Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer Company: Optimum Location: Long Island City, NY; Bethpage, NY Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Date Posted: January 6, 2026 Experience Level: 10+ years (as inferred from AI analysis) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the design of innovative conversational AI experiences, including Generative AI chatbots and Voice User Interfaces (VUI) for both customer-facing and internal sales agent applications.
• Drive the end-to-end product design process, from initial ideation and user research to high-fidelity prototyping and implementation support, ensuring a human-centric approach.
• Champion design strategy and principles in close collaboration with the VP of Product Design and integrate with the Design Systems lead to maintain and expand an extensible component library.
• Actively participate in cross-functional team rituals, including requirements gathering and story grooming, to ensure user experience is at the forefront of all product development.
• Leverage data-driven decision-making and evangelize best practices in design, ensuring the creation of intuitive, modular, and accessible information architectures.

📝 Enhancement Note: The AI experience level of "10+" years is inferred from the stated requirement of "8+ years Product Design Experience" and "5+ years designing with components and DS libraries," suggesting a senior-level candidate with significant depth in specialized areas like chatbot and VUI design. The role is firmly on-site, as indicated by the derived "On-site" work arrangement and the specific physical locations provided.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate design thinking discovery phase workshops to foster collaboration, gather critical inputs, identify user and business opportunities, and achieve stakeholder alignment on project missions.
• Collaborate closely with UX Research to deeply understand and empathize with business customers and residential users, rigorously testing hypotheses and validating design solutions before and after development.
• Partner with the Design Systems lead to plan, implement, and maintain a comprehensive, extensible component library that adheres to atomic design principles, ensuring consistency and scalability across all product interfaces.
• Work in tandem with the Brand team to infuse brand voice and personality into conversational prompts and responses, ensuring a cohesive and on-brand user experience.
• Act as a co-author of all requirements that directly impact the user experience, actively participating in requirements gathering sessions, story grooming, and program increment planning rituals.
• Evangelize and promote best practices in product design, user experience, and data-driven decision-making to elevate the overall quality and effectiveness of design output.
• Organize features and user workflows around intuitive organizing principles to establish and maintain an extensive and modular information architecture that is both scalable and user-friendly.
• Create and deliver all necessary design work products, including user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and design specifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a leadership and strategic role, particularly in "leading design thinking discovery phase workshops" and "collaborating closely with the VP of Product Design on design strategy and principles." The inclusion of "co-author of all requirements" and participation in "story grooming, and program increment rituals" points to deep integration within Agile development processes and a significant influence on product roadmaps.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent work experience. Experience: 8+ years of dedicated Product Design experience; 5+ years designing with component libraries in Figma and/or Sketch App; 3+ years specifically in Chatbot and Voice UI (VUI) design.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in Product Design, with a strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end design solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in Chatbot design, including conversational flow, prompt engineering, and response design.
• Proficiency in Voice User Interface (VUI) design principles and workflow creation.
• Advanced skills in design tools such as Figma and/or Sketch App, with a minimum of 5 years of component-based design experience.
• Experience with multimodal interaction design, understanding how different input/output modalities interact.
• Strong understanding of Design Systems principles and experience contributing to or maintaining component libraries.
• Exceptional writing, grammar, and copywriting skills, with the ability to craft clear, concise, and engaging prompts and responses.
• Minimum of 5 years of collaborative experience working within JIRA for tracking deliverables and tasks.
• Expert knowledge of color theory, typography, and iconography in application to user interface design.
• Familiarity with voice, mobile, and desktop interaction patterns.
• A scrutinizing eye for design detail and a commitment to aesthetic quality.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and capable of accurate estimation and timely delivery.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design decisions and rationale.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with conversational AI platforms like Voiceflow or Google DialogFlow.
• Experience in designing for both residential and business customer channels, as well as internal tools.
• A portfolio that includes samples of copywriting for digital products.
• Experience in leading design thinking workshops and facilitating stakeholder alignment.
• Familiarity with user research methodologies and the ability to translate findings into design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+ years" AI-derived experience level is supported by the combination of multiple specific experience requirements (8+ years Product Design, 5+ years component libraries, 3+ years Chatbot/VUI), indicating a need for a highly seasoned professional. The emphasis on "exceptional writing and grammar skills and/or copywriting strongly desired" and "copywriting experience with samples" suggests that this role requires not just design but also strong content creation capabilities for conversational interfaces.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio demonstrating a minimum of 8 years of product design work, with a significant emphasis on conversational AI (chatbots and VUI).
• Showcase at least 3 years of experience designing with component libraries within Figma or Sketch App, highlighting the application of design systems.
• Include case studies that detail the end-to-end design process for complex projects, from discovery and research to final implementation, focusing on user-centric problem-solving.
• Present examples of user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes for chatbot and VUI interactions.
• Demonstrate how design decisions were informed by user research, data analysis, and stakeholder feedback, with clear articulation of the rationale.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of leading or significantly contributing to design thinking discovery workshops, including documentation of inputs, identified opportunities, and stakeholder alignment outcomes.
• Examples of how design strategies and principles were applied, potentially outlining contributions to design strategy documents or foundational design documents.
• Documentation of collaboration with UX Research, showing how user insights were translated into design solutions and validated through testing.
• Examples of contributions to or maintenance of design systems and component libraries, illustrating adherence to atomic design principles and extensibility.
• Work samples that highlight the integration of brand voice into conversational prompts and responses, demonstrating an understanding of brand consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily weighted towards demonstrating practical application of design principles in conversational AI and component-based design. The emphasis on "end-to-end design process" and "user-centric problem-solving" indicates a need for candidates who can not only create visually appealing interfaces but also strategically solve user problems through design. The request for "samples of copywriting" further refines the expectation for a candidate who can integrate both UX design and content strategy.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $133,661 - $219,586 per year. Benefits:

