Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Kiavi

Location: San Francisco, CA (Remote First, requires proximity to San Francisco, CA or Pittsburgh, PA)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-02-17

Experience Level: 5-8+ Years

Remote Status: Remote First (with required proximity to specified locations)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end product design execution for complex, high-stakes initiatives, transforming ambiguity into polished, AI-augmented user experiences.

• Architect cohesive customer journeys that leverage AI and machine learning to enhance decision-making for both customers and internal teams.

• Actively contribute to and refine the Kiavi Design System, ensuring robust, scalable components and tokens for a consistent user interface.

• Collaborate deeply with Product and Engineering to ensure design solutions directly impact core business metrics, such as conversion rates, loan volume, and operational efficiency.

• Proactively identify and propose data-backed improvements to existing products and customer journeys, demonstrating a strong understanding of business objectives and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the primary title is "Senior Product Designer," the emphasis on driving business metrics, operational efficiency, and AI-augmented workflows positions this role as having significant overlap with Go-To-Market (GTM) Operations and Product Operations. The candidate will be expected to understand and design for efficiency in complex financial workflows, aligning design decisions with tangible business outcomes.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the entire design lifecycle for major product initiatives, from initial user research and problem definition through high-fidelity mockups, prototyping, and post-launch optimization.

• Partner closely with Product Managers and Engineering teams to translate business requirements and user needs into intuitive, effective, and scalable design solutions.

• Design interfaces that clearly and effectively surface AI-driven insights, making complex quantitative data accessible and actionable for users.

• Conduct user research, synthesizing qualitative feedback and quantitative data into actionable insights that inform product strategy and roadmap development.

• Actively contribute to the Kiavi Design System by refining existing components, creating new ones, and ensuring adherence to design standards for consistency and scalability.

• Collaborate with engineers to ensure accurate implementation of designs, understanding technical constraints and designing with development feasibility in mind.

• Proactively identify friction points within existing user flows and propose data-informed design improvements to enhance the "North Star" customer journey.

• Utilize advanced AI tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor, Magic Patterns, Subframe) to accelerate design exploration, enhance output quality, and streamline the production process.

• Mentor junior designers and advocate for design best practices within the team, fostering a culture of high-quality, impactful design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a "proactive optimization" and "business-centric design" approach, indicating a strong need for candidates who can connect design work to measurable business outcomes, akin to Revenue Operations or GTM Operations roles focused on process improvement and efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong understanding of design principles, user experience, and human-computer interaction is expected, typically gained through formal education or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 5-8+ years of professional experience in digital product design.

• Proven track record of designing and shipping complex digital products at scale, ideally within the fintech, real estate, or sophisticated B2B sectors.

Required Skills:

• Expert Proficiency in Figma: Deep understanding of auto-layout, component creation, library management, and collaborative design workflows.

• Systemic Design Thinking: Ability to think holistically about user flows, information architecture, and product ecosystems, not just isolated screens.

• AI/LLM Integration: Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor, Magic Patterns, Subframe) to enhance design exploration, ideation, and production efficiency.

• User Research & Synthesis: Proficiency in planning and executing user research (qualitative and quantitative) and translating findings into actionable design improvements.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to partner effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and other stakeholders to achieve shared goals.

• Technical Fluency: Understanding of front-end development fundamentals (HTML/CSS logic) and how design systems serve as a bridge to engineering implementation.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with data visualization and designing for complex data sets.

• Familiarity with design system documentation and governance.

• Understanding of AI/ML concepts and how they can be applied to user interfaces.

• Experience in Agile development methodologies.

• Prior experience in the lending or financial services industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI integration, technical fluency, and driving business metrics suggests that candidates with a strong analytical mindset and an understanding of how design impacts operational efficiency will be highly valued.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing your process from problem identification through to launched product and post-launch optimization.

• Systemic Thinking Demonstration: Highlight projects where you contributed to or leveraged a design system, demonstrating your understanding of scalability, consistency, and component-based design.

• AI Integration Examples: Include specific examples of how you've integrated AI tools into your workflow to accelerate design processes or enhance the quality of your output.

• Business Impact Metrics: Clearly articulate the business problems you solved and quantify the impact of your design solutions using metrics such as conversion rate improvements, operational efficiency gains, or increased loan volume.

• Technical Fluency Evidence: Include examples where you've worked closely with engineers, demonstrating an understanding of technical constraints and how you facilitated smooth implementation.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate your ability to map out complex user journeys and identify opportunities for streamlining workflows.

