Senior Product Designer, Consumer Merchandising

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer, Consumer Merchandising Company: DoorDash USA Location: San Francisco, CA; New York City, NY; Seattle, WA Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / Consumer Merchandising Date Posted: October 1, 2025 Experience Level: 5+ Years Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the future of DoorDash's consumer product strategy by designing innovative merchandising experiences for non-restaurant verticals.
• Focus on transforming how customers discover and shop for groceries, alcohol, retail, and household essentials through personalized and engaging homepage features.
• Collaborate with machine learning, growth, and brand teams to solve complex product challenges, balancing editorial voice with algorithmic intelligence.
• Act as a craftsperson with a passion for visual design, sweating over the details to create seamless, delightful, and loyalty-inspiring shopping moments.
• Contribute to a 0 to 1 product development environment, bringing clarity to ambiguous spaces and shaping design culture, processes, and practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within the Consumer Discovery team, specifically focusing on merchandising for non-restaurant categories. The emphasis on "0 to 1" and driving clarity in ambiguous spaces suggests a significant opportunity for strategic input and foundational design work, typical of senior-level product design roles impacting core user journeys and business strategy.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and develop highly dynamic, personalized homepage experiences that intelligently rank and surface relevant items and stores in real-time.
• Craft engaging content formats, including bundles, recipes, and item carousels, that go beyond utility to create seamless and enjoyable shopping moments.
• Partner closely with the brand team to provide creative direction for in-house merchandising campaigns and art-direct visual assets.
• Collaborate with brand and motion designers to bring merchandising campaigns to life, ensuring a cohesive and compelling user experience.
• Work at the intersection of personalization, content systems, and storytelling to enhance customer engagement and drive product strategy.
• Collaborate with machine learning, growth, and brand teams to solve complex product challenges and scale experiments across diverse use cases and customer journeys.
• Investigate complex, ambiguous problem spaces, leading the understanding of opportunities and charting a clear path forward for product development.
• Influence the team's approach to product development, actively shaping its culture, processes, and practices.
• Improve the daily lives of millions of DoorDash customers by making discovery effortless and delightful.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic product design, creative direction, and cross-functional collaboration. The emphasis on designing "engaging formats" and balancing "editorial voice with algorithmic intelligence" points to a need for a designer who can think systemically while also excelling in visual craft and storytelling.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically expected for this level of role. Experience: 5+ years of professional work experience in Product Design, with a strong focus on consumer-facing digital products, e-commerce, or platform design.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in Product Design, with a portfolio showcasing end-to-end design solutions for complex problems.
• Demonstrated ability to drive clarity in ambiguous, "0 to 1" problem spaces.
• Strong craftspersonship with a passion for visual design and meticulous attention to detail.
• Experience in designing personalized and data-driven user experiences.
• Proficiency in user-centered design methodologies, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, data scientists, and brand strategists.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale clearly.
• Experience working with content systems, merchandising strategies, or editorial content in a digital product context.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in e-commerce, retail, or marketplace platforms.
• Familiarity with machine learning applications in personalization and discovery.
• Experience art-directing or collaborating with brand, motion, and visual designers.
• Systems thinking capabilities to design scalable and interconnected product features.
• Experience with A/B testing and experimentation frameworks to iterate on design solutions.
• Understanding of growth strategies and their impact on product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5+ years of work experience" and emphasis on "0 to 1" and "craftspersonship" suggest a need for a designer who is not only skilled in execution but also capable of strategic thinking and leading design initiatives from inception. The preference for e-commerce and ML familiarity further refines the ideal candidate profile for this specialized merchandising role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 distinct projects that demonstrate end-to-end product design thinking, from problem definition to final execution.
• Projects should highlight your ability to tackle complex, ambiguous problems and drive clarity in design solutions.
• Include case studies that detail your process, rationale, and the impact of your design decisions, focusing on user needs and business objectives.
• Demonstrate strong visual design craft, attention to detail, and a consistent aesthetic sensibility across projects.
• Showcase experience with personalization, content systems, or merchandising strategies, if applicable to your past work.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your design process for each project, including research methodologies, ideation techniques, prototyping tools, and testing approaches.
• Explain how you translated user needs, business requirements, and technical constraints into effective design solutions.
• For relevant projects, detail how you collaborated with cross-functional teams (e.g., PMs, engineers, data scientists, brand) and incorporated their feedback.
• If applicable, illustrate how you considered systems thinking, scalability, and the integration of algorithmic intelligence into your designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on personalization, content systems, and driving clarity in ambiguous spaces, portfolio projects should prominently feature problem definition, strategic thinking, and the ability to translate complex requirements into user-centric, visually rich experiences. The "0 to 1" aspect means projects demonstrating innovation and foundational work will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• I4: $124,400 - $183,000 USD per year
• I5: $148,200 - $218,000 USD per year
• I6: $176,800 - $260,000 USD per year

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary ranges (I4, I5, I6) suggest that the role may be open to candidates with varying levels of seniority within the "Senior" bracket, or that the hiring team is flexible on exact placement based on candidate experience and qualifications. These ranges are competitive for Senior Product Designer roles in major tech hubs like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage: Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits.
• Retirement savings: 401(k) plan with employer matching.
• Work-life balance: Flexible paid time off/vacation, 80 hours of paid sick time per year (for salaried roles).
• Family support: 16 weeks of paid parental leave, family-forming assistance.
• Wellness and mental health: Wellness expense reimbursement, mental health program.
• Commuter benefits match.
• 11 paid holidays annually.
• Disability and basic life insurance.
• Paid sick leave in compliance with applicable laws (e.g., Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act).

Working Hours: Full-time, with an expected 40 hours per week. The role operates on a hybrid model, requiring a mix of in-office and remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The comprehensive benefits package reflects DoorDash's commitment to employee well-being, offering robust support for health, family, and financial security, which is attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Logistics, Food Delivery, E-commerce, Retail Services. DoorDash operates at the intersection of these sectors, leveraging technology to empower local economies and provide convenience to consumers. Company Size: Large (likely 1,000+ employees, based on general knowledge of DoorDash's scale). This implies a structured environment with established processes but also opportunities for impact within specialized teams. Founded: 2013. DoorDash is a relatively young, fast-growing company that has rapidly scaled its operations and diversified its offerings beyond initial food delivery.

Team Structure:

