Senior Product Designer I
π Job Overview
Job Title: Senior Product Designer I Company: Housecall Pro Location: United States Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design Date Posted: December 17, 2025 Experience Level: 6+ Years Remote Status: Remote OK
π Role Summary
- Lead complex, system-oriented product design initiatives that span across multiple product surfaces and cross-functional teams.
- Drive product strategy by conducting deep user research and usability studies to identify opportunities and inform design direction.
- Develop and maintain high standards for design quality, contributing to and evolving the company's design system.
- Mentor junior and mid-level designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and craft development within the design team.
- Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering to translate user needs and business goals into thoughtful, technically feasible, and impactful solutions.
π Enhancement Note: This role emphasizes a holistic, system-level approach to product design, requiring a Senior Designer to operate with significant autonomy and strategic influence across multiple product areas. The focus on "system-oriented design" and "spanning multiple teams" suggests a need for strong architectural thinking and the ability to manage design complexity. The "Senior Product Designer I" title indicates an individual contributor role with a focus on individual impact and mentorship, rather than direct team management.
π Primary Responsibilities
- Independently lead and execute design thinking for complex product challenges, ensuring alignment with overall product vision and user needs.
- Conduct comprehensive user research, including discovery, usability testing, and customer interviews, to uncover pain points and validate design hypotheses.
- Define and articulate design strategy, balancing user desirability, business objectives, and technical constraints for web and mobile platforms.
- Create compelling user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs that clearly communicate design solutions.
- Foster strong collaborative relationships with product managers and engineers, actively participating in requirement definition and problem-solving throughout the development lifecycle.
- Champion and contribute to the growth of the design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency in design and development.
- Effectively present and advocate for design decisions, providing clear rationale and demonstrating strategic thinking to diverse stakeholder groups.
- Actively mentor and guide less experienced designers, sharing best practices and supporting their professional development.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure cohesive product experiences and align teams on strategic design outcomes.
- Drive continuous improvement by analyzing user feedback, product metrics, and market trends to iterate and enhance existing features.
π Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on execution. The emphasis on "leading complex product design efforts" and "defining and driving design strategy" points to a role that requires significant autonomy and initiative. The inclusion of "mentorship" and "partner cross-functionally to align teams" indicates a need for strong communication and influence skills beyond pure design execution.
π Skills & Qualifications
Education: Bachelorβs degree in a related field or equivalent practical work experience.
Experience: 6+ years of professional experience in product design, with a strong preference for experience in SaaS and/or mobile-first environments.
Required Skills:
- Proven ability to lead complex product design initiatives from concept to launch, demonstrating strategic thinking and impactful execution.
- Expertise in conducting user research methodologies, including discovery, usability testing, and synthesizing findings into actionable design insights.
- Proficient in defining and articulating design strategy, effectively balancing user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.
- Mastery of creating detailed user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs using industry-standard tools.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with product managers and engineers in an agile development environment.
- Experience contributing to and advocating for design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability across products.
- Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale clearly to various stakeholders.
- Proficiency in Figma for design creation, prototyping, and collaboration.
- Understanding of front-end development principles and platform-specific constraints for web, iOS, and Android.
- Solid grasp of accessibility standards and inclusive design practices.
Preferred Skills:
- Systems thinking capabilities, with an aptitude for anticipating how design decisions scale across a complex product ecosystem.
- Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build consensus across different departments.
- Exceptional storytelling and presentation skills that effectively engage and align teams.
- A passion for mentoring designers and contributing to the growth of their careers.
- Deep empathy for users and a proactive approach to understanding and addressing their needs.
- Experience with design system tools beyond Figma, such as Zeroheight or Storybook.
π Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a blend of deep design craft, strategic acumen, and strong interpersonal skills. The "6+ years" and "Senior" title suggest a need for a candidate who can operate independently, mentor others, and contribute to the broader design strategy. The explicit mention of Figma, design systems, and platform constraints indicates a hands-on role with a focus on modern digital product development practices.
π Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Showcase a minimum of 3-5 significant product design projects, ideally within SaaS or mobile-first environments.
- For each project, clearly articulate the problem space, your specific role and contributions, the design process followed, and the ultimate impact on users and business metrics.
- Highlight examples of strategic thinking, including how you identified opportunities, defined solutions, and navigated constraints.
