Principal UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Designer

Company: Pendulum Intelligence

Location: Remote (United States)

Job Type: Full-time, Salaried

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX)

Date Posted: April 17, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• This Principal UX Designer role is critical for translating complex social media datasets into intuitive user experiences for analysts and business leaders.

• You will be embedded within a core product team, driving the user experience for dashboards, query builders, and insight surfaces.

• The position requires end-to-end design ownership, from discovery and wireframing to high-fidelity prototyping and developer handoff, emphasizing SaaS and data-heavy B2B products.

• You will lead user research initiatives, including interviews and usability testing, and synthesize behavioral analytics to inform design, ensuring a user-centric approach to product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Principal UX Designer," the responsibilities heavily lean into product strategy and execution within a data-intensive SaaS environment. The focus on complex data visualization, query builders, and insight surfaces suggests a need for strong analytical thinking and the ability to design for intricate information architectures, aligning closely with the principles of revenue operations and GTM enablement where clear data presentation is paramount.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design lifecycle for Pendulum's web application and related customer-facing experiences, encompassing discovery, wireframing, high-fidelity prototyping, and seamless developer handoff.

• Spearhead user research activities, including conducting user interviews, performing usability testing, and analyzing behavioral analytics data to derive actionable insights that guide design decisions.

• Design sophisticated data visualization patterns, such as charts, tables, drill-downs, and filters, ensuring these remain intuitive and effective even under high information density.

• Develop, maintain, and evolve a scalable design system that ensures consistency across the platform and accelerates rapid feature development cycles.

• Foster close collaboration with product managers and engineers within agile sprint frameworks, acting as a strong advocate for user needs throughout the entire development process.

• Define and refine interaction models for advanced features, including custom query builders, alerting workflows, and report scheduling functionalities, to enhance user efficiency and insight discovery.

• Lead design reviews, critiques, and effectively communicate research findings and design rationale to stakeholders across the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex data visualization patterns," "query builders," and "insight surfaces" indicates a strong need for UX professionals who can translate intricate data structures into understandable and actionable interfaces. This aligns with the operational need to make data accessible and useful for business decision-making, a core tenet of revenue and sales operations. The responsibility to "develop and maintain a cohesive design system" also points to an operations-focused mindset of standardization and efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Not explicitly specified, but a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is often expected for Principal-level roles. A strong portfolio can often substitute for formal education.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of dedicated product and UX design experience.

• Demonstrated success in designing and shipping end-to-end experiences for SaaS or data-heavy products, with a portfolio showcasing this expertise.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level proficiency in UX design principles and methodologies.

• Ability to create interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Experience in developing and maintaining robust design systems.

• Proficiency in leading user research initiatives, including user interviews and usability testing.

• Skill in synthesizing quantitative usage data and qualitative feedback into actionable design insights.

• Strong understanding of agile development methodologies and cross-functional collaboration.

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

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Business Intelligence (BI) tools such as Looker, Tableau, or Metabase.

• Basic proficiency in SQL or experience with analytics query languages.

• Proficiency in motion or interaction design.

• Background in designing for fintech, healthtech, or other operational data products.

• Demonstrated design leadership or mentorship experience.

• Expertise in WCAG accessibility standards and implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nice to Have" section is particularly relevant for candidates aiming for roles that bridge design and data analysis. Experience with BI tools and SQL suggests an understanding of how data is consumed and manipulated, which is invaluable for designing effective reporting and analytical interfaces. This skillset is highly sought after in operations roles that require data interpretation and presentation.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 10 years of product/UX design work, with a strong emphasis on SaaS or data-intensive products.

• Demonstrate end-to-end design ownership for at least two significant B2B enterprise products, detailing the problem, your process, and the impact.

• Include examples of complex data visualization designs, highlighting how you translated intricate datasets into intuitive user interfaces.

• Showcase your experience with design systems, including examples of components, patterns, and how they were implemented to ensure scalability and consistency.

• Present case studies detailing user research methodologies employed, including user interviews, usability testing, and synthesis of behavioral analytics.

Process Documentation:

• Illustrate your process for user research, from planning and recruitment to synthesis and presentation of findings.

• Document your approach to designing and maintaining design systems, including governance and iteration processes.

• Provide examples of how you collaborate with engineering and product management in an agile environment, detailing your role in sprint ceremonies and feature development.

