Staff Product Designer / UX & UI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer / UX & UI
Company: FoundersCard
Location: New York, New York, United States
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Product Design / UX/UI
Date Posted: October 27, 2025
Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years)
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design (UX & UI) for the FoundersCard digital experience across web and mobile applications.
• Drive user-centered innovation by conducting extensive user research, including interviews, usability testing, and behavioral analysis, to deeply understand member needs and pain points.
• Develop and refine intuitive user flows, interaction models, and polished visual designs that align with a premium brand identity.
• Champion design culture within the organization by leading critiques, mentoring junior designers, and fostering cross-functional understanding of design's impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Staff Product Designer / UX & UI," the core responsibilities and experience requirements strongly suggest this role is focused on product-level design leadership within a lean, fast-paced environment. The emphasis on "end-to-end product design," "driving product-led growth," and "defining our product roadmap" indicates a strategic contribution beyond typical UI/UX execution. The "Staff" title implies a senior individual contributor role with significant influence and potential for future team building.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and elevate the FoundersCard digital experience across core product surfaces, including the web platform and member dashboard, by refining UX and UI to ensure a seamless and premium member journey.
• Lead the design of intuitive and elegant user flows, interaction models, and visual designs, collaborating closely with engineering teams to ensure high-quality implementation.
• Conduct generative and evaluative user research (qualitative and quantitative) to inform design decisions and address member needs, behaviors, and pain points.
• Proactively identify opportunities to rethink and improve key user flows such as navigation, benefit discovery, personalization, onboarding, and renewal processes, leveraging data and member feedback.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive design system, standardizing components, patterns, and guidelines across all platforms to ensure consistency, accessibility, and scalability.
• Explore and prototype innovative features, including AI-driven interfaces, advanced personalization strategies, and machine learning-enhanced tools to enrich the member experience.
• Partner closely with product management, engineering, and marketing teams to contribute to product strategy, execute frequent growth experiments, and support lifecycle initiatives.
• Champion design thinking and best practices throughout the organization, leading design critiques, mentoring junior designers and contractors, and promoting cross-functional understanding of design's strategic value.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on design craft and strategic product leadership. The expectation to "prototype with the future in mind," specifically mentioning AI and ML, indicates a forward-thinking approach to product development. The emphasis on "building a design system" suggests a need for someone who can establish foundational design practices for scalability.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically expected for a Staff-level Product Designer. Candidates with equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 6+ years of dedicated product design experience (UX & UI), with a significant portion focused on premium consumer-facing (B2C) digital experiences.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in end-to-end product design, encompassing user experience (UX) research, interaction design, and user interface (UI) design.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct, synthesize, and apply insights from both qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, behavioral analysis).
• Strong portfolio showcasing exceptional interaction design, UX research, and visual design polish, with tangible examples of impact.
• Proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite) and experience with prototyping techniques, including those involving AI tools.
• Ability to operate effectively in both strategic and execution capacities, handling brand and visual identity work as well as rapid design iteration.
• A strong bias for speed and efficiency, with the capacity to deliver high-quality work in a nimble environment.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with product, engineering, and marketing teams.
• An entrepreneurial mindset, demonstrating independence, strong prioritization skills, and the ability to make sound decisions with limited structure.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with personalization, segmentation, or lifecycle UX strategies within a B2C context.
• Understanding of front-end development technologies, particularly HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React, to facilitate better collaboration with engineering and inform design decisions.
• Experience in building or significantly contributing to design systems.
• Familiarity with AI-driven interfaces and machine learning applications in product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title, combined with the 6+ years of experience and expectation to "play senior and junior roles," suggests this individual will be a key design leader, potentially mentoring others and influencing design strategy. The preference for B2C experience and familiarity with front-end technologies is crucial for understanding the user base and collaborating effectively with engineering.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 complex product design projects that demonstrate end-to-end ownership, from initial research and concept development through to final UI implementation and iteration.
• Projects should clearly articulate the problem statement, the design process followed, your specific role and contributions, the user research conducted, and the final design solutions.
• Highlight your ability to conduct generative and evaluative research, explaining how user insights directly influenced design decisions and outcomes.
• Include examples of your interaction design and UI polish, demonstrating a keen eye for detail, usability, and aesthetic consistency.
• If available, include case studies that show experience with personalization, segmentation, or lifecycle UX, detailing the strategy and impact.

