Staff Product Designer, Core UI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer, Core UI

Company: Lattice

Location: Remote - US

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: March 03, 2026

Experience Level: Staff Level (10+ Years)

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a senior-level Product Designer role focused on the Core UI and foundational elements of the Lattice Platform, including navigation, homepages, and mobile strategy.

• The position requires a strong emphasis on systems thinking, design system evolution, and ensuring cross-product cohesion for a scalable B2B SaaS environment.

• The Staff Designer will be instrumental in shaping the platform's future, elevating design quality, and advocating for best practices across multiple product areas.

• This role demands deep expertise in visual and interaction design, with the ability to simplify complex, cross-product workflows and ensure seamless responsive experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the original posting is for a Product Designer, given the "Staff" level designation and the emphasis on platform foundation, design systems, and cross-product cohesion, this role strongly aligns with the strategic and architectural aspects often found in senior-level operations-adjacent design roles. The focus on systems, scale, and elevating overlooked experiences is critical for operational efficiency and user adoption.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design strategy and execution for critical user touchpoints including navigation, homepages, and mobile app experience.

• Evolve and extend the Lattice design system to support new features and ensure platform-wide consistency and scalability.

• Drive cross-product cohesion by identifying and implementing design patterns that create a unified user experience across the entire Lattice platform.

• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and User Researchers to define problem spaces, articulate design solutions, and influence product roadmaps.

• Advocate for design quality and craft across multiple product areas, setting a high bar for visual and interaction design standards.

• Simplify complex, cross-product workflows, ensuring intuitive and efficient user journeys.

• Design responsive systems that function seamlessly across various devices, screen sizes, and contexts.

• Provide design direction and mentorship to other designers and engineers to ensure high-quality and consistent implementation of designs.

• Foster a feedback-rich culture by actively giving constructive feedback and modeling transparency in design iteration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic influence on platform architecture and user experience, which directly impacts operational efficiency and user adoption. The emphasis on design systems and cross-product cohesion is vital for maintaining consistency and scalability, core tenets of effective operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While formal education is not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, or a related field is typically expected for staff-level roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 10+ years of experience in product design, with a significant portion focused on complex systems, UI/UX design, and design system development.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in designing complex, cross-product workflows and simplifying intricate systems.

• Expert-level understanding of visual design principles (typography, hierarchy, spacing, grids) and interaction design.

• Proven experience designing for responsive systems at scale, ensuring consistency across devices and contexts.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities and deep expertise in evolving and extending design systems.

• Demonstrated ability to shape design direction and influence roadmaps across multiple product areas.

• Experience collaborating closely with User Research and cross-functional teams to identify problems and articulate solutions.

• High-quality execution and attention to detail in design specifications and implementation guidance.

• Proven ability to foster and champion a feedback culture, mentor teammates, and model transparency.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience contributing to or leading horizontal product teams and/or design systems initiatives.

• Experience influencing platform-wide strategy in a B2B SaaS environment.

• Formal training or deep craft expertise in typography, systems design, or interaction principles.

• Proficiency in front-end development (HTML/CSS/React) to effectively bridge design and engineering conversations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The extensive experience requirement and focus on systems thinking, design systems, and cross-product cohesion indicate a role that requires a deep understanding of how design impacts operational efficiency and scalability within a software product. The preferred skills in front-end development further underscore the need for a designer who can deeply collaborate with engineering on implementation details that affect product performance and maintainability.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase of complex, cross-product workflows designed and their impact on user efficiency and adoption.

• Detailed case studies demonstrating expertise in evolving or creating design systems, including component libraries, pattern definition, and governance.

• Examples of responsive design solutions for diverse devices and screen sizes, highlighting adaptability and consistency.

• Projects that illustrate strong systems thinking, showing how individual design decisions contribute to a cohesive and scalable platform architecture.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly outline the design process, from problem identification and user research to solution iteration and implementation.

