Staff Content Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Content Designer Company: Ethos Life Location: Remote US Job Type: Full-Time Category: Content Design / UX Writing / Product Marketing Date Posted: October 31, 2025 Experience Level: 8+ Years (with 3+ years at Senior/Staff level) Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic vision and execution of content design for core product experiences and new ventures at Ethos Life, a company transforming the life insurance industry through technology.
• Drive high-impact initiatives across multiple product surfaces, focusing on clarity, emotional resonance, and conversion effectiveness through strategic language and storytelling.
• Develop and evolve scalable content design systems, frameworks, and standards to ensure consistency and optimize user journeys across web, mobile, and email touchpoints.
• Act as a thought leader and strategic partner in product development, influencing direction from concept through launch and championing accessibility, inclusivity, and transparency in all communications.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Staff Content Designer," the responsibilities and requirements strongly indicate a role that bridges UX Writing, Product Marketing, and Content Strategy, with a significant emphasis on driving business outcomes (conversion) through language in a regulated industry. The "Staff" level implies a high degree of autonomy, strategic influence, and potential mentorship responsibilities.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the content design vision and strategy for Ethos’s core product experiences and new product ventures, aligning with business objectives and user needs.
• Partner closely with Product, Design, Research, Brand, and leadership teams to ensure cohesive communication and a unified user experience across all touchpoints.
• Establish playbooks for supporting products at different lifecycles and elevate Ethos’s overall content maturity through systematic development and governance.
• Drive high-impact initiatives across multiple product areas, ensuring content clarity, emotional resonance, and conversion effectiveness for complex financial products.
• Create and champion scalable frameworks for tone of voice, messaging hierarchy, and microcopy patterns to optimize clarity, user understanding, and product performance.
• Lead content-forward experience projects that help users navigate nuanced decisions and emotional barriers inherent in purchasing life insurance.
• Champion accessibility, inclusivity, and transparency in all written communication and user interactions, adhering to industry best practices and ethical standards.
• Guide product designers and product managers in content craft, providing expertise and fostering a culture of strong content design.
• Contribute to and evolve Ethos’s content design standards, systems, and governance models to ensure consistency and efficiency across product teams.
• Intake and synthesize key stakeholder feedback to refine designs and achieve alignment across cross-functional partners, facilitating smooth product development cycles.
• Partner with Data Science and Research to design experiments and content hypotheses that directly connect language to user behavior and key business metrics.
• Utilize qualitative and quantitative insights to continuously refine Ethos’s voice, narrative approach, and overall storytelling effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic, leadership-oriented role. The emphasis on "content systems," "frameworks," and "governance models" suggests a need for someone who can build and scale content operations, not just execute on individual pieces of content. The partnership with Data Science and Research for experimentation points towards a data-driven approach to content optimization, crucial in a conversion-focused environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in English, Linguistics, Communications, Marketing, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically beneficial for roles requiring strong language and strategic communication skills. Advanced degrees or certifications in UX, content strategy, or related areas can be advantageous.

Experience: 8+ years of professional experience in content design, UX writing, product writing, or a closely related field. This must include a minimum of 3 years in a senior or staff-level content role, demonstrating leadership and strategic impact.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated success in designing and implementing scalable content systems and frameworks.
• Proven experience leading content design for multi-surface consumer products, encompassing web, mobile applications, and email communications.
• Exceptional ability to influence product direction through strategic language development and deep user insight.
• Deep understanding of conversion-driven storytelling, particularly within regulated or complex domains such as fintech, insurance, or healthcare.
• Proficiency in design and collaboration tools, specifically Figma.
• A robust portfolio showcasing strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and excellence in content craft.
• Strong analytical skills to partner with Data Science and Research on experiments and hypothesis testing.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective stakeholder management and mentorship.
• Commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and transparency in all content.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the insurance or fintech industry, understanding the nuances of regulated financial products.
• Familiarity with content strategy principles, including content auditing, information architecture, and content governance.
• Knowledge of SEO best practices as they relate to product content.
• Experience with A/B testing methodologies for content optimization.
• Mentorship or team leadership experience in a formal or informal capacity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "8+ years" with "3+ years at senior or staff level" indicates a need for seasoned professionals with a track record of strategic impact, not just execution. The emphasis on "content systems" and "frameworks" suggests that candidates who can build scalable solutions, rather than just create individual pieces of content, will be highly valued. Experience in "regulated or complex domains" is a critical differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Strategic Impact: Showcase projects where your content strategy and execution directly influenced user behavior, conversion rates, or key business metrics. Quantify impact wherever possible.
• Systemic Thinking: Present examples of content systems, frameworks, style guides, or scalable patterns you've designed and implemented. Demonstrate how these improved consistency, efficiency, or user experience across multiple surfaces or products.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Include case studies detailing your collaboration with Product, Design, Research, Engineering, Marketing, and Data Science teams. Highlight how you influenced product direction and aligned stakeholders.
• Craft Excellence: Provide polished examples of microcopy, UI text, product narratives, and potentially email campaigns that demonstrate clarity, emotional resonance, and adherence to brand voice.
• Problem/Solution Framing: Clearly articulate the user problem or business challenge, your approach to solving it with content, and the measurable outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Illustrate how you've mapped out content creation, review, and approval processes, particularly for complex or regulated products.
• System Implementation: Detail the steps involved in implementing content systems, including establishing standards, creating guidelines, and rolling them out to teams.
• Measurement and Analysis: Show how you've partnered with data teams to set up experiments, track content performance, and use insights for iteration and optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is critical for this role, as it needs to demonstrate not just writing skill but strategic thinking, system-building capability, and quantifiable impact. Candidates should prepare to walk through their portfolio, explaining the "why" behind their decisions and how their work contributed to business goals, especially in a conversion-focused environment.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $126,000 - $224,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Potential for bonus and equity compensation (details not specified but typical for staff-level roles).
• Generous paid time off (PTO) and holidays.
• Opportunities for professional development, including conferences and training.
• Access to Ethos's career development resources and a supportive work environment.
• Specific details on benefits available at: https://www.ethoslife.com/careers/

