Staff Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer Company: Match Group Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Job Type: Full-time Category: Product Design Operations Date Posted: July 22, 2025 Experience Level: 6+ Years (Mid to Senior Level) Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end product design lifecycle for dating platforms, focusing on mobile-first UI/UX and systems thinking.
• Champion user needs and translate data-driven insights into intuitive, emotionally resonant, and scalable user experiences.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Research, Analytics) to deliver high-quality, user-centric design solutions.
• Contribute to and evolve a global design system, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and ease of use across multiple brands and platforms.
• Provide mentorship to junior designers, fostering a collaborative and forward-thinking design culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Staff Product Designer," the responsibilities and experience requirements suggest a senior-level individual contributor role, potentially with some leadership or mentorship expectations. The focus on a centralized design team working across multiple brands indicates a need for strong system thinking and the ability to balance brand-specific needs with overarching design principles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the complete product design process, from initial concept exploration and user research to final launch and iteration, with a strong emphasis on mobile UI/UX.
• Act as a primary advocate for user needs and perspectives throughout the entire product development lifecycle, ensuring user-centricity is paramount.
• Leverage user research, analytics data, and key performance metrics to inform design decisions, optimize user flows, and drive business outcomes.
• Foster robust collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and Data Analysts to conceptualize and deliver elegant, intuitive, and impactful user experiences.
• Deconstruct complex user problems and business objectives into elegant, actionable design solutions that are both user-friendly and technically feasible.
• Craft a range of design artifacts, including sketches, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs, adhering to the highest standards of quality and craft.
• Develop and present interactive prototypes to effectively communicate design concepts, validate user flows, and gather stakeholder feedback.
• Partner closely with engineering teams to ensure accurate and efficient implementation of design specifications, maintaining design integrity.
• Actively engage with diverse stakeholders to gather requirements, manage feedback, and align design strategy with overarching business objectives.
• Contribute significantly to the ongoing development, maintenance, and evolution of the company's design system, ensuring its scalability and utility.
• Mentor and guide junior designers, offering constructive feedback, sharing best practices, and contributing to the growth of the design team's capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of individual contributor design work and collaborative, strategic influence. The emphasis on "end-to-end product design" and "advocating for the user" points to a role that requires strong ownership and a deep understanding of the product development process from a design perspective. The mention of "data and insights" and "key metrics" underscores the importance of a data-informed approach to design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is typically expected for roles at this level.

Experience: Minimum of 6 years of progressive experience in Product Design, with a proven track record of delivering successful digital products, particularly in mobile-first environments.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in leading the full product design lifecycle, from discovery and ideation through to execution and iteration.
• Proven ability to translate complex user needs and business requirements into simple, elegant, and effective design solutions.
• Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with a strong preference for Figma, and a deep understanding of its capabilities for component libraries and design tokens.
• Experience designing and shipping products across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and Web.
• Strong understanding of user-centered design principles, interaction design, and visual design best practices.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale clearly to diverse audiences.
• Experience in creating engaging motion design, animations, transitions, and micro-interactions to enhance user experience and engagement.
• Substantial experience in building, maintaining, and evolving design systems at scale.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the dating or social connection industry, understanding the unique nuances of these user bases.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and working effectively within cross-functional, iterative teams.
• Experience conducting and interpreting user research, including usability testing, interviews, and surveys.
• Knowledge of design tokens, atomic design principles, and component-based design architectures.
• A portfolio that showcases a strong command of UI craftsmanship, interaction design, and a deep understanding of user empathy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "6+ years" requirement positions this as a senior-level role. The emphasis on Figma, design systems, and cross-platform experience strongly suggests that candidates with expertise in maintaining and scaling design infrastructure will be highly valued. The mention of motion design indicates a preference for designers who can add polish and delight through animation.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design ownership, showcasing UI/UX excellence across multiple projects.
• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your design process, your role, the solutions you designed, and the impact of those solutions (quantified where possible).
• Examples of how you have translated user research and data insights into tangible design improvements.
• Demonstrations of your ability to design for different platforms (iOS, Android, Web) and your understanding of platform-specific conventions.
• Evidence of your contribution to or creation of design systems, including component libraries, style guides, and design principles.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail your approach to problem-solving, including user research methodologies, ideation techniques, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing.
• Showcase your process for collaborating with Product Managers and Engineers, highlighting how you ensure design feasibility and implementation accuracy.
• Examples of how you have iterated on designs based on user feedback, A/B testing results, or performance metrics.
• Documentation that illustrates your understanding of design system principles, including consistency, scalability, and maintainability.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff Product Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond just showcasing final UI; it must demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, a deep understanding of the design process, and measurable impact. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their projects, explaining their rationale and decision-making at each stage.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $135,000 - $150,000 USD per year (base salary).