• Showcase your methods for testing and iterating on designs, particularly for complex data visualizations and interaction patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal UX Designer role, especially in a data-heavy environment, the portfolio is paramount. Applicants should focus on demonstrating not just aesthetic design skills but also a deep understanding of user workflows, data interpretation, and the ability to design for complex information architectures. Highlighting experience with design systems and agile processes will signal operational efficiency and collaboration readiness.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $160,000 - $175,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Equity: Stock options or grants providing ownership in the company's growth.

• Health Insurance: 100% employer-paid premiums for employees, with 50% coverage for dependents.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan to support long-term financial planning.

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA): For eligible healthcare or dependent care expenses.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO): Encourages work-life balance and employee well-being.

• Company & Personal Holidays: Includes company-recognized holidays and two personal choice holidays.

• Remote Work Flexibility: Ability to work from anywhere in the United States.

• Professional Development: Opportunities to work with emerging technologies in a high-demand industry segment.

Working Hours: Approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected due to the remote nature and startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Principal UX Designer role in the US, especially for a remote position with significant responsibilities. The comprehensive benefits package, particularly the 100% employer-paid health premiums and equity, indicates a strong commitment to employee well-being and long-term value. The "unlimited PTO" and remote flexibility are attractive perks for operations professionals prioritizing work-life integration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Data Analytics / Social Media Intelligence (Pendulum Intelligence likely operates in the MarTech/AdTech or Data Intelligence space, providing insights from social media data).

Company Size: Not explicitly stated, but the mention of "startup-stage ambiguity" and "driving company direction" suggests a growing, potentially Series A or B funded, startup. This implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Founded: Not specified, but likely a relatively young company given the startup context.

Team Structure:

• The Principal UX Designer will be embedded in a "core product team," working closely with engineering and data science. This suggests a small, agile, and highly collaborative team structure.

• Reporting structure will likely be to a Head of Product, VP of Engineering, or potentially a Design Lead if one exists.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The role emphasizes using "behavioral analytics data" and designing for "complex social media datasets," indicating a strong reliance on data to inform design decisions.

• Agile Development: Collaboration with engineers in "agile sprints" points to an iterative development process focused on rapid feature delivery.

• User-Centricity: The core responsibility is to "shape how analysts and business leaders interact with our complex social media datasets," underscoring a commitment to understanding and serving user needs.

• Design System Implementation: Developing and maintaining a design system is a key operational aspect, ensuring efficiency, consistency, and scalability across the platform.

Company Website: pendulum.com (inferred from domain_derived).

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be one of innovation, collaboration, and data-informed decision-making. For operations professionals, this means an environment where initiative is valued, data is central to strategy, and cross-functional teamwork is essential for success. The startup environment suggests opportunities to influence product direction and build processes from the ground up.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the "Principal" level, signifying a senior individual contributor with significant autonomy and influence. It requires deep expertise and the ability to lead design strategy for complex product areas. This level often involves mentoring junior designers and contributing to the overall design vision.

Reporting Structure: The Principal UX Designer will report into a product leadership role (e.g., Head of Product, VP of Product) and work directly within a core product team alongside engineering and data science. This structure allows for direct impact and close collaboration.

Operations Impact: The role's primary impact is on the usability and effectiveness of the Pendulum Intelligence platform. By turning complex data into clarity, the UX designer directly enables analysts and business leaders to derive actionable insights, which can influence business strategy, marketing campaigns, and operational efficiencies. This is crucial for a data intelligence company, where the product's value is directly tied to its ability to drive insights and outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Track: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Manager role, overseeing a team of designers as the company scales.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the product roadmap and company-wide design strategy, influencing the direction of the platform and its impact on customers.

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for complex data visualization, BI tools, and the unique challenges of social media data analysis.

• Industry Expertise: Gain in-depth knowledge of the social media intelligence, fintech, or healthtech sectors, depending on the company's specific focus.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to building the company's design culture and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations-minded individuals, this Principal UX Designer role offers a unique opportunity to impact business outcomes through intuitive data design. The growth potential extends beyond design into strategic product leadership and industry specialization, making it an attractive path for those looking to combine technical design skills with business acumen.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote (United States). This offers maximum flexibility and autonomy for individuals who prefer to work from home or a co-working space.