• Research-to-Design Translation: Showcase how you translate user research findings and data analysis into concrete design decisions and feature enhancements.

• System Contribution Examples: Provide evidence of contributions to design systems, such as creating or refining components, defining tokens, or documenting patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a portfolio that goes beyond aesthetics, emphasizing a candidate's ability to connect design decisions to tangible business outcomes and operational efficiencies, a key differentiator for advanced operations roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Region 1 (San Francisco, CA): $143,000 - $214,600 base salary per year.

• Region 3 (Pittsburgh, PA): $115,800 - $173,800 base salary per year. The final base salary will be determined by relevant job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. This range reflects base salary only and does not include equity or other benefits.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Free employee-only coverage for Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance. Heavily discounted premiums for dependents.

• Health Savings Account (HSA): Kiavi contributes $1,000 (individual) / $2,000 (dependent) annually to HSAs for HDHP enrollees.

• Income Protection: Immediate access to Short-Term and Long-Term Disability insurance, plus group Life and AD&D insurance (1x annual salary coverage).

• Remote Work Support:

  • One-time office setup reimbursement of up to $500.
  • Monthly stipend of $85 for internet and phone expenses.

• Flexible Time Off: Generous and flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy, managed with manager approval.

• Paid Leaves: Up to 8 weeks of paid leave for medical/caregiver needs, and 12 weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave. Short-term disability for birthing mothers.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan managed by Fidelity, with a company match of 100% up to 3% of compensation or $8,000 (whichever is less), immediately vested.

• Equity: Potential for equity compensation (details typically shared during the offer stage).

Working Hours: Standard full-time role, estimated at 40 hours per week. The remote-first nature offers flexibility in daily scheduling, but consistent availability for collaboration and meetings is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary ranges provided are based on Kiavi's tiered market-based approach, with San Francisco being in a higher cost-of-labor tier (Region 1) than Pittsburgh (Region 3). This tiered system is common in tech companies to ensure competitive compensation across different geographic markets.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (Fintech), Real Estate Lending. Kiavi operates at the intersection of finance and technology, leveraging data and AI to serve residential real estate investors.

Company Size: Over 500 employees. This size typically allows for a blend of structured processes and agile team dynamics, offering opportunities for individual impact without being lost in a massive organization.

Founded: Formerly known as LendingHome. The company has a history of innovation and growth in the fintech space, evidenced by numerous industry awards.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is described as "high-velocity," "small," "agile," and "tech-forward."

• Designers are expected to be proactive and contribute to workflows, not just use tools.

• There's a strong emphasis on impacting the company's culture, design system, and AI-driven future.

Methodology:

• AI-Driven Workflows: The team actively integrates AI tools into their daily processes to accelerate exploration and improve output quality.

• Data-Centric Design: Design decisions are informed by both qualitative user feedback and quantitative business metrics, aiming to drive specific business outcomes.

• Design System Contribution: A core philosophy involves actively building, maintaining, and refining a robust design system for scalability and consistency.

• Agile Collaboration: While not explicitly stated, the "high-velocity" and "agile" description implies a working environment that embraces iterative development and cross-functional teamwork.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Kiavi's focus on data, technology, and AI positions it as a forward-thinking company in the fintech space. The Product Design team's emphasis on impact, efficiency, and advanced tooling suggests a culture that values innovation and practical application of technology to solve business problems.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is for a Senior Product Designer, indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires a high degree of autonomy, end-to-end ownership of complex projects, and the ability to mentor others. The focus on business metrics and AI integration elevates it beyond standard UI design, touching on Product Operations and GTM strategy enablement.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Head of Product Design. They will work closely with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially Data Scientists or AI/ML specialists.

Operations Impact: The designer's work is directly tied to driving core business metrics such as conversion rates, loan volume, and operational efficiency. By designing intuitive AI-augmented experiences, they enable faster, more informed decision-making for both external customers and internal operations teams, directly contributing to revenue growth and cost reduction.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design System: Opportunity to become a key contributor or even lead the evolution of Kiavi's design system.

• AI/ML Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-powered products and workflows.

• Mentorship & Team Influence: Grow into a mentor role, guiding junior designers and shaping the team's design practices and culture.

• Cross-Functional Strategy: Influence product strategy by effectively connecting user needs with business objectives through data-driven design.

