Senior Product Designer, Platform

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer, Platform

Company: Squarespace

Location: New York City, New York, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design (Platform/Core Experience)

Date Posted: June 9, 2025

Experience Level: Senior (6+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🎨 Role Summary

• Lead the design of foundational and shared user experiences across the Squarespace platform, focusing on core "Building Blocks" and the User Platform.
• Drive real and immediate business impact by creating best-in-class, cohesive experiences that empower entrepreneurs to build brands and businesses online.
• Collaborate deeply within embedded product teams, taking direct responsibility for team success and influencing product strategy, vision, and roadmap through a design lens.
• Champion a data-driven approach to design, measuring and improving user experiences based on key metrics and user insights.
• Contribute to a growing design team culture that values systems thinking, craft excellence, deep partnerships, and thoughtful user-centered design.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Create rational, articulable, and elegant design solutions for complex platform-level problems, ensuring usability, education, and relevance for a diverse user base.
• Think holistically about the end-to-end user journey across multiple Squarespace product lines, identifying opportunities for seamless and consistent experiences.
• Design and build high-quality solutions that directly impact key business metrics and contribute significantly to the company's bottom line.
• Drive the design process from initial discovery and concept development through detailed design, prototyping, and final delivery, ensuring design quality and feasibility.
• Work closely with Product Management and Engineering partners to define OKRs, shape product strategy, and contribute to the platform's long-term vision and roadmap.
• Define and track key metrics to measure the success and business impact of design initiatives, using data to inform design decisions and iterations.
• Ensure clear team alignment around design goals, priorities, and deliverables, fostering effective communication and collaboration within the product team.
• Partner with User Research and Testing teams to plan and conduct usability studies, validate design solutions, and ensure product consistency across the platform.
• Collaborate with the Design Systems team to ensure all design work integrates seamlessly with the existing design system and contributes to its evolution.
• Engage directly with users to gather feedback and insights, balancing qualitative user research with quantitative data analysis to inform design decisions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically preferred for a Senior Product Designer role. Equivalent professional experience demonstrating strong design fundamentals and strategic thinking is also highly valued.

Experience: Minimum of 6+ years of professional experience in product design, with a strong portfolio showcasing successful design solutions for complex digital products, particularly platform or system-level design challenges. Experience designing for SaaS products or platforms with multiple user segments is a significant advantage.

Required Skills:

• Proven ability to simplify complex data and user needs into actionable, elegant design tasks and solutions.
• High proficiency in Figma for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration, including experience with advanced features and workflows.
• Expertise in creating both large-scale concepts and detailed micro-interactions, demonstrating a strong command of interaction design principles.
• Strong visual design skills, with a deep understanding of consistency, color theory, typography, layout, and animation principles.
• Extensive experience with various UX methodologies for complex systems, such as service blueprints, user journey mapping, usability testing, and heuristic evaluations.
• A strong systems thinking approach to design, capable of seeing how individual components and interactions fit into a larger, interconnected platform ecosystem.
• Effective storytelling and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor design narratives and rationales for diverse audiences, including product, engineering, and leadership.
• Demonstrated passion for creating impactful design, staying current with design trends, industry best practices, and emerging technologies.
• Ability to provide thought leadership within the team and align design decisions with the Squarespace brand voice and strategic goals.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working on platform-level design challenges, including user authentication, account management, permissions, notifications, or core content management systems.
• Familiarity with front-end development concepts (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate effective collaboration with engineers.
• Experience contributing to or working extensively with established design systems.
• Proven track record of using data analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude, Google Analytics) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 detailed case studies of complex product design projects, ideally including platform-level or system design challenges.
• Clearly articulate your role and specific contributions on each project, highlighting how you navigated constraints and collaborated with cross-functional teams.
• Present the final design solutions with high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes where appropriate.
• Include examples demonstrating your strong visual design craft, attention to detail, and understanding of visual hierarchy and aesthetics.