Benefits:

• Generous vacation time, flex days, and professional development days to support work-life balance and continuous learning.
• Financial benefits including RRSP matching and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, fostering long-term financial well-being.
• Investment in professional growth with a dedicated professional development budget and unlimited access to Udemy courses.
• Opportunities for career advancement and skill enhancement through the Match Group mentorship program.
• Comprehensive support for life milestones, including parental leave top-up and fertility preservation benefits.
• Robust health and wellness coverage with extended health & dental benefits provided from day one.
• Perks like a Corporate ClassPass membership and other wellness initiatives to promote employee health.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week. The role is hybrid, requiring 3 days per week in the Vancouver office, allowing for flexibility in structuring the remaining workdays, which may be remote.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is noted as representative of base salary and subject to geographic adjustment. For Vancouver, Canada, the listed USD range will need to be converted and adjusted for local cost of living and market rates. Based on current market data for a Staff Product Designer in Vancouver, this range is competitive but may lean towards the mid-to-lower end for highly experienced candidates in this specific tech hub. A conversion to CAD would be approximately $185,000 - $205,000 CAD, depending on the exchange rate. The benefits package is extensive and demonstrates a strong commitment to employee well-being and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Online Dating & Social Connection, Technology. Match Group operates in a dynamic and competitive digital landscape, focusing on creating meaningful connections through technology. The company's portfolio includes a wide array of brands, each catering to different demographics and relationship goals.

Company Size: Match Group is a large, publicly traded company with a global presence. This means access to significant resources, established processes, and opportunities for broad impact, alongside the potential for more structured environments.

Founded: Match Group was founded in 1995. With a long history in the online dating space, the company has evolved significantly, adapting to technological advancements and changing user behaviors, building a deep understanding of the market.

Team Structure:

• The Core Product Design Team is a centralized function, meaning it serves multiple brands within the Match Group portfolio. This structure allows for the development of shared design systems, consistent user experiences, and cross-brand learning.
• Designers likely report into a Design Lead or Director, working within pods that include Product Managers and Engineers for specific product areas or brands.
• Collaboration is expected to be high, both within the design team and with product, engineering, research, and analytics counterparts across different brands.

Methodology:

• A strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making, utilizing analytics and user research to inform design strategies and validate hypotheses.
• Agile and iterative development processes are likely employed, requiring designers to be adaptable and responsive to feedback.
• A focus on building and maintaining a scalable design system to ensure consistency and efficiency across a portfolio of diverse products.
• User-centric design methodologies are core, prioritizing user needs and empathy in every design solution.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Working in a centralized design team for a large portfolio like Match Group offers unique challenges and opportunities. Designers need to be adept at systems thinking and creating flexible design solutions that can be adapted to various brand identities and user segments, while also contributing to the overarching design language of Match Group.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Staff," indicating a senior individual contributor role. Staff designers are expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, tackle complex and ambiguous problems, influence product strategy, and mentor others. They are key players in shaping the design direction and elevating the craft within the team.

Reporting Structure: The Staff Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director within the Core Product Design Team. They will work collaboratively with Product Managers and Engineering leads for specific product initiatives, and will also have opportunities to mentor junior designers, though not necessarily direct reporting line management.

