Principal Designer, NextGen Discovery and Search

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Designer, NextGen Discovery and Search

Company: NBCUniversal

Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NEW YORK, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / UX Design (with GTM implications)

Date Posted: 2026-05-14

Experience Level: Principal (10+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (Minimum 4 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic vision and execution of complex content discovery and AI-powered search experiences for NBCUniversal's Media Group, including Peacock.

• Drive innovation in user experience through advanced design methodologies, focusing on generative AI, personalized interfaces, and next-generation mobile platforms.

• Collaborate extensively with Product Management, Engineering, Data, and Research teams to translate ambiguous problem spaces into actionable design frameworks and user-centric solutions.

• Act as a design leader, providing mentorship, creative direction, and defining best practices for the broader design team, thereby shaping the future of NBCUniversal's product and design culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is titled "Principal Designer," its impact on "Content Discovery and Search" within a media and entertainment context, particularly with AI integration and user engagement goals, strongly implies a significant Go-To-Market (GTM) and revenue-driving component. Successful discovery directly influences content consumption and subscription retention, making this role crucial for business outcomes. The emphasis on user delight, engagement, and brand love further underscores its GTM relevance.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end design process for critical content discovery initiatives, including AI Search, metadata experiences powered by Bento, and mobile discovery evolution.

• Translate ambiguous problem statements and user needs into clear design frameworks, hypotheses, and innovative design directions that align with business objectives.

• Deliver production-ready UX designs for both domestic and international audiences, ensuring seamless integration with overarching product goals and brand identity.

• Identify actionable user insights from data and research, ensuring these insights are integrated into the long-term design and product strategy.

• Drive stakeholder alignment and secure leadership buy-in for research findings and design decisions through compelling storytelling and data-backed rationale.

• Rapidly advance existing design work, including experience designs, UX guides, information architecture, and visual designs, through to successful project completion.

• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and Researchers to define requirements, scope projects, manage dependencies, and establish clear success criteria.

• Collaborate within the broader UX team on ideation, concept exploration, and problem-solving throughout project lifecycles, maintaining project oversight from inception to delivery.

• Maintain an obsessive attention to detail across all design outputs, ensuring the highest standards of quality and usability.

• Provide creative direction, mentorship, and leadership to junior designers, fostering talent development and defining team-wide design patterns and best practices.

• Share design findings and strategic recommendations effectively with fellow designers and cross-functional teams, ensuring visual alignment and strategic coherence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a deep involvement in strategic product development, user acquisition/retention drivers (content discovery), and cross-functional leadership, which are key to GTM success. The requirement to "drive alignment" and "lead others" points to a significant operational and strategic influence beyond pure design execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 10 or more years of progressive experience in product design, with a strong emphasis on UX strategy and complex digital product development.

• Proven experience in a design leadership role, demonstrating the ability to direct and guide creative processes for teams.

• Demonstrated success in taking ambiguous problem spaces and translating them into clear, actionable design solutions.

Required Skills:

• UX Strategy & Systems Thinking: Ability to define and execute a strategic vision for complex user journeys and understand how different components interact within a larger product ecosystem.

• End-to-End Design Ownership: Proven ability to manage projects from initial concept and research through to final implementation and iteration.

• Figma Proficiency: Expert-level skill in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design creation.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Strong command of Adobe Creative Suite for design and asset creation.

• Interaction Design Principles: Deep understanding of user interaction patterns, usability heuristics, and best practices.

• Prototyping & Motion Graphics: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes and understanding motion graphics principles for enhancing user experience.

• Cross-platform Usability: Expertise in designing for a wide array of platforms and devices, with specific knowledge of streaming service interfaces (e.g., Roku, Fire TV, Samsung TV, Apple TV, X1).

• Information Architecture: Skill in organizing content and navigation structures for intuitive user flows.

• Visual Design: Strong aesthetic sense and ability to create visually appealing and on-brand interfaces.

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent ability to communicate design solutions and rationale clearly to diverse stakeholders, including leadership.

• Mentorship & Creative Direction: Experience guiding and developing junior designers and providing creative leadership.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI-driven product features and generative AI applications.

• Familiarity with data analysis tools and the ability to leverage user data to inform design decisions.