Process Documentation:

• Document your design process comprehensively, from initial problem definition and user research (including methodologies used) through ideation, wireframing, prototyping, testing, and iteration.
• Showcase your approach to understanding complex user needs and business requirements, demonstrating critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Include examples of how you used data and user feedback to inform your design decisions and measure the success of your solutions.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $128,500 - $207,000 USD per year. This range is explicitly provided by Squarespace and reflects the base salary. Actual compensation may vary based on skills, experience, location, and other factors. Eligible roles may also include on-target commissions or overtime pay. Additionally, employees are eligible for common stock options.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive medical insurance plans with an option for 100% covered premiums, providing strong healthcare support.
• Family-focused benefits including fertility and adoption assistance, supporting diverse family planning needs.
• Access to supplemental insurance plans for additional coverage options.
• Subscription to the Headspace mindfulness app and a Global Employee Assistance Program for mental health and well-being support.
• Retirement benefits with employer match, encouraging long-term financial planning.
• Flexible paid time off policy, allowing for work-life balance and personal needs.
• Generous parental leave (20 weeks) and family care leave (up to 12 weeks), supporting employees during significant life events.
• Pretax commuter benefit to help with transportation costs.
• Education reimbursement program to support continuous learning and professional development in design or related fields.
• Employee donation match program to encourage community involvement.
• Participation in 6 Global Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) fostering diversity and inclusion.
• Dog-friendly workplace, creating a comfortable and relaxed office environment.
• Free lunch and snacks provided at the office.
• Access to a private rooftop space at the NYC headquarters.
• Participation in Hack Week twice per year, fostering innovation and cross-functional collaboration on creative projects.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week. The hybrid work model suggests a blend of in-office collaboration and potential for some remote work, requiring flexibility to align with team and project needs.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Software Development, specifically focused on providing a design-driven platform for online presence, e-commerce, marketing, and scheduling. Squarespace operates in a competitive market focused on empowering creators and entrepreneurs.

Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees (LinkedIn). This indicates a medium-to-large organization with established processes and resources, offering opportunities for impact within a structured design team.

Founded: 2003. Squarespace has a long history in the web publishing and online presence space, evolving into a comprehensive platform over two decades, which influences its established design principles and user base.

Team Structure:

• Product designers are embedded within product teams, fostering deep collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers.
• The role reports to the Product Design Manager of the Building Blocks group, indicating a clear reporting line within the design organization structure.
• The Platform design team focuses on shared user experiences and foundational components, suggesting a matrixed collaboration model across different product lines and feature teams.

Methodology:

• Emphasizes a design-centric approach, valuing vision and execution in product development.
• Deeply collaborative product teams where each member shares responsibility for success.
• Focuses on creating rational, articulable, and elegant solutions, indicating a structured and thoughtful design process.
• Likely utilizes agile or lean methodologies within product teams, given the embedded structure and focus on iteration and impact.

Company Website: https://www.squarespace.com/about/careers

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: Senior Product Designer. This level implies a significant level of responsibility, requiring strategic thinking, leadership in design execution, and the ability to mentor or influence other designers. Senior designers are expected to handle complex problems independently and contribute to shaping the design direction for their area.

Reporting Structure: Reports to the Product Design Manager of the Building Blocks group. This provides a clear reporting relationship for guidance, performance management, and career development within the design discipline.

Design Impact: The role is critical to the core Squarespace platform, directly impacting the foundational experiences used by millions of customers. Designing for "Building Blocks" means influencing the fundamental components and patterns that other product teams build upon, offering a high level of influence and strategic impact across the entire product ecosystem.

Growth Opportunities:

• Potential for advancement to a Lead Product Designer role, taking on more team leadership or project oversight responsibilities.
• Opportunities to specialize further within platform design, focusing on specific areas like design systems, core interaction patterns, or cross-product experiences.
• Development of strategic thinking and collaboration skills by working closely with product leadership and cross-functional partners on roadmap and vision.
• Mentorship opportunities within the design team, guiding more junior designers and contributing to the team's growth and development.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Hybrid work model with a requirement to work from the New York City headquarters. This suggests a blend of in-office collaboration and potentially some flexibility for remote work days, promoting both in-person teamwork and focused individual work.

Office Location(s): New York City Headquarters. The specific address is likely the one listed for Squarespace's NYC offices (e.g., 8 Clarkson St or 225 Varick Street). Being in NYC places the role in a major design and tech hub with access to industry events and a large creative community.