Office Location(s): Not applicable, as the role is fully remote within the United States. This broadens the talent pool and allows candidates to reside anywhere within the US.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Despite being remote, the role emphasizes "collaborating daily with engineering and data science" and "partnering closely with product managers." This suggests a culture that utilizes remote collaboration tools effectively to foster teamwork and knowledge sharing.

• Operations Tools & Technology: The team will likely leverage a suite of collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace) and design/prototyping software (e.g., Figma, Jira, Confluence). Access to BI tools like Looker or Tableau is also a plus.

• Operational Integration: The role requires seamless integration with agile development sprints and a focus on efficient design handoffs and design system maintenance, reflecting an operations-oriented approach to product development.

Work Schedule: While the standard is approximately 40 hours per week, the remote nature and startup environment may allow for some flexibility in scheduling, provided core collaboration hours and sprint commitments are met. This flexibility is beneficial for managing complex operational tasks and workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature of this position is a significant factor for many professionals. It requires strong self-discipline and excellent communication skills to thrive in a distributed team. The emphasis on collaboration suggests that the company actively fosters a connected remote work environment, mitigating potential isolation.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience and fit. Be prepared to articulate your specific contributions to past projects.

• Portfolio Review & Design Exercise: A deeper dive into your portfolio, likely involving a presentation of 1-2 key case studies. You may also be given a design challenge or take-home exercise to assess your problem-solving skills, design process, and ability to handle complex data scenarios.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Data Scientists to assess collaboration style, communication clarity, and technical understanding.

• Hiring Manager/Leadership Interview: A discussion focused on strategic thinking, leadership potential, cultural fit, and alignment with the company's mission and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your experience with SaaS, data-heavy products, complex data visualization, and B2B enterprise environments.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role and process, the challenges faced, the solutions you designed, and the measurable impact or outcomes. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Process: Showcase your research methodologies, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and design system work. Explain why you made certain design decisions.

• Demonstrate Impact: Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user engagement, reduced task completion time). If metrics are unavailable, articulate the inferred business value.

• Address Complexity: For this role, emphasize how you approach designing for high information density and complex data relationships.

• Showcase Design Systems: If you've worked on or maintained design systems, dedicate a section to their structure, components, and benefits.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with social media data analysis, business intelligence concepts, and common reporting dashboards.

• Practice Data Visualization: Be ready to discuss or sketch out ideas for visualizing social media trends, user engagement, or campaign performance.

• Focus on User Flows: Anticipate designing workflows for tasks like custom query building, report generation, or insight discovery.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss design decisions and the trade-offs you considered, especially in a startup environment where speed and iteration are key.

• Emphasize Collaboration: Frame your approach to design challenges with a focus on how you would collaborate with product and engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should treat the portfolio review as a strategic presentation. For operations-minded applicants, this means framing design choices in terms of efficiency, clarity, and business impact, much like they would present a process improvement or operational strategy. Demonstrating an understanding of how design directly supports business goals and user productivity is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends), Sketch, Adobe XD. Expect to create wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.

• Design Systems: Experience with building, maintaining, and scaling design systems is crucial. This implies familiarity with component libraries and style guides.

• Collaboration: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams for communication and remote collaboration.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing sprint tasks and tracking progress.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Behavioral Analytics: Tools like Mixpanel, Amplitude, Pendo, or similar platforms to understand user behavior within the application.

• Business Intelligence (BI) Tools: Looker, Tableau, Metabase (listed as "Nice to Have") are highly relevant for understanding the data the platform provides and for potential internal use.

• Data Querying: Basic SQL or experience with analytics query languages would be beneficial for understanding data structure and user needs when building query tools.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly mentioned for the UX role, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms might be beneficial for understanding the broader business context, especially if the data insights feed into sales or marketing processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern design tools like Figma is almost a given. For operations professionals transitioning or adding to their skillset, understanding the data analytics and BI tools mentioned is highly advantageous. It demonstrates an ability to speak the language of data and understand how users consume and act upon it, which is central to operational efficiency and insight generation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Decisions: A strong emphasis on using data (behavioral analytics, user feedback) to inform design choices and product direction.

• User-Centricity: A core commitment to understanding and solving user problems, ensuring that complex data is made accessible and actionable.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Developing a design system and streamlined processes to support rapid feature development and maintain consistency across a growing platform.

