Senior Product Designer and UX Researcher (Remote, 4-day week)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer and UX Researcher

Company: Stack Influence

Location: Miami, Florida, United States (Remote)

Job Type: Contractor

Category: Product Design & UX Research

Date Posted: December 18, 2025

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design processes, from initial discovery and conceptualization through execution, launch, and iteration, ensuring a seamless user experience.

• Drive product strategy by conducting comprehensive UX research, including qualitative interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to deeply understand user needs and inform decision-making.

• Develop and maintain a robust design system, encompassing components, patterns, and guidelines, to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across the product.

• Collaborate closely with product and engineering leadership to define product requirements, contributing strategic design insights beyond mere translation of specifications.

• Create visually compelling and brand-aligned assets for marketing initiatives, including website pages, presentations, and graphics, to enhance brand presence and communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is described as a "sole lead designer" and requires a high-impact individual contributor. The emphasis on owning end-to-end design and partnering with leadership suggests a significant level of autonomy and strategic influence, typical of senior or lead roles in fast-paced startups. The 4-day work week and remote-first nature are key differentiators for attracting talent.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Product Design Ownership: Manage the entire product design lifecycle, from user research and ideation to the creation of wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final visual designs using Figma.

• Design System Development: Architect, build, and continuously evolve a comprehensive design system to ensure visual consistency, usability, and scalability across all product interfaces and future feature development.

• Strategic Collaboration: Partner with product managers and engineering teams to not only translate requirements into design but also to actively contribute to shaping product strategy and defining feature scope based on user insights and design best practices.

• User Research Leadership: Design, execute, and synthesize end-to-end user research studies, including in-depth interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to uncover user pain points, motivations, and needs.

• Insight Synthesis & Communication: Translate complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives, supported by visual aids and data visualizations, for presentation to stakeholders and leadership.

• Marketing Asset Creation: Design and produce high-quality, brand-aligned visual assets for marketing materials, including website landing pages, pitch decks, social media graphics, and other promotional content.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on both deep design execution (Figma, design systems) and strategic UX research. The expectation to "define requirements, not just translate them" emphasizes the strategic input expected from this senior-level role, bridging the gap between user needs and business objectives.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, or a related field is often preferred for roles requiring strong UX research and design foundations. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of dedicated experience in product design, with a proven track record of successfully delivering user-centered digital products. Additionally, a minimum of 2 years of focused experience in UX research, demonstrating a strong understanding of research methodologies and their application to product strategy.

Required Skills:

• Product Design: 5+ years of experience in end-to-end product design, including user flows, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design.

• UX Research: 2+ years of experience leading and executing qualitative and quantitative user research studies (e.g., user interviews, surveys, usability testing).

• Figma Proficiency: Expert-level command of Figma for wireframing, prototyping, visual design, and design system management.

• Design Systems: Proven ability to build, maintain, and scale design systems for consistency and efficiency.

• Research Synthesis: Skill in synthesizing research data into actionable insights and clear, compelling recommendations.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective cross-functional collaboration with product, engineering, and marketing teams.

• Independent Work Ethic: Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, manage multiple priorities, and deliver high-quality work with minimal supervision.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in a startup or high-growth environment, understanding the pace and adaptability required.

• Familiarity with marketing design principles and creating assets for digital channels.

• Experience with A/B testing and data analysis to inform design decisions.

• Knowledge of front-end development principles to better collaborate with engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "expert-level Figma skills" and a portfolio are critical. The "ability to work independently and manage competing priorities" is a common expectation for senior roles, especially in remote or startup settings where autonomy is key. The distinction between required and preferred skills is inferred based on the core responsibilities and typical expectations for such a role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5+ years of high-quality product design work, with a strong emphasis on user-centered methodologies and problem-solving.

• Must include detailed case studies demonstrating end-to-end product design processes, from initial user research and problem definition to final design solutions and iteration.

• Specific examples of UX research projects, detailing methodologies used, insights gained, and how those insights directly influenced product strategy and design decisions.

