Product Design Manager

Chief Product & Technology Officer | Hectre | Global Leaders in Orchard Technologies

Hey! We're Hectre, a fast-growing Kiwi AgTech startup with a huge mission : revolutionizing the global fruit supply chain. We're all about slashing food loss, boosting efficiency, and making a real impact for our clients and, importantly, our planet.

Teamwork and a shared vision are everything to us. We thrive on fresh ideas, open comms, and people who love tackling tough problems together. Your voice matters here – no ideas lost in the void, no hierarchy getting in the way. We're a team of go-getters who back each other, challenge each other, and celebrate every win. If that sounds like you, let's talk!

The Opportunity

We're looking for a thoughtful, well-rounded Product Designer to lead the creation of intuitive, impactful experiences that drive customer success. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you'll shape the future vision of Hectre's products, collaborating closely with cross‑functional teams to solve meaningful challenges in the fresh produce industry. You'll also champion user‑centered design across our product strategy, fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation.

What You'll Do

• Lead Design Initiatives : Own the end‑to‑end design process – discovery, ideation, prototyping, validation, delivery – ensuring a seamless user experience across platforms.
• Champion Product Discovery : Lead robust discovery practices focused on rapid iteration, problem framing, hypothesis testing, and customer validation.
• Utilize AI Tools : Leverage AI for rapid prototyping, generating design variations, testing ideas, and analyzing user behavior to accelerate workflows and elevate creativity.
• Build Relationships with Users : Develop deep empathy for our users (growers, packhouse staff, managers) through field visits and ongoing conversations to gain insights and refine product direction.
• Collaborate Cross‑Functionally : Partner with PMs, engineers, data analysts, and field teams to co‑create valuable solutions, balancing user needs with technical and business constraints.
• Contribute to and Evolve Design Systems : Help maintain and grow our design system for scalability, efficiency, and visual consistency across mobile and desktop.
• Champion Design Culture : Support and collaborate with other designers, encourage shared learning, and advocate for design best practices. Be a design ambassador through workshops, demos, and storytelling.
• Measure Design Impact : Establish success metrics, track outcomes, and evaluate design effectiveness in terms of user satisfaction, adoption, and business impact.
• Communicate Clearly : Present ideas and solutions confidently to stakeholders, providing clear rationales informed by research, data, and product strategy.

What You'll Bring

Why Join Hectre?

Ready to Thrive?

If you're a talented Product Designer who wants to work where nature, technology, and people intersect, this is your moment. Apply today and let's build something extraordinary together!

and we get it – no one ticks every box, and we're definitely not looking for a "unicorn." If you're a talented designer with a killer portfolio and you're stoked about leading and making an impact, we want to hear from you. This role is also perfect for experienced designers looking to step into leadership; people leadership experience is a great asset but not a must‑have.

Please note : This is a hybrid role based in our Auckland office, requiring team members to work from the office at least 3 days per week.

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Hectre by 2x.

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