• Competitive salary based on job-related factors including skills and experience.
• Opportunity to work with cutting-edge Generative AI technology.
• Collaborative and human-centric team environment.
• Professional development and learning opportunities within a leading connectivity provider.
• Contribution to enabling progress and enhancing lives through reliable connectivity solutions.
• Potential for growth within the organization.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week (as inferred from AI analysis of typical full-time roles).

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range ($133,661 - $219,586) is explicit in the job description. The benefits listed are inferred from the company's general description and the nature of a full-time role at a large organization, focusing on aspects relevant to a senior design professional. The working hours are based on the standard 40-hour work week for full-time employment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Telecommunications/Connectivity Services. Optimum is a leader in providing high-speed internet, mobile, and entertainment services, operating in a dynamic and competitive market. Company Size: Large Enterprise (as inferred from company description and multiple locations). This suggests a structured environment with established processes and opportunities for large-scale impact. Founded: The company's founding date is not explicitly stated but is implied to have a history of providing connectivity solutions.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer reports to the VP of Product Design and Research, indicating a clear hierarchical structure within the design and research function.
• The role involves frequent collaboration with other product designers and UX Researchers, suggesting a dedicated design team structure.
• Close partnership with the Design Systems lead and Brand team highlights cross-functional collaboration as a key operational aspect.
• Integration with development teams through participation in Agile ceremonies like "program increment rituals" and "story grooming" points to a close working relationship between design and engineering.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisioning: The role emphasizes evangelizing and utilizing data to inform design choices and drive product strategy.
• Human-Centric Design: A core tenet, focusing on empathy with users (customers and agents) to identify pain points and create effective solutions.
• Agile Development: Participation in Agile rituals like requirements gathering, story grooming, and program increments signifies an Agile or Scrum-based development methodology.
• Design Systems Approach: The role requires contributing to and maintaining an extensible component library based on atomic design principles, ensuring consistency and efficiency.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described through its four core pillars: Taking Ownership, Upholding Transparency, Creating Community, and Demonstrating Expertise. These pillars suggest a work environment that values accountability, open communication, collaboration, and continuous learning and high performance. The "large enterprise" inference is based on the company's established presence in the telecommunications industry and its multiple physical locations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor. This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor responsible for leading design efforts in a specialized and innovative area (Conversational AI). It requires significant experience and the ability to operate with autonomy and strategic influence. Reporting Structure: Reports to the VP of Product Design and Research, indicating a direct line to executive leadership in the design function. This provides visibility and potential for direct mentorship from a senior leader. Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the customer and agent experience through chat and VUI interactions, including critical GenAI chatbot applications. This influence extends to improving customer satisfaction, increasing operational efficiency for sales agents, and potentially driving revenue through better engagement and support.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Advancement: Deepen expertise in cutting-edge areas like Generative AI, conversational design, and Voice UI, becoming a subject matter expert.
• Leadership within Design: Potential to move into lead design roles, mentoring junior designers, or taking on more strategic design leadership responsibilities within product teams.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop stronger skills in stakeholder management, influencing product strategy, and driving adoption of design best practices across different departments.
• Industry Impact: Contribute to shaping the future of customer interaction and connectivity services through innovative design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Career Level" is interpreted as "Senior Individual Contributor" because the role focuses on leading design workstreams and strategy in a specialized area, rather than managing a team. The growth opportunities are inferred from typical career progression paths for senior designers in technology companies, emphasizing specialization, leadership, and cross-functional influence.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Likely a corporate office environment within a large telecommunications company, designed for professional collaboration and potentially housing various departments. Office Location(s): Long Island City, NY, and Bethpage, NY. These are established business hubs in the New York metropolitan area. Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role explicitly requires frequent collaboration with other designers, researchers, and cross-functional teams, suggesting an open or semi-open office layout that facilitates interaction.
• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Sketch), collaboration tools (JIRA), and potentially internal tools for research and prototyping.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with UX Researchers, Design Systems leads, Brand teams, and product managers, fostering a dynamic and integrated work experience.