• The role reports to the Head of Core Consumer Design within the Product Design team.
• The Consumer Discovery team focuses on transforming how customers discover and shop non-restaurant verticals.
• This team collaborates closely with Machine Learning, Growth, and Brand teams, indicating a highly cross-functional and data-informed product development approach.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: Strong reliance on data, machine learning, and experimentation to inform product strategy and personalize user experiences.
• Customer-Centric Design: Focus on understanding and addressing real customer needs to create seamless, delightful, and loyalty-inspiring moments.
• Systems Thinking: Designing for interconnectedness and scalability across various verticals and customer journeys.
• Collaborative Innovation: Encouraging cross-functional partnerships to solve complex product challenges and drive innovation.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: DoorDash's culture is characterized by rapid growth, a focus on local economies, and a commitment to innovation. For a designer, this means working in a fast-paced environment where impact is measurable, and collaboration across diverse functions (tech, brand, business) is key to success.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role (potentially I4-I6), indicating significant autonomy, ownership, and influence. The role is focused on a critical consumer-facing area (discovery and merchandising), offering substantial impact on the core user experience and business strategy. Reporting Structure: Reports to the Head of Core Consumer Design, placing the role within a dedicated design leadership structure. This provides mentorship and strategic alignment opportunities. Operations Impact: The designer will directly influence how millions of customers engage with DoorDash beyond traditional restaurant delivery. Success in this role means driving increased engagement, conversion, and loyalty across new verticals, directly contributing to DoorDash's mission to become a ubiquitous commerce platform.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership & Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, and contribute to shaping design team processes and culture.
• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the product strategy for a key growth area within DoorDash, moving beyond feature design to define core user journeys.
• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in personalization, content systems, e-commerce merchandising, and the application of ML in design.
• Cross-Functional Mastery: Gain extensive experience collaborating with high-performing teams in ML, Growth, and Brand, enhancing overall product development acumen.
• Career Progression: Potential to advance into Principal Designer roles, Design Lead positions, or management track roles within DoorDash's Product Design organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "I4-I6" designation suggests flexibility in career pathing, allowing candidates to be placed at a level commensurate with their experience, with clear opportunities for growth into more senior or leadership roles based on performance and skill development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, combining in-office collaboration with remote flexibility. This aims to balance the benefits of in-person teamwork and idea generation with individual focus and work-life integration. Office Location(s): The role is open to candidates near DoorDash's tech hubs in San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY. Seattle, WA is also listed as a potential location. This offers candidates flexibility in choosing their primary work location within these vibrant tech ecosystems.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The hybrid model encourages in-office days for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and building strong working relationships with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and Brand/Motion Designers.
• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design and prototyping tools, likely supported by a robust tech infrastructure to facilitate seamless collaboration and iteration.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Daily interaction with diverse, high-caliber teams, fostering a dynamic and intellectually stimulating work environment focused on solving complex consumer problems.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time work schedule (expected 40 hours/week), with the flexibility inherent in a hybrid model. This allows for structured work on core design tasks, experimentation, and collaboration, while also accommodating personal needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature indicates a modern work approach, balancing focused individual work with the collaborative energy of an office environment. Proximity to major tech hubs suggests a dynamic and competitive talent pool, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screen: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio to assess qualifications and alignment with the role.
• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: You will likely be asked to present a case study from your portfolio, demonstrating your process, problem-solving skills, and impact. A design challenge (e.g., a take-home assignment or live whiteboarding session) may also be part of this stage to assess practical design skills and thinking.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers or stakeholders to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to integrate diverse perspectives.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the Head of Core Consumer Design to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall alignment with the team's vision and goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies to clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the challenges faced, your solutions, and the measurable impact.
• Focus on "Why": Explain the rationale behind your design decisions, linking them back to user needs, business objectives, and the specific context of the problem.
• Showcase Craft & Detail: Highlight your visual design skills and attention to detail, especially for projects related to merchandising and consumer engagement.
• Demonstrate Ambiguity Navigation: For this role, explicitly showcase projects where you brought clarity to complex or undefined problems, demonstrating your "0 to 1" capabilities.
• Tailor to DoorDash: Research DoorDash's current product offerings, brand, and mission. Consider how your portfolio projects can resonate with their specific challenges in consumer discovery and merchandising.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research DoorDash's platform and the specific problem area (consumer discovery, merchandising).
• Focus on Process: Even if time is limited, clearly articulate your thought process, assumptions, and any trade-offs you made.
• Prioritize Impact: Frame your solutions in terms of potential user and business impact.
• Be Ready to Defend: Prepare to discuss your design choices and rationale confidently during the review.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "0 to 1" and ambiguity suggests interviewers will probe deeply into how candidates approach undefined problems and establish initial design directions. Portfolio projects that demonstrate initiative, strategic foresight, and the ability to build from the ground up will be highly valued.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable for collaborative design), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision or similar prototyping tools.
• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello.
• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, or internal tools.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis: SQL (for querying data), Tableau, Looker, Power BI, or internal dashboards for analyzing user behavior and experiment results.
• A/B Testing Tools: Optimizely, Google Optimize, or internal experimentation platforms.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design impacts user journeys within a CRM context might be beneficial. Familiarity with platforms like Salesforce or customer data platforms (CDPs) could be a plus.
• Integration Tools: Understanding how design systems integrate with backend systems or CMS platforms could be relevant.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a Senior Product Designer, proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools like Figma is essential. Familiarity with data analysis and A/B testing tools will be critical for informing design decisions and measuring impact, especially given the role's focus on personalization and experimentation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A deep understanding and empathy for the needs of consumers, Dashers, and merchants, driving design decisions that enhance their experience.
• Bias for Action & Iteration: A willingness to move quickly, experiment, and learn from results, embracing an iterative approach to product development.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing data, insights, and experimentation to inform design choices and measure impact.
• Ownership & Accountability: Taking responsibility for outcomes and driving projects to completion with a focus on delivering tangible results.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Working effectively across teams, sharing knowledge, and fostering open communication to achieve shared goals.
• Innovation & Creativity: Encouraging new ideas and approaches to solve complex problems and create delightful user experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Active and proactive collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, and Brand teams to ensure holistic product development.
• Design Critiques & Feedback: Engaging in constructive design critiques to refine work and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share learnings, best practices, and insights across the design team and broader organization.
• Agile Methodologies: Likely working within agile development cycles, requiring flexibility and adaptability in teamwork.