• Demonstrations of Figma proficiency, including complex prototyping, wireframing, and visual design examples.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate the design process followed for each project, highlighting discovery phases, ideation techniques, user testing methodologies, and iteration cycles.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how to document design decisions, research findings, and system guidelines to facilitate collaboration and knowledge transfer within a remote team.

• Showcase the ability to translate user needs and business goals into tangible design deliverables and measurable outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is paramount for design roles. The emphasis on "end-to-end" and "actionable insights" from research indicates that the portfolio should not just be a showcase of aesthetics but a testament to problem-solving, strategic thinking, and measurable impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $120,000 - $180,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Equity Potential: Opportunity to receive equity in a VC-funded startup, aligning personal success with company growth.

• 4-Day Work Week: A compressed work schedule offering an extra day off each week, promoting work-life balance and productivity.

• Remote-First Culture: Fully remote work environment, providing flexibility and autonomy in where you work.

• Health & Wellness: While specific details are not provided, typical benefits for remote contractors in the US may include access to health insurance plans or stipends, and potentially other wellness-focused perks.

• Professional Development: Potential for growth and learning opportunities within a high-growth startup environment.

Working Hours: This role operates on a 4-day work week. The specific daily hours are flexible but are expected to align with the standard output of a full-time role, potentially around 32 hours per week, to achieve the compressed schedule. Core collaboration hours may be established to ensure team alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $120-180k USD is competitive for a Senior Product Designer and UX Researcher role, especially considering the remote and 4-day work week benefits. The equity potential is a significant draw for candidates looking to join a startup. The 32-hour week is inferred from the "4-day week" description for a role that would typically be full-time.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Creator Economy / E-commerce Marketplace. Stack Influence operates at the intersection of social media influence and e-commerce, providing a platform for brands to connect with everyday social media users for product promotion.

Company Size: High-growth startup, indicating a dynamic, fast-paced, and evolving organizational structure. The team is likely lean, with a strong emphasis on individual contribution and cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: Stack Influence is a VC-funded startup, suggesting a recent founding date and a focus on rapid scaling and market penetration.

Team Structure:

• Lean & Agile: As a startup, expect a flat hierarchy with direct access to leadership. The design function is currently a "sole lead designer" role, implying close integration with product and engineering.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role explicitly mentions collaboration with product and engineering leadership, highlighting a team-oriented approach where design is integral to roadmap shaping.

• Remote-First: A distributed team structure where communication and collaboration are primarily digital, requiring strong asynchronous communication skills and reliance on digital tools.

Methodology:

• User-Centricity: The core of the role is understanding user needs through research to drive product strategy and design.

• Data-Informed Decisions: While not explicitly stated, a high-growth startup environment typically relies on data and metrics to validate hypotheses and measure success.

• Iterative Development: The product design lifecycle includes "iteration," indicating a commitment to continuous improvement based on feedback and performance.

Company Website: https://stackinfluence.com/ (Inferred from domain_derived)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is characterized by its startup environment, remote-first operation, and focus on growth within the creator economy. The "sole lead designer" aspect means this individual will be a key player in shaping the user experience and product direction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor role with leadership potential. The scope involves owning significant product areas, driving strategy through research, and acting as the primary design authority. It's a critical position for shaping the user experience of a growing platform.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a sole lead designer in a startup often reports directly to a Head of Product, CTO, or CEO, indicating direct access to executive leadership and a high level of visibility.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on Stack Influence's success by ensuring the product is user-friendly, desirable, and effectively meets the needs of both brands and social media users. Strong UX research and design directly influence user adoption, retention, and platform engagement, which are key metrics for a marketplace app.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: The opportunity to grow into a Design Lead or Head of Design role as the company scales.

• Product Strategy Influence: Deep involvement in shaping the product roadmap and company strategy based on user insights.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of UX research or product design, or to expand into related fields like product management.