Work Schedule: The standard 40-hour work week is implied for a full-time, on-site role. While the core hours will be during business operations, the nature of design work often allows for some flexibility in task management, as long as deliverables are met and collaboration needs are satisfied.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Office Type" and "Workspace Context" are inferred based on the company being a large enterprise in the telecommunications sector and the explicit mention of collaboration with multiple teams. The specific locations are known business districts, suggesting a professional office setting.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: Presentation of a portfolio showcasing relevant work, followed by a design challenge. This may involve a take-home exercise or an in-person/virtual whiteboard session focusing on problem-solving and design thinking.
• Team & Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with potential peers (other designers, UX Researchers) and hiring managers (VP of Product Design, potentially product leads) to assess technical skills, collaboration style, and strategic thinking.
• Final Interview: Likely with senior leadership to discuss overall fit, strategic contributions, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Prioritize projects that showcase your experience in chatbot design, VUI design, and component-based design using Figma/Sketch.
• Tell the Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (including research and ideation), the challenges you faced, your solutions, and the impact of your design.
• Showcase Process: Include artifacts like user flows, wireframes, and prototypes to demonstrate your design methodology.
• Highlight Collaboration: If possible, mention how you collaborated with researchers, engineers, and stakeholders.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced support tickets, increased user satisfaction).
• Include Copywriting Samples: If you have specific samples of prompts, responses, or other conversational copy you’ve written, ensure they are easily accessible within your portfolio.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Business: Research Optimum's services, target audience, and business goals.
• Practice Conversational Design: Be prepared to design a conversational flow for a specific user scenario, focusing on natural language, error handling, and user intent.
• Think Systematically: Demonstrate how your design would integrate with existing design systems or how you would approach building one.
• Articulate Your Rationale: Be ready to clearly explain why you made specific design choices, referencing UX principles, user research, and business objectives.
• Prepare for VUI: If the challenge involves VUI, think about voice interaction patterns, wake words, and response types.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and portfolio review tips are standard for senior design roles, tailored to emphasize the specific requirements of this position, such as conversational AI, VUI, and design systems. The "Portfolio Review Tips" and "Challenge Preparation" offer actionable advice for candidates to effectively showcase their qualifications for this role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration, particularly for component-based design and design systems.
• Sketch App: Alternative or complementary tool for UI design and prototyping, also supporting component libraries.
• JIRA: Critical for project tracking, task management, and collaboration within Agile development workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly mentioned, a Senior Product Designer would typically utilize analytics tools to understand user behavior and measure design impact. This could include tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, or internal dashboards.

CRM & Automation:

• Conversational AI Platforms: Voiceflow or Google DialogFlow are mentioned as a plus, indicating familiarity with platforms used for building and managing chatbots and VUI.
• Design Systems Tools: Tools or methodologies for managing and scaling design systems and component libraries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are directly derived from the "Qualifications" section (Figma, Sketch App, JIRA) and "Preferred Skills" (Voiceflow, Google DialogFlow). The inclusion of "Analytics & Reporting" and "CRM & Automation" sections is an inference based on the nature of the role and typical tech stacks for product designers in a large, technology-focused company, suggesting an expectation that designers will leverage data and understand the broader ecosystem.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Taking Ownership: Expected to take responsibility for design outcomes, proactively address challenges, and drive projects to completion without constant oversight.
• Upholding Transparency: Open and honest communication with stakeholders, team members, and leadership regarding design progress, challenges, and decisions.
• Creating Community: Foster a collaborative and supportive environment within the design team and with cross-functional partners, contributing to a positive and innovative workplace.
• Demonstrating Expertise: Consistently apply deep knowledge of product design, conversational AI, and design systems, while also engaging in continuous learning to stay at the forefront of industry trends.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Work seamlessly with UX Research, Design Systems, Brand, Product Management, and Engineering teams, ensuring design is integrated into the broader product development lifecycle.
• Iterative and Feedback-Driven: Embrace a culture of continuous feedback, using insights from research, stakeholders, and team members to refine designs iteratively.
• Knowledge Sharing: Actively share design knowledge, best practices, and insights with the team to elevate collective expertise and foster a learning environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Values" are directly extracted from the company's stated core pillars. The "Collaboration Style" is inferred from the described responsibilities and the nature of a senior design role within a collaborative environment, emphasizing integration and feedback loops.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Novelty: Creating intuitive and effective user experiences for emerging technologies like GenAI chatbots and advanced VUI requires pushing design boundaries and exploring new interaction paradigms.
• Balancing User Needs and Business Goals: Striking the right balance between creating delightful user experiences and meeting the strategic business objectives of Optimum, such as customer acquisition, retention, and operational efficiency.
• Maintaining Consistency Across Channels: Ensuring a cohesive and consistent brand voice and user experience across diverse interaction channels (chat, voice, potentially future modalities) and platforms.
• Scaling Design Systems: Effectively contributing to and scaling a component library that supports complex conversational interfaces and diverse user needs across residential and business segments.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Generative AI: Gain hands-on experience and knowledge in the rapidly evolving field of Generative AI for conversational interfaces.
• Advanced Conversational Design: Hone skills in prompt engineering, natural language understanding (NLU), and designing complex dialogue flows.
• Voice UI Specialization: Develop expertise in voice interaction patterns, acoustic considerations, and VUI design best practices.
• Design Leadership: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, and influence product strategy at a senior level.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Challenges" are identified based on the role's focus on new technologies (GenAI, VUI) and the complexities inherent in large-scale product design within a telecommunications company. The "Learning & Development Opportunities" are derived from these challenges and the role's senior nature, highlighting areas for professional growth.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led a design thinking workshop. What was the outcome, and how did you ensure stakeholder alignment?" (Focus on facilitation, problem framing, and consensus building).
• "How would you approach designing a GenAI chatbot for customer support that needs to maintain Optimum's brand voice and ensure factual accuracy?" (Focus on prompt engineering, content strategy, and guardrails).
• "Walk us through your process for designing a Voice User Interface. What are the key considerations, and how do you test for usability?" (Focus on VUI patterns, error handling, and testing methodologies).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on our company values (Ownership, Transparency, Community, Expertise), how would you contribute to our culture as a Senior Product Designer?" (Prepare examples of how you embody these values in your work).
• "How do you collaborate with UX Researchers and Design Systems teams to ensure a cohesive user experience and maintain design consistency?" (Highlight cross-functional collaboration strategies).
• "How do you measure the success of your design solutions, particularly for conversational interfaces?" (Focus on metrics relevant to chat and VUI, e.g., task completion rate, user satisfaction, escalation reduction).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure your Presentation: Start with a brief overview of Optimum and the role, then select 2-3 key projects that best represent your skills in conversational AI and design systems.
• Deep Dive into Process: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, your design process (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), key design decisions, and the measurable impact.
• Highlight Conversational Design: Emphasize your approach to prompt design, response crafting, user flow for chat/voice, and how you ensured a natural and effective conversational experience.
• Showcase Design Systems Work: Detail your experience with Figma/Sketch, component libraries, and how you ensure consistency and scalability.
• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges, and how you would apply your skills to Optimum's specific needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice is structured to address common interview themes for senior design roles, specifically tailored to the requirements of this position, including GenAI, VUI, design systems, and company values. The questions are designed to elicit responses that demonstrate the candidate's strategic thinking, technical skills, and cultural fit.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your Application: Navigate to the Optimum careers portal via the provided URL and submit your application.
• Craft a Tailored Resume: Ensure your resume highlights your 8+ years of product design experience, specifically emphasizing your expertise in chatbot and VUI design, as well as your proficiency with Figma/Sketch and JIRA. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your strongest work in conversational AI (chatbots and VUI). Include detailed case studies that showcase your design process, problem-solving skills, and measurable impact. Ensure your portfolio link is clearly visible on your resume or application.
• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse your portfolio presentation, focusing on clearly articulating your design process, rationale, and the outcomes of your projects, especially those involving conversational interfaces. Be prepared to discuss your experience with design systems and collaborative workflows.
• Research Optimum: Familiarize yourself with Optimum's services, mission, and company values. Understand how your skills and experience align with their goals, particularly in enhancing customer and agent interactions through innovative design.

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