Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Tennr

Location: New York City, New York, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: August 25, 2025

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in-office preferred)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead end-to-end product design initiatives, from initial research and concept development through to post-launch analysis and iterative improvements.

• Collaborate closely with leadership and cross-functional teams to define and refine the product roadmap, influencing strategic direction and problem identification.

• Drive customer-centric design by conducting user interviews, validating concepts, and translating feedback into intuitive and impactful user experiences.

• Develop high-fidelity interactive prototypes, ensuring seamless integration with the design system and efficient handoff to engineering teams.

• Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the company's Design System, promoting consistency and scalability across the product.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is explicitly for a Product Designer, the emphasis on influencing product strategy, collaborating on roadmaps, and driving customer-centricity within a fast-paced startup environment aligns closely with the operational aspects of Go-To-Market (GTM) functions. A strong understanding of how design decisions impact user adoption, sales enablement, and overall business efficiency will be critical for success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the complete product design lifecycle for key project streams, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, high-fidelity design, and development handoff.

• Partner with co-founders and product leadership to prioritize features, define product strategy, and identify high-impact problems within the healthcare referral process.

• Conduct rigorous user research, including interviews and usability testing, to gather insights, validate hypotheses, and iterate on designs for optimal user experience and business alignment.

• Translate complex healthcare workflows and data into intuitive user interfaces and seamless user journeys, ensuring clarity and efficiency for patients and providers.

• Create and maintain detailed design specifications, interactive prototypes, and user flows, ensuring alignment with the established Design System and development feasibility.

• Actively participate in the design review process, providing constructive feedback and contributing to the continuous improvement of design standards and team workflows.

• Support post-launch analysis of user behavior and feedback, identifying areas for optimization and driving iterative design improvements to enhance product performance and user satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "shape product strategy and direction" and "prioritize the product roadmap" indicates a significant operational influence beyond traditional design execution. The candidate will need to demonstrate strategic thinking and an understanding of how design choices impact business outcomes, similar to a GTM Operations or Product Operations role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 3+ years of professional experience in Product Design, UX Design, or a similar role, with a demonstrated track record in startups or high-growth environments.

Required Skills:

• Proven ability to deconstruct ambiguous and complex problems into clear, actionable design projects and solutions.

• Exceptional communication skills, capable of articulating design concepts, trade-offs, and rationale from high-level strategy to pixel-perfect details.

• Strong visual design sensibility and a commitment to pixel-perfect execution, driving high standards for the entire product and engineering team.

• Proficient in user research methodologies, including user interviews, usability testing, and feedback analysis.

• Expertise in creating high-fidelity interactive prototypes using industry-standard design tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Experience in contributing to and maintaining Design Systems, ensuring consistency and scalability.

• Demonstrated ability to manage scope, timelines, and cross-functional stakeholders effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the healthcare technology sector, with an understanding of complex workflows and compliance considerations.

• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and their application in product design, particularly in data processing and user interaction.

• Experience with A/B testing and data-driven design iteration.

• Basic understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate collaboration with engineers.

• Experience working in an agile development environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "3+ years of experience ideally within startups or high-growth environments" suggests a need for candidates who are comfortable with rapid iteration, ambiguity, and taking significant ownership. The emphasis on visual precision and communication implies a need for strong craft and the ability to influence engineering partners, which are key operational skills in ensuring product quality and execution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design projects, demonstrating a strong understanding of user-centered design principles and problem-solving methodologies.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem statement, your design process, key decisions made, the rationale behind them, and the resulting impact.

• Examples of user research conducted, including participant recruitment, interview guides, and synthesized insights.

• High-fidelity prototypes that illustrate complex user flows and interactions, demonstrating your interaction design skills.

• Contributions to Design Systems or style guides, highlighting your ability to create and maintain design consistency and scalability.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrations of how you break down ambiguous problems into structured design processes, outlining research plans, ideation phases, and iteration cycles.

• Examples of how you gather and incorporate user feedback to iterate on designs, showcasing your iterative design approach.

