📍 Job Overview
Job Title: Senior Product Designer
Company: Squadformers
Location: Remote
Job Type: Full-Time, Contractor, or Fractional
Category: Product Design
Date Posted: 2025-06-04
Experience Level: 5-10 years
Remote Status: Remote (PST time zone)
🎨 Design Role Summary
- Lead cross-functional teams to design and launch innovative product experiences
- Advocate for user-centered design and drive a holistic UX vision
- Collaborate with stakeholders to align on meaningful product outcomes
- Create simple, intuitive product experiences for complex workflows
- Evangelize design concepts and articulate their benefits
🖼️ Primary Design Responsibilities
- Partner with cross-functional teams to shape product direction and align on meaningful outcomes
- Drive user research and advocate for user needs in product decisions
- Create simple, intuitive product experiences for complex data insights and workflows
- Articulate product direction visually through low and high-fidelity design artifacts
- Manage detailed projects with tight timelines and deliver quality work in a fast-paced environment
- Collaborate with stakeholders to drive consensus and add value to the product development process
🎓 Design Skills & Qualifications
Education: A degree is not required. We value skills and experience over formal education.
Experience: 5+ years of Product Design work experience with a strong portfolio showcasing successful product launches and complex workflow solutions.
Required Design Skills:
- Expertise in interaction and visual design with a passion for solving real-world design challenges
- Deep understanding of complex workflows designed to scale across diverse, global teams
- Experience with design thinking practices and user-centered design methodologies
- Ability to manage detailed projects with tight timelines and deliver quality work in a fast-paced environment
- Proven track record of driving meaningful impact to the business through successful product launches
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
- Self-starter, team player, and independent with the ability to manage oneself efficiently
Preferred Design Skills:
- Experience working in continuous delivery environments
- Fluency in multiple design tools and software
- Experience with design systems and component libraries
- Knowledge of agile methodologies and creative problem-solving techniques
🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Demonstrate a strong understanding of complex workflows and user-centered design principles
- Showcase a variety of product experiences, from concept to implementation, highlighting your ability to adapt to different contexts and users
- Include case studies that illustrate your process, from research and discovery to ideation, prototyping, and launch
- Highlight your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, driving consensus and value add
Design Process Documentation:
- Include user research findings and how they informed your design decisions
- Showcase your ability to articulate design rationale and evangelize your concepts to stakeholders
- Demonstrate your proficiency in creating low and high-fidelity design artifacts, such as wireframes, mockups, and prototypes
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $110,000 - $170,000 DOE and location
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation
- 100% remote work
- Internal company events like meditations and yoga
- Generous PTO accrual (for W2 employees)
- Paid holidays (for W2 employees)
- Parental leave (for W2 employees)
- FSA and HSA (for W2 employees)
- Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance with options for Life insurance and more (for W2 employees)
Working Hours: Flexible, with a focus on results and output over hours worked
🎯 Design Team & Company Context
🏢 Company & Design Culture
Industry: Technology, Information, and Internet
Company Size: 11-50 employees
Founded: 2021
Design Team Structure:
- Flat, collaborative structure with a high-trust, low-ego team environment
- Cross-functional teams consisting of product managers, engineers, QA, and designers
- Designers work closely with product managers to define product direction and align on meaningful outcomes
Design Methodology:
- User-centered design approach, with a focus on empathy and research
- Design thinking practices and collaborative workshops to drive innovation
- Agile methodologies and continuous delivery environments
Company Website: squadformers.com
📈 Design Career & Growth Analysis
Design Career Level: Senior Product Designer, responsible for leading cross-functional teams and driving product direction
Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the Head of Design or a similar role, depending on the specific Squad structure
Design Impact: Senior Product Designers at Squadformers have a significant impact on the products and services they create, driving meaningful outcomes for clients and users
Growth Opportunities:
- Potential to grow into a Design Manager or similar leadership role, depending on the candidate's interests and the company's needs
- Ongoing learning and development opportunities through internal events, workshops, and collaboration with industry experts
- Access to a diverse network of top talent in the product and engineering space, providing ample opportunities for skill development and growth
🌐 Design Work Environment
Studio Type: Remote, with a focus on creating a collaborative, virtual workspace that fosters creativity and productivity
Office Location(s): Palo Alto, California (headquarters), with remote team members across North America
Design Workspace Context:
- State-of-the-art design tools and software, with a focus on collaboration and efficiency
- Regular team-building activities and virtual events to foster a strong design culture
- Access to a diverse network of top talent in the product and engineering space, providing ample opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing
Work Schedule: Flexible, with a focus on results and output over hours worked, allowing designers to manage their time effectively
📄 Design Application & Portfolio Review Process
Design Interview Process:
- Initial phone or video screen to assess cultural fit and design process understanding
- Design challenge or case study presentation, focusing on the candidate's ability to articulate their design process and rationale
- Final round with key stakeholders, assessing the candidate's ability to collaborate and drive consensus
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Highlight your ability to balance strategic thinking, user empathy, and strong communication skills in your portfolio
- Showcase your process, from research and discovery to ideation, prototyping, and launch
- Include case studies that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, driving consensus and value add
Design Challenge Preparation:
- Familiarize yourself with Squadformers' design methodology and core values
- Prepare a design challenge or case study that demonstrates your ability to create simple, intuitive product experiences for complex workflows
- Practice articulating your design rationale and evangelizing your concepts to stakeholders
Design ATS Keywords:
- Design Skills: Product Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design, User Experience, Design Thinking, User Research, Prototyping, Wireframing, Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Communication, Empathy, Strategic Thinking
- Design Tools: Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, InVision, Zeplin, Balsamiq, Axure, etc.