Working Hours: Assumed to be a standard 40-hour work week, typical for full-time, remote positions. Flexibility is implied given the remote nature, but core hours for collaboration with teams across different time zones would likely be expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is broad, reflecting potential variations based on candidate experience, specific skills, and exact location within the US if any location-specific adjustments are made (though the role is listed as Remote US). Candidates at the higher end should be able to demonstrate significant strategic impact and experience in complex domains. The note about "base salary only" implies potential for additional compensation through bonuses and equity, which is common for staff-level roles. Researching comparable "Staff Content Designer" or "Senior UX Writer" roles in FinTech/Insurtech would provide further benchmarks.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Insurtech (Insurance Technology). Ethos Life operates within the financial services sector, specifically leveraging technology to disrupt the traditional life insurance market. This industry is characterized by regulation, a need for trust and clarity, and a growing adoption of digital solutions. Company Size: Mid-sized company (implied by BuiltIn's "Top 100 Midsize Companies in San Francisco" mention). This size typically offers a balance between the structure of a larger organization and the agility and impact potential of a smaller one. Founded: Ethos was founded with a mission to modernize life insurance, suggesting a culture of innovation, disruption, and a focus on user-centric design and technology.

Team Structure:

• The Content Design team likely operates within or closely aligned with the Product and Design departments.
• As a "Staff" level role, this position will likely report to a Director or VP of Product Design, Content Design, or a similar senior leadership position.
• Close collaboration is expected with Product Managers, UX Designers, Researchers, Data Scientists, Brand Marketers, and potentially Engineering.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role explicitly mentions partnering with Data Science and Research to design experiments, indicating a strong emphasis on using data to inform content strategy and optimize user experiences.
• User-Centric Design: The company's mission and the role's focus on user journeys and emotional barriers emphasize a user-first approach.
• Agile Development: Given the tech-forward nature of Ethos, it's highly probable that agile methodologies are employed, requiring content designers to be adaptable and collaborative within iterative product development cycles.
• Systematic Approach: The emphasis on content systems, frameworks, and governance suggests a structured, repeatable approach to content creation and management.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Ethos Life positions itself as a tech-driven innovator in a traditionally slow-moving industry. The culture likely values speed, data, user empathy, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. As a "Staff" level role, the candidate is expected to contribute significantly to shaping these processes and strategies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a "Staff" level, which is typically considered a senior individual contributor (IC) track. It signifies a high degree of expertise, strategic influence, and the ability to operate with significant autonomy. Staff roles often involve defining best practices, mentoring others, and tackling the most complex problems.

Reporting Structure: The Staff Content Designer will likely report to a Director or VP level leader within Product Design, UX, or Content. They will collaborate extensively with peers in Product Management, UX Design, Research, Engineering, and Brand.

Operations Impact: The work directly impacts the user's understanding of and trust in Ethos's life insurance products. By ensuring clarity, emotional resonance, and conversion effectiveness, this role directly influences customer acquisition, retention, and overall business growth. It plays a critical role in making complex financial protection accessible and human, thereby fulfilling the company's mission.

