Kirk Castro
Design leader building the teams and systems behind products people trust.
Index
- From a Drop Box to a Text MessageRedemption Church Seattle2026
- MathMon: A Math RPG I Built for My KidsPersonal Project2026
- Shepherd SoftwareShepherd Veterinary Software2016–2019
- Gex: A Lean Design System for Pet CloudIndependence Pet Group2022–2023
- CLEAR: Building a Product Function Inside MarketingIndependence Pet Group2023–Present
Who I Am
Product and Design leader based in Seattle with 15+ years building digital products across startups and enterprise, including co-founding Shepherd Veterinary Software, and leading product design at Independence Pet Group.
Outside of work: I'm a husband, dad of 4, Deacon of hospitality, home chef, musician, golfer, handyman, motorcycle mechanic, and I can still do a backflip on the trampoline.
EXPERIENCE
- Director of Product DesignIndependence Pet Group · Sep 2022 – Present
- Head of Product DesignShepherd Veterinary Software · Mar 2019 – Jun 2022
- Co-FounderShepherd Veterinary Software · Jan 2016 – Mar 2019
- Product DesignerKajabi · Mar 2015 – Dec 2015
- Freelance DesignerSelf · 2010 – 2019
Kind words
“He knows how to lead with compassion without compromising on vision or quality. People trust him because he listens.”
“As both a talented designer and a confident decision maker, Kirk brings a desired passion, grounding, and creativity to any project he works on.”
“As a new designer seeking mentorship, I couldn't have asked for a better leader. Kirk's passion for design is evident in everything he does, and it's hard not to feel inspired when working alongside him.”
“Kirk fostered a collaborative environment, encouraging creativity and open communication among the entire team.”
How I Lead
All of my wealth is in my relationships
A line I borrowed from my friend Dr. Alex Early, and it holds at work as much as anywhere else. I invest in people, not roles. Nothing I have shipped happened alone, and the projects that went well were the ones where the trust was already there before the pressure showed up.
Find the system under the symptom
Inconsistent UI is rarely a UI problem. Slow delivery is rarely a speed problem. I look for the structural cause, fix it at the root, and prove it with numbers the business already cares about.
A clear no beats a vague yes
Everyone will ask for more and most of it is worth doing, which is exactly what makes focus hard. I would rather protect that focus with an unpopular no than hand you five priorities and call it trust.
Capabilities
LEADERSHIP
- Team building and mentorship
- Org and process design
- Design operations
- Cross functional alignment
- Stakeholder management
CRAFT
- Product strategy
- UX and product design
- Design systems
- Research and experimentation
- Prototyping and validation
TOOLS
- Figma and FigJam
- Framer and Webflow
- Kameleoon and A/B testing
- Jira and Confluence
- AI assisted workflows
Currently
- Leading product design across a 9 brand portfolio at Independence Pet Group
- Exploring how AI assisted workflows change what small design teams can ship
- Building practical tools for real world contexts, most recently around home media, church operations, and family life
- Thinking about what design leadership looks like at the executive level in a rapidly changing environment
Let's Work Together
Open to Director level design roles at product led, mission driven companies. Remote or Seattle area.