• Potential for Product Management Transition: The strong emphasis on business metrics and strategic thinking could provide a pathway toward product management roles for individuals with that ambition.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title combined with the responsibilities around AI, business metrics, and proactive optimization suggests a role that offers significant growth potential beyond traditional product design, into areas like product strategy and operational efficiency leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Remote-First. While the role requires proximity to either Pittsburgh, PA, or San Francisco, CA, there is no specific in-office requirement for day-to-day work. The company may occasionally bring employees together for key meetings, training, or team-building events.

Office Location(s): Proximity required to San Francisco, CA, or Pittsburgh, PA. This allows for flexibility while maintaining a connection to key operational hubs.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Setup: The company provides a one-time reimbursement of up to $500 for home office setup and a monthly $85 stipend for internet and phone expenses to support remote workers.

• Collaborative Tools: Expect to utilize digital collaboration tools extensively for design reviews, brainstorming, and communication (e.g., Figma, Slack, Zoom, project management software).

• Cross-Functional Interaction: Daily interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other operational teams (e.g., Marketing, Sales Ops, Underwriting Ops) is expected.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, estimated at 40 hours per week. The remote-first nature allows for flexibility in structuring the workday, provided that work is completed efficiently and collaboration needs are met. Availability during core business hours for team syncs and meetings is essential.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first policy with required proximity aims to balance flexibility with the benefits of maintaining some geographic connection for potential in-person collaboration or regional team cohesion.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A recruiter will review your resume and portfolio for alignment with the role's requirements. Be prepared to briefly discuss your most relevant projects.

2. Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the hiring manager (likely a Design Lead or Head of Product) to assess your experience, design philosophy, approach to problem-solving, and cultural fit.

3. Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A session where you present selected case studies from your portfolio, focusing on your process, decision-making, and impact. This may be followed by a take-home design exercise or a live design critique/collaboration session.

4. Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Management and Engineering to evaluate your collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to integrate design into broader product development cycles.

5. Final Interview: Potentially a conversation with a senior leader to discuss your overall fit and long-term potential within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your end-to-end process, systemic thinking, AI integration, and impact on business metrics. Tailor your selection to highlight skills most relevant to Kiavi's fintech and AI focus.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, design, testing), key decisions, challenges faced, and the quantifiable outcomes.

• Highlight AI Usage: Explicitly detail how you used AI tools to enhance your work – be specific about the tool, the task, and the benefit (e.g., "Used Claude to rapidly generate user persona variations," "Leveraged Cursor for code-based design prototyping").

• Quantify Impact: Use data wherever possible. Show how your designs improved conversion rates, reduced operational friction, increased loan volume, or positively impacted user satisfaction scores.

• Showcase Systemic Thinking: Demonstrate your understanding of design systems, component libraries, and how you ensure consistency and scalability across products.

• Be Prepared for Technical Questions: Anticipate questions about your familiarity with HTML/CSS logic and how you collaborate with engineers.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Business: Research Kiavi's business model, target audience (REIs), and competitive landscape. Understand the core challenges in real estate lending.

• Practice Design Critiques: Be ready to articulate your design choices and defend them with rationale based on user needs, business goals, and best practices.

• Scenario-Based Questions: Prepare for questions about how you would handle ambiguous problems, conflicting feedback, or tight deadlines, particularly those involving AI integration or operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI integration and business metrics in the interview process suggests that candidates who can articulate the strategic value of design and demonstrate practical application of advanced tooling will have a significant advantage.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expert proficiency is a mandatory requirement for UI design, prototyping, and collaborative workflows. Expect deep utilization of auto-layout, components, and library management features.

• AI/LLM Tools: Proficiency and demonstrated experience with tools such as Claude, Cursor, Magic Patterns, and Subframe for accelerating design exploration, ideation, and production.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities, potentially supplemented by other tools if needed for specific complex interactions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Pendo for understanding user behavior and tracking product adoption.

• Business Intelligence Tools: While not a primary design tool, understanding how to interpret data from BI platforms (e.g., Tableau, Looker) will be beneficial for data-backed decision-making.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Awareness of how product design impacts CRM usage and data integrity (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), though direct CRM management is unlikely part of this role.

• Workflow Automation: Understanding of how design can enable or improve automated workflows, particularly in a fintech context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of AI tools like Claude and Cursor indicates a progressive approach to design tooling, emphasizing efficiency and advanced capabilities. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience and strategy with these types of technologies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Impact-Driven: A strong focus on delivering tangible business results, measured by metrics like conversion, loan volume, and operational efficiency.