Growth Opportunities:

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in the Insurtech and FinTech sectors, becoming a recognized authority on content strategy for regulated financial products.
• Leadership Development: Transition into management roles (e.g., leading a content design team) or further specialize as a Principal/Distinguished Content Designer, tackling even broader strategic challenges.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across product lines and business units, potentially shaping content strategy for new market entries or product innovations.
• System Building: Take ownership of evolving and scaling Ethos's content design systems and operational processes, driving long-term efficiency and effectiveness.
• Mentorship: Formally or informally mentor junior content designers, product designers, and product managers, contributing to team skill development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" designation is key here, indicating a role with substantial strategic responsibility and potential for significant career advancement, either as a top-tier individual contributor or as a future leader. The candidate is expected to be a proactive force in shaping content strategy and operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote (US-based). This indicates a distributed workforce where collaboration relies heavily on digital tools and asynchronous communication. Office Location(s): Remote within the United States. While remote, candidates may need to be available during specific core working hours to facilitate collaboration with teams across various US time zones.

Workspace Context:

• Digital Collaboration Hub: The work environment is primarily digital, leveraging tools like Slack, Zoom, Figma, and project management software.
• Asynchronous Communication: Expect a significant reliance on well-documented communication and processes to accommodate different time zones and work schedules.
• Cross-functional Interaction: Opportunities for interaction will be through virtual meetings, shared documents, and collaborative design sessions within digital tools.
• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design and collaboration software is essential.

Work Schedule: Typically a standard 40-hour work week. Remote roles often offer flexibility in terms of exact working hours, but availability during core business hours for team meetings and critical collaboration is usually expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a remote role, candidates should highlight their ability to work autonomously, manage their time effectively, and communicate proactively in a digital environment. Understanding how to foster collaboration and build relationships without in-person interaction is a significant aspect of this work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios to assess basic fit and experience.
• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Candidates will likely present their portfolio to the hiring team, discussing key projects, strategic approaches, collaboration methods, and quantifiable results. Expect deep dives into how content influenced user behavior and business outcomes.
• Skills-Based Assessment/Workshop: This might involve a practical exercise or workshop focused on content design challenges, system thinking, or problem-solving within a simulated product scenario.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, UX Designers, Researchers, and potentially leaders from Brand or Data Science to assess collaboration style, strategic thinking, and understanding of the product development lifecycle.
• Executive/Leadership Interview: A final interview with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Product/Design) to assess strategic alignment, cultural fit, and overall leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Strategy & Impact: Clearly articulate the business problem, your strategic content approach, and the measurable results. Use data (even if estimated or hypothetical for exercises) to demonstrate impact.
• Showcase Systems Thinking: Highlight examples where you built or contributed to content systems, frameworks, or scalable patterns. Explain the "why" behind their design and their benefits.
• Detail Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you worked with cross-functional teams, managed feedback, and influenced decisions.
• Craft & Nuance: Present examples of your best work, demonstrating clarity, empathy, and effectiveness, particularly in complex or regulated contexts.
• Tailor to Ethos: Research Ethos Life's mission, products, and target audience. Frame your experience and portfolio examples to demonstrate how you can help them achieve their goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Content Systems Design: Be ready to outline how you would approach designing or improving a content system for a specific product area.
• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Prepare for hypothetical scenarios where you need to improve clarity, drive conversion, or address user confusion through content.
• Messaging & Tone: Practice articulating a brand's voice and tone and applying it to specific UI elements or user journeys.
• Data Integration: Think about how you would collaborate with data teams to test and measure content effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a staff-level role will be rigorous, heavily focused on strategic thinking, problem-solving, and demonstrated impact. The portfolio is paramount and should be curated to showcase not just execution but the strategic rationale and measurable outcomes of the candidate's work.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned for design and prototyping. Proficiency is a must.
• Collaboration Tools: Likely includes platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Workspace for communication and asynchronous collaboration.
• Project Management Software: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello are commonly used for tracking projects and workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Platforms: Experience with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or similar product analytics platforms is crucial for understanding user behavior and measuring content impact.
• A/B Testing Tools: Familiarity with tools used for experimentation (e.g., Optimizely, VWO, or built-in platform tools) would be highly beneficial.
• Data Visualization: While not explicitly mentioned, proficiency in interpreting data dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Looker) could be advantageous.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Understanding of how content interacts with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) might be relevant for lifecycle marketing or customer communication aspects.
• Marketing Automation Platforms: Familiarity with platforms like HubSpot, Marketo, or Pardot could be useful for email campaign content.
• Content Management Systems (CMS): Experience with CMS platforms for managing web content.

