Senior Product Designer (12 month contract)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (12 month contract)

Company: Match Group (Plenty of Fish)

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Job Type: CONTRACTOR

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: March 03, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead growth-focused design strategies to enhance user activation, engagement, retention, and conversion rates for a leading online dating platform.

• Drive end-to-end product design processes, from initial discovery and concepting through to interaction, visual design, and successful launch.

• Contribute to product strategy development by framing complex user and business problems, generating hypotheses, and evaluating critical tradeoffs.

• Champion experimental design approaches and iterative development, collaborating with product and analytics teams to define success metrics and leverage data insights.

• Elevate design quality and consistency across the product portfolio, acting as a leader and mentor to other designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a 12-month contract position within Match Group's Plenty of Fish brand, focusing on product design with a strong emphasis on growth metrics and user engagement. The role blends strategic product thinking with hands-on design execution, requiring a candidate comfortable with ambiguity and data-driven decision-making. The "GTM Operations" category is included due to the direct impact of the design work on customer acquisition, retention, and revenue generation, which are core GTM objectives.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design of key growth initiatives, translating ambiguous product and user challenges into intuitive, elegant user experiences that demonstrably improve core business metrics.

• Own the complete product design lifecycle, from user research and discovery workshops to detailed interaction and visual design, ensuring seamless collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, Analytics, and User Research teams.

• Actively participate in product strategy discussions, helping to define problem spaces, articulate hypotheses, and assess design-related tradeoffs to align with business objectives.

• Design and support A/B tests and other experiments, working closely with Product Managers and Analysts to define metrics, analyze results, and rapidly iterate on designs based on actionable insights.

• Foster a culture of design excellence by setting high standards, providing constructive feedback during critiques, and advocating for user-centered decision-making across all product development efforts.

• Ensure design consistency and scalability across Plenty of Fish's portfolio of applications, contributing to a cohesive and robust user experience.

• Provide informal mentorship and guidance to junior designers, supporting their professional development through collaboration and design critique sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of individual contribution and leadership. The emphasis on "growth-focused design," "measurable outcomes," and "experimentation" indicates a strong need for a data-informed designer who can directly impact key performance indicators (KPIs) related to user acquisition and revenue. The "end-to-end" nature of the design process suggests autonomy and ownership.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is highly recommended for a Senior role.

Experience: 5+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a strong preference for candidates who have worked with consumer-facing, mobile-first, or growth-focused products. Proven track record of designing and launching successful end-to-end product experiences that have demonstrably moved key business metrics.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in end-to-end product design, encompassing user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, interaction design, and visual design.

• Strong systems-thinking capabilities to understand and design for complex interconnected product ecosystems.

• Proficient in growth-focused design methodologies, with a clear understanding of user activation, engagement, retention, and conversion funnels.

• Ability to translate ambiguous and complex problems into simple, intuitive, and elegant user solutions.

• High bar for visual design craft and usability, ensuring aesthetically pleasing and highly functional user interfaces.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly to cross-functional partners (Product, Engineering, Analytics, Research).

• Experience in designing and supporting experimentation and iteration cycles, including defining success metrics and analyzing results.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the social, dating, or community-driven product space.

• Experience in data analysis and leveraging user data to inform design decisions.

• Familiarity with design leadership principles and practices, including mentoring junior designers.

• Experience with user research methodologies and synthesizing findings into actionable design insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "5+ years" and the emphasis on "end-to-end product design" and "measurable outcomes" point to a senior-level individual contributor role. The mention of "AI Tooling" is a specific technical requirement that candidates should highlight if they have experience. The preference for dating/social products suggests domain knowledge is a plus, but not a strict barrier.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design case studies that demonstrate a clear problem, your design process, your specific contributions, and the measurable impact of your work.

• Highlight projects focused on growth initiatives (activation, engagement, retention, conversion) and illustrate how your designs directly influenced key metrics.

• Include examples of systems-thinking, demonstrating your ability to design for complex user flows and interconnected features within a product ecosystem.

• Present visual design and interaction design examples that reflect a high standard of craft and usability, showcasing your attention to detail.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your design process within case studies, detailing how you approach discovery, ideation, prototyping, testing, and final implementation.

• Showcase your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Analytics) throughout the design and development lifecycle.

• Illustrate how you incorporate user research and data analysis into your design process to ensure user-centricity and data-informed decision-making.

• Provide examples of how you have contributed to or led design leadership within a team, such as through critiques, standard setting, or mentorship.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior product designer role, especially one focused on growth, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond just showing pretty UI and demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving, and a direct link between design decisions and business outcomes. Case studies should be structured to clearly articulate the "why" and "what" of the design work, with a strong emphasis on quantifiable results.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000 CAD per year.

Benefits:

• Generous Vacation: Ample paid time off to ensure work-life balance.

• Flex Days: Flexibility in scheduling to accommodate personal needs.

• Professional Development Days: Dedicated time for learning and skill enhancement.

• RRSP Matching: Company contribution to retirement savings plans.

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan: Opportunity to invest in the company's growth.

• Professional Development Budget: Financial support for courses, conferences, and certifications.

• Unlimited Access to Udemy: Continuous learning platform access from day one.

• Match Group Mentorship Program: Access to guidance and career development from experienced professionals within the broader Match Group.

• Parental Leave Top Up: Enhanced benefits for new parents.

• Fertility Preservation Benefits: Support for family planning initiatives.

• Extended Health & Dental Benefits: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage from the start date.

• Corporate ClassPass Membership: Access to fitness and wellness facilities.

• Wellness Benefits: Additional perks focused on employee well-being.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, likely around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work arrangement requiring 3 days in the downtown Vancouver office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is for Vancouver, Canada. The note about geographic adjustments indicates that if the role were performed in a different location, the salary could be adjusted. The comprehensive benefits package, especially for a contract role, is noteworthy and attractive. The mention of "full-time" employment type is slightly contradictory to "contractor," but often contract roles are full-time equivalent.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Online Dating / Social Networking / Technology. Plenty of Fish operates within the highly competitive online dating market, a key brand within the larger Match Group portfolio, which includes prominent platforms like Tinder, OkCupid, and Hinge. This places them at the intersection of consumer technology, social interaction, and data analytics.

Company Size: Plenty of Fish is a significant brand within the Match Group, which is a large publicly traded company. While the specific size of the Plenty of Fish design team isn't stated, the company itself is substantial, enabling access to robust resources and infrastructure.

Founded: Plenty of Fish was founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003, positioning it as an early pioneer in the online dating industry. This long history suggests a mature organization with established processes, but also one that has adapted to significant market evolution.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will join a design team at Plenty of Fish, working within a larger product and engineering organization.

• This role requires close cross-functional collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and User Researchers.

• The designer will report to design leadership, contributing to setting standards and influencing the overall design direction.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role emphasizes using data and analytics to inform design decisions, evaluate experiments, and measure impact.

• User-Centricity: A core tenet is understanding user needs and translating them into intuitive experiences, with user research and empathy being key.

• Growth Mindset: A strong focus on improving key growth metrics (activation, retention, conversion) drives design initiatives.

• Experimentation & Iteration: A commitment to testing hypotheses, learning from results, and rapidly iterating on designs is central to the workflow.

• Collaborative Development: The hybrid work model and cross-functional responsibilities underscore a collaborative approach to product development.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Plenty of Fish's founding history and its position within Match Group suggest a company that values innovation and market leadership. The emphasis on "BC's Top Employers" indicates a positive internal culture. The "Crew Together" value highlights teamwork as essential.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a high level of individual contribution and influence. It signifies a designer who can operate with significant autonomy, tackle complex problems, and mentor others. The "contract" nature means it's a focused, project-based opportunity, potentially leading to further contract extensions or opportunities within Match Group.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to Design Leadership within Plenty of Fish. They will work closely with Product Management and Engineering teams, indicating a matrixed reporting structure common in tech organizations where individual contributors are aligned with product goals.

Operations Impact: The role's direct impact is on customer acquisition, engagement, and monetization. By improving user experience, driving retention, and increasing subscriptions, the designer directly influences revenue generation and market share for Plenty of Fish, a top revenue-driving brand within Match Group. This role is critical to the GTM strategy by enhancing the product's appeal and user stickiness.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in

growth design, AI-driven product features, and consumer mobile-first products.

• Leadership Development: Potential to move into formal people management roles if the team structure evolves and performance warrants it. Informal mentorship opportunities are available immediately.

• Cross-Brand Exposure: As part of Match Group, there may be opportunities to learn from or collaborate with designers on other brands within the portfolio.

• Professional Development: Access to extensive learning resources (Udemy, professional development budget, mentorship program) supports continuous skill enhancement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "contract" status means long-term career progression might be less defined than a permanent role, but the seniority and focus on growth metrics offer significant learning and portfolio-building opportunities. The potential for future management is a strong growth indicator.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role operates on a hybrid model, requiring 3 days per week in the downtown Vancouver office. This suggests a blend of in-person collaboration and remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This location is known for its vibrant tech scene and accessibility.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The 3-day in-office requirement is designed to foster collaboration, brainstorming, and team cohesion, particularly important for design and product development.

• Operations Tools & Technology: While specific tools aren't detailed here, it's expected that a modern design team will have access to industry-standard design software (e.g., Figma, Sketch), prototyping tools, and collaboration platforms.

• Team Interaction: Regular interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and fellow designers is expected, creating opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas and problem-solving.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time work schedule (likely 40 hours/week) with the flexibility of remote work for two days of the week. The hybrid model aims to balance focused work with team engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with 3 days in-office is a common setup in larger tech companies, aiming to capture the benefits of both in-person interaction and remote flexibility. Candidates should be prepared for a structured hybrid schedule.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and experience alignment.

• Portfolio Presentation: A key stage will involve presenting a selection of your work, likely focusing on growth-oriented projects and demonstrating your end-to-end design process and impact. Be prepared to discuss your role, challenges, solutions, and outcomes.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially Data Analytics leads to assess collaboration skills, strategic thinking, and technical understanding.

• Design Leadership Interview: A final interview with Design Leadership to evaluate design craft, leadership potential, mentorship approach, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your experience in growth design, mobile-first products, and complex problem-solving.

• Quantify Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, the design solutions, and most importantly, the measurable business outcomes (e.g., % increase in conversion, % decrease in churn, $ revenue impact).

• Detail Your Process: Walk through your design thinking, from research and ideation to iteration and collaboration with engineering. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Highlight AI/Growth Focus: If possible, include a project that touches on AI tooling or directly addresses user activation, engagement, retention, or conversion.

• Be Ready for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design philosophy, how you handle ambiguity, how you collaborate, and how you measure success.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design exercise, either take-home or live, that might focus on solving a growth-related problem or improving an existing feature.

• Problem Framing: Practice articulating how you would approach a vague problem statement and break it down into actionable design steps.

• Metric Definition: Be ready to discuss how you would define success metrics for design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "measurable outcomes" and "growth" in the portfolio review is paramount. Candidates should be prepared to deep-dive into the data and ROI of their projects. The potential for a design exercise means practicing problem-solving under pressure is advisable.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

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