Process Documentation:

• For each portfolio project, be prepared to discuss your design process, including how you approached user research, ideation, prototyping, and collaboration with stakeholders.
• Demonstrate your understanding of how to build and leverage a design system for consistency and scalability.
• Be ready to articulate how you would approach iterative design and A/B testing for growth experiments within the FoundersCard platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff Product Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not just design execution but also strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to drive user-centered innovation. The emphasis on "end-to-end" and "user research" means the portfolio must clearly map how user needs were translated into tangible product improvements.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $200,000 - $240,000 per year base salary. This range is competitive for a Staff Product Designer role in New York City, reflecting the required experience, strategic impact, and the premium nature of the company.

Benefits:

• Bonus potential
• 401k retirement savings plan
• Comprehensive benefits package (details not specified, but typically includes health, dental, vision insurance)
• Free lunch provided daily
• Snacks available in the office
• Gym access at the office location

Working Hours: The role is listed as on-site in New York City. The standard working hours are likely 40 hours per week, typical for a full-time position. However, given the entrepreneurial environment and the nature of product design, flexibility may be expected to meet project deadlines and business needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and aligns with senior-level design roles in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City. The inclusion of bonus potential and comprehensive benefits indicates a robust total compensation package. The office perks like free lunch and gym access are attractive for an on-site role.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: The company operates in the premium lifestyle and business services sector, specifically focusing on membership benefits for entrepreneurs and leaders. This industry often values exclusivity, premium experiences, and strong community building.

Company Size: FoundersCard is described as a "lean, profitable, founder-led company." While the exact number isn't provided, this suggests a relatively small to medium-sized organization where individual contributions have a significant impact. This often translates to a dynamic, fast-paced work environment with less bureaucracy.

Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the company has been operating long enough to build a base of over 250,000 paying members. This indicates a mature business model with established operations and a clear market position.

Team Structure:

• The design team is likely small, given the company's lean structure. This Staff Product Designer will be a key individual contributor, potentially mentoring junior designers or contractors, and playing a significant role in shaping the design function.
• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, with close partnerships expected between design, product, engineering, and marketing. This implies a collaborative culture where design is integrated into the product development lifecycle from the outset.

Methodology:

• The company emphasizes a "bias for speed" and the ability to "do in days what takes most teams weeks," indicating a highly agile and efficient operational approach.
• Product-led growth through design is a stated objective, suggesting a focus on data-driven experimentation and optimizing the user experience to drive business outcomes.
• The integration of AI and ML into the user experience points towards a commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance member value.

Company Website: https://founderscard.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is likely entrepreneurial, fast-paced, and focused on delivering premium value to its members. The "lean" structure means this role offers significant autonomy and the chance to make a tangible impact. The emphasis on speed and agility is a key cultural differentiator.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Staff Product Designer," which typically denotes a senior individual contributor role. It signifies a high level of expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead complex projects independently. This level often serves as a bridge between individual contributor and management, with potential for future leadership.

Reporting Structure: The exact reporting structure isn't detailed, but given the company's size and the "Staff" title, this designer would likely report to a Head of Product, Head of Design, or potentially a founder. They will need to collaborate closely with product managers and engineering leads.

Operations Impact: The Staff Product Designer will have a direct and significant impact on the FoundersCard's success by:

• Redefining and elevating the digital experience for over 250,000 paying members.
• Driving product-led growth through user-centered design and experimentation.
• Enhancing member acquisition, retention, and satisfaction through intuitive and valuable product features.
• Contributing to the strategic direction of the product roadmap.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: The opportunity to "build a small team as we scale" presents a clear path into a design leadership or management track.
• Strategic Influence: As a senior member of the team, there's significant opportunity to influence product strategy, design direction, and company-wide processes.
• Skill Expansion: Working with emerging technologies like AI and ML in a product context provides opportunities to develop expertise in cutting-edge design applications.
• Brand Building: Contributing to the evolution of a premium lifestyle brand's digital presence offers a unique growth experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" designation is key here. It implies a level of autonomy and strategic contribution that goes beyond typical senior designer roles. The potential to build a team is a significant growth trajectory indicator, making this role attractive for those aspiring to leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job description mentions a "brand new office at 57th and Madison" in New York City, suggesting a modern, professional, and likely well-equipped workspace. The on-site requirement indicates a preference for in-person collaboration and a structured work environment.