• Demonstrate how feedback was incorporated and how design decisions were validated.

• Highlight collaboration with engineering and product management, showcasing communication strategies for complex projects.

• Include examples of how design quality and consistency were maintained throughout the development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff-level designer focused on Core UI and systems, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not just aesthetic skill but a deep understanding of how design impacts the product's operational integrity, scalability, and usability across diverse user journeys. The ability to articulate process, system evolution, and cross-functional collaboration is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The estimated annual cash salary for this role is $163,500.00 - $204,500.00 USD.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance.

• Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance.

• Emergency Weather Support.

• Access to Wellness Apps.

• Generous Paid Parental Leave.

• Paid Time Off (inclusive of holidays and sick time).

• Commuter & Parking Accounts.

• Subsidized Lunches in the Office (if applicable to hybrid or in-office days, though role is remote).

• Internet and Phone Stipend.

• One-time WFH Office Set-Up Stipend.

• 401(k) retirement plan.

• Financial Planning services.

• Learning & Development Budget.

• Sabbatical Program.

• Invest in Your People Fund.

Working Hours: The posting implies a standard 40-hour work week, typical for full-time roles. Flexibility may be expected given the remote nature and the need for cross-functional collaboration across different time zones within the US.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided for a US-based remote role at a Staff level. Compensation is benchmarked against market data for similar roles in the tech industry, considering experience, seniority, and location factors. The benefits package is comprehensive, offering strong support for employee well-being, professional development, and financial planning, which are attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Human Resources Technology (HR Tech) / Software as a Service (SaaS)

Company Size: Lattice is a growing company with over 5,000+ customers globally, indicating a mid-to-large-sized organization with established processes but still room for agility and impact.

Founded: Founded in 2016, Lattice is a relatively young but rapidly scaling company, known for its focus on people success and employee engagement.

Team Structure:

• The Design & Research Team is a significant function within Lattice, spanning Brand Design, Content Design, Product Design, and Research.

• The Core UI team is a specialized unit within Product Design, focusing on foundational platform elements.

• This role will be part of a cross-functional "pod" structure, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Engineers on specific platform areas.

Methodology:

• Lattice emphasizes a people-centric approach to its product development.

• The design process likely involves a blend of user research, iterative design, and close collaboration with engineering.

• A strong focus on data-driven decision-making is implied by the nature of their platform (performance reviews, engagement surveys, goal setting).

• The company values growing together and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and feedback.

Company Website: https://lattice.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Lattice's mission to "build cultures where employees and their companies thrive" suggests a company culture that values employee well-being, growth, and collaboration. For an operations-focused candidate, this implies a workplace that appreciates efficiency, user-centricity, and the impact of well-designed systems on overall organizational performance. The "people success" platform itself is built on operational principles of feedback, goal alignment, and engagement tracking.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Staff Product Designer role, representing a senior individual contributor level. It signifies deep expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence product direction and mentor other designers. In an operations context, this level implies responsibility for foundational systems that underpin product scalability and efficiency.

Reporting Structure: The Staff Designer will report into Design leadership and work within cross-functional product pods. They will also have influence and collaborate with peers and leaders across multiple design areas, acting as a subject matter expert for Core UI and design systems.

Operations Impact: The Staff Designer's work on Core UI and design systems has a profound operational impact by:

• Ensuring consistency and reducing cognitive load for users, leading to higher adoption and productivity.

• Providing a scalable foundation for new feature development, reducing engineering overhead and time-to-market.

• Establishing design standards that improve the efficiency of design and engineering teams through reusable components and patterns.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepen expertise in design systems, platform architecture, and complex UI design.

• Expand influence across product teams and contribute to company-wide design strategy.

• Potential to move into Principal Designer roles or leadership positions within Design or related operations-focused product areas.

• Opportunities to mentor and develop junior and mid-level designers, honing leadership and communication skills.