• Equity Growth: Potential for significant financial upside through equity as the company grows and achieves milestones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path for a senior individual contributor at a startup like Stack Influence is often tied to the company's scaling trajectory. This role offers a chance to build a design function from the ground up and have a tangible impact on a growing platform.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This role is designated as "TELECOMMUTE" and "Remote Solely," meaning there is no requirement to work from a physical office.

Office Location(s): While the job lists Miami, Florida, as a location, the "TELECOMMUTE" type and "Remote Solely" designation indicate that the candidate can work from anywhere within the United States. Specific office locations are not relevant for this role.

Workspace Context:

• Home Office Setup: Candidates are expected to have a suitable home office environment conducive to focused work and professional video conferencing.

• Digital Collaboration Tools: The workspace will heavily rely on digital tools for communication, project management, and design collaboration (e.g., Slack, Figma, project management software).

• Autonomy and Flexibility: The remote setup and 4-day week offer significant autonomy over one's workday and schedule, within the bounds of team collaboration needs.

Work Schedule: The role operates on a 4-day work week, implying a compressed schedule. While daily hours are flexible, the expectation is to deliver the equivalent output of a full-time role, likely around 32 hours per week. This offers significant flexibility for personal life management and work-life integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature and 4-day work week are significant benefits designed to attract top talent by offering flexibility and improved work-life balance, which are increasingly important for experienced professionals.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and critically, your portfolio link to assess qualifications and design quality.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: An interview focused on a deep dive into your portfolio. Be prepared to walk through 2-3 key case studies, explaining your process, challenges, user insights, design rationale, and the impact of your work.

• Research Methodology Deep Dive: Questions will likely focus on your UX research approach, how you identify user needs, conduct studies, synthesize data, and translate findings into actionable product strategies.

• Technical & Collaboration Assessment: Discussions around Figma proficiency, design system experience, and how you collaborate with product and engineering teams in a remote setting.

• Cultural Fit & Startup Acumen: Assessment of your ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment, your proactivity, and your alignment with Stack Influence's values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your role, the process you followed, your key contributions, and the outcomes. Use visuals extensively.

• Highlight Research Impact: Emphasize how your UX research directly informed design decisions and shaped the product roadmap. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in user engagement").

• Figma & Design System Examples: Include specific examples of your work in Figma, showcasing complex interactions, well-structured wireframes, polished UI, and your approach to design systems.

• Tailor to the Role: Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates the blend of product design and UX research skills required, with a focus on end-to-end ownership and strategic thinking.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready for potential design or research-related challenges. These might involve a take-home exercise, a live design critique, or a problem-solving scenario related to the Stack Influence platform.

• Prepare to discuss your problem-solving approach, how you handle ambiguity, and how you prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.

• Anticipate questions about your experience working remotely and collaborating asynchronously.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is the gatekeeper for this role. Candidates must be prepared to articulate their design process, research methodology, and the tangible impact of their work with clarity and confidence.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is the core design tool. Expertise in wireframing, prototyping, visual design, component libraries, and collaborative features is essential.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma has robust prototyping capabilities, familiarity with other tools like InVision or Adobe XD might be beneficial, though likely secondary.

• Design System Management: Tools or methodologies for creating, documenting, and maintaining design systems (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or internal documentation within Figma).

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or similar platforms to understand user behavior and product performance.

• Survey Tools: Experience with tools like Typeform, SurveyMonkey, or Google Forms for conducting user surveys.

• Data Visualization: Ability to use or interpret data from dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or internal BI tools) to inform design and research.

CRM & Automation:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): While not a primary focus for design, understanding how CRMs (like Salesforce, HubSpot) store user data can be helpful for context.

• Project Management Tools: Proficiency with tools such as Asana, Jira, Trello, or Monday.com for managing design tasks and collaborating with engineering.

• Communication Platforms: Essential tools like Slack for real-time communication and asynchronous team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a requirement. The other tools listed are common in a startup environment for product teams and are inferred based on the needs of a product designer and UX researcher driving strategy and collaborating across functions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the user, using research to guide every design and product decision.