• Knowledge of A/B testing methodologies and experience designing experiments.

• Experience in the media and entertainment industry, specifically with streaming services.

• Proficiency in Jira for project management and collaboration.

• Understanding of user research methodologies and ability to collaborate effectively with research teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" level and extensive experience requirements, coupled with leadership and strategic ownership, indicate a need for candidates who can not only design but also influence product direction and mentor others. The emphasis on specific platforms like Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV, along with AI, points to a specialized and highly sought-after skill set within the digital media operations space.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A robust portfolio showcasing end-to-end design ownership for complex digital products, particularly in content discovery, search, or AI-driven experiences.

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of how design decisions align with product strategy, user needs, and business objectives.

• Include case studies that detail the problem space, your design process, key challenges encountered, and the measurable impact of your solutions.

• Showcase proficiency in translating loose or ambiguous problem spaces into well-defined frameworks, hypotheses, and design directions.

Process Documentation:

• Portfolio entries should clearly articulate the design process followed, including user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and iteration.

• Provide examples of how you identified actionable insights from data and user feedback and integrated them into design iterations.

• Detail your approach to collaborating with cross-functional teams (PM, Engineering, Data) and driving alignment on design decisions.

• Illustrate how you manage project scope, dependencies, and ensure timely delivery of production-ready designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not just design output but strategic thinking, process rigor, leadership, and measurable impact. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their case studies, explaining their thought process, trade-offs made, and the business outcomes achieved. This is a critical component for evaluating their operational effectiveness in a design context.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $170,000 - $220,000 USD per year (bonus and long-term incentive eligible).

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance plans.

• 401(k) retirement savings plan with company contributions.

• Generous Paid Leave (vacation, sick, holidays).

• Tuition Reimbursement program for continued education and professional development.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, likely around 40 hours per week. The role requires a hybrid schedule with a minimum of four days per week in the New York office, indicating a structured but collaborative work environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a Principal-level design role in a major metropolitan area like New York City, especially within a large media conglomerate like NBCUniversal. The inclusion of bonus and long-term incentives suggests a performance-driven compensation structure, common for senior roles. The hybrid requirement with specific office days is a key operational aspect for candidates considering this role.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Media and Entertainment, Technology, Streaming Services. NBCUniversal operates across film, television, streaming (Peacock), theme parks, and consumer products. This diverse portfolio fosters a dynamic and innovative environment.

Company Size: NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, indicating it's a very large enterprise with extensive resources and a global reach. This size offers stability but also requires navigating complex organizational structures.

Founded: NBCUniversal has a long history stemming from various media entities, with its current form established through mergers and acquisitions. This heritage contributes to a culture that values both legacy and innovation.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the "Media Group Functions," specifically supporting the "Peacock Viewing Product Design" team. This team is focused on content discovery, search, and personalization.

• The design team is described as "shaping the future of content discovery" with a focus on AI, mobile, and personalized interfaces, suggesting a forward-thinking and experimental culture within this specific function.

Methodology:

• The team embraces "bold experimentation" and "iterative" development.

• A strong emphasis is placed on leveraging "data and the consumer's voice" to drive design decisions.

• Agile and fast-paced development cycles are implied, requiring adaptability and rapid progress.

• The culture values "authenticity," "respect," and a "data-driven approach."

Company Website: www.nbcuniversal.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding NBCUniversal's vast media empire and its commitment to innovation through Peacock is key. The "Media Group Functions" context implies that this role is vital for driving engagement and revenue through content consumption, a core GTM objective for any media company. The emphasis on experimentation and data in their methodology aligns with modern operations and product development practices.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Principal Designer. This level signifies a senior individual contributor with extensive experience, strategic influence, and leadership capabilities. It's a position where one is expected to drive significant product initiatives, mentor others, and contribute to design strategy at a high level.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into the Peacock Viewing Product Design team, likely under a Design Director or Head of Product Design. Collaboration will be extensive with Product Managers and Engineering leads.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on user acquisition, engagement, and retention for Peacock and other NBCUniversal media properties. By improving content discovery and search, the designer influences how users interact with content, which directly affects viewership, subscription rates, ad revenue, and overall platform success. This is a critical GTM function.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into a Design Manager or Director role, leading larger teams or more strategic product areas.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like AI-driven UX, personalization, or connected TV design, becoming a recognized subject matter expert within the industry.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunity to move into Product Management or strategic roles within the Media Group, leveraging design expertise to drive business outcomes.