• Contribute to Lattice's internal design culture and advocate for best practices in B2B SaaS product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Staff level implies a significant degree of autonomy and strategic input. For operations professionals, this role offers a unique opportunity to influence the foundational elements of a product that drives operational efficiency for thousands of companies. Growth opportunities are tied to increasing scope of influence, strategic contribution, and mentorship.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is fully remote, indicating a distributed workforce. Lattice does provide office lunches, suggesting that even remote employees might have opportunities to connect or that there's an emphasis on providing perks that mimic office benefits.

Office Location(s): "Remote - US" and "United States" indicate that candidates must be based within the United States. Specific time zone alignment (e.g., America/Chicago) may be preferred for collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• A fully remote work environment necessitates strong self-discipline, proactive communication, and effective use of collaboration tools.

• The company provides stipends for WFH setup, internet, and phone, supporting a productive home office environment.

• Collaboration will primarily occur through digital channels (Slack, video conferencing, design tools), requiring excellent virtual communication skills.

• The emphasis on design systems and Core UI suggests a structured approach to design work, benefiting from clear documentation and established processes.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week is assumed, with flexibility common in remote roles. However, effective collaboration with teams across US time zones will require some coordination. The focus on "people success" suggests Lattice values work-life balance, but high-impact roles like Staff Designer may require periods of intense focus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of this role is crucial. It requires candidates to be self-motivated and adept at virtual collaboration. The provision of stipends highlights Lattice's commitment to supporting remote employees, which can positively impact their ability to maintain efficient work setups.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Recruiter will assess overall fit, experience level, and alignment with the role's core requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation (Round 1): Candidates will present 1-2 case studies from their portfolio, focusing on complex systems, design system contributions, or cross-product workflow challenges. Expect detailed questions on process, decision-making, and impact.

• Design Challenge / Whiteboarding (Round 2): A practical exercise, often involving a system-level design problem or a complex UI challenge. This assesses problem-solving skills, systems thinking, and ability to articulate solutions under pressure.

• Cross-Functional Interviews (Round 3): Interviews with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team.

• Hiring Manager / Design Leadership Interview: Final discussion with the hiring manager or design leader to assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Systems: Highlight projects where you significantly contributed to or evolved a design system, or tackled complex, interconnected UI challenges.

• Showcase Impact: Quantify results whenever possible. How did your design decisions improve user efficiency, adoption, or operational effectiveness for the product?

• Detail Your Process: Clearly articulate your strategic thinking, problem-solving approach, and how you navigated trade-offs.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Explain how you partnered with PMs, Engineers, and Researchers, and how you communicated complex ideas.

• Tailor to Lattice: Connect your experience to Lattice's mission and product. If you have B2B SaaS or HR Tech experience, emphasize it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Systems Thinking: Practice thinking about how different parts of a system interact and how changes in one area affect others.

• Responsive Design: Be ready to discuss how you'd approach designing for various screen sizes and contexts.

• Design System Application: Prepare to discuss how you'd apply, extend, or even start a design system for a new feature or platform area.

• Communication: Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely, as if explaining it to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Staff Designer is rigorous, focusing heavily on strategic thinking, systems expertise, and collaborative impact. A candidate's portfolio must clearly demonstrate their ability to handle complexity and drive operational improvements through design.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, standard in modern design teams), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Miro/Mural for whiteboarding.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello (or similar tools used by engineering/product teams).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a direct responsibility, understanding how to leverage product analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) to inform design decisions and measure impact is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM or automation systems, familiarity with how these systems integrate with the user interface and impact user workflows is a plus. Understanding the B2B SaaS context where these tools are prevalent for sales and customer success operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is almost a given for modern product design roles. The ability to work seamlessly with engineering tools like Jira and communicate effectively via Slack and Zoom is critical for a remote, cross-functional role. Understanding analytics helps designers connect their work to business outcomes, which is a key aspect of operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep understanding of user needs and a commitment to creating intuitive, efficient experiences that support user success.