- Design Methodologies: Agile, Design Thinking, Lean UX, User-Centered Design, Double Diamond, etc.
- Soft Skills: Collaboration, Communication, Problem-Solving, Adaptability, Leadership, Mentoring, etc.
- Industry Terms: Product Development, Mobile & Web Apps, Product Strategy, Design Operations, etc.
🛠 Design Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Design Tools:
- Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD for UI/UX design and prototyping
- InVision or Zeplin for user testing and feedback collection
- Balsamiq or Axure for wireframing and interactive prototyping
Design Collaboration & Handoff:
- Slack or Microsoft Teams for team communication and collaboration
- Notion or Confluence for project management and documentation
- GitHub or GitLab for version control and code management
Design Research & Testing:
- Google Analytics or Mixpanel for user behavior tracking and analytics
- UsabilityHub or UserTesting.com for user testing and feedback collection
- Maze or Adobe XD for prototyping and user testing
👥 Design Team Culture & Values
Design Values:
- People First: We value our people over profit and take good care of our team, our partners, our families, and we don't burn out our employees.
- Trust the Squad: We're better together, and trust one another to figure it out. We ask for advice, grow faster together, seek collaboration and camaraderie, empower one another, and assume good intentions.
- Simplify and Go: We believe simple is beautiful — when it comes to products, code, design, and process. If it's new, we make it small. If it's complex, we simplify.
- Find the Flow: We believe flow and momentum helps us feel better and move faster. So we go out of our way to create it, by working when, how, and where it fits us best. We focus on a few things and do them well.
- Always Be Learning: We're curious, to a fault. We ask a million questions. We're humble and always growing.
Design Collaboration Style:
- Cross-functional teams consisting of product managers, engineers, QA, and designers
- Design critique culture with regular feedback exchange and iteration
- Design system contribution and knowledge sharing practices
⚡ Design Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Design Challenges:
- Balancing strategic thinking, user empathy, and strong communication skills in a fast-paced, collaborative environment
- Managing detailed projects with tight timelines and delivering quality work in a fast-paced environment
- Collaborating with stakeholders to drive consensus and add value to the product development process
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Internal events, workshops, and collaboration with industry experts to drive continuous learning and skill development
- Access to a diverse network of top talent in the product and engineering space, providing ample opportunities for knowledge sharing and growth
- Potential to grow into a Design Manager or similar leadership role, depending on the candidate's interests and the company's needs
💡 Design Interview Preparation
Design Process Questions:
- Prepare for questions that assess your understanding of complex workflows and your ability to create simple, intuitive product experiences
- Practice articulating your design process and rationale, focusing on your ability to balance strategic thinking, user empathy, and strong communication skills
- Showcase your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, driving consensus and value add
Company & Design Culture Questions:
- Research Squadformers' design methodology, core values, and company culture to demonstrate your cultural fit and alignment with the team's mission
- Prepare for questions that assess your ability to collaborate and drive consensus in a high-trust, low-ego team environment
- Demonstrate your understanding of Squadformers' design challenges and growth opportunities, and how you can contribute to the team's success
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Highlight your ability to balance strategic thinking, user empathy, and strong communication skills in your portfolio
- Showcase your process, from research and discovery to ideation, prototyping, and launch
- Include case studies that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, driving consensus and value add
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this design position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Customize your portfolio to highlight your ability to balance strategic thinking, user empathy, and strong communication skills, with a focus on case studies that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, driving consensus and value add
- Optimize your resume for design roles by including relevant design ATS keywords and highlighting your design skills, experience, and achievements
- Prepare for design interviews by practicing design process questions, company and design culture questions, and portfolio presentation strategies
- Research Squadformers' design methodology, core values, and design challenges to demonstrate your cultural fit and alignment with the team's mission