Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: CircleCI

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design, UI/UX Design

Date Posted: June 9, 2025

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: Remote OK (United States)

🎨 Role Summary

• Contribute to the design and enhancement of CircleCI's continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform, focusing on creating intuitive and efficient user experiences for technical audiences.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering teams to translate design concepts into shipped products with demonstrable impact on user workflows and productivity.
• Evolve and utilize the existing design system, contributing to its consistency and scalability across the platform.
• Employ user-centered design methodologies, including user journey mapping and interactive prototyping, to validate design solutions and address key user pain points.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Design and deliver user-centered solutions for complex product features within the CI/CD platform, ensuring alignment with overall product strategy and user needs.
• Work effectively with engineering counterparts throughout the software development lifecycle, from concept to implementation, ensuring design integrity and technical feasibility.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and maintenance of CircleCI's design system, creating reusable components and guidelines to promote consistency and efficiency.
• Create and iterate on interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools to test design concepts, gather feedback, and validate usability with target users.
• Conduct in-depth user research, including developing detailed user journey maps, to understand user behaviors, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for design innovation.
• Manage multiple design projects and priorities simultaneously, effectively balancing competing demands and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Clearly and persuasively communicate design decisions, rationale, and trade-offs to stakeholders across different teams and levels of the organization.
• Navigate feedback from various sources with diplomacy and a focus on achieving optimal design outcomes that balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.
• Take ownership of design deliverables, ensuring high-quality output and timely completion of design tasks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Research and analyze competitor products and design patterns within the DevOps and developer tools space to identify best practices and opportunities for differentiation.
• Work autonomously with development teams on specific features while maintaining strong alignment and communication with the broader design team and design leadership.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is typically preferred for a mid-level product design role. Equivalent practical experience and a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant skills are also highly valued.

Experience: A minimum of 3 years of professional product design experience is required, with a demonstrable track record of contributing to the design and successful shipment of product features. Experience designing for technical or enterprise software products is a significant advantage.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in product design methodologies and the end-to-end design process, from research and ideation to prototyping and handoff.
• Demonstrated ability to create compelling interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar.
• Strong understanding of user journey mapping, user flows, and other user-centered design research techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and reasoning to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven time management and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple design projects concurrently.
• Experience collaborating effectively with software engineers and understanding the technical constraints and possibilities of implementation.
• Ability to provide and receive constructive feedback within a design team and across cross-functional groups.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for technical users, developers, or DevOps professionals.
• Familiarity with Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) concepts and workflows.
• Previous experience working in a SaaS (Software as a Service), enterprise software, or developer tools company.
• Experience working with and contributing to a comprehensive design system.
• Knowledge of using AI tools or exploring their potential within the design process to enhance efficiency and creativity.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Your portfolio should showcase 3-5 detailed case studies of shipped products or significant features you have contributed to, demonstrating your impact on user experience and product outcomes.
• Each case study must clearly articulate your design process, from initial problem definition and research through ideation, iteration, and final implementation.
• Include high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and potentially user flow diagrams or wireframes to illustrate your design solutions.
• For technical products, highlight your understanding of complex workflows and how your design solutions simplified or improved them.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly document the research and discovery phase, including insights gathered from user interviews, data analysis, or competitive research that informed your design decisions.
• Showcase your ideation and iteration methods, including sketches, low-fidelity mockups, or alternative design explorations that demonstrate your problem-solving approach.
• Detail your validation and testing approaches, including how you gathered feedback, conducted usability testing, or used analytics to measure the success of your designs.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $113,000 - $140,500 USD per year. This range reflects the base pay for this Product Designer position located in San Francisco, CA, and is based on the information provided by the company. The final offer may vary based on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Retirement savings plan (e.g., 401k) with potential company match.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and company holidays.
• Opportunities for professional development and continued learning in design and related fields.
• Potential for equity or stock options, aligning employee success with company growth.
• Access to resources and tools to support remote work or a hybrid work environment.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically standard business hours, but with potential for flexibility to accommodate collaboration with global teams and manage creative workflows effectively.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Software Development, specifically focusing on Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) and DevOps tools.

Company Size: 201-500 employees globally.

Founded: 2011.

Team Structure:

• Product designers likely work within cross-functional product teams, collaborating closely with product managers, engineers, and potentially user researchers.
• The design team likely has a reporting structure that emphasizes collaboration, knowledge sharing, and design critique.
• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, with designers embedded within teams focused on specific product areas or features.

Methodology:

• Likely employs an Agile or Lean development methodology, with design integrated into sprints or iterative cycles.
• Emphasis on user-centered design practices, including research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
• Utilizes a design system to ensure consistency and efficiency in design and development workflows.

Company Website: https://circleci.com/

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This is a mid-level Product Designer role, expected to contribute independently to design projects and collaborate effectively with teams. This level typically involves owning design for specific features or smaller product areas.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Design Manager within the design organization.

Design Impact: Design plays a crucial role in the usability and adoption of the CircleCI platform. This role has the opportunity to directly impact the workflows and productivity of developers and engineering teams globally.

Growth Opportunities:

• Potential for advancement to a Senior Product Designer role, taking on more complex projects and mentoring junior designers.
• Opportunities to specialize in specific areas of the platform or delve deeper into technical user workflows.
• Growth into design leadership roles, managing a team of designers.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Primarily a remote-first or hybrid work environment, as indicated by the "Remote OK" status and the company description mentioning a "global, remote workforce." While headquartered in San Francisco, physical office presence may be optional or utilized for team gatherings.