- Demonstrate strong execution capabilities through polished user flows, prototypes, and high-fidelity visuals.
- Include evidence of your contribution to or utilization of design systems, showcasing consistency and scalability.
Process Documentation:
- Clearly detail the research methodologies employed for each project, including discovery, user interviews, and usability testing.
- Outline your approach to defining product strategy, including how you balanced user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility.
- Illustrate your prototyping and visual design process, showing iterations and the evolution of the solution.
- Provide examples of cross-functional collaboration, illustrating how you partnered with product managers and engineers.
- Where applicable, provide insights into how you contributed to or leveraged design systems for efficiency and consistency.
π Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role, serving as the primary evidence of strategic thinking, execution quality, and process adherence. The emphasis on "strategic thinking," "product impact," and "system-oriented design" means candidates should select projects that demonstrate more than just visual polish; they need to showcase problem-solving prowess and thoughtful decision-making.
π΅ Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $120,000 - $142,000 per year (plus equity).
Benefits:
- Comprehensive health insurance: Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage.
- Life and Disability insurance.
- 401(k) retirement savings plan.
- Generous Paid Holidays.
- Flexible, take-it-as-you-need-it Paid Time Off (PTO).
- Equity in a rapidly growing startup.
- Monthly tech reimbursements.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Paid Parental Leave.
Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically around 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected to meet project demands.
π Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided for candidates in the United States. The specific salary for the successful candidate will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location. The inclusion of equity is a significant component for a startup environment.
π― Team & Company Context
π’ Company Culture
Industry: Technology (SaaS for Home Service Professionals) Company Size: Over 1,800 teammates globally. Founded: 2013.
Company Description: Housecall Pro provides a comprehensive software solution for home service professionals (Pros) to streamline operations, including scheduling, dispatching, payments, and business management. They aim to empower Pros to save time, grow profitably, and deliver exceptional service. The company also offers business coaching services to further support their customer base.
Team Structure: The design team is part of a larger product organization that collaborates closely with engineering and product management. While specific team sizes and reporting structures for design are not detailed, the role's emphasis on cross-functional partnership suggests a highly collaborative environment. The company culture is described as passionate, empathetic, hard-working, and focused on customer success.
Methodology: Housecall Pro emphasizes innovation, valuing big ideas from all team members. They focus on creating solutions for "Pros" and fostering a culture where employees and customers grow together. The design team is expected to leverage research and strategy to inform product decisions and maintain high design quality.
Company Website: https://www.housecallpro.com/
π Enhancement Note: Housecall Pro positions itself as a mission-driven company focused on improving the lives of home service professionals. This customer-centric approach is a key cultural driver. The company's growth trajectory as a startup backed by VCs suggests an environment that values agility, innovation, and a strong work ethic.
π Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor (IC). This role represents a significant step in a product design career, moving beyond execution to strategic leadership, system thinking, and mentorship.
Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Senior Product Designer I typically reports to a Design Lead, Design Manager, or Head of Product Design. The role requires close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.
Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on the user experience and functionality of Housecall Pro's core software, influencing customer acquisition, retention, and operational efficiency for their clients (home service professionals). Strategic design decisions can significantly affect user adoption, satisfaction, and ultimately, the company's revenue growth.
Growth Opportunities:
- Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific product areas or design disciplines (e.g., user research, design systems, mobile design).
- Leadership: Transition into a Design Lead or Managerial role, potentially overseeing a team or a specific product vertical.
- Strategic Influence: Contribute to higher-level product strategy and roadmap planning.
- Skill Development: Continuous learning through industry conferences, workshops, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions.
- Cross-functional Exposure: Gain deeper understanding of product management and engineering processes, potentially leading to broader product leadership roles.
π Enhancement Note: The "Senior Product Designer I" title suggests a path for growth within the individual contributor track, focusing on deepening expertise and impact, as well as a potential pathway into management roles. The emphasis on mentoring and influencing suggests opportunities to develop leadership skills.
π Work Environment
Office Type: The job is listed as "Remote OK" with "United States" as the remote location. This indicates a predominantly remote work environment, though specific details about hybrid arrangements or office presence are not provided.
Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the company is headquartered in the United States. The presence of "over 1,800 ambitious, mission-driven, genuinely fun-loving teammates across the globe" suggests a distributed workforce.
Workspace Context:
- A remote-first or hybrid work model is implied, requiring self-discipline and effective virtual collaboration tools.
- Expect a dynamic startup environment focused on rapid iteration and growth.
- Collaboration will occur heavily through digital tools (e.g., Slack, Figma, video conferencing).
- The company culture emphasizes innovation and a strong focus on customer success, which will shape day-to-day interactions.
Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. Flexibility may be available, but alignment with team schedules and project deadlines will be crucial, especially in a remote setting.
π Enhancement Note: The "Remote OK" status for the United States implies that candidates can work from anywhere within the US, but it's advisable to confirm if there are any specific state or timezone requirements for payroll or team collaboration.
π Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
- Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on your experience and portfolio.
- Portfolio Review & Initial Call: A conversation with a Design Lead or Senior Designer to discuss your portfolio, understand your design process, and assess your strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Expect questions about past projects, your role, and the impact of your work.
- Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a take-home design exercise or present a detailed case study of a past project that showcases your approach to a complex problem. This evaluates your ability to apply design thinking to a specific scenario.
- Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to assess your collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team.
- Final Interview: Potentially with a Director or VP, focusing on cultural fit, leadership potential, and overall alignment with the company's mission and values.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your ability to lead complex design initiatives, your strategic thinking, and your impact. Prioritize SaaS or mobile-first examples.
- Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your unique contribution, your design process, the challenges you faced, and the measurable outcomes. Use visuals to support your narrative.
- Highlight Systems Thinking: Explicitly discuss how you approached designing for scale, consistency, and integration within a larger product ecosystem. Mention your experience with or contributions to design systems.
- Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced task completion time, improved user satisfaction scores) to demonstrate the business value of your design solutions.
- Be Ready to Defend Decisions: Prepare to discuss your rationale behind design choices and how you responded to feedback or constraints.
Challenge Preparation:
- Understand the Brief: Carefully analyze any design challenge prompt, identifying key objectives, constraints, and target users.
- Emphasize Process: Clearly outline your approach, from research and ideation to prototyping and final recommendations. Even if time is limited, show your thought process.
- Focus on Impact: Frame your solution in terms of how it addresses the core problem and delivers value to the user and the business.
- Practice Presentation: Rehearse presenting your work concisely and clearly, anticipating questions from the interviewers.
π Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to evaluate not just design skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and cultural fit. A strong, well-documented portfolio that highlights complex problem-solving and measurable impact is paramount.
π Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
- Figma: The core design and prototyping tool. Proficiency is essential, including advanced features for collaboration, component creation, and prototyping.
- Design System Tools: Experience with tools like Zeroheight or Storybook for documenting and managing design systems is a plus.
Analytics & Reporting:
- While not explicitly listed, experience with product analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) to understand user behavior and measure design impact is highly beneficial.
CRM & Automation:
- Not directly applicable to this design role, but an understanding of how design impacts user journeys within CRM or marketing automation platforms can be advantageous.
Other Potential Tools:
- User Research Platforms: Tools like UserTesting.com, Lookback, or Hotjar for conducting usability tests and gathering feedback.
- Project Management Tools: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for tracking design tasks and collaborating with engineering.
- Collaboration Tools: Slack, Google Workspace, Confluence for communication and documentation.
π Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a hard requirement. Experience with design systems is also highly valued, indicating an understanding of scalable and efficient design practices. The ability to leverage data and analytics to inform design decisions is increasingly important for senior roles.
π₯ Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
- Customer Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and improving the lives of home service professionals ("Pros").
- Innovation: Encouraging big ideas and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
- Collaboration: Working effectively across teams to achieve shared goals.
- Empathy: Understanding and responding to the needs of both customers and colleagues.
- Growth Mindset: Valuing continuous learning and professional development for individuals and the company.
- Ownership: Taking responsibility for driving impact and delivering high-quality solutions.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Expect to work closely with Product Managers and Engineers, acting as a key partner in defining product direction and execution.
- Data-Informed: Decisions are expected to be backed by user research, data analysis, and strategic reasoning.
- Iterative Approach: The team likely embraces an agile methodology, involving continuous feedback loops and iterative design improvements.
- Open Communication: A culture that values sharing ideas, providing constructive feedback, and openly discussing challenges.
π Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes a strong mission around serving home service professionals, coupled with a dynamic startup environment that values innovation and collaboration. The design team is expected to be a proactive and influential part of this ecosystem.
β‘ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
- Navigating Ambiguity: As a Senior Designer leading initiatives, you'll often encounter ill-defined problems, requiring you to define the scope and approach.
- Influencing Without Authority: The need to gain buy-in from product and engineering partners for design decisions requires strong persuasion and communication skills.
- Balancing Multiple Priorities: Leading design efforts across multiple teams or product areas can lead to competing demands and the need for effective prioritization.
- Scaling Design Systems: Contributing to and evolving a design system for a growing product requires foresight and a deep understanding of component architecture.
- Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective communication in a distributed work environment.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Advanced Design Leadership: Opportunities to hone skills in strategic product thinking, design mentorship, and influencing cross-functional stakeholders.
- Industry Conferences & Workshops: Potential for company sponsorship to attend industry events focused on product design, UX, and SaaS.
- Mentorship Programs: Both receiving mentorship from senior leaders and providing mentorship to junior designers.
- Exposure to Business Strategy: Deeper involvement in product strategy and roadmap planning, offering a broader business perspective.
- Technology Stack Evolution: Staying current with emerging design tools and methodologies.
π Enhancement Note: This role offers significant opportunities for professional growth by tackling complex design challenges and contributing to the strategic direction of the product. The challenges are inherent to a senior role in a growing tech company.
π‘ Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
- "Describe a time you led a complex product design initiative that spanned multiple teams. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your leadership, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration.)
- "How do you approach defining design strategy for a new product feature or area? What factors do you consider?" (Highlight your process for balancing user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.)
- "Walk us through a project where you had to influence stakeholders who disagreed with your design direction. How did you build alignment?" (Demonstrate your communication, negotiation, and persuasion skills.)
- "How do you identify and prioritize product opportunities based on user research and business objectives?" (Showcase your analytical skills and ability to translate insights into action.)
Company & Culture Questions:
- "What interests you about Housecall Pro and our mission to serve home service professionals?" (Research the company's impact, values, and target audience.)
- "How do you approach mentoring junior designers? What is your philosophy on fostering design craft?" (Reflect on your experience and approach to developing others.)
- "Describe your ideal collaboration with product managers and engineers. What makes a strong cross-functional partnership?" (Align with the company's emphasis on collaboration.)
- "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive?" (Demonstrate awareness of and commitment to inclusive design practices.)
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the "Why" (problem), "What" (your role and solution), and "How" (your process).
- Emphasize Impact: Quantify results whenever possible. If direct metrics aren't available, discuss the intended impact and how you would measure it.
- Showcase Strategic Thinking: Discuss the trade-offs you made, the rationale behind your key decisions, and how your design aligned with broader business goals.
- Highlight Systems Thinking: If applicable, explain how your design considered scalability, consistency, and integration with existing systems or the design system.
- Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, decision-making, and challenges faced. Be honest and thoughtful in your responses.
π Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, a robust design process, strong collaboration skills, and a clear understanding of how design drives business value. The portfolio is your primary tool, so practice articulating its contents effectively.
π Application Steps
To apply for this Senior Product Designer I position:
- Submit your application through the provided link on the Housecall Pro careers page.
- Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects that showcase your experience in SaaS or mobile-first environments, complex problem-solving, strategic thinking, and measurable impact. Tailor your project selection and descriptions to highlight skills relevant to this role (e.g., systems thinking, cross-functional collaboration, design systems).
- Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 6+ years of product design experience, emphasizing accomplishments and responsibilities that align with the job description, particularly in leadership, strategy, and mentorship. Use keywords from the job posting naturally.
- Interview Preparation: Thoroughly review the "Interview Preparation" section above. Practice articulating your design process, strategic rationale, and collaboration experience. Prepare specific examples for common behavioral and situational questions.
- Company Research: Invest time in understanding Housecall Pro's mission, its products, its target audience (home service professionals), and its company culture. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.
β οΈ 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.
Application Requirements
Candidates should have 6+ years of professional experience in product design, preferably in SaaS and/or mobile-first environments. A portfolio showcasing strategic thinking and strong execution across platforms is required.