• Documentation illustrating your collaboration with engineering for seamless handoffs, including design specifications and communication protocols.

• Case studies that quantify the impact of your design decisions, focusing on metrics such as user engagement, task completion rates, or reduction in user errors.

📝 Enhancement Note: A robust portfolio is critical for this role, not just for showcasing design skills but also for demonstrating an understanding of process, collaboration, and impact. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their case studies, explaining not just what they designed but why, and how it contributed to business objectives, mirroring the analytical rigor expected in operations roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $180,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO): Provides flexibility and encourages work-life balance, allowing operations professionals to manage their time effectively.

• 100% Paid Employee Health Benefit Options: Comprehensive health coverage ensures employee well-being, a key factor in sustained productivity and focus for demanding operational roles.

• Employer-Funded 401(k) Match: Supports long-term financial planning and retirement security, demonstrating the company's commitment to employee welfare.

• Competitive Parental Leave: Offers robust support for employees during significant life events, promoting a supportive and inclusive work environment.

• Free Lunch and Snacks: Enhances the daily work experience and fosters a collaborative environment within the office.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, approximately 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility to meet project demands and deadlines common in a startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Mid-Level Product Designer in New York City. The benefits package is strong, with a particular emphasis on flexibility and employee well-being, which are highly valued in operations roles that often require sustained focus and strategic thinking.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Health Technology (HealthTech) / AI-powered Healthcare Solutions. Tennr operates in a rapidly evolving sector focused on improving patient care pathways and reducing administrative inefficiencies through innovative technology.

Company Size: Early-stage startup (specific employee count not provided, but implied by "early designer" and Y-Combinator launch). This means a lean, agile team where individual contributions have a significant and visible impact.

Founded: Tennr launched out of Y-Combinator, indicating a strong foundation and accelerated growth trajectory. Backed by prominent venture capital firms like Lightspeed Venture Partners and Andreessen Horowitz, highlighting investor confidence in the company's mission and potential.

Team Structure:

• The Product Designer will report directly to a co-founder, indicating close mentorship and direct involvement in strategic decision-making.

• The team is likely small and highly collaborative, with close-knit interactions between design, engineering, and product management.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging data from user research and product analytics to inform design choices and product strategy.

• Iterative Design and Development: A continuous cycle of designing, testing, and refining products based on feedback and performance metrics.

• Customer-Centricity: A core focus on understanding and addressing the needs and pain points of users (patients and healthcare providers) within the complex healthcare system.

• Agile Operations: Embracing flexibility and rapid adaptation to market changes and feedback, a hallmark of successful startups.

Company Website: https://www.tennr.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes "Cowboy" mentality, meaning ownership, pace-setting, and getting things done. This translates to an environment where proactive individuals who can drive their own work and deliver results are highly valued. For a designer, this means not just executing tasks but actively shaping the product and its operational efficiency.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer (2-5 years experience), with significant autonomy and the opportunity to influence product strategy. It represents a key individual contributor role with potential for growth into a Senior Designer or Design Lead position as the company scales.

Reporting Structure: Reporting directly to a co-founder provides unparalleled visibility and access to leadership, enabling rapid learning and direct impact on company direction. This structure mirrors the close working relationships found in effective GTM Operations teams, where direct lines to sales, marketing, and leadership are crucial.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's work directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of Tennr's core technology (RaeLLM™) by improving the user experience for both patients and healthcare providers. This translates to reduced patient delays, improved healthcare outcomes, and ultimately, increased adoption and success for Tennr's platform. Design decisions have a direct operational impact on how the product scales and how efficiently users can interact with it.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a senior design role, potentially leading design initiatives and mentoring future designers as the company expands.

• Product Strategy Influence: Deep involvement in shaping the product roadmap and company strategy, providing exposure to broader business operations and decision-making.

• Domain Expertise: Developing deep expertise in the complex and impactful HealthTech sector, specifically in AI-driven healthcare solutions and process optimization.

