# Michelle Childs ✨ > Design Culture & Strategy Leader | Building teams that do their best work Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/michellechilds I'm drawn to problems that don't have obvious answers yet—and building teams brave enough to tackle them. I've spent 20+ years mastering both the craft of design and the art of scaling its impact. From creating award-winning experiences for Fortune 500 brands to leading cross-functional teams through 0-1 product challenges, I've learned to thrive in the messy middle of innovation. Those early stages where the problem is clear but the path forward isn't, where discovery research, rapid prototyping, and collaborative experimentation become your compass. My approach is always the same: build teams that feel safe to take big swings. I've championed multiple team members into leadership roles while creating the operational backbone that turns individual talent into collective excellence. Whether we're navigating AI/ML platforms, global marketplaces, or complex organizational change, I create the conditions where design teams deliver transformational work at scale. I believe the best organizations treat their people with the same intentionality they bring to their products. That's why I don't just ship great design—I build the culture, processes, and talent pipeline that enable design organizations to consistently breakthrough. Ready for my next chapter, where I can help teams navigate the evolving landscape of design and technology. Always open to connecting with fellow design leaders, culture builders, and anyone passionate about creating environments where brilliant people do their best work. ## Work Experience ### Product Design Manager @ 8am Jan 2025 – Present ### UX Manager @ Indeed.com Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 As co-leader of End-to-End Experiences, an in-house design agency of 10+ lead-level UX Designers, Researchers, and Content Strategists, I guided this diverse team as we tackled some of the most complex product challenges facing the global job marketplace. Managed 9 high-performing direct reports across specialized teams supporting business-critical initiatives from executive product vision to consumer-facing AI Agent experiences, impacting strategy, front and back-end surfaces, AI/LLM development, and technical platform teams. Served as strategic UX partner across Job Seeker AI Agents, Responsible AI, AI/ML Platform, and Accessibility initiatives, leveraging deep cross-industry experience to help teams navigate ambiguity, remove blockers, and discover meaningful paths forward. Through active coaching, mentoring, and advocacy, I championed multiple team members into leadership roles while building environments where everyone felt brave enough to bring their whole selves to work. Built the operational backbone that turned individual talent into collective excellence by designing team rituals, developing frameworks for consistency at scale, and cultivating a design culture where breakthrough work became the natural outcome. Partnered with the UXCD organization to support individual growth and advancement while contributing to organizational innovations that expanded our practice's impact across the broader design community. ### Experience Strategy & Design @ Unknown Jan 2019 – Jan 2022 As a strategic partner to start-ups, early-stage companies, non-profits, and brands, I craft data-informed programs and experiences that put human behaviors and needs first. • Develop product and program roadmaps to support business goals and align executive stakeholders. • Partner with People/HR leaders to audit and map the employee journey while highlighting areas to optimize the experience and strengthen the employer brand. • Advise and mentor designers and leaders on UX strategy, research, and design considerations within organizational and product strategy and initiatives. ### Navigator & Scoring Captain @ Rebelle Rally Jan 2018 – Jan 2021 • Navigator for Team 175 in 2018 and 2019 • On Staff as Scoring Captain in 2021 ### Director of People UX @ Magic Leap Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 As an early team member and culture change agent, I worked company-wide, gaining a deeper understanding of the employee landscape, the challenges, and opportunities to improve the relationship between Magic Leap and its employees. • Partnered with the CEO, COO, and SVP of People to build and implement the strategic vision of the employee experience. Led interdepartmental collaboration in designing and implementing company-wide programs and initiatives to enrich employee relationships and engagement while supporting Magic Leap’s culture and business goals. • Co-established the Inclusion Office to begin the work towards equity and inclusion. Designed and piloted programs informed by research insights derived from pulse surveys, Employee Resource Group roundtables, and employee interviews. Partnered with the executive team and industry experts to design and coordinate an executive leadership curriculum and multi-day workshop. • Directed and managed the vision, strategy, design, implementation, and evaluation of a portfolio of programs focused on improving the employee experience locally and globally. Guided a team of both dedicated and temporary team members from ideation through launch and beyond. ### Co-Founder of the Women's Inclusion Network (WIN) @ Magic Leap Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 Co-founded the first ERG, Women's Inclusion Network (WIN), and co-established the executive Inclusion Office to work towards equity and inclusion across the organization. ### User Experience Lead @ Magic Leap Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 Led a cross-functional team including designers, developers, mechanical & optical engineers, producers, and marketers to create prototypes demonstrating the interaction and experiences on the Magic Leap device. ### UX Design Lead @ Wieden + Kennedy Jan 2010 – Jan 2014 As the first UX Design Lead in the agency, I collaborated with cross-disciplinary creative teams to design award-winning end-to-end experiences and products for major brands, including Coca-Cola, Dodge/Chrysler, Nike, and Target. ### User Experience Designer @ Pinpoint Logic, LLC Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 ### Art Director @ e.magination Jan 2008 – Jan 2009 Obtained Department of Defense (DoD) Secret Clearance in 2008. ### Senior Interactive Designer @ Brook Group Jan 2006 – Jan 2008 ### Creative Consultant @ Aquilent Jan 2002 – Jan 2006 ### New Media Designer @ Commerce One Jan 1999 – Jan 2002 ### Graphic Design Intern @ Baltimore Orioles Jan 1999 – Jan 1999 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States ## Education ### Bachelors of Science in Fine Arts - Visual Communications & Photography Towson University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michellechilds --- Source: https://flows.cv/michellechilds JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/michellechilds/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13