Operations Impact: The design decisions made by this role will have a direct impact on millions of users across various Match Group brands. By creating intuitive, engaging, and effective dating experiences, the designer will influence user acquisition, retention, engagement, and ultimately, the success of the products and the company's mission to help people find meaningful connections.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like mobile UX, design systems, interaction design, or even management/leadership within design.
• Cross-Brand Exposure: Gain experience working on a diverse range of dating products, understanding different user segments and market needs.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Develop leadership skills by mentoring junior designers, leading design initiatives, and contributing to the strategic direction of the design team.
• Impactful Projects: Work on high-visibility projects that have a direct impact on user growth and engagement for globally recognized brands.
• Industry Influence: Contribute to the evolution of design practices within the rapidly growing online dating industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title signifies a level of expertise and influence that goes beyond typical senior roles. Candidates are expected to demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities for ambiguous challenges, and the ability to mentor and elevate the skills of their peers. This role offers significant potential for career advancement within a large, established company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is hybrid, requiring 3 days per week in the Vancouver office. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork and in-person interaction, balanced with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This location offers access to a vibrant tech scene and a talented pool of design and engineering professionals.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment is likely set up to encourage collaboration through shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and informal gathering areas.
• Designers will have access to the necessary tools and technology to perform their roles, including high-performance workstations and software licenses.
• Opportunities for regular interaction with design peers, product managers, engineers, and researchers will be abundant, facilitating knowledge sharing and efficient problem-solving.

Work Schedule: The hybrid model (3 days in-office) allows for flexibility in how the remaining workdays are structured, accommodating personal needs while ensuring team connectivity and collaboration. This structure supports designers in managing their time effectively to meet project deadlines and participate in key team activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on 3 days in the office is a key indicator of Match Group's preference for in-person collaboration, likely to foster team cohesion, spontaneous problem-solving, and the effective transfer of knowledge, especially concerning design systems and complex product challenges.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application, focusing on your resume and portfolio.
• Portfolio Review & Presentation: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, walking through 1-2 key projects that showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your specific role, design decisions, and challenges faced.
• Design Challenge: A practical design exercise, either take-home or live, potentially focusing on a real-world problem or a case study. This assesses your problem-solving approach, design thinking, and ability to deliver within constraints.
• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Researchers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and alignment with team workflows.
• Staff-Level Interview: A discussion focusing on strategic thinking, mentorship capabilities, influence, and experience tackling complex, ambiguous problems. This might involve a senior design leader.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives—define the problem, your process, your specific contributions, the solution, and the measurable impact.
• Showcase Your Process: Don't just show final screens; include wireframes, user flows, research insights, and iterations to demonstrate your thinking.
• Highlight Impact: Quantify your contributions whenever possible (e.g., "increased conversion by X%," "reduced task completion time by Y seconds").
• Focus on Collaboration: Explain how you worked with PMs, engineers, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: If applicable, showcase your experience with design systems, component libraries, and scalability.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Match Group's brands and the typical user journeys for dating apps.
• Practice breaking down complex problems and articulating your design process clearly and concisely.
• Be ready to articulate your design rationale and defend your decisions with user-centric reasoning and data.
• Prepare to discuss how you handle feedback and iteration cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Staff-level role will be rigorous, testing not only design skills but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to influence across teams. A strong, well-articulated portfolio presentation is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, collaboration, and design system management. Fluency is a must.
• Prototyping Tools: Figma's prototyping capabilities, or potentially tools like Principle, Framer, or After Effects for more advanced motion design.
• User Research Platforms: Tools for usability testing, surveys, and user interviews may be used (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Lookback).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Analytics Tools: Experience with platforms like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or similar tools to understand user behavior, track key metrics, and inform design decisions.
• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools that help present data insights effectively.