Design Workspace Context:

• The NYC headquarters is described as "bustling," suggesting a dynamic and active work environment.
• Benefits like a dog-friendly workplace, free lunch/snacks, and a private rooftop indicate amenities designed to create a comfortable and engaging creative workspace.
• The hybrid model facilitates in-person collaboration sessions, design critiques, and team meetings, crucial for a design-centric culture.

Work Schedule: Full-time hours, with the hybrid model implying a structured approach to in-office days, likely requiring presence for key meetings, collaboration sessions, and team activities while potentially allowing for some flexibility on other days. Specific hybrid schedule details would need to be confirmed with the hiring team.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Likely begins with an initial recruiter screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and fit.
• Followed by one or more interviews with design team members, including the hiring manager, focusing on portfolio review, design process, and technical skills. Be prepared to walk through 2-3 detailed case studies from your portfolio.
• Expect conversations about your experience designing for complex systems, your approach to data-driven design, and your collaboration style with cross-functional teams (PM, Eng, Research).
• A design challenge or take-home assignment is common for senior design roles to evaluate problem-solving skills, design thinking, and execution under constraints. Be prepared to present your solution and rationale.
• Final rounds will likely involve interviews with design leadership and potentially product/engineering stakeholders to assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and cultural fit within the broader organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate your portfolio specifically for this role, highlighting projects that demonstrate experience with platform design, complex systems, and cross-product consistency.
• For each case study, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your design process (including research, ideation, iteration), your collaboration with other disciplines, and the impact of your design. Quantify impact whenever possible.
• Showcase your proficiency in Figma through high-fidelity mockups and prototypes. Demonstrate your visual design skills and attention to detail.
• Be prepared to discuss your design decisions and rationale thoroughly, explaining the "why" behind your choices and how they address user needs and business goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• If given a design challenge, clarify the scope, deliverables, and time constraints upfront.
• Approach the challenge using a structured design process: understand the problem, research (even if brief), ideate, prototype, and consider potential limitations or next steps.
• Focus on demonstrating your design thinking and problem-solving skills, not just delivering a polished visual design. Articulate your assumptions and trade-offs.
• Prepare a clear presentation of your solution, walking the interviewers through your process, design decisions, and the rationale behind them.

ATS Keywords:

• Design Skills: Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Systems Thinking, User-Centered Design, Design Thinking, Problem Solving, Strategic Design, Information Architecture, Prototyping, Wireframing, User Flows, Journey Mapping, Service Blueprints, Usability Testing, A/B Testing, Data Analysis, Design Strategy, Design Leadership, Cross-functional Collaboration, Design Critique.
• Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, InVision, Principle, After Effects, ProtoPie, Zeplin, Abstract, Git, JIRA, Asana, Confluence, Amplitude, Google Analytics, Hotjar, UserTesting.com.
• Methodologies: Agile, Lean UX, Scrum, Design Sprints, Waterfall (less likely but possible), Continuous Discovery.
• Soft Skills: Communication, Storytelling, Presentation Skills, Collaboration, Empathy, Critical Thinking, Adaptability, Mentorship, Influence, Stakeholder Management.
• Industry Terms: SaaS, Platform Design, Design Systems, Component Library, Style Guide, Responsive Design, Accessibility, E-commerce, CMS, Web Design, Mobile Design, Native Apps, Cross-Platform Design, API Design (concepts), Scalability, Performance, User Onboarding, Account Management, Notifications, Permissions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Required proficiency. This is the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect extensive use for creating high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and working within shared design libraries.
• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in prototyping large concepts and micro-interactions is required, likely within Figma or potentially using tools like Principle or After Effects for more complex animations.

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Tools like Zeplin or Abstract might be used for design handoff to engineering, ensuring specifications and assets are clearly communicated.
• Project management tools such as JIRA or Asana will likely be used for tracking design tasks and collaborating with product and engineering teams.
• Confluence or similar documentation tools may be used for documenting design decisions, user flows, and specifications.