• Collaboration & Communication: Valuing open communication, constructive feedback, and strong partnerships across product, engineering, and data science teams.

• Innovation & Initiative: Encouraging proactive contributions, creative problem-solving, and a willingness to tackle complex challenges in a dynamic startup environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded Teamwork: Daily collaboration within a core product team, fostering a sense of shared ownership and tight integration between design, product, and engineering.

• Agile Cadence: Working within agile sprints means frequent touchpoints, stand-ups, and iterative feedback loops.

• Cross-Functional Advocacy: Acting as a user advocate while also understanding and respecting the technical constraints and business priorities.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging design reviews and critiques as a way to improve solutions and foster collective learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The stated values and collaboration style align well with the expectations for operations roles. They emphasize structured processes (design systems, agile), data utilization, efficient problem-solving, and strong stakeholder management. This suggests an environment where operations professionals can leverage their skills in process optimization and strategic execution.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Complexity: Translating intricate social media datasets and advanced analytical features (query builders, custom reports) into intuitive user experiences.

• Startup Ambiguity: Navigating a fast-paced startup environment with evolving priorities, limited resources, and the need for rapid iteration.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong connections and effective communication within a distributed team, ensuring design alignment and impact.

• Data Visualization Prowess: Developing novel and effective ways to visualize diverse and potentially overwhelming datasets that drive actionable insights.

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Advocating for users while ensuring designs align with product strategy and business objectives.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen Data Intelligence Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in social media analytics, data visualization, and the challenges of making complex data actionable.

• Expand Leadership Skills: Develop mentorship capabilities and potentially transition into design leadership roles as the company grows.

• Master BI Tools & Analytics: Enhance skills with tools like Looker, Tableau, and SQL, becoming more data-literate and capable of contributing to data strategy.

• Contribute to a Growing Design System: Play a key role in evolving and scaling a design system for a data-centric product.

• Influence Product Strategy: Have a significant impact on the direction and success of a product in a high-demand industry segment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in innovative tech companies, particularly those dealing with complex data. The growth opportunities highlight a path for continuous learning and career advancement, appealing to ambitious operations professionals looking to expand their domain expertise and leadership capabilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you designed an experience for complex data. What were the key challenges, and how did you approach them?" (Focus on your process, data visualization techniques, and user outcomes).

• "How would you approach designing a custom query builder for users who may not be SQL experts?" (Assess your understanding of user personas, information architecture, and simplifying complex interactions).

• "Walk us through your process for developing or contributing to a design system. What are the benefits and challenges?" (Demonstrate your operational mindset for consistency and efficiency).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Pendulum Intelligence and our mission?" (Research the company's focus on social media data and its societal impact).

• "How do you approach collaboration with engineers and product managers, especially in an agile setting?" (Highlight your teamwork, communication skills, and understanding of development cycles).

• "Describe your experience with user research. How do you synthesize findings into actionable design recommendations?" (Emphasize your data-driven approach and ability to translate insights into tangible improvements).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the impact. Use a consistent structure.

• Focus on Data & Insights: For this role, emphasize how your designs helped users derive actionable insights from complex data. Quantify impact where possible.

• Showcase Design System Work: If applicable, dedicate time to explaining your contributions to design systems, highlighting their scalability and efficiency benefits.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, research findings, and how you handled specific challenges.

• Practice Your Pitch: Rehearse your presentation to ensure it flows well, stays within time limits, and clearly communicates your value proposition.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations candidates, framing your answers and portfolio presentation around process, efficiency, data-driven outcomes, and cross-functional collaboration will resonate strongly. Emphasize how your design work directly contributes to business goals, user productivity, and operational effectiveness, mirroring the language and priorities of operations roles.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Pendulum Intelligence careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects demonstrating SaaS, data-heavy products, complex data visualization, and end-to-end design ownership. Tailor your case study selection to highlight relevant skills for this specific role.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your 10+ years of experience, specific achievements in B2B enterprise environments, and proficiency in relevant UX methodologies and tools. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, research methodologies, and how you drive impact through user-centered design. Prepare to discuss your approach to complex data challenges and collaboration.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Pendulum Intelligence, its mission, its position in the market, and any publicly available information about its product and culture. Understand how your design philosophy aligns with their 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.