• Mentorship & Influence: Shape the design culture and practices across NBCUniversal by mentoring junior talent and defining new design methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title suggests a significant level of autonomy and influence. For operations professionals, this means opportunities to drive strategic initiatives, not just execute tasks. The growth paths highlight a career trajectory that can extend beyond pure design into broader product and leadership roles, crucial for long-term career planning.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role requires a minimum of four days per week in the NBCUniversal office located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York. This indicates a collaborative, in-person work environment is highly valued for idea generation and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY. This is a prime location in Manhattan, offering excellent access to public transportation and a vibrant urban setting.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to foster collaboration, with expectations for in-person interaction.

• As a Principal Designer, access to state-of-the-art design tools (Figma, Adobe Suite) and relevant technologies (AI, prototyping tools) is standard.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with a diverse set of cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Data, Research) are inherent in the role.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) are expected, with a hybrid model. While flexibility may exist, the emphasis on in-office days suggests a structured schedule.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a significant in-office requirement is a key aspect of the work environment. For operations roles, this means balancing remote work efficiency with the benefits of in-person collaboration, idea exchange, and team building, which is often crucial for complex problem-solving and strategic alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a recruiter screen to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A core part of the process will involve presenting your portfolio. Expect to walk through 2-3 key case studies, detailing your process, challenges, and impact. Prepare to discuss your approach to complex problems, especially those involving AI, content discovery, or large-scale platforms.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially Data/Research team members to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and problem-solving abilities.

• Leadership Interview: A final interview with senior design leadership or stakeholders to evaluate strategic thinking, mentorship potential, and overall fit with the team's culture and vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the solutions you designed, the trade-offs you made, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., increased engagement, conversion, user satisfaction).

• Process Depth: Be prepared to discuss the "why" behind your design decisions. Explain your rationale for using specific tools, methodologies, and approaches.

• Impact Focus: Quantify your impact wherever possible. Use data, metrics, or user feedback to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Company Relevance: Tailor your portfolio presentation to highlight projects most relevant to NBCUniversal's business, particularly in media, entertainment, streaming, or AI.

• Ownership: Clearly define your contributions in team projects.

Challenge Preparation:

• Strategic Thinking: Be ready to discuss how you would approach designing for a new feature or solving a complex user problem related to content discovery or search.

• Systems Thinking: Demonstrate your ability to understand how different parts of a product ecosystem interact and how your design fits into the broader strategy.

• Communication: Practice articulating your ideas clearly, concisely, and persuasively, both verbally and visually.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Principal role heavily emphasizes strategic thinking and the ability to demonstrate impact through a portfolio. Candidates should prepare to not only showcase their design skills but also their leadership potential and understanding of how design drives business outcomes in a competitive media landscape.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design. Expert proficiency is required.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Necessary for asset creation, graphic design, and potentially visual polish.

• Jira: Likely used for project management, task tracking, and collaboration with engineering teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Emerging Technologies:

• Generative AI: The role explicitly mentions working with generative AI, indicating exposure to or a strong interest in AI-powered design tools and workflows.

• Connected TV Platforms: Deep understanding of platforms such as Roku, Fire TV, Samsung TV, Apple TV, and Comcast's X1 is crucial for designing platform-specific experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Suite is a baseline. The emphasis on connected TV platforms and generative AI highlights the need for specialized skills. Understanding how design interacts with data and analytics is also critical for demonstrating impact and informing design strategy, a key aspect of operations in product development.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the viewer's needs, ensuring delightful and effective content discovery experiences.

• Design Excellence: Relentless pursuit of high-quality, elegant, and highly usable design solutions, setting a high bar for the entire team.

• Innovation & Experimentation: A culture that encourages bold ideas, rapid prototyping, and learning from experimentation, particularly with new technologies like AI.

• Collaboration & Alignment: Strong emphasis on working effectively with cross-functional partners (PM, Eng, Data) to achieve shared goals and drive consensus.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing user data and insights to inform design choices and measure the impact of design solutions.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking initiative, driving projects forward independently, and being accountable for outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to be embedded within product teams, working closely with PM, Engineering, and Data from ideation through launch.