• Operational Skill Development: Gaining hands-on experience in scaling a startup, understanding the operational intricacies of building and growing a tech company from the ground up.

• Contribution to Foundational Aspects: A chance to contribute to establishing core design processes, systems, and practices for a growing organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The direct reporting line to a co-founder and the "early designer" status offer a unique growth trajectory. The role provides exposure to strategic operational aspects of a startup, allowing for skill development in areas beyond pure design, such as product management input and operational process refinement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Tennr offers a modern office space located in Chelsea, New York City. This suggests a professional and potentially collaborative work environment conducive to focused design work and team interaction.

Office Location(s): New York City, NY. The preference for 4 days in-office indicates a hybrid model that balances the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is designed to foster collaboration, team building, and the exchange of ideas, which is crucial for effective product development and operational alignment.

• Resource Availability: Likely equipped with the necessary tools and technology to support design work, prototyping, and team communication.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model, with a strong emphasis on in-office days, encourages direct interaction with colleagues, fostering a cohesive team dynamic and facilitating real-time problem-solving.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with a hybrid work arrangement. The preference for 4 days in the office suggests a structured approach to hybrid work, balancing team synergy with individual flexibility. This setup is common in operations roles that require both focused individual work and collaborative team sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on in-office days for a hybrid role is a strong indicator of the company's value placed on in-person collaboration, ideation, and team cohesion, which are vital for operational efficiency and building a strong company culture.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess basic qualifications and design experience.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A session where you present your portfolio, discussing your design process, problem-solving approach, and impact on previous projects. Expect in-depth questions about your decision-making and collaboration style.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be given a take-home design challenge or asked to work through a hypothetical problem during an interview to assess your design skills, strategic thinking, and ability to handle ambiguity.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with other team members (e.g., engineers, product managers, co-founders) to evaluate your collaboration skills, communication style, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: Typically with a co-founder or senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment, career goals, and overall fit with the company's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Structure your portfolio case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly define the problem, your approach, the challenges faced, your solutions, and the measurable impact.

• Process Focus: Emphasize your design process. Show your research methods, ideation techniques, prototyping iterations, and how you incorporated feedback. Highlight your ability to handle ambiguity.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction scores, reduced task completion time).

• Visual Precision & Rationale: Be prepared to defend your design choices, particularly regarding visual details and user experience rationale. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Collaboration Examples: Showcase instances where you effectively collaborated with engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders, highlighting your communication and teamwork skills.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem: If given a challenge, ensure you fully understand the problem statement, target users, and business goals. Ask clarifying questions.

• Define Scope: In a timed challenge, effectively scope your work. Focus on the most critical aspects of the problem and demonstrate your thought process.

• Present Clearly: Be prepared to present your solution concisely, explaining your rationale and acknowledging any limitations or trade-offs.

• Focus on Process: For operational roles, demonstrating a structured and logical problem-solving process is often as important as the final solution.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the operational nature of influencing product strategy and working in a startup, the interview process will likely assess not just design craft but also strategic thinking, problem-solving under ambiguity, and collaboration skills. Candidates should prepare to discuss how their design work drives business outcomes and operational efficiency.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends and efficiency for collaboration), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• User Research & Feedback: Tools like UserTesting.com, Hotjar, or internal survey tools.

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior and product engagement.

• Data Visualization: Potentially Tableau, Looker, or Power BI for understanding user data and performance metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding how design integrates with CRM (like Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (like HubSpot) can be beneficial for GTM alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern design tools like Figma is essential. An understanding of how design outputs integrate with analytics platforms and contribute to the overall user journey, which is tracked by CRM and automation systems, would be a significant advantage and demonstrates operational awareness.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• "Cowboy" Mentality: Taking initiative, setting pace, and driving tasks to completion with a strong sense of ownership and impact. This translates to a proactive approach in design and problem-solving.

• Innovation with Purpose: A commitment to using technology to solve real-world problems, specifically in improving healthcare access and efficiency. This requires a deep understanding of user needs and operational workflows.

• Collaboration and Relationship Building: Valuing teamwork and fostering strong working relationships with colleagues, essential for cross-functional operational success.

• Data-Driven Approach: Relying on data and customer feedback to inform decisions and measure the impact of design and product initiatives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to work closely with engineering, product management, and leadership, contributing to a unified product vision and efficient execution.

• Feedback Exchange: An open culture for giving and receiving constructive feedback to continuously improve designs and processes.

• Proactive Communication: Maintaining clear and consistent communication regarding design progress, challenges, and decisions to ensure alignment across the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Cowboy" value highlights a culture of high performance and individual accountability, common in fast-paced operational environments. Designers are expected to be proactive problem-solvers who can drive their own work and contribute to the company's overall operational momentum.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Tackling complex problems in a nascent industry with evolving user needs and technological capabilities. This requires strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Balancing Innovation and Execution: Delivering innovative design solutions while also meeting tight deadlines and technical constraints in a startup environment.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring design decisions are well-understood and supported by engineering, product, and business stakeholders, requiring excellent communication and negotiation skills.

• Scaling Design Processes: Contributing to the development and refinement of design processes and systems as the company grows, ensuring scalability and efficiency.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Product Input: Direct involvement in product strategy and roadmap planning offers significant learning in product management and business operations.

• HealthTech Domain Expertise: Deepening knowledge in the healthcare technology sector, including patient journeys, regulatory considerations, and AI applications.

• Startup Growth Experience: Gaining firsthand experience in scaling a company, understanding the operational challenges and growth levers involved.

• Mentorship from Leadership: Direct access to co-founders provides invaluable mentorship on entrepreneurship, product development, and strategic decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges inherent in a startup environment, particularly in a complex sector like HealthTech, provide significant opportunities for professional development. The role allows for the cultivation of skills in strategic thinking, operational efficiency, and cross-functional leadership, extending beyond traditional design responsibilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How do you approach designing for complex, ambiguous problems like those in healthcare referrals?" (Focus on your process for deconstruction, research, and iteration.)

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders (engineering, product) to adopt your design vision. What was your strategy?" (Highlight communication, rationale, and trade-off articulation.)

• "How do you ensure your designs are not only user-friendly but also align with business goals and operational efficiency?" (Connect design decisions to impact and scalability.)

• "Walk me through your process for creating and maintaining a Design System. What are the key benefits and challenges?" (Showcase understanding of consistency, scalability, and collaboration.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Tennr's mission to improve healthcare referrals?" (Show genuine enthusiasm for the industry and problem space.)

• "How do you embody Tennr's 'Cowboy' value in your work?" (Provide specific examples of initiative, ownership, and driving results.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Problem-Solution Narrative: Clearly articulate the user problem and business context for each case study.

• Process Visualization: Use diagrams, flowcharts, and sketches to visually represent your design process and decision points.

• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase how you worked with other teams, including any challenges and how you overcame them.

• Quantify Impact: Present metrics and data that demonstrate the positive outcomes of your design work.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design choices, research findings, and trade-offs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design craft but also strategic thinking, problem-solving acumen, and an understanding of how design contributes to operational efficiency and business success. Candidates should be ready to showcase their ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies that highlight your ability to tackle complex problems, your end-to-end design process, and the quantifiable impact of your work. Tailor your case study selection to showcase experience relevant to healthcare or complex B2B/SaaS products.

• Resume Optimization: Craft your resume to emphasize achievements and responsibilities that align with the job description, using keywords such as "user research," "prototyping," "design systems," "cross-functional collaboration," and "problem-solving." Quantify your accomplishments wherever possible.

• Prepare for Portfolio Walkthrough: Practice articulating your design process and rationale clearly and concisely. Be ready to discuss your decision-making process, the trade-offs you considered, and the impact of your work on user experience and business objectives.

• Research Tennr: Thoroughly understand Tennr's mission, product (RaeLLM™), target market, and investors. Familiarize yourself with the challenges in the healthcare referral system to better articulate your interest and potential contributions.

⚠️ 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.