Office Location(s): Headquarters is in downtown San Francisco. Specific office details for collaboration or occasional visits would need to be confirmed with the company.

Design Workspace Context:

• Emphasis on virtual collaboration tools to facilitate communication and design reviews across distributed teams.
• Access to necessary design software and hardware to support remote work.
• Opportunities for asynchronous and synchronous collaboration with team members in different time zones.

Work Schedule: Flexible work hours are likely encouraged to accommodate a global team, while ensuring sufficient overlap for real-time collaboration and meetings, particularly with the US-based team and stakeholders.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Initial screening call with a recruiter to discuss your experience and interest.
• Portfolio review with a hiring manager or senior designer, focusing on your case studies and design process. Be prepared to walk through your work, explaining your rationale and impact.
• Potential design challenge or take-home assignment to assess your problem-solving skills and design execution.
• Interviews with cross-functional team members (Product Management, Engineering) to assess collaboration skills and technical understanding.
• Final interview(s) with design leadership and/or executives to discuss your fit with the team and company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate your portfolio to showcase projects most relevant to designing for technical users or complex workflows, if you have such experience.
• For each case study, clearly outline the problem you were solving, your role in the project, your design process, key decisions made, and the impact of your work.
• Be prepared to discuss the technical constraints you faced and how you collaborated with engineers to overcome them.
• Highlight your proficiency with relevant design tools and your ability to create interactive prototypes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the typical format and expectations for design challenges in product design roles.
• Practice time management to complete the challenge within the given timeframe.
• Be prepared to articulate your design process, rationale, and assumptions during the presentation.
• Consider how you would gather feedback and iterate on your solution if given more time.

ATS Keywords: Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, User Experience, User Interface, Design System, Prototyping, Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, User Journey Mapping, User Flows, Wireframing, Information Architecture, Usability Testing, User Research, Problem Solving, Collaboration, Communication, Stakeholder Management, Agile, SaaS, Enterprise Software, Developer Tools, CI/CD, DevOps, Technical Audience, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Design Thinking, Iteration, Feedback, Accountability, Diplomacy, AI Tools in Design, Design Handoff, Cross-Functional Teams.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Proficiency in industry-standard design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD is expected for creating high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes. Figma is widely used in modern product design teams and is a strong possibility here.
• Experience with prototyping tools or features built into primary design software (e.g., Figma prototyping) is crucial for validating design concepts.
• Familiarity with tools for creating user flows and wireframes (e.g., Miro, FigJam, or built-in features in design tools).

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Tools like Slack, Zoom, or Google Meet for communication and virtual collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Handoff tools or features within design software (e.g., Figma Dev Mode, Zeplin, Abstract) for collaborating effectively with engineers and providing design specifications.
• Documentation platforms for maintaining design system guidelines and specifications.

Research & Testing:

• Tools for creating and conducting user surveys or interviews (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Zoom).
• Platforms for usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze) to gather feedback on prototypes and designs.
• Analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel) for understanding user behavior and measuring the impact of design changes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• Emphasis on creating intuitive and efficient experiences for technical users, understanding their unique needs and workflows.
• Value placed on collaboration and communication within the design team and across engineering and product teams.
• Commitment to a user-centered approach, using research and feedback to inform design decisions and measure impact.
• Likely an environment that encourages continuous learning and staying updated on design trends and technologies, including the potential exploration of AI tools in the design process.

Collaboration Style:

• Regular design critiques and feedback sessions within the design team to improve design quality and consistency.
• Close collaboration with product managers to define requirements and prioritize features.
• Integrated workflow with engineering teams, participating in stand-ups, planning meetings, and handoff sessions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Designing for a highly technical user base with diverse needs and complex workflows requires deep empathy and understanding of their domain.
• Balancing the need for intuitive design with the inherent complexity of a CI/CD platform.
• Maintaining consistency and scalability within a growing design system as the product evolves.
• Working effectively within a distributed team structure, requiring strong communication and self-management skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Opportunities to deepen expertise in designing for technical audiences and complex enterprise workflows.
• Potential to learn and apply AI tools and technologies within the design process.
• Growth within the design system, contributing to its architecture and adoption.
• Participation in design conferences, workshops, or online courses to enhance skills and stay updated on industry trends.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• Be prepared to discuss your end-to-end design process, using examples from your portfolio case studies.
• Expect questions about how you approach user research, gather insights, and translate them into design solutions.
• Be ready to explain your approach to collaboration with product managers and engineers throughout the design and development lifecycle.

Company Culture Questions:

• Research CircleCI's product, target audience (developers), and values. Be prepared to discuss why you are interested in designing for this specific domain.
• Think about how you handle feedback and navigate competing priorities, providing specific examples.
• Consider how you stay informed about industry trends and new technologies relevant to design, especially in the context of AI tools.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Choose 2-3 case studies that best showcase your relevant experience, particularly if you have designed for technical users or complex systems.
• Structure your presentation to clearly articulate the problem, your process, key decisions, and the impact of your design work.
• Be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them, highlighting your problem-solving skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link.
• Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and highlights projects relevant to product design, especially those demonstrating your process and impact on shipped products.
• Tailor your resume to include relevant keywords from the ATS Keywords list, emphasizing your experience with product design, user-centered methodologies, and collaboration.
• Prepare to discuss your experience designing for technical audiences and complex workflows, if applicable.