Hi Instacart team, I’m Kaitlyn!

TLDR; My unique experiences make me a great fit for the Instacart Retail Platform, Product Design Manager Role. I’m a design leader who brings deep experiences in e-commerce, merchandising tools, fulfillment, and complex supply-chain systems. Aside from B2B, I’ve also led designs & teams for consumer products loved by millions of users.

Experience

Loblaw Digital, Merchandising Tool, PC Express Fulfillment, PC Optimum | The Weather Channel Flagship App | IBM Supply Chain

10 + years designing and leading teams, with empathy and collaboration

How I match up against your job description

I’d rather show than tell — scroll through, or jump right to how I stack up against your job requirements

I’m uniquely positioned for the Product Design role on the Retail Platform team because of the breadth and relevance of my experience.

At Loblaw Digital I gained a deep familiarity with both the grocery and e-commerce space and built a B2B merchandising tool from the ground up (0→1), giving me a strong foundation in complex retail workflows. I’ve worked on both sides of the PC Express ecosystem—including fulfillment—and previously designed sophisticated supply chain tools at IBM. Beyond my B2B expertise, I’ve also led designs and teams for products used by millions, including The Weather Channel app and the PC Optimum app.

My leadership style revolves around three main pillars: people, process, and products.

A people first leader

I lead with a people first mindset because great products come from caring about the teams who build them and the users who depend on them.

My focus is to create a culture where designers and cross-functional partners feel safe, supported, and proud of their work. I lead with empathy, transparency, and a genuine desire to help people thrive as both designers and humans.

Across IBM, The Weather Channel, and PC Optimum, I’ve helped teams design for millions of users. I specialize in aligning vision, prioritizing what matters, and enabling teams to execute. I bring disciplines together to solve problems—whether that’s a quick sync, a Slack thread, or a full design sprint—while navigating the realities of tight timelines, shifting priorities, and complex stakeholders.


✅ Have led multiple teams

✅ Led multiple design workshops

✅ Improved ways of working across both my immediate team and the broader design org (at multiple companies)
✅ Fostered stronger collaboration through critiques, workshops, and cross-functional alignment across both my immediate teams and the broader org
✅ Design Thought Leader - Ways of Working, Storytelling, Design Strategy

✅ Leader within the Toronto UX community — UX Bootcamp Instructor, UXPA Board Member, and portfolio review / mentor


Products & Process

I have deep experience designing B2B and B2C products across complex industries , from 0→1 initiatives to refining mature product ecosystems.

The early stages of a project are my favourite. They’re messy, ambitious, and full of potential—and I thrive in that chaos. I help teams bring clarity to big, sometimes wild ideas and shape them into tangible, valuable products.

I focus on aligning around a clear vision, learning quickly, and iterating with purpose. My experience helps teams avoid common early-stage pitfalls to stay focused on what matters most: solving the right problems for the right users, fast but always with intention. Prioritization is one of my core strengths, keeping work moving without losing sight of impact.

I’ve been lucky to work on truly innovative projects — the kind that push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and imagine entirely new ways of interacting with products. Here are a few highlights:

✅ AI Innovation — IBM Supply Chain AI Advisor
✅ AI Innovation — The Weather Channel’s AI Flu + Allergy Prediction
✅ Patent — Multi-sensory Notification Patent (Patent: US-11334166-B2)
✅ Large Scale Product — 50 million daily users for The Weather Channel App/Website
✅ Large Scale Product — 17 million members for PC Optimum Loyalty Program
✅ Complex workflows — Including IBM Supply Chain tooling
✅ 0 -> 1 Experience — Led a team to deliver a new Merchandizing tool for Joe Fresh, Shoppers Drug Mart, and PC Express
✅ 0 -> 1 Experience — Led a team to deliver a new Customer Call Center tool for Joe Fresh, Shoppers Drug Mart, and PC Express


The nitty gritty

Here is how I stack up against your Instacart Retail Platform, Product Design Manager job description …

6+ years of experience in product/UX design, delivering end-to-end digital products.