CRM & Automation: While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how CRM and automation platforms (like Salesforce, HubSpot) influence the user journey and data flow can be beneficial for contextualizing design impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable. Experience with analytics tools is also crucial, as the role emphasizes data-informed design. Familiarity with design system tools and principles is also a key requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User Obsession: A deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs, ensuring every design decision prioritizes the user experience.
• Collaboration: A strong belief in working closely with cross-functional partners to achieve shared goals and build the best products.
• Craftsmanship: A dedication to high-quality design execution, paying attention to detail, interaction, and visual polish.
• Data-Informed Decisions: Utilizing data and insights to guide design choices, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement.
• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas and approaches to solve problems and create delightful user experiences in the dating space.
• Inclusivity: Designing experiences that are accessible and welcoming to a diverse range of users.

Collaboration Style:

• Expect a highly collaborative environment where designers work closely with Product Managers to define product strategy and requirements, and with Engineers to ensure seamless implementation.
• Open communication and constructive feedback are likely encouraged, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• The team likely values shared ownership and collective problem-solving to achieve the best outcomes for users and the business.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core values emphasize a user-centric, collaborative, and data-driven approach. Designers are expected to be proactive collaborators who can effectively communicate their ideas and integrate feedback from various stakeholders.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Multiple Brands: Designing for a portfolio of diverse dating apps requires balancing brand-specific identities with overarching design system consistency and scalability.
• Complex User Needs: The dating space involves nuanced emotional and social dynamics, requiring designers to deeply understand and cater to a wide range of user motivations and needs.
• Fast-Paced Environment: Working in a large tech company, especially in consumer-facing products, often means adapting to rapid iteration cycles and evolving market demands.
• Impact Measurement: Clearly articulating and demonstrating the impact of design decisions on business metrics can be challenging but is crucial for senior roles.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Expertise: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in building and scaling design systems for a large product suite.
• Cross-functional Skill Development: Enhance collaboration and communication skills by working closely with product, engineering, and research teams.
• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of trends in UX/UI design, mobile technology, and the evolving landscape of online dating.
• Mentorship: Benefit from and provide mentorship, fostering personal and professional growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in large organizations, requiring adaptability, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to influence. The growth opportunities are significant, offering a path for deep specialization and career advancement within the company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex product problem you solved using design. What was your process, what were the trade-offs, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on the end-to-end process, data, and impact).
• "How do you approach collaborating with Product Managers and Engineers to ensure your designs are successfully implemented?" (Highlight communication, negotiation, and technical understanding).
• "Walk us through a time you had to balance user needs with business objectives or technical constraints. How did you arrive at your solution?" (Emphasize prioritization and problem-solving).
• "How do you contribute to or maintain a design system? What are the key considerations for scaling a design system?" (Showcase your systems thinking and practical experience).
• "Tell us about a time you mentored a junior designer or influenced design culture. What was your approach?" (Demonstrate leadership and team-building skills).

Company & Culture Questions:

• Research Match Group's various brands (Match, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, etc.) and their target audiences.
• Understand Match Group's mission and values.
• Be prepared to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with the company's focus on helping people find meaningful connections.
• Consider how you would integrate into a hybrid work environment and contribute to team cohesion.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, typically by project. For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, the process, key decisions, challenges, solutions, and outcomes (with metrics).
• Depth: Be ready to dive deep into specific aspects of your process, such as user research methodologies, wireframing rationale, interaction design choices, and how you incorporated feedback.
• Conciseness: While detail is important, ensure your presentation is engaging and respects the interviewer's time. Focus on the most impactful aspects.
• Engagement: Make it a conversation. Ask clarifying questions and be prepared to answer questions thoroughly.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff Designer role, interviewers will probe for strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities for ambiguous situations, and the capacity to influence and mentor. Your portfolio presentation is your primary tool to demonstrate these qualities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.lever.co.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that demonstrate end-to-end product design, strong UI/UX craft, systems thinking, and measurable impact, ideally with mobile-first examples.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 6+ years of experience, key skills (Figma, design systems, interaction design, collaboration), and achievements using operations-relevant keywords like "process optimization," "user-centric design," and "cross-functional collaboration."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work. Prepare specific examples for common interview questions related to collaboration, data-driven design, and mentorship.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Match Group's portfolio of brands and their respective user bases to better understand the context of the role and demonstrate your interest.

⚠️ 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.