Office Location(s): Specifically located at 57th and Madison in New York City. This prime Manhattan location offers accessibility and a vibrant urban setting.

Workspace Context:

• The environment is described as "lean" and with a "bias for speed," suggesting a dynamic and fast-paced atmosphere where quick decision-making and execution are valued.
• The on-site nature of the role implies opportunities for direct, in-person collaboration with product, engineering, and marketing teams, fostering a connected and communicative work culture.
• The office is equipped with amenities like free lunch, snacks, and a gym, contributing to a positive and supportive employee experience.

Work Schedule: While standard full-time hours (likely 40/week) are expected, the entrepreneurial nature of the company and the fast-paced environment may call for flexibility. The focus is on delivering results and meeting project timelines, which can sometimes require dedication beyond typical hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "brand new office" and specific amenities suggests a company that invests in its physical workspace and employee well-being. The on-site requirement is a clear indicator of the desired work culture, prioritizing in-person collaboration and a structured environment.

📄 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 & Discussion: Expect to present your portfolio, walking through 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your UX/UI design skills, research capabilities, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your process, decision-making rationale, and the outcomes of your work.
• Design Challenge/Case Study: A practical exercise, potentially involving a design problem related to the FoundersCard platform, to evaluate your problem-solving approach, design thinking, and ability to execute quickly.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with product managers, engineers, and potentially marketing stakeholders to assess your collaboration skills, communication style, and understanding of the product development lifecycle.
• Founder/Leadership Interview: A final discussion with a company leader (potentially a founder) to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your end-to-end product design process, especially those involving B2C experiences, user research, and significant problem-solving.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process (emphasizing research and iteration), the challenges you faced, and the measurable impact of your design solutions. Use visuals effectively.
• Highlight Research & Impact: Explicitly detail how user research informed your design decisions and quantify the impact where possible (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction, reduced friction).
• Showcase Craft: Ensure your visual design and interaction details are polished. Demonstrate attention to accessibility and usability standards.
• Tailor to FoundersCard: Understand the FoundersCard brand and its member base. If possible, frame your examples in a way that resonates with a premium lifestyle/business service context.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Business: Research FoundersCard, its competitors, and its target audience. Familiarize yourself with its current digital products.
• Embrace Constraints: Be prepared for a timed challenge that requires you to make informed decisions quickly, similar to the company's "bias for speed."
• Focus on Process: Even if you don't complete a perfect final design, clearly articulate your thought process, the trade-offs you considered, and how you would iterate further.
• Consider Future Features: Think about how you might incorporate AI/ML or personalization into your proposed solutions, aligning with the company's forward-looking approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely rigorous, focusing on both design craft and strategic product thinking. The portfolio review is a critical step, so candidates must be prepared to articulate their process and impact thoroughly. The mention of "AI tools" and "personalization" suggests interviewers may probe for experience or innovative ideas in these areas.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in modern design suites such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite is essential. Experience with prototyping tools and techniques, including those leveraging AI, is expected.
• User Research Tools: Familiarity with tools for conducting and synthesizing user interviews, usability testing, and behavioral analysis (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Dovetail).
• Design System Tools: Experience with tools and methodologies for building and maintaining design systems (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or Figma's component features).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary focus for the designer, an understanding of analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to interpret user behavior data and measure design impact is beneficial.
• Experience with A/B testing platforms and methodologies to validate design hypotheses.

CRM & Automation:

• Experience with CRM systems (like Salesforce, HubSpot) is a plus, as understanding customer data and lifecycle management is relevant for personalization efforts.
• Familiarity with marketing automation principles can aid in designing integrated user journeys.
• Understanding of front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React is a bonus, facilitating better collaboration with engineering and informing design feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core of the role's technical stack revolves around design and research tools. The mention of HTML/CSS/JavaScript/React as a bonus indicates that while not strictly required, a designer with some front-end awareness will be better positioned to collaborate with engineers and understand technical constraints. The emphasis on AI tools suggests familiarity with emerging design technologies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence & Craft: A commitment to delivering high-quality, polished, and intuitive design solutions that reflect the premium nature of the FoundersCard brand.
• User-Centricity: A deep understanding and focus on member needs, behaviors, and pain points, using research to drive design decisions and ensure a valuable member experience.
• Speed & Agility: A proactive and efficient approach to work, embracing the company's "bias for speed" to deliver results quickly and iterate rapidly.
• Innovation: A forward-thinking mindset, exploring new technologies like AI and ML to enhance the product and member experience.
• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork and cross-functional partnership, working closely with product, engineering, and marketing to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Partnership: Designers are expected to work very closely with product managers and engineers from the initial stages of ideation through to implementation and iteration.
• Data-Informed: Decisions are driven by a combination of user research, data analysis, and business objectives.
• Open Feedback Culture: Leading design critiques and fostering cross-functional understanding implies an environment where constructive feedback is shared and valued.
• Lean & Nimble Execution: The team likely operates with minimal bureaucracy, focusing on effective communication and rapid execution to achieve product goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values are inferred from the job description's emphasis on premium brand, user focus, speed, innovation, and collaboration. These values are crucial for understanding how the design team operates and what behaviors are expected.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Speed and Quality: The "bias for speed" can sometimes create tension with the need for thorough research and high-fidelity design. Learning to prioritize effectively and make informed trade-offs will be key.
• Defining and Scaling a Design System: Building a robust design system from the ground up or significantly enhancing an existing one in a fast-paced environment requires strategic planning and consistent advocacy.
• Integrating Emerging Technologies: Effectively prototyping and advocating for the adoption of AI and ML features requires staying ahead of trends and demonstrating clear member value.
• Mentoring and Team Building Amidst Growth: As the company scales, the challenge will be to effectively mentor junior designers and potentially build out a design team while maintaining high standards and operational efficiency.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Product Strategy Influence: Gaining hands-on experience in shaping product roadmaps and driving product-led growth through design.
• AI/ML Design Exploration: Developing expertise in designing for AI-powered features and personalized experiences.
• Design Leadership: Opportunities to mentor, lead design initiatives, and potentially build and manage a design team as the company grows.
• Industry Exposure: Contributing to a premium lifestyle/business brand offers unique insights into member engagement and retention strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are derived from the company's stated culture and the role's responsibilities. They highlight areas where a candidate can demonstrate problem-solving skills and a growth mindset. The learning opportunities are directly tied to the role's strategic impact and the company's forward-looking approach.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance speed of delivery with design quality. How did you make that decision, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on trade-offs, research justification, and impact.)
• "How would you approach redesigning the benefit discovery flow for FoundersCard members to increase engagement and satisfaction?" (Think about user needs, current platform, potential solutions, and how you'd test them.)
• "Walk us through your process for building or evolving a design system. What are the key principles and challenges?" (Emphasize scalability, consistency, collaboration, and accessibility.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about FoundersCard's mission and its focus on entrepreneurs?" (Showcase your understanding of the brand and its audience.)
• "How do you foster collaboration between design, product, and engineering teams, especially in a fast-paced environment?" (Provide examples of successful cross-functional partnerships.)
• "How do you measure the success of your design work? Can you share an example where your design had a measurable business impact?" (Prepare a case study with quantifiable results.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the 'Why': Clearly articulate the problem you were solving and for whom.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, mockups, and prototypes to illustrate your design solutions.
• Explain Your Process: Walk through your research, ideation, iteration, and testing phases. Highlight key decision points.
• Quantify Impact: Present metrics and outcomes that demonstrate the value of your design work.
• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Expect questions about your rationale, challenges, and alternative solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: These sample questions are designed to probe for the core competencies required for a Staff Product Designer: strategic thinking, user advocacy, collaboration, and a results-oriented approach. Preparing specific examples from your portfolio will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position at FoundersCard:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever link (https://jobs.lever.co/founderscard/3c96e251-f1c0-4ec4-ad51-158aad71e821).
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 2-3 of your strongest projects that demonstrate end-to-end product design, user research, and impact within a B2C context. Highlight your ability to work with premium brands and your understanding of user-centric innovation.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 6+ years of experience, specific UX/UI skills, leadership contributions, and quantifiable achievements. Ensure keywords like "product design," "UX research," "UI design," "design systems," and "prototyping" are present.
• Prepare for Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your chosen portfolio projects, focusing on the problem, your process, your specific contributions, and the measurable outcomes. Be ready to discuss your design philosophy and how it aligns with FoundersCard's values.
• Company Research: Deeply research FoundersCard's mission, its member base, its current digital offerings, and its brand positioning. Understand their emphasis on premium experiences, community, and innovation.

⚠️ 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.

---