Principal Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer

Company: Palmetto Clean Technology

Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design & User Experience

Date Posted: February 25, 2026

Experience Level: 8-10+ years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive a world-class user experience for Palmetto's customers by applying holistic design thinking to solve complex user problems and encourage desired behaviors.

• Create elegant UX and beautiful UI, evangelizing the importance of aesthetics and high-quality experiences across all touchpoints.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, engineers, and executive stakeholders to conceptualize, create, and iterate on product solutions.

• Contribute significantly to the Palmetto design system, designing new patterns and maintaining existing foundations to support product and team needs.

• Lead the end-to-end design process for major features within the Palmetto Finance and LightReach experiences, ensuring successful execution and implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is categorized under Product Design & User Experience, focusing on the application of design principles to drive business outcomes and customer satisfaction within the clean technology sector. The "Principal" title indicates a senior-level position with significant autonomy and leadership responsibilities in design strategy and execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Apply holistic design thinking to solve customer problems and drive desired behaviors across the entire customer experience lifecycle.

• Combine elegant UX with beautiful UI, ensuring high aesthetic quality and user-centered design principles are integrated into all product deliverables.

• Build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with cross-functional team members, transforming insights into well-designed products and inspiring the organization through prototypes and demonstrations.

• Actively participate in and contribute to the Palmetto design system, designing new components and patterns that enhance product consistency and team efficiency.

• Lead the complete design process for significant features within the Palmetto Finance and LightReach platforms, from ideation through to final implementation.

• Provide constructive feedback and mentorship to other designers and engineers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and successful outcomes.

• Develop and champion the visual and brand aesthetic, ensuring all product interfaces align with Palmetto's brand identity and standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic design leadership, hands-on execution, and cross-functional collaboration. The focus on "holistic design thinking," "elegant UX," and "beautiful UI" signifies a commitment to both functional and aesthetic excellence in product design. The inclusion of design system ownership and mentorship highlights the senior nature of this Principal role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically expected for Principal-level roles. A strong portfolio can often substitute for formal education.

Experience: 8-10 years of experience designing and delivering user-centered solutions for mobile and web applications within cross-functional technology companies.

Required Skills:

• Extraordinary visual and user interface (UI) design skills.

• Profound understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies.

• Ability to grasp and distill complex issues into clean, focused, and understandable solutions.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence, build consensus, and rally stakeholders around design solutions.

• Proven self-starter with the ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks effectively, and deliver high-quality results under minimal supervision.

• Deep understanding of the entire product development process, from initial product thinking and concepting to visual design, user experience (UX) design, and implementation with engineering teams.

• Experience operating across all stages of the design process, including user research, prototyping, polished design creation, and post-launch iteration.

• A collaborative team player attitude, willing to contribute actively to achieve the best possible outcomes for the team and business.

• Comfort and proficiency in working with ambiguity and limited resources to solve novel problems.

• Ability to influence others, build consensus, and elevate design standards across the organization.

• Embraces constructive feedback as an integral part of the iterative design process.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with B2B products, complex processes, and workflows.

• Expertise in data visualization design.

• Proficiency in designing systems using Figma.

• Experience with motion design and animation principles.

• Experience in designing, developing, or maintaining product Design Systems, Component Libraries, and Design Tokens.

• Experience with brand design and its application in digital products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of senior-level design expertise, strategic thinking, and collaborative capabilities. The "Principal" title implies leadership potential and the ability to mentor junior designers. The explicit mention of Figma and Design Systems points to a modern, component-driven design workflow.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of projects, demonstrating end-to-end design ownership from concept to launch.

• Projects should highlight successful problem-solving, elegant UX/UI design, and effective user research methodologies.

• Evidence of contributions to design systems, component libraries, or design tokens is highly valued.

• Case studies that detail the design process, challenges faced, solutions implemented, and measurable outcomes (e.g., user satisfaction, conversion rates, efficiency gains).

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrations of user research techniques and how insights were translated into design decisions.

• Examples of prototyping and wireframing to explore and communicate design concepts.

• Documentation of collaboration with product managers and engineers, showcasing cross-functional teamwork.

• Case studies detailing the creation or maintenance of design systems, including pattern libraries and design tokens.

• Evidence of iterating on designs based on feedback and performance data.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal Product Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It should not only showcase visual design skills but also demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to lead design initiatives. The emphasis on end-to-end ownership and impact is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Principal Product Designer in Charlotte, NC, with 8-10+ years of experience, the estimated salary range is typically between $150,000 - $200,000 annually. This can vary based on specific skills, qualifications, and the company's compensation structure.

Benefits:

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Comprehensive Medical coverage

• Dental coverage

• Vision coverage

• Paid Parental Leave

• Retirement Plans

Working Hours: While not explicitly stated, a full-time role typically involves approximately 40 hours per week. The company culture, as described, emphasizes balance, suggesting flexibility within standard working hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for Principal Product Designers in a mid-to-high cost of living area like Charlotte, NC, considering the experience level and the company's focus on attracting top talent. The provided benefits are highly attractive and align with a progressive, employee-centric company culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Clean Technology, focused on accelerating the transition to clean energy through software, financial products, and services for home electrification. The industry is characterized by innovation, sustainability goals, and a mission-driven approach.

Company Size: Palmetto is a growing company, implied by its "leading" status and "promote-from-within" culture, suggesting a dynamic environment that likely ranges from mid-sized to large. This provides opportunities for impact and visibility.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company's description suggests a mature and established presence in the clean tech market, with award-winning technology.

Team Structure:

• The design team is led by a Director of Product Design, with Principal Designers expected to take on significant leadership and mentorship roles.

• The Principal Product Designer will work closely with Product Managers and Engineers, indicating a highly cross-functional and collaborative team structure.

Methodology:

• Design thinking and user-centered design are core methodologies, applied holistically across the customer experience.

• Emphasis on conceptualizing, prototyping, and user research to inform product development.

• Collaboration with product and engineering is integral, with a focus on iterative design and implementation.

• A commitment to building and maintaining a robust design system for efficiency and consistency.

Company Website: https://palmetto.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Palmetto positions itself as a mission-driven company in the rapidly growing clean tech sector. The culture emphasizes talent development, growth, and a focus on people, planet, and profit. The "promote-from-within" philosophy suggests strong internal career progression opportunities.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Principal Product Designer role, representing a senior individual contributor position. It signifies a high level of expertise, autonomy, and responsibility, often involving mentorship and strategic influence on design direction.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the Director of Product Design. This indicates a clear reporting line within the design organization, with opportunities for guidance and strategic alignment from a senior leader.

Operations Impact: The Principal Product Designer is expected to have a significant impact on the user experience of Palmetto's core platforms (Finance and LightReach), directly influencing customer adoption, satisfaction, and engagement with clean energy solutions. Their work will contribute to the company's mission of accelerating the transition to clean energy.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Manager role, overseeing smaller teams or specific product areas.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like design systems, B2B product design, or advanced UX research.

• Strategic Influence: Increased involvement in product strategy, roadmap planning, and influencing the overall design vision for Palmetto.

• Mentorship: Formal or informal mentorship opportunities for junior designers, contributing to their development and the overall design team's growth.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to a mission-driven company in a growing sector, gaining experience in sustainable technology and energy transition solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title implies a strong career trajectory within Palmetto, offering opportunities for both individual contribution at a high level and potential leadership track development. The company's growth and mission-driven nature further enhance the appeal for long-term career development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Charlotte, NC, implying an on-site work environment. The company culture description suggests a collaborative and purpose-driven atmosphere.

Office Location(s): Charlotte, NC, USA. Specific office address provided is 1616 Camden Rd Charlotte, NC 28203.

Workspace Context:

• A collaborative environment where designers work closely with product managers and engineers.

• Access to modern design tools and technologies, including Figma, and potentially tools for motion design and animation.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with team members, fostering knowledge sharing and problem-solving.

• A culture that values aesthetics, user experience, and innovation, likely reflected in the physical workspace.

Work Schedule: As a full-time position, it is expected to adhere to a standard work schedule, likely around 40 hours per week. The company's emphasis on balance and unlimited PTO suggests a degree of flexibility and a focus on results over strict hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Charlotte suggests a traditional office setup. The company's emphasis on collaboration and its mission-driven nature likely contribute to a dynamic and engaging work environment for designers.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience and fit.

• Portfolio Presentation: A session where you present your work, discussing your design process, problem-solving approach, and impact. Be prepared to walk through 2-3 key projects.

• Design Challenge: Potentially a take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual exercise focused on solving a specific design problem relevant to Palmetto's products.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other stakeholders to assess collaboration skills and technical understanding.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the Director of Product Design to evaluate strategic thinking, leadership potential, and cultural fit.

• Executive/Final Interview: A final conversation with senior leadership to confirm alignment with company vision and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Showcase 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant projects that demonstrate end-to-end ownership and significant impact.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem statement, your role, the design process (research, ideation, iteration, testing), the solutions you delivered, and the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Process: Emphasize your decision-making rationale, how you incorporated user feedback, and how you collaborated with cross-functional teams.

• Showcase Design Systems: If applicable, detail your experience with creating, contributing to, or maintaining design systems, component libraries, or design tokens.

• Visual Polish: Ensure your portfolio is visually appealing, well-organized, and easy to navigate.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Business: Research Palmetto's mission, products (Finance, LightReach), target audience, and the clean energy industry.

• Focus on User Problems: Anticipate design challenges that involve user adoption, complex workflows, or data comprehension within clean tech solutions.

• Demonstrate Process: Structure your approach around user needs, iterative design, and measurable impact.

• Communicate Clearly: Practice articulating your design decisions and rationale concisely and effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Principal role will be rigorous, focusing heavily on demonstrated experience, strategic thinking, and leadership potential. A well-prepared, compelling portfolio is the most critical element for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (explicitly mentioned as preferred), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

• User Research: Tools for user interviews, surveys, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Hotjar, SurveyMonkey).

• Collaboration: Slack, Jira, Confluence, Miro (for workshops and whiteboarding).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Designers may interact with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation tools to understand customer journeys, but direct proficiency is usually not required unless the role involves specific CRM UI design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a significant advantage, given its explicit mention. Experience with a range of design and prototyping tools, alongside user research platforms, is essential. Familiarity with collaborative tools used in agile development environments is also expected.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to accelerating the clean energy transition and making clean energy accessible.

• Collaboration: Emphasis on working together across teams (product, engineering, design) to achieve shared goals.

• Impact-Oriented: Focus on delivering tangible results that benefit customers, the planet, and the business.

• Growth & Development: A "promote-from-within" culture that values talent development and career progression.

• Balance: Prioritizing employee well-being alongside professional achievement, as indicated by unlimited PTO and a focus on work-life balance.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly cross-functional, with designers working closely with product managers and engineers throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Open to constructive feedback and iterative design processes, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

• Emphasis on evangelizing design principles and inspiring the organization through prototypes and demonstrations.

• A "roll up your sleeves" attitude, indicating a willingness to contribute directly to achieve team objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Palmetto's culture appears to be a blend of mission-driven purpose, collaborative execution, and employee well-being. The design team's role is central to translating this mission into user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing products.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Ambiguity and Novelty: Working on new problems with no established industry counterfactual requires strong problem-solving skills and the ability to define solutions from scratch.

• Balancing UX and Business Goals: Integrating complex financial and operational aspects (Palmetto Finance, LightReach) into intuitive user experiences while driving business objectives.

• Design System Evolution: Continuously evolving and scaling the design system to meet the needs of a growing product suite and diverse user base.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring design vision is effectively communicated and implemented across product and engineering teams with potentially differing priorities.

• Elevating Design Standards: Influencing the broader organization to prioritize and value design excellence.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Skills: Opportunities to hone skills in areas like complex workflow design, data visualization, and interactive prototyping.

• Leadership Development: Gaining experience in mentoring junior designers, leading design initiatives, and contributing to design strategy.

• Industry Expertise: Deepening knowledge of the clean tech and renewable energy sectors, understanding unique user needs and market dynamics.

• System Design: Contributing to and potentially leading the strategy and evolution of a comprehensive design system.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Developing a deeper understanding of product management, engineering processes, and business strategy within a fast-paced tech environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" level role inherently comes with challenges that foster significant growth. The company's focus on innovation in a dynamic industry provides ample opportunities for professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to solve a complex user problem with limited resources. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, resourcefulness, and impact.)

• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives and technical constraints? Provide an example." (Demonstrate your understanding of trade-offs and holistic design thinking.)

• "Walk us through a significant feature you designed from concept to launch. What was your role, what challenges did you face, and what was the measurable impact?" (Prepare a detailed case study from your portfolio.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Palmetto's mission and the clean tech industry?" (Research the company's mission and values thoroughly.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with product managers and engineers?" (Emphasize your communication, empathy, and teamwork skills.)

• "Describe a situation where you received difficult feedback on your design. How did you handle it?" (Showcase your ability to embrace constructive criticism.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the impact. Use a narrative flow.

• Visuals: Use high-fidelity mockups, prototypes, and relevant data visualizations to illustrate your points.

• Process Detail: Don't just show the final screens; explain why you made certain design decisions, referencing user research, heuristics, or business goals.

• Impact Metrics: Quantify the success of your designs whenever possible (e.g., increased conversion, reduced error rates, improved user satisfaction scores).

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Focus on the most impactful aspects of your work and be prepared to answer questions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tailor your preparation to the "Principal" level, emphasizing strategic thinking, leadership qualities, and a deep understanding of the design process and its business impact. Showcasing experience with design systems and complex workflows will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and experience with complex applications or design systems. Ensure it's well-organized and highlights measurable outcomes.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to mobile and web applications, user-centered design, product development processes, and any specific tool expertise like Figma. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design philosophy, your approach to collaboration, and your passion for clean technology. Practice presenting your portfolio projects concisely and impactfully.

• Research Palmetto: Understand their mission, products (especially Finance and LightReach), and company culture. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the design team, challenges, and strategic direction.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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