Staff Product Designer, New Business, CNN Digital Products & Services

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer, New Business, CNN Digital Products & Services

Company: Warner Bros. Discovery

Location: New York, NY, United States | Atlanta, GA, United States | Washington, DC, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX)

Date Posted: 2026-03-25

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design vision and end-to-end execution for innovative, standalone products within CNN's New Business initiatives, focusing on distinctive non-news experiences.

• Drive strategic product development in highly ambiguous areas, leveraging deep expertise in user-centered design across multiple platforms and channels.

• Craft a comprehensive range of design artifacts, from information architecture to high-fidelity prototypes, to inform and influence product strategy and key decisions.

• Foster collaboration with cross-functional teams including editorial, product, engineering, and research to synthesize diverse business goals into best-in-class user experiences.

• Champion thoughtful innovation, understanding platform and business constraints while pushing boundaries to reimagine user possibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the input is for a Product Designer, this enhancement focuses on translating the core responsibilities and requirements through the lens of operations, specifically how design operations and product operations contribute to GTM strategies for new digital products. This role is critical for operationalizing innovative product concepts.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and articulate the design vision and comprehensive execution strategy for new, emerging digital products, ensuring alignment with CNN's future growth objectives.

• Independently produce and iterate on a variety of design deliverables, including user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and visual designs, to facilitate stakeholder understanding and buy-in.

• Lead design-thinking workshops and collaborative sessions to shape product direction, influence strategic roadmaps, and drive innovation for new business ventures.

• Foster robust cross-functional partnerships with editorial, product management, engineering, user research, and growth marketing teams to ensure cohesive product development and a customer-centric approach.

• Act as a design advocate, challenging conventional approaches and exploring disruptive possibilities within the mobile and web platforms to create unique and engaging user experiences that support subscription growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities have been reframed to highlight the operational aspects of design leadership, emphasizing strategic execution, cross-functional alignment, and the driving of new product initiatives, aligning with the operational demands of launching innovative digital services.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or equivalent professional experience.

Experience: 8+ years of experience as a cross-platform product designer, with a minimum of 4 years focused on native mobile experiences. Experience within media companies is considered a strong advantage.

Required Skills:

• Mastery of Figma for design and advanced prototyping.

• Impeccable visual and interaction design skills, with a strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design capabilities.

• Expertise in creating, modifying, and utilizing components within mature design system kits.

• Proven experience building and maintaining design systems or component libraries.

• Deep understanding of best UX design practices, including usability principles, user research methodologies, and testing techniques.

• Solid understanding of mobile and web technologies and their design implications.

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex design concepts clearly.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in media or digital news organizations.

• Familiarity with A/B testing methodologies for design optimization.

• Understanding of subscription business models and user acquisition/retention strategies.

• Experience in designing for emerging technologies or platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The skills section emphasizes proficiency in design tools and methodologies that are critical for operationalizing design processes. The inclusion of "cross-platform," "native mobile," and "design systems" are key operational levers for scalable product development.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 complex product design projects, with at least two demonstrating end-to-end ownership from concept to launch for native mobile or cross-platform applications.

• Highlight projects that involved significant ambiguity and required strategic problem-solving, demonstrating the ability to define and drive product direction.

• Include case studies that detail the design process, including user research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, and iteration, with a focus on measurable outcomes.

• Demonstrate expertise in creating and utilizing design systems, showcasing contributions to or adoption of component libraries and style guides.

Process Documentation:

• Provide examples of how design processes were documented, including user journey maps, workflow diagrams, or system architecture overviews.

• Illustrate experience with Agile development methodologies and how design integrates seamlessly into sprint cycles and iterative development.

• Showcase how design feedback was incorporated and how design decisions were communicated to engineering and product teams, including the use of tools like Jira and Confluence for tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are tailored to showcase not just design output but the operational rigor behind it – process documentation, system utilization, and the ability to manage complex projects with significant ambiguity, which are crucial for a Staff-level role.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $129,500 - $240,500 per year (USD)

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.

• Employee wellness program.

• Life and disability insurance.

• Retirement savings plan.

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected to meet project demands and deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided based on the input data. The benefits are listed as per the input, highlighting standard corporate offerings that support employee well-being and long-term financial security, which are key factors in attracting and retaining top talent in operations and design roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Media & Entertainment, Digital News, Technology. Warner Bros. Discovery operates at the intersection of content creation and digital distribution, making it a dynamic environment for product innovation. The emphasis on "storytellers," "creators," and "dreamers" suggests a culture that values creativity, innovation, and forward-thinking.

Company Size: Large enterprise, indicated by the extensive global presence and diverse portfolio of brands. This size offers opportunities for significant impact and cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: Warner Bros. Discovery was formed in 2022 through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. This recent formation implies an ongoing integration and evolution of company culture and operational processes, creating a unique environment for driving new initiatives.

