Senior Manager UX - Real Estate

Job Description

THE OPPORTUNITY IN A NUTSHELL

Role? Own the UX vision, strategy, and execution for Real Estate marketplaces across the Nordics – partnering with the CPO on AI-era product strategy while building, leading, and developing a team of 11 designers across Norway and Finland.

Company? Vend, home of FINN, Blocket, Tori, Oikotie, DBA & Bilbasen, where millions of people across the Nordics go to find what they need, whether it's a job, a home, a way to move, or a fresh start.

Location? Join us in our Oslo office. Because this role supports multiple regions, you should be open to regular travel to Helsinki and Stockholm. We have flexibility in office presence, and trust you will adapt to what the team needs.

Why us? This is your chance to shape the housing journey for millions of people across the Nordics. You'll partner closely with a CPO who takes UX seriously – not as a service function, but as a strategic driver. If you want a role where user insight genuinely drives business strategy, this is it.

WHO ARE YOU?

• A senior design leader who knows how to build real strategic influence upward. You are comfortable informing, challenging, and earning the trust of C-level stakeholders – including the CPO you report to – through insight and sharp strategic thinking
• An experienced people leader who knows that great design at scale starts with a team that feels safe, capable, and motivated. You lead with clarity and care: you give people direction and context, and trust them to solve the problem. This is how they grow under your leadership
• Genuinely user-centered – you design from our users' point of view and build that same mindset in the team around you (multi-brand and multi-market experience is a plus)
• A steady hand in uncertain times – you understand that AI is changing not just the tools designers use, but the nature of the UX role itself. You help your team navigate that with confidence rather than anxiety
• Comfortable with ambiguity and complexity – you bring clarity to messy problems and create structure where there was none. In a matrix org, your impact comes from making the argument well and building trust, rather than following a process

Language: English fluency required. Norwegian is a big plus.

WHAT'S THE JOB LIKE?

Your days are split between strategic work and people leadership:

• Own the user insight agenda for Real Estate – ensuring the vertical has a continuously updated understanding of user needs, user journeys and market trends across the Nordics
• Run strategic sessions with the CPO to define how AI changes core user journeys (search, discovery, rental), and help translate user insights into high-impact product decisions
• Lead cross-market design reviews to ensure coherence across FINN, Oikotie, and Swedish rental market apps
• Partner with platform teams on our common design language and capabilities
• Lead, develop and grow your designers across Norway and Finland – building psychological safety, individual growth paths, and a design culture that stays strong even as the role itself is changing

This is greenfield strategic work – you get to define the UX vision for Real Estate in the AI era, not just execute someone else's plan. The challenge is real: balancing speed versus consistency, enabling cross-market learning, and leading a team through a period where AI could reshape user behavior overnight. But that's exactly what makes this exciting.

A FEW WORDS FROM FRANCESCA CORTESI, CPO REAL ESTATE
"I lead a highly ambitious Nordic team responsible for some of the biggest marketplaces in the region. What I'm looking for now is a UX leader who can be both a strategic thought partner to me and a true inspiring leader for the design team. I take UX seriously and believe great design is a strategic advantage. If you want a CPO who will fight for design at the table and challenge you to grow, I'd love to work with you!"

GOT YOUR ATTENTION? LET US HEAR FROM YOU!

Apply by June 14th. We'll be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and aim to fill the role before the summer holidays if we find the right candidate.
Questions about the role? Contact Interim UX Director Hege Harreschou at hege.harreschou[at]vend.com
Questions about the process? Reach out to Elife Glittum Gøkce at elife.glittum.gokce[at]vend.com

Interview rounds will be held within June 26th.