Research & Testing:

• Experience with user research tools and platforms (e.g., UserTesting.com) for gathering qualitative feedback.
• Familiarity with data analytics platforms like Amplitude or Google Analytics for analyzing user behavior and measuring design impact.
• A/B testing tools may be used to validate design hypotheses and optimize experiences.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• Design-centricity: Squarespace's core mission is rooted in design, meaning design is highly valued and integral to the product development process.
• Vision and Execution: The company values both strategic thinking (vision) and the ability to deliver high-quality design solutions (execution).
• Collaboration: Deep collaboration within embedded product teams is a core value, emphasizing shared responsibility and cross-functional partnership.
• Systems Thinking: The focus on designing for the platform and "Building Blocks" highlights a value for creating scalable, consistent, and interconnected design solutions.
• Thoughtful User Experience: A strong emphasis on creating usable, educational, and relevant experiences demonstrates a commitment to user-centered design principles.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded within product teams: Designers work directly alongside Product Managers and Engineers daily, fostering close collaboration and communication.
• Cross-functional partnership: Strong collaboration is expected with user research, testing, and design systems teams.
• Design critique culture: Likely involves regular design reviews and feedback sessions to refine work and maintain design quality.
• Emphasis on communication: Effective storytelling and tailoring presentations for different audiences are valued, indicating a collaborative style that requires clear and persuasive communication.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Designing for a complex, multi-product platform: Ensuring consistency and a seamless user experience across diverse product lines and features can be challenging. Requires a strong understanding of the overall ecosystem.
• Balancing foundational design with specific product needs: Designing core components and patterns that serve various teams while also addressing unique requirements for specific features or products.
• Driving innovation within established systems: Finding opportunities to introduce new patterns or improve existing ones within a mature design system and platform infrastructure.
• Measuring the impact of platform design: Quantifying the business value and user benefit of designing core components and shared experiences.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen expertise in platform design and complex system architecture from a design perspective.
• Enhance skills in data analysis and using metrics to inform and validate design decisions.
• Develop stronger cross-functional leadership and influencing skills by working closely with product and engineering leaders.
• Opportunity to contribute to the evolution of a well-established design system.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• "Walk me through a project where you designed for a complex system or platform. How did you approach understanding the interconnectedness of different parts?" - Prepare a detailed case study focusing on a relevant project from your portfolio.
• "Describe a time you used data or user research to inform a significant design decision. What was the impact?" - Have specific examples ready where data or research insights directly shaped your design choices and led to measurable outcomes.
• "How do you collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers throughout the design process, especially on platform-level projects?" - Discuss your experience working in embedded teams and how you ensure alignment and effective handoff.

Company Culture Questions:

• "Squarespace is design-centric. How do you incorporate design principles and aesthetics into your problem-solving process?" - Be prepared to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with Squarespace's focus on craft and elegance.
• "How do you approach receiving and giving design critique? Describe a time feedback significantly changed your design direction." - Discuss your experience with design reviews and your ability to iterate based on constructive feedback.
• "What does 'systems thinking' mean to you in the context of product design, and how have you applied it in your work?" - Relate your experience with design systems, component libraries, or designing scalable patterns to this core value.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with a brief overview of your background and interest in Squarespace and this specific role.
• Select 2-3 case studies that best showcase your experience with platform design, complex problems, and data-driven decisions.
• For each case study, follow a clear structure: Problem, Your Role, Process (Research, Ideation, Iteration), Solution, Collaboration, and Impact.
• Focus on the "why" behind your design decisions and how they align with user needs and business goals.
• Be prepared to demo prototypes and discuss the interaction design details.
• Practice your presentation to ensure it flows well and stays within the allotted time.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link on the Squarespace careers page.
• Customize your design portfolio to highlight projects most relevant to platform design, complex systems, and the skills outlined in the job description (e.g., Figma proficiency, UX methodologies, visual design). Ensure case studies clearly articulate your process and impact.
• Optimize your resume to include keywords from the ATS Keywords list, focusing on your senior-level experience, specific design tools (especially Figma), UX methodologies, and experience with systems thinking and collaboration.
• Practice walking through your selected portfolio case studies as if presenting to a design team, focusing on storytelling, articulating your rationale, and demonstrating your problem-solving approach.
• Research Squarespace's products, design principles, and recent announcements. Understand their target audience and how the core platform enables their customers. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and experience align with their mission and design culture.