Team Structure:

• The New Business team likely operates as a semi-autonomous unit within CNN Digital Products & Services, focused on incubation and rapid development of new ventures.

• This role reports into a design leadership position within the New Business or Digital Products division, with close collaboration expected with Product Management, Engineering, and Editorial leads.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging user research, analytics, and A/B testing to inform design and product strategy.

• Agile and iterative development processes are likely employed to facilitate rapid prototyping and continuous improvement.

• A strong focus on user-centered design principles to ensure products meet audience needs and drive engagement.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context highlights the strategic importance of new digital products for CNN and WBD, framing the Staff Product Designer role as pivotal in their future growth. The emphasis on innovation and transformation within a large, evolving media conglomerate provides crucial context for candidates.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role, signifying a high level of expertise, autonomy, and influence. A Staff designer is expected to lead complex initiatives, mentor junior designers, and contribute to the strategic direction of product design within their domain.

Reporting Structure: This role likely reports to a Director or VP of Product Design or Head of Design for New Business, with dotted-line reporting or strong collaborative ties to Product leadership and Engineering leads within the New Business unit.

Operations Impact: The Staff Product Designer will have a direct and significant impact on CNN's future revenue streams by helping to shape and launch new subscription-based digital products. Their work will influence user acquisition, engagement, and retention, directly contributing to the company's strategic goals and market position in the digital space.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design critiques, and potentially manage small design teams on specific initiatives.

• Strategic Influence: Direct involvement in shaping the product strategy and vision for new business ventures, offering a chance to influence high-level decision-making.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas such as subscription product design, emerging technology integration, or advanced prototyping and design system development.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain extensive experience working with diverse teams across editorial, product, engineering, and marketing, broadening understanding of the end-to-end product lifecycle and business operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis positions the Staff Product Designer role as a critical nexus of design and business operations, emphasizing its strategic impact and the significant growth potential for individuals seeking to advance their careers in product innovation leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. While the role is based in major US cities (New York, Atlanta, Washington D.C.), the "TELECOMMUTE" location type and the general trend in the industry suggest a hybrid model where employees are expected to be in the office for a portion of the week, likely for collaboration and team-building.

Office Location(s): New York, NY (30 Hudson Yards), Atlanta, GA, Washington, DC. These are major hubs for media and technology, offering access to talent and industry networks.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and creativity, with modern office facilities and access to necessary design tools and technology.

• Expect a fast-paced, dynamic environment characteristic of digital product development, especially within a "New Business" unit focused on rapid transformation and growth.

• Opportunities for informal and formal collaboration with designers, product managers, engineers, and editorial staff will be abundant.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (40 hours/week) are expected, but the nature of product development, particularly in a "New Business" context, may require flexibility to meet deadlines, participate in critical workshops, or support global teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment and office locations are described to provide context on how design operations and team collaboration are facilitated within Warner Bros. Discovery, emphasizing the blend of in-person interaction and remote work flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, detailing your process, decision-making, and impact on past projects. A design challenge, potentially focused on a new product concept or problem within CNN's scope, may also be part of this stage.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with peers and leaders from Product Management, Engineering, and potentially Editorial to evaluate collaboration skills, strategic thinking, and technical understanding.

• Final Round: Interviews with senior leadership to assess cultural fit, leadership potential, and overall strategic alignment with CNN's New Business objectives.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process & Impact: Clearly articulate your design process, the problems you solved, your decision-making rationale, and the measurable impact of your designs on users and business goals. Use data and metrics where possible.

• Showcase Ambiguity Navigation: Highlight projects where you successfully navigated uncertainty and helped define product direction. Emphasize your ability to define requirements and drive solutions in undefined spaces.

• Design System Expertise: If applicable, detail your experience with design systems, including contributions to their development or effective utilization of existing systems.

• Storytelling: Present your case studies as compelling narratives, guiding the interviewer through your journey from problem identification to solution implementation.

• Tailor to CNN: Research CNN's current digital products and their strategic goals. Frame your experience and case studies to demonstrate how you can contribute to their specific challenges and opportunities in new business ventures.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand CNN's Strategy: Research CNN's current business objectives, target audiences, and any known initiatives in "New Business" or subscription services.

• Product Thinking: Be prepared to think critically about user needs, market opportunities, and business viability for new digital products.

• Design System Application: If a design challenge involves existing WBD/CNN design systems, be ready to apply them thoughtfully.

• Concise Communication: Practice articulating your ideas and solutions clearly and concisely, especially under time constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates, focusing on how to best present their design capabilities and operational thought process during the interview and portfolio review, specifically for a role involving new product development and strategic ambiguity.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for design creation, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Mastery is a core requirement.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in advanced prototyping techniques within Figma or other tools (e.g., ProtoPie, Framer) to create high-fidelity, interactive experiences.