📝 Enhancement Note: DoorDash's stated values emphasize customer focus, rapid iteration, and data-informed decisions. For a designer, this translates to a role where user empathy, analytical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving are paramount, all within a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Tackling complex, undefined problems in a rapidly evolving product landscape requires strong strategic thinking and the ability to establish clear design directions.
• Balancing Personalization and Scale: Designing systems that are both highly personalized for individual users and scalable across numerous verticals and use cases.
• Integrating Editorial and Algorithmic Content: Finding the right balance between curated, brand-aligned content and algorithmically surfaced recommendations to create a cohesive and effective discovery experience.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring alignment and buy-in from diverse stakeholders (ML, Growth, Brand) with potentially different priorities.
• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the success of design interventions on user engagement, conversion, and loyalty within complex systems.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Personalization & ML: Gaining hands-on experience applying machine learning insights to consumer-facing product design.
• E-commerce & Merchandising Expertise: Developing specialized knowledge in designing effective merchandising strategies and content formats for diverse retail categories.
• Systems Design: Enhancing skills in designing complex, interconnected systems that support multiple product lines and user journeys.
• Strategic Product Leadership: Opportunities to influence product strategy and contribute to the "0 to 1" development of new consumer experiences.
• Industry Exposure: Working within a leading tech company in the on-demand delivery and e-commerce space, offering exposure to cutting-edge trends and business models.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical of senior roles in innovative tech companies, offering significant opportunities for professional growth. The role is ideal for someone who thrives on solving complex, forward-thinking problems and wants to deepen their expertise in areas critical to modern e-commerce and platform development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Ambiguity & 0-to-1: "Describe a time you had to define a product or feature in a highly ambiguous space. What was your process for bringing clarity and driving it forward?"
• Personalization & Content Systems: "How would you approach designing a personalized homepage experience for a diverse set of consumer needs across groceries, retail, and alcohol?"
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: "Walk me through a project where you collaborated closely with Machine Learning or Growth teams. What were the key challenges and how did you ensure alignment?"
• Visual Craft & Detail: "Can you share a project where you focused heavily on visual design and attention to detail? What was the impact of those specific design choices?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about DoorDash's mission and the Consumer Discovery team's focus?"
• "How do you approach building a design culture that values collaboration, iteration, and data-informed decisions?"
• "How do you stay current with design trends, especially in e-commerce and personalization?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: Begin with the business and user problem, clearly state your role and contributions, detail your process (research, ideation, design, testing), highlight key decisions and trade-offs, and conclude with the impact and learnings.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion, engagement, task completion rates).
• Showcase Your Process: Be prepared to discuss the 'why' behind your choices, not just the 'what.' Explain your rationale for specific design decisions.
• Emphasize Collaboration: Highlight how you worked with cross-functional partners and integrated their feedback.
• Address "0-to-1" Experience: If you have relevant projects, explicitly frame them to showcase your ability to define and build from scratch.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, expect interviewers to probe deeply into your ability to handle ambiguity, your strategic thinking in defining new product areas, and your understanding of how to blend creative content with algorithmic intelligence. Be ready to articulate your design philosophy and how it aligns with DoorDash's values.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the DoorDash careers portal.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your experience in product design, particularly any work involving personalization, content systems, e-commerce, or tackling ambiguous problems. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your role, process, solutions, and impact.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description, such as "Product Design," "Consumer Merchandising," "Personalization," "Systems Thinking," "0 to 1," and "Visual Design." Quantify achievements where possible.
• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through one or two key portfolio projects, focusing on storytelling, your design process, and the measurable outcomes. Be ready to discuss how you'd approach challenges specific to DoorDash's consumer discovery experience.
• Research DoorDash: Familiarize yourself with DoorDash's current platform, its competitors, and its mission. Understand their approach to merchandising and consumer engagement beyond restaurant delivery.

⚠️ 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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