Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Clasp

Location: Remote (ET & CT time zones only — some travel required), United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: May 04, 2026

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (with required travel)

🚀 Role Summary

• Anchor end-to-end design for Clasp Talent, encompassing both student recruitment and employee benefit administration platforms.

• Design seamless, integrated experiences across four distinct user personas: students, recruiters, employees, and employer administrators.

• Evolve and mature the existing design system, expanding component coverage and driving consistency across consumer-facing and operational interfaces.

• Translