Senior Product Designer - (Institutional, Custody)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - (Institutional, Custody) Company: Referrals Only Board Location: Remote - Canada, Remote - USA Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Date Posted: 2025-09-25 Experience Level: 5-10 Years Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive product and design strategy for institutional crypto custody and prime brokerage services, focusing on user-centricity and innovation.
• Own the complete product design lifecycle, from initial ideation and user journey mapping through to detailed execution, prototyping, user testing, and final production readiness.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and other cross-functional teams to define and execute a strategic product roadmap that meets institutional client needs.
• Develop intuitive and delightful web and mobile experiences that empower institutional clients to navigate and leverage the crypto economy effectively.
• Champion design excellence through active participation in design critiques, providing and receiving constructive feedback to elevate the overall quality of design output.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is specifically focused on the "Institutional, Custody" segment, which implies a need for robust security, compliance, and enterprise-grade user experiences. This requires a deep understanding of financial services, regulatory considerations, and the unique workflows of institutional investors. The "Referrals Only Board" suggests a curated talent pool, potentially indicating a high bar for candidates and a strong emphasis on collaboration and proven success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Contribute significantly to the strategic direction and decision-making processes for product development and design initiatives within the institutional business unit.
• Take ownership of the end-to-end user journey, ensuring seamless and intuitive experiences across all touchpoints for institutional clients.
• Translate complex institutional financial product requirements and crypto-native functionalities into elegant, user-friendly designs.
• Conduct user research and usability testing to gather insights and validate design decisions, ensuring alignment with client needs and business objectives.
• Create detailed design specifications, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups for web and mobile platforms, catering to the sophisticated needs of institutional users.
• Partner with engineering teams to ensure accurate and efficient implementation of designs, maintaining design integrity throughout the development process.
• Participate in and lead design critiques, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaborative problem-solving within the design team.
• Manage design priorities and timelines effectively, balancing multiple projects and stakeholder expectations in a fast-paced environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibilities emphasize strategic contribution and end-to-end ownership, indicating a senior-level role where autonomy and proactive problem-solving are expected. The focus on "enterprise-grade client experience" and "institutional investment strategies" suggests a need for designs that are not only intuitive but also highly reliable, secure, and compliant, reflecting the critical nature of financial transactions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for senior roles in product design, demonstrating a foundational understanding of design principles and user behavior.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of dedicated experience in Product Design, focusing on digital products, with a strong emphasis on complex user journeys and enterprise-level applications.
• Demonstrated success in contributing to product strategy and owning the design lifecycle from conception to launch for multiple successful products.
• Experience in fast-paced, potentially ambiguous environments, requiring adaptability and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Required Skills:

• Product Thinking: Exemplary abilities in conceptualizing and defining scalable product solutions, with a solutions-oriented mindset and the capacity for autonomous work.
• Design Execution: Mastery of visual design, interaction design, and prototyping, with a keen eye for detail and a high standard for design craft.
• User Journey Mapping: Proven ability to map complex user flows and design optimal journeys that cater to sophisticated institutional client needs.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong skills in working effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and other stakeholders to align on product vision and execution.
• Stakeholder Management: Experience in communicating design decisions, gathering feedback, and managing expectations across diverse teams and leadership levels.
• Prototyping Tools: Fluency in industry-standard design and prototyping software, specifically Figma, and other relevant tools.
• Collaboration & Communication: Ability to thrive in a collaborative environment, demonstrate low ego, maintain an open mind, and communicate effectively with team members.

Preferred Skills:

• Financial Product Design: Prior experience designing for Traditional Finance (TradFi) products, offering familiarity with established financial workflows and user expectations.
• Crypto-Native Experience: Familiarity with cryptocurrency concepts, on-chain activities (e.g., Ethereum addresses, ENS, dApps), and blockchain-based services, demonstrating a genuine interest and understanding of the crypto ecosystem.
• Enterprise Software Design: Experience designing complex B2B or enterprise-grade software solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5+ years" requirement combined with "exemplay product thinking abilities" and "strong cross-functional communication" points to a senior individual contributor role that requires not just execution skills but also strategic influence and the ability to mentor or guide junior designers. The emphasis on "low ego" and "collaboration" highlights the importance of team dynamics and a shared commitment to product success.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing your involvement in the entire design process, from problem identification and user research to solution design, prototyping, testing, and final implementation.
• Process Optimization Focus: Demonstrate instances where your design solutions led to measurable improvements in user efficiency, task completion rates, or reduction in errors for complex workflows.
• System Integration: Highlight projects where you designed user interfaces for systems that required integration with other platforms or services, showcasing your understanding of how design fits into a larger technical ecosystem.
• ROI & Impact Demonstration: Quantify the impact of your design work whenever possible, using metrics related to user adoption, engagement, client satisfaction, or business outcomes relevant to institutional finance.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Provide examples of detailed workflow diagrams or user journey maps you've created to understand and improve existing processes or define new ones.
• Prototyping & User Testing: Include examples of interactive prototypes and a summary of user testing methodologies and findings that informed your design iterations.
• Measurement & Analysis: Illustrate how you have used data and analytics to inform design decisions or measure the success of your designs post-launch, particularly in relation to key performance indicators for institutional products.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior product designer role, especially in a regulated and complex field like institutional crypto, the portfolio is crucial. It should not only display aesthetic polish but also a deep understanding of user problems, strategic thinking, and the ability to articulate the rationale behind design decisions. Case studies that clearly show the "why" behind the "what" and the "how" will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $175,100 - $206,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Includes medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan to support long-term financial planning.
• Performance Incentives: Target bonus potential, recognizing individual and company achievements.
• Equity Ownership: Target equity grants, aligning employee success with company growth.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for learning and growth, crucial for staying ahead in the dynamic crypto and design fields.

Working Hours:

• Generally, a 40-hour work week is standard, with flexibility expected due to the global nature of operations and the fast-paced environment. Adherence to project deadlines and team collaboration needs will be paramount.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Senior Product Designer role in the US, especially in the tech and fintech sectors. The inclusion of target bonus and equity indicates a performance-driven culture and an opportunity for significant financial upside. The benefits package is standard for a full-time role at a reputable tech company. Regional salary adjustments for Canada would typically align with US benchmarks for remote roles, though specific provincial standards might apply. Researching comparable roles in major Canadian tech hubs like Toronto or Vancouver would provide further context.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Cryptocurrency / Financial Services. The company operates at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and the rapidly evolving financial sector, specifically focusing on digital assets and blockchain infrastructure for institutional clients. Company Size: The description doesn't specify, but Coinbase (implied by the blog link) is a large, publicly traded company with thousands of employees globally. This suggests a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for impact within specialized teams. Founded: The blog link points to Coinbase, founded in 2012, indicating a mature company with significant experience in the crypto space.

Team Structure:

• The Institutional team is described as a "tightly knit group of highly talented and motivated individuals." This suggests a collaborative, high-performance environment.
• The reporting structure likely places the Senior Product Designer under a Design Lead or Head of Product Design, with close alignment to Product Management and Engineering leads for the Coinbase Prime product.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a cornerstone, with significant interaction expected between Design, Product Management, Engineering, and other "XFN peers" (cross-functional teams), including Operations, Sales, and Legal/Compliance.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The emphasis on user research, user testing, and understanding client needs indicates a data-informed approach to product development and design.
• Agile Development: While not explicitly stated, the mention of a "product roadmap" and working closely with engineering in a fast-paced environment strongly suggests an agile or iterative development methodology.
• User-Centricity: The mission and vision statements highlight a commitment to building "user-focused products" that are "easier and more delightful to use," driving the design philosophy.

Company Website: https://www.coinbase.com/ (Implied by the blog link)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value innovation, user focus, and strong collaboration. Given the institutional focus, there's likely a strong emphasis on security, reliability, and compliance, which will heavily influence design decisions and processes. The "Referrals Only Board" source type hints at a network-driven hiring process, implying that existing employees refer candidates, which often correlates with a strong internal culture and employee satisfaction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a significant level of experience and autonomy. It sits above mid-level designers and below design managers or directors. Responsibilities include strategic input, end-to-end ownership, and potentially mentoring junior team members. Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report into a design leadership role (e.g., Design Manager, Head of Product Design) and work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on specific product initiatives within the Institutional segment. This structure facilitates focused execution and strategic alignment. Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the success of Coinbase Prime, a critical product line for attracting and retaining institutional clients. Effective design is paramount for user adoption, retention, and the overall perception of Coinbase as a trusted leader in institutional crypto services. Designers significantly influence revenue generation and market positioning through user experience.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in institutional finance, crypto custody, and prime brokerage services, becoming a go-to expert within the company.
• Leadership: Transition into a Design Lead or Managerial role, overseeing a team of designers and influencing broader design strategy and team development.
• Cross-Product Exposure: Potentially move into designing for other Coinbase products or business units as expertise grows and company needs evolve.
• Skill Development: Continuous learning opportunities in emerging design technologies, UX research methodologies, and the evolving landscape of crypto and financial products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Institutional, Custody" focus suggests a highly specialized area within fintech. Growth could involve becoming a thought leader in this niche, contributing to industry standards, or scaling into leadership roles that manage larger design functions or product portfolios. The company's mission to "bring more innovation, efficiency, and equality of opportunity to the world" implies a culture that supports ambitious career development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This offers significant flexibility for employees to work from their preferred location within Canada or the USA. Office Location(s): Remote within Canada and the USA. This broad geographic scope allows for a diverse talent pool and requires strong asynchronous communication practices. Workspace Context:

• The remote nature necessitates a highly collaborative digital workspace, leveraging tools for communication, project management, and design collaboration.
• Access to advanced design and prototyping tools (Figma is specified) will be standard. The company likely provides necessary software licenses and potentially stipends for home office setups.
• Opportunities for team interaction will primarily be through virtual meetings, design critiques, and digital collaboration platforms, fostering a connected remote team culture.

Work Schedule:

• Standard 40-hour work week with flexibility. Given the global nature of finance and crypto, there may be expectations for occasional availability outside standard hours to accommodate international teams or critical deadlines, though this is usually balanced with flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: A fully remote environment requires strong self-discipline, excellent time management, and proactive communication skills. The company culture must support asynchronous work and virtual collaboration to ensure success for designers working across different time zones.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and conduct a brief phone screen to assess basic qualifications, relevant experience, and cultural fit.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: Candidates will likely present their portfolio, discussing key case studies and their design process. A design challenge, either take-home or live, may be administered to evaluate problem-solving skills, design thinking, and execution under timed conditions.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers or stakeholders to assess collaboration, technical understanding, and strategic thinking.
• Hiring Manager/Leadership Interview: A final interview with the hiring manager or a design leader to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and alignment with the team's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Focus on 2-4 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase your experience with complex user journeys, institutional clients, or financial products if possible.
• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your role and responsibilities, the process you followed (research, ideation, iteration), the solutions you designed, and the impact of your work.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. Even qualitative feedback from users or stakeholders can be valuable.
• Highlight Process: Emphasize your thought process and how you arrived at your design solutions. Show your ability to iterate and adapt based on feedback and testing.
• Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your use of Figma and other tools, and how they facilitated your design process.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research Coinbase, its institutional products (Coinbase Prime), and the crypto industry.
• Focus on Problem-Solving: Approach any challenge by first defining the problem, identifying constraints, and then outlining potential solutions.
• Show Your Thinking: Even if you don't arrive at a "perfect" solution, clearly articulating your thought process, assumptions, and trade-offs is crucial.
• Practice Presentation: Be ready to present your work concisely and persuasively, answering questions about your decisions and rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Institutional, Custody" focus and the company's mission, interviewers will likely probe deeply into how candidates approach security, compliance, and user trust in their designs. Expect questions about handling complex data, risk management in design, and designing for high-stakes financial transactions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned as a required fluency. This will be the primary tool for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and collaboration.
• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's native capabilities, other tools like Principle, ProtoPie, or InVision may be used for advanced interactions or specific testing needs.
• Design Collaboration Platforms: Tools for sharing work, providing feedback, and managing design assets within remote teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, a Senior Product Designer will likely interact with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or internal BI dashboards to understand user behavior, track feature adoption, and measure the impact of design changes.
• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with how data is presented in dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Looker) can be beneficial for understanding user metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce): While not a direct tool for designers, understanding how customer data is managed and how sales/support teams use CRM can provide context for institutional client workflows.
• Project Management Tools: Jira, Asana, or Trello are commonly used for tracking design tasks, sprints, and project progress within engineering and product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable. Understanding how design data integrates with product analytics and CRM systems is increasingly important for senior roles, as it demonstrates an ability to connect design work to business outcomes and user behavior.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to the company's vision of building an open financial system and bringing innovation, efficiency, and equality of opportunity to the world.
• User-Centricity: A core value placed on understanding and serving client needs, ensuring products are delightful and easy to use, particularly for sophisticated institutional users.
• Collaboration & Low Ego: Emphasis on teamwork, open communication, and a collective approach to problem-solving, where individual contributions are valued but team success is paramount.
• Integrity & Trust: Crucial in the financial and crypto space, this implies a focus on security, reliability, transparency, and ethical decision-making in all aspects of product development.
• Efficiency & Innovation: A drive to continuously improve processes, explore new solutions, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Designers work hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Engineers, fostering a shared sense of ownership and responsibility for product outcomes.
• Iterative Feedback Loops: Regular design critiques and feedback sessions are integral to the process, encouraging open dialogue and continuous improvement.
• Asynchronous Communication: Given the remote and global nature, effective use of asynchronous communication tools and documentation is key to seamless collaboration across time zones.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, learnings, and insights to uplift the entire team and organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of ambitious goals (open financial system) with practical execution (user-centricity, efficiency, collaboration). For a designer, this means being comfortable with ambiguity, highly collaborative, and deeply focused on delivering secure, reliable, and user-friendly solutions for a demanding institutional audience.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: The crypto space and institutional finance are rapidly evolving, requiring designers to adapt to new technologies, regulations, and market dynamics with agility.
• Complex User Needs: Designing for institutional clients involves understanding intricate workflows, high-stakes decision-making, and stringent security/compliance requirements, which can be challenging.
• Balancing Innovation with Security: Striking the right balance between introducing innovative features and maintaining the highest levels of security and trust for custody services is a constant challenge.
• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and maintaining team cohesion in a fully remote, global environment requires strong communication skills and proactive engagement.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into FinTech & Crypto: Gain unparalleled expertise in institutional crypto services, blockchain technology, and regulatory landscapes.
• Advanced Design Methodologies: Opportunities to explore and implement cutting-edge UX research, prototyping, and design thinking techniques.
• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance understanding of product management, engineering principles, and business strategy through close collaboration.
• Industry Conferences & Training: Potential for participation in leading design, fintech, and crypto conferences, as well as specialized training programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the dynamic and complex nature of the role, which also presents significant growth opportunities. Successfully navigating these challenges will build highly valuable skills and expertise in a niche but rapidly expanding sector of finance and technology.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you influenced product strategy through design." - Prepare a case study that showcases how your insights and design proposals led to a significant shift or improvement in product direction. Focus on the problem, your analysis, the proposed solution, and the resulting impact.
• "How do you approach designing for security and trust in a financial product?" - Discuss your methodologies for incorporating security best practices, building user confidence, and handling sensitive data. Mention any experience with compliance requirements or risk mitigation in design.
• "Walk me through a complex user journey you've designed. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?" - Be ready to present a detailed case study from your portfolio, focusing on the problem, your process, the trade-offs you made, and the outcomes.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Coinbase and the institutional crypto space?" - Research Coinbase's mission, values, and recent news. Connect your personal career goals and interests to the company's objectives and the specific challenges of institutional finance.
• "How do you handle ambiguity and fast-paced environments?" - Share examples of how you've successfully navigated uncertainty, prioritized tasks, and delivered results under pressure.
• "Describe your ideal collaboration style with Product Management and Engineering." - Emphasize your ability to work as a partner, communicate effectively, provide constructive feedback, and align on shared goals.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, follow a clear story arc: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Outcome.
• Focus on "Why": Articulate the reasoning behind your design decisions. Why did you choose a particular approach? What assumptions did you make? How did user feedback influence your choices?
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (screenshots, mockups, prototypes) effectively to illustrate your points.
• Quantify Impact: Present metrics and data that demonstrate the success and business value of your design work.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, tools, and decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a blend of strong design craft, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the institutional finance and crypto landscape. Demonstrating an ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive, secure, and user-friendly experiences will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link, ensuring your resume highlights your relevant experience in product design, particularly with complex or financial products.
• Tailor Your Resume: Emphasize keywords such as "Product Design," "User Journey," "Figma," "Institutional," "Financial Products," "Prototyping," and "Cross-Functional Collaboration." Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Improved user task completion by X%").
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-4 of your strongest case studies that best demonstrate your ability to solve complex problems, your end-to-end design process, and your impact. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., via a personal website or dedicated portfolio platform).
• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your case studies, focusing on the problem, your process, your role, the solutions, and the measurable outcomes. Be ready to discuss your design philosophy and how you approach challenges specific to institutional finance and crypto.
• Research the Company: Familiarize yourself with Coinbase's mission, values, and specifically their institutional offerings like Coinbase Prime. Understand their market position and the competitive landscape.

⚠️ 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.