• Excellence & Craftsmanship: A dedication to high-quality design execution, attention to detail, and continuous improvement of design standards.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, active listening, and a willingness to share work, feedback, and learnings across teams.

• Systems Thinking: An appreciation for how individual components fit into a larger ecosystem, ensuring scalability, consistency, and maintainability.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on delivering designs that have a measurable positive impact on users and the business, aligning with Lattice's mission of "people success."

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Pods: Working closely with Product Management and Engineering in agile teams.

• Design System Leadership: Collaborating with other designers and engineers to maintain and evolve the design system.

• Mentorship & Feedback: Actively participating in design critiques, providing constructive feedback, and mentoring junior team members.

• Advocacy: Championing design principles and best practices across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Lattice's focus on "people success" and "thriving cultures" suggests a values system that prioritizes employee growth, well-being, and collaborative achievement. For a Staff Designer, this means a role where strategic input, continuous learning, and a commitment to quality are highly valued and encouraged.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation and Consistency: Evolving a mature design system and core UI while introducing new features and maintaining platform-wide consistency can be challenging.

• Cross-Product Alignment: Ensuring cohesive experiences across disparate product areas requires strong influence and communication skills.

• Technical Constraints: Working within the realities of front-end development and engineering resources, requiring pragmatic design solutions.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong working relationships and effective communication in a fully remote environment.

• Advocating for Design at Scale: Influencing product strategy and roadmap decisions at a senior level.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Systems Mastery: Becoming a leading voice in Lattice's design system evolution and best practices.

• Platform Architecture: Gaining a deep understanding of the technical and strategic underpinnings of a large-scale SaaS product.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing skills in mentoring designers and influencing cross-functional teams.

• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of advancements in UI design, design systems, and B2B SaaS product development.

• Strategic Impact: Contributing directly to the growth and success of a prominent HR Tech platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior-level roles focused on foundational product elements, requiring a blend of technical understanding, strategic foresight, and strong interpersonal skills. The growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise and expanding influence within the organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach evolving the navigation system of a complex platform like Lattice to improve discoverability and user efficiency?" (Focus: Systems thinking, user needs, platform impact)

• "Describe a time you had to balance maintaining design system integrity with introducing a novel design pattern. What was your process and outcome?" (Focus: Design system expertise, problem-solving, compromise)

• "How do you ensure a consistent and high-quality user experience across multiple product teams and designers?" (Focus: Collaboration, process, quality assurance)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Lattice's mission and our focus on 'people success'?" (Focus: Cultural alignment, mission understanding)

• "How do you contribute to a positive and productive design culture, especially in a remote environment?" (Focus: Teamwork, remote collaboration, feedback)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure each case study like a story: the problem, your approach, the solution, and the measurable impact.

• Visual Clarity: Use high-quality mockups, flows, and interactive prototypes to illustrate your work.

• Data-Driven Insights: Clearly present any data or research that informed your decisions and demonstrate the outcomes achieved.

• Systemic Thinking: Explicitly call out how your work contributes to the overall product ecosystem and design system.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time constraints; focus on the most impactful aspects of each project.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, systems expertise, and a collaborative approach. Candidates should be ready to discuss their process, impact, and how their work aligns with Lattice's mission and operational goals.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Lattice careers portal via the provided URL.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight experience with design systems, complex UI/UX, responsive design, and B2B SaaS environments. Use keywords from the job description to ensure ATS compatibility.

• Curate your portfolio: Select 1-2 case studies that best showcase your expertise in Core UI, design systems, or complex workflow simplification. Be prepared to deeply discuss your process, rationale, and impact.

• Research Lattice: Understand their product, mission, and customer base. Consider how your design philosophy aligns with their commitment to "people success" and building thriving cultures.

• Prepare for the interview process: Familiarize yourself with common product design interview questions, especially those related to systems thinking, collaboration, and strategic influence. Practice articulating your thought process for design 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.

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