About
Hey, I’m Kiley.
I’m usually the one connecting the dots, and the people.
I love a good messy problem. The kind where the customer journey is complicated, the system underneath is even more complicated, and a lot of smart people have different ideas about what to do next. That’s where I do my best work, finding a path through with the team.
Across Intuit, Nextdoor, and Chegg, that’s meant platforms, growth and monetization, design systems, and AI-assisted experiences. Most recently, I built and led the design team shaping QuickBooks’ expansion into industry-specific solutions, and led the AI-native definition and design principles behind its agentic workflows. I see AI as a way to help teams move faster, but deciding what good looks like is still the designer’s job.
I moved into leadership because my biggest impact came from making both products and people stronger. I care about building inclusive products and leaving teams better than I found them. I’ve led design teams of up to 15, built teams from scratch, and hired 20+ designers over my career. I’ve also promoted 8 designers into lead, staff and management roles. I hire for curiosity, because skill can be taught and curiosity can’t. I also mentor designers and emerging leaders through ADPList and Hop Design Buddies.
- Based in
- San Francisco · open to remote
- Teams led
- Up to 15 designers
- Hired
- 20+ designers
- Promoted
- 8 to lead, staff and manager
Outside work
- Biking the city in my gold helmet
- Digging through crates at record shops
- Catching live shows at local venues
How I lead
Good design makes complex things feel simple.
That only happens when a team understands the real problem, shares a high bar, and has someone close enough to the work to say “not yet.”
Connect customer value to business impact
I use customer insight and data to shape what we build and why, so design influences the roadmap, not just the screens.
Stay close without becoming the bottleneck
I step in when my perspective unlocks the work, and step back when the team is ready to own it.
Build trust through candor and care
I leave room to challenge a direction, share unfinished thinking, and hear honestly what needs to improve.
Create clarity before asking for execution
I help teams understand the customer, the business stakes, and which decisions matter most.
Give people ownership, not just tasks
I set clear expectations, tailor coaching to the person, and give designers room to lead.
Raise quality through systems
I build shared principles and critique practices, so quality never depends on last-minute heroics.
Testimonials
What it’s like to work with me
Having worked with Kiley across a couple companies, I’ve seen firsthand how she raises the bar for craft. She has a unique ability to challenge your thinking without prescribing the solution, helping designers grow while making the work meaningfully better.
Hani Kharufeh ↗Senior Product Designer · Chegg & NextdoorDirect reportShe has a unique talent to both translate business and customer needs into well-designed product, and to also get buy-in and support from partners and executives on those well-founded design decisions. Kiley will be an incredible asset to any organization she joins!
Susan Dunavan ↗Director of Product, Strategy & Growth · CheggCross-functional partnerKiley has an impressive ability to think at a high level without losing sight of the details. She could zoom out to connect my work to the bigger picture, then jump into the weeds when I needed help untangling something tricky.
Jenna Davis ↗Senior Content Designer · IntuitDirect reportBuilding a design team? I’d love to hear what you’re working on.