• Data-Informed: Decisions are grounded in both user research and quantitative data analysis.

• Proactive & Autonomous: Encourages initiative, self-motivation, and ownership of problems and solutions.

• Collaborative: Values close partnership with Product, Engineering, and other teams to achieve shared goals.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to refining processes, tools, and products through iteration and feedback.

• Craftsmanship & Quality: Maintains a high standard for design execution, detail, and user experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to be deeply embedded within product teams, working hand-in-hand with PMs and Engineers.

• Radical Candor: Open and honest feedback is encouraged, both in giving and receiving, to foster constructive dialogue and reach optimal solutions.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: A culture where experienced designers share their knowledge and mentor others, contributing to team growth and raising overall quality standards.

• Agile & Iterative: Embraces iterative design processes and quick feedback loops to adapt to changing requirements and insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value pragmatism, measurable impact, and a forward-thinking approach to technology, especially AI, which aligns well with a senior role focused on driving business outcomes through design.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing AI Capabilities with User Needs: Designing intuitive interfaces that effectively leverage complex AI outputs without overwhelming users or creating a "black box" perception.

• Driving Business Metrics Through Design: Translating design efforts into clearly measurable improvements in core business KPIs within a competitive fintech landscape.

• Maintaining Design System Scalability: Ensuring the design system remains robust and adaptable as the product suite and AI capabilities evolve.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Leading complex initiatives that may start with ill-defined problems, requiring strong research and strategic thinking to bring clarity.

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong relationships with distributed team members.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Gain deeper expertise in the rapidly evolving field of AI-powered product design and its application in fintech.

• Product Strategy Influence: Contribute to higher-level product strategy discussions by leveraging design insights and business acumen.

• Design System Leadership: Develop expertise in design system architecture, governance, and scalability.

• Mentorship Opportunities: Grow leadership skills by mentoring junior designers and contributing to team best practices.

• Industry Exposure: Work within the dynamic fintech and real estate lending sectors, staying abreast of industry trends and innovations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are geared towards a senior role, requiring strategic thinking and problem-solving beyond standard design tasks. The growth opportunities offer clear paths for career advancement and specialization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led a complex product initiative from ambiguity to launch. What was your process, and how did you measure success?" (Focus on end-to-end ownership, problem definition, and metric-driven outcomes.)

• "How have you integrated AI or LLMs into your design workflow? Provide a specific example and discuss the benefits and challenges." (Be ready to detail tools used and concrete improvements achieved.)

• "Walk us through a project where your design directly impacted a key business metric (e.g., conversion, efficiency). How did you identify the opportunity, and how did you prove the impact?" (Emphasize data analysis, business acumen, and quantifiable results.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Kiavi and our mission to serve real estate investors?" (Research Kiavi's business, values, and recent news.)

• "How do you give and receive feedback, especially constructive criticism?" (Prepare examples demonstrating radical candor and a growth mindset.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin each case study with a clear summary of the problem, your role, and the key outcome/metric.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively to illustrate your process, design iterations, and final solutions. Explain why you made specific design choices.

• Quantify Results: Clearly present the metrics achieved. If exact numbers are confidential, discuss the relative improvement or impact qualitatively but convincingly.

• Detail AI Integration: Dedicate a section or clear call-outs to how AI tools were used, the specific tasks they aided, and the resulting efficiency or quality gains.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your decision-making process, technical considerations, and how you collaborated with your team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical application, strategic thinking, and the ability to connect design work to tangible business outcomes, especially through AI and data.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 strong case studies that exemplify end-to-end ownership, systemic thinking, AI tool integration, and quantifiable business impact. Tailor your presentation to highlight how your skills align with Kiavi's fintech focus and AI-driven product strategy.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 5-8+ years of experience, highlighting achievements related to driving business metrics, working with complex B2B or fintech products, and proficiency with Figma and AI design tools. Use keywords such as "Product Design," "UX," "Figma," "AI Integration," "Design System," "Conversion Metrics," and "Operational Efficiency."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, especially your approach to AI integration and measuring design impact. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions related to collaboration, feedback, and problem-solving. Rehearse your portfolio presentation to be concise, impactful, and data-driven.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Kiavi's mission, products, target market (real estate investors), and recent company news. Understand their commitment to data and AI, and how this role contributes to their overall GTM and operational strategy.

⚠️ 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.