-belonging Are you an existing contractor or consultant with Autodesk? Please search for open jobs and apply internally (not on this external site).