# Slava Karablikov

Slava Karablikov is a remote worker on Himalayas, Director of Product Design at Influential, based in United States.

Source: https://himalayas.app/@slavakarablikov

```text
Director of Product Design at Influential, scaling an AI-ready design system that improved delivery speed by 34%.
```

| Detail | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Availability | Looking for a job |
| Location | United States |
| Authorized to work in | United States |
| Salary expectations | 190k+ USD |
| Job categories | Product Design Director |
| Skills | Product Design Strategy, Design Leadership, Design Operations, Design Systems, AI Design, Product Strategy, Product Discovery, User Research, Usability Testing, Design Reviews, Human Centered AI (HCAI), AI assisted Design, Design Sprints, Information Architecture, Prototyping |
| LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/in/slava-karablikov |

## What I'm looking for

```text
I’m looking for a Director-level role where I can scale teams, create operational clarity, drive cross-functional alignment, modernize design operations, and connect design quality to measurable business impact.
```

## About

```text
At Influential, I direct product design strategy across three product areas and ten initiatives. I’m establishing the design operating model and developing an AI-ready design system foundation to support consistent, scalable product delivery.

At Captiv8, I transformed the design operating model across five squads with design reviews, structured discovery, and research checkpoints, reducing downstream rework by 20%. I also sponsored a cross-platform design system that helped teams ship 15% faster.

As Product Design Manager at Captiv8, I owned end-to-end design for high-priority initiatives and managed a distributed design team across three time zones. Usability studies and post-launch feedback helped turn customer insights into actionable product improvements.

Earlier, I designed product workflows and conducted research at Captiv8 and RadiumOne, then delivered mobile, web, and brand experiences at 415Agency and Oy-Li Consulting. I’m drawn to design leadership that scales teams, strengthens design operations, and connects design quality to measurable business impact.
```

## Experience

### Director of Product Design (current)

[Influential](https://himalayas.app/companies/influential). Jan 2026 - Present

```text
Direct product design strategy across 3 product areas and 10 initiatives at Influential, partnering with product and engineering leadership to establish the design operating model, decision cadence, and quality standards for scalable product delivery.

Lead the development of an AI-ready design system foundation, including reusable components, design tokens, documentation, and governance practices
```

### Director of Product Design

[Captiv8](https://himalayas.app/companies/captiv8). Jun 2022 - Dec 2025

```text
Transformed Captiv8’s product design operating model by introducing design reviews, structured discovery, and research checkpoints across 5 squads—improving decision quality along with reducing downstream rework by 20%.

Built and clarified the design organization’s structure, role expectations, and growth paths. Coached designers through hiring, promotion, and mentorship, increasing team capabili
```

### Product Design Manager

[Captiv8](https://himalayas.app/companies/captiv8). Feb 2021 - Jun 2022

```text
Owned end-to-end product design for high-priority Captiv8 initiatives, converting complex business and user needs into efficient, intuitive product experiences that drove platform adoption, usability, and growth.

Upheld rigorous design quality standards through regular critiques, reviews, and hands-on feedback—improving consistency and strengthening execution across multiple workstreams.

Oversaw
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### Senior Product Designer

[Captiv8](https://himalayas.app/companies/captiv8). Feb 2017 - Feb 2021

```text
Designed complex end-to-end product workflows for the Captiv8 platform, moving from early concepts to production-ready solutions across core user journeys.

Planned and facilitated user research for both existing and future product areas, using insight to shape feature direction and de-risk roadmap decisions.

Helped establish the core design language for Captiv8, creating a more coherent product
```

### Product Designer

RadiumOne. Sep 2015 - Feb 2017

```text
Designed critical workflows for the R1 platform, shaping information architecture, wireframes, and interactive prototypes for high-impact product features.

Ran research across the full product lifecycle—from opportunity validation to post-launch feedback—helping the team make evidence-based decisions earlier and with less risk.

Contributed to team growth by helping hire and mentor designers, str
```

### UI/UX Designer

415Agency. Jul 2014 - Aug 2015

```text
Partnered with clients to translate business goals into digital products and brand experiences.

Designed and supported the delivery of 20+ mobile and web products, balancing client goals, user needs, and implementation restrictions across multiple engagements.

Helped organize and mentor the design team, helping to deliver quality and internal collaboration across projects.

Built trust with clie
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### UI/UX Designer

Oy-Li Consulting. Jan 2013 - Jun 2014

```text
Led brand, website, and marketing design for the consultancy, improving the consistency and professionalism of the company’s client-facing presence.

Designed responsive websites for 12 clients across a range of industries, delivering end-to-end UX/UI work as part of the agency’s full-cycle service model.
```

## Education

### Belarusian State Technological University

Higher Education, Electromechanical Engineering. 2011 - 2017

## Tech stack

- Figma
- Datadog
- FullStory
- Gainsight
- Cursor
- Lovable
- Claude Code
- ChatGPT

To contact Slava, message them from this profile with a Himalayas employer account: [Hire on Himalayas](https://himalayas.app/hire).

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