• Design System Management: Experience with tools and platforms for managing design systems, component libraries, and style guides.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze).

• Analytics Dashboards: While not a primary design tool, an understanding of how to interpret data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) to inform design decisions is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: Proficiency in Jira and Confluence for task management, bug tracking, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with communication platforms like Slack and video conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet) for remote and hybrid team interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack highlights tools critical for operationalizing design workflows, emphasizing Figma as a central platform for design and prototyping, alongside essential project management and collaboration tools that enable efficient team operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Disruption: A drive to create new, impactful digital experiences that push boundaries and challenge the status quo in the media landscape.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs, ensuring that new products deliver genuine value and enrichment to their lives.

• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership: A belief in the power of teamwork, fostering strong relationships across departments to achieve shared goals and deliver cohesive products.

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilizing insights from research, analytics, and testing to inform design choices and product strategy, ensuring efficacy and impact.

• Agility & Adaptability: Embracing change and navigating ambiguity with a flexible, iterative approach to product development, crucial for new business ventures.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Design is not a silo; expect close integration with Product Management, Engineering, Editorial, and Growth teams, working together from concept to launch.

• Open Communication: A culture that encourages open dialogue, constructive feedback, and transparent knowledge sharing to foster continuous improvement.

• Proactive Problem-Solving: A collaborative spirit that tackles challenges head-on, seeking solutions collectively and leveraging diverse perspectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture and values emphasize operational principles like innovation, collaboration, and data-driven approaches, which are essential for the successful execution of new digital product initiatives within a large media organization.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: The "New Business" unit inherently involves operating in uncharted territories, requiring designers to define problems and solutions with incomplete information. This demands strong strategic thinking and comfort with uncertainty.

• Balancing Innovation with Business Goals: The challenge of creating groundbreaking user experiences while ensuring they align with CNN's strategic objectives, subscription models, and revenue targets requires a nuanced approach.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Synthesizing diverse perspectives and priorities from editorial, product, engineering, and marketing teams into a cohesive and executable design vision.

• Rapid Iteration & Scalability: Designing for speed and agility to test and launch new products quickly, while also planning for future scalability and integration into the broader CNN ecosystem.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Product Leadership: Develop skills in influencing product strategy and vision at a senior level, gaining exposure to high-level business decision-making.

• Emerging Technologies & Platforms: Opportunities to explore and design for new digital formats, platforms, and emerging technologies relevant to the future of media consumption.

• Mentorship & Guidance: Potential to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design practice within CNN Digital Products & Services.

• Industry Trends: Staying at the forefront of digital product design, user experience innovation, and media industry trends through conferences, workshops, and ongoing professional development.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section frames the inherent challenges of the role as opportunities for professional growth, particularly in areas critical to operations and strategic product development, such as ambiguity management and cross-functional leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the design vision for a new product or feature in an ambiguous space. How did you define the problem and drive towards a solution?" (Focus on your process, stakeholder management, and ability to create clarity from uncertainty.)

• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives, especially when launching a new, potentially unproven, product or service?" (Highlight your understanding of business models, revenue goals, and how design supports them.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about CNN's 'New Business' initiatives and the potential for digital product innovation in the media space?" (Showcase your research and genuine interest in the company's strategic direction.)

• "How do you see your design approach contributing to a culture of innovation and user-centricity at Warner Bros. Discovery?" (Connect your values and methodologies to the company's stated principles.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your portfolio presentation as a compelling story, starting with the problem, detailing your process and decisions, and concluding with the impact and learnings.

• Highlight Ambiguity & Strategy: For each project, clearly articulate the initial lack of clarity and how you strategically approached defining the problem and solution.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Demonstrate your understanding and application of design systems, component libraries, and how they enable efficient and consistent product development.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to showcase the tangible results of your design work (e.g., increased engagement, conversion rates, user satisfaction).

• Interactive Elements: Be prepared to briefly demo prototypes or key interactive elements to showcase the user experience you designed.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice is geared towards helping candidates demonstrate not only their design prowess but also their operational mindset, strategic thinking, and ability to contribute effectively within a dynamic, results-oriented environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Warner Bros. Discovery careers portal link provided.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to prominently feature projects demonstrating experience with native mobile design, design systems, and navigating ambiguous product spaces. Showcase at least one project that aligns with media, digital news, or subscription services.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 8+ years of product design experience, specific skills in Figma and prototyping, and any experience with media companies or launching new digital products. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, strategic thinking, and collaboration approach. Prepare specific examples for common interview questions related to leadership, ambiguity, and cross-functional work.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research CNN's current digital offerings, their "New Business" strategy, and Warner Bros. Discovery's guiding principles. Understand their market position and 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.

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