• Fact-Based Discourse: Decisions are made through rigorous evaluation, discussion, and data-backed arguments, rather than just opinions.

• Mentorship & Growth: A culture where senior members actively mentor junior talent and contribute to the growth of the design team's capabilities.

• Iterative Improvement: Embracing feedback and continuously refining designs based on testing and performance data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a blend of creative innovation and rigorous, data-informed execution. For operations professionals, this means being comfortable with ambiguity, driving initiatives independently, and skillfully navigating cross-functional relationships to achieve business objectives. The value placed on "authenticity" and "respect" suggests a supportive yet high-performance environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Scale and Complexity: Creating intuitive discovery experiences across a vast content library and multiple platforms for a massive user base.

• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Effectively incorporating generative AI into the user experience without compromising usability or overwhelming users.

• Balancing Innovation with Practicality: Pushing creative boundaries while ensuring designs are feasible for engineering and align with business goals.

• Navigating Stakeholder Alignment: Securing buy-in from diverse stakeholders with potentially competing priorities.

• Keeping Pace with Technology: Continuously adapting to new technologies, platforms, and user behavior trends in the rapidly evolving media landscape.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Techniques: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design, personalization algorithms, and next-gen mobile interfaces.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Opportunities to attend industry events and pursue certifications relevant to UX, AI, or product strategy.

• Leadership Development: Formal and informal mentorship programs to hone leadership, strategic thinking, and team management skills.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining exposure to product management, engineering workflows, and data analysis methodologies.

• Impactful Projects: Working on high-visibility projects that directly influence the success of major NBCUniversal brands like Peacock.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a Principal role in a large tech/media company, requiring strong problem-solving skills and resilience. The growth opportunities are robust, offering clear paths for career development within both design and broader product leadership domains, which is attractive for ambitious operations professionals.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you translated a complex, ambiguous problem into a clear design strategy. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on frameworks, hypothesis generation, and impact).

• "How would you approach designing an AI-powered search experience for a streaming service like Peacock, considering user trust and discoverability of diverse content?" (Focus on AI integration, user needs, and ethical considerations).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you stay current with design trends, particularly in areas like AI and connected TV interfaces?" (Showcase continuous learning and industry awareness).

• "What does 'design excellence' mean to you, and how would you foster that within a team?" (Demonstrate your understanding of quality standards and leadership).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select 3-4 impactful case studies: Prioritize projects that showcase your leadership, strategic thinking, end-to-end ownership, and impact on user engagement or business goals, ideally related to content discovery, search, or platform design.

• Structure each case study: Problem -> Your Role/Process -> Solution -> Challenges -> Outcome/Impact.

• Quantify results: Use metrics (e.g., conversion rate increase, engagement lift, task completion time reduction) to demonstrate success.

• Be prepared for deep dives: Anticipate questions about your specific contributions, design trade-offs, and rationale behind key decisions.

• Showcase platform expertise: Highlight designs for connected TV, mobile, and web, demonstrating your understanding of cross-platform usability and UI specifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, and a data-informed approach. The portfolio is the primary tool to showcase these capabilities. Candidates should be ready to articulate not just what they designed, but why and how it impacted the business.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Curate your portfolio: Select 3-4 of your most impactful projects that demonstrate end-to-end ownership, strategic thinking, leadership, and measurable results, particularly in content discovery, search, or platform design. Ensure it highlights your proficiency with Figma and understanding of connected TV platforms.

• Tailor your resume: Emphasize your 10+ years of experience, leadership roles, specific skill sets (UX Strategy, Systems Thinking, AI design, cross-platform usability), and key achievements relevant to the job description. Use keywords from the listing naturally.

• Prepare your portfolio presentation: Practice walking through your chosen case studies, focusing on storytelling, demonstrating your process, articulating design rationale, and quantifying impact. Be ready to discuss your approach to AI and complex discovery challenges.

• Research NBCUniversal and Peacock: Understand their business objectives, target audience, competitive landscape, and recent innovations (especially regarding Peacock and AI). Prepare to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with their culture and strategic goals.

⚠️ 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.