📝 Enhancement Note: While Figma is the only tool specifically listed, a Staff Content Designer in a tech-forward company like Ethos will undoubtedly need to be comfortable with a range of digital tools for design, collaboration, project management, and data analysis. The ability to work with data and analytics tools is particularly important given the role's emphasis on experimentation and measuring impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A core value likely centered around making complex financial products accessible and understandable for families.
• Innovation & Disruption: Ethos aims to transform a traditional industry, suggesting a culture that embraces new ideas, technology, and a forward-thinking approach.
• Transparency & Trust: Essential in the insurance industry, this value likely permeates communication and product design, ensuring users feel informed and secure.
• Data-Driven Excellence: The emphasis on experiments and metrics highlights a commitment to using data to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Collaboration & Inclusivity: As a growing company with a diverse mission, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment is key to success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Expect a highly collaborative environment where content designers work closely with product, design, research, marketing, and data teams.
• Feedback-Oriented: A culture that encourages constructive feedback exchange to refine content and strategies.
• Proactive Communication: Given the remote nature, clear, proactive, and often asynchronous communication is paramount.
• Impact-Focused: Teams likely rally around shared goals and metrics, with a focus on delivering tangible business and user outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company’s mission to simplify life insurance suggests a culture that values clarity, empathy, and making complex topics accessible. The "Staff" level role implies contributing to and upholding these values through strategic content initiatives.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Regulatory Complexity: Communicating sensitive financial information clearly and effectively within a regulated industry requires careful attention to detail and compliance.
• Balancing Strategy and Execution: As a staff-level role, managing strategic initiatives while also ensuring high-quality execution across multiple product surfaces can be demanding.
• Building Scalable Systems: Developing and implementing content systems that can adapt to future product growth and evolving user needs requires foresight and robust design.
• Driving Behavioral Change: Persuading users to take action (e.g., purchase life insurance) in a complex and sometimes emotionally charged domain requires sophisticated storytelling and persuasive design.
• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective communication across a distributed, fully remote workforce.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen Insurtech Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in life insurance products, market dynamics, and regulatory landscapes.
• Advanced Content Strategy: Develop expertise in building and scaling content operations, governance, and cross-functional content workflows.
• Leadership and Mentorship: Hone skills in guiding product teams, mentoring junior colleagues, and influencing organizational strategy.
• Data-Informed Design: Enhance capabilities in designing and interpreting experiments to drive content optimization and business impact.
• Cross-Functional Acumen: Broaden understanding of product development, data science, and brand strategy within a cutting-edge tech company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to the Insurtech space and the senior nature of the role. The growth opportunities are framed around leveraging these challenges into skill development and career advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you defined the content strategy for a complex product or feature. What was your process, and what were the key outcomes?" (Focus on strategic planning, user research integration, and measurable results.)
• "How would you approach building a content system for a new product line at Ethos? What frameworks would you consider, and how would you ensure scalability and consistency?" (Assess understanding of content operations, scalability, and governance.)
• "Walk me through a challenging cross-functional collaboration. How did you influence stakeholders and align different perspectives to achieve a common goal regarding content?" (Evaluate communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.)
• "Describe an instance where you used data or user research to significantly improve content performance or user experience. What was your hypothesis, experiment, and outcome?" (Gauge data literacy and ability to connect content to metrics.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Ethos Life and the Insurtech industry specifically? What excites you about our mission?" (Assess genuine interest and alignment with company values.)
• "How do you ensure accessibility, inclusivity, and transparency in your content design work, especially in a regulated industry?" (Evaluate commitment to ethical content practices.)
• "What is your philosophy on mentorship and guiding junior team members or product partners in content best practices?" (Understand leadership and team development approach.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling is Key: Structure your portfolio walkthrough as a narrative – problem, your strategic approach, execution, collaboration, and impact.
• Quantify Everything Possible: Use numbers and metrics to demonstrate the impact of your work on conversion, user engagement, or efficiency.
• Highlight Systems & Frameworks: Dedicate time to explaining any content systems, style guides, or frameworks you've built, emphasizing their scalability and benefits.
• Showcase Collaboration: Be ready to discuss your interactions with other teams and how you navigated feedback and differing opinions.
• Prepare for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, rationale, and the trade-offs you made.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, system-building capabilities, and a data-driven approach, all within the context of a regulated industry like Insurtech. The portfolio is the centerpiece, so candidates must be able to articulate the "why" and "how" behind their work and its impact.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Content Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Greenhouse.
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects demonstrating strategic content design, system building, cross-functional collaboration, and measurable impact, particularly any experience in regulated industries or complex consumer products. Tailor your case studies to highlight how you address clarity, trust, and conversion.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 8+ years of experience, specifically highlighting the last 3+ years in senior/staff-level roles. Use keywords from the job description such as "content design systems," "language strategy," "conversion-driven storytelling," and "Figma." Quantify achievements wherever possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on storytelling and articulating your strategic rationale. Prepare to discuss your experience with data-driven experimentation and collaboration with cross-functional teams. Research Ethos Life's mission, values, and product offerings.
• Company Research: Deeply understand Ethos Life's business model, target audience, and their mission to simplify life insurance. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers that demonstrate your strategic thinking and genuine interest in the company and its challenges.

⚠️ 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.