✅ With over 10 years of experience in product design, I bring a foundation in visual design combined with deep expertise in user experience. I’ve led end-to-end delivery of digital products across a wide range of industries.

Proven success designing and shipping complex enterprise or platform products (B2B, operational workflows, or multi-surface ecosystems) with measurable outcomes.

✅ B2B / Enterprise Experience: Designed and shipped complex products, including legacy and 0→1 platforms, merchandising tools (Loblaw Digital Merchandizing Tool), and supply chain systems (various IBM Supply Chain Tools).

✅ B2C Products: Delivered consumer experiences loved by millions, including The Weather Channel app and PC Optimum app.

Deep knowledge of UX strategy, user research, and analytics with a human-centered design approach.

✅ UX Strategy & Research: Deep expertise in UX strategy, user research, and analytics, applied with a human-centered design approach.

✅ Collaboration: Known for working closely with cross-functional teams — research, analytics, development, marketing, product — to turn insights into actionable design solutions.

Proficiency in creating omnichannel or enterprise-scale solutions bridging online/offline retail.

✅ Retail Experience Leadership: Delivered enterprise-scale solutions bridging digital and physical channels, leveraging deep experience at Loblaw Digital.

Creative problem-solver, leveraging AI tools to iterate quickly, validate with stakeholders, and refine for production.

✅ Resourceful & Agile: Embraces a “fail fast, learn fast” approach to drive innovation and results.

2+ years of experience managing product designers, including performance management, coaching, and hiring.

✅ Led High-Functioning, Inclusive Teams: At Loblaw Digital, I hired and nurtured talent to foster growth and collaboration.

✅ Community Leader: Active leader in Toronto’s UX community—UX Bootcamp instructor, UXPA board member, and portfolio review mentor, helping shape the next generation of designers.

Demonstrated track record of scaling systems across multiple brands, creating cohesive yet flexible solutions that meet diverse retailer needs.

✅ White-Label Solutions: Designed a white-label platform for PC Optimum partners to showcase unique products and deals.

Thrives in fast-paced settings with a diverse set of cross-functional business partners, using a collaborative, problem-solving mindset.

✅ Thrives in Fast-Paced, Collaborative Environments: Works closely with diverse cross-functional partners to solve complex problems.

✅ Rapid Product Delivery: Led the design and launch of a 0→1 product in just 8 weeks, using design thinking exercises and collaborative problem-solving to remove blockers and keep the team aligned.

Experience in retail, e-commerce, merchandising, logistics, or fulfillment platforms.

✅ Retail & E-Commerce: Designed merchandising tools for Joe Fresh, Shoppers Drug Mart, and PC Express.

✅ Supply Chain & Logistics: Created user experiences for various IBM supply chain products.

Team feedback

“I’m always so inspired by your incredible planning skills, how you keep multiple streams of work steadily moving, and most importably, your magnetic positive energy.”

B, Senior Designer (direct report)

“She is gifted at planning, and somehow never skips a beat in our process even on the most challenging products. She has an admirable bias to action, and is someone I look up to everyday. ”

E, Senior Director

“Kaitlyn masters the knack of balancing business and user needs, navigating multiple stakeholders and cross-functional teams, and using her design skills to master everything from e-commerce to loyalty/rewards to the world of AI. Kaitlyn does all of this alongside seamlessly managing many designers under her wings. I always looked forward to our 1:1s each week and continually admire her demeanour and work ethic. Kaitlyn unequivocally embodies that designer and leader combo, and any team should be so happy to have someone like her on their side.”

LD, Product Designer (direct report)

“Kaitlyn has been one of the best design leaders I’ve ever had the pleasure of learning from. I truly admire her ability to help her team break down and work through complex projects by asking the right questions, building and nurturing strong working relationships, and approaching problems with curiosity and user-centricity. As her report, I felt assured and empowered whenever we met, since her perspective was like a cheat code for figuring out what to tackle next. She creates the best kind of impact on a team, skillfully raising the bar while supporting and uplifting, with no ego. She’s the rare kind of leader who you can truly trust to get things done the right way and provide exponential value to the whole organization.”

LS, Senior Designer (direct report)