• Proactivity & Ownership: Taking initiative, driving projects forward independently, and owning outcomes from start to finish.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, willingness to share work, solicit feedback, and work effectively with cross-functional teams.

• Agility & Adaptability: Embracing change, learning quickly, and adapting to the fast-paced nature of a startup environment.

• Impact-Driven: Focusing on delivering value and measurable results that contribute to the company's growth and success.

Collaboration Style:

• Remote & Asynchronous: Expect a collaborative style that heavily relies on digital tools, clear documentation, and effective asynchronous communication.

• Partnership with Product & Engineering: A close working relationship with these teams, involving joint goal-setting, iterative feedback loops, and shared problem-solving.

• Data-Informed Design Reviews: Design critiques and discussions are likely informed by user research findings and product performance data.

📝 Enhancement Note: Startup culture often emphasizes speed, ownership, and a flat hierarchy. The values here are inferred from the description of a "high-growth, remote-first startup" and the "sole lead designer" role that requires significant autonomy and collaboration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building from Scratch: As the sole lead designer, you'll be responsible for establishing design processes, standards, and potentially a design system from an early stage.

• Balancing Design and Research: Effectively managing time and resources to excel in both comprehensive product design and in-depth UX research.

• Remote Collaboration: Adapting to and excelling within a fully remote team, requiring proactive communication and strong self-management.

• Startup Ambiguity: Navigating a fast-paced, evolving startup environment where priorities can shift, requiring flexibility and resilience.

• Scalability: Designing for future growth and ensuring the product experience can scale effectively as the user base and feature set expand.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to build and lead a design team as the company grows.

• Product Strategy: Deep involvement in shaping the core product strategy and roadmap of a VC-backed company.

• Industry Exposure: Gaining hands-on experience in the rapidly evolving creator economy and e-commerce marketplace space.

• Skill Expansion: Potential to develop skills in areas like product management, growth design, or marketing strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities are directly linked to the senior, sole-contributor nature of the role within a startup. It presents a significant opportunity for individuals looking to make a substantial impact and grow their careers rapidly.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to define product requirements based on user research. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" Focus on your ability to translate insights into actionable product direction.

• "How do you approach building a design system from the ground up? What are the key considerations for scalability and adoption?" Be prepared to discuss your methodology and past experiences.

• "Walk me through a complex product design challenge you faced. How did you use UX research to inform your solutions, and what was the impact?" Prepare 2-3 detailed case studies for this.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Stack Influence and the creator economy?" Research the company's mission, target audience, and recent developments.

• "How do you approach working autonomously in a remote environment?" Discuss your self-management strategies, communication habits, and how you stay motivated.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process, your key decisions and rationale, and the measurable results.

• Highlight UX Research: Explicitly call out how research informed your design choices and contributed to the final outcome.

• Showcase Figma Skills: Be ready to demonstrate your Figma capabilities, perhaps by sharing specific screens, interactive prototypes, or components from your design system examples.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify the impact of your work whenever possible (e.g., conversion rates, user satisfaction, efficiency gains).

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared for a rigorous interview process that heavily scrutinizes your portfolio and your ability to articulate your design and research process. Demonstrating strategic thinking and a proactive, independent approach is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer and UX Researcher position:

• Submit your application: Complete the application through the provided Breezy HR link, ensuring you include a direct link to your online portfolio.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end product design and UX research capabilities, focusing on complexity and impact relevant to a marketplace app.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly states your years of experience in product design and UX research, and prominently features keywords related to Figma, design systems, user interviews, and product strategy.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice walking through 2-3 key portfolio case studies, focusing on explaining your process, decision-making, research insights, and quantifiable outcomes.

• Research Stack Influence: Understand the company's mission, target users (brands and creators), and the competitive landscape of creator marketplaces to demonstrate genuine interest and strategic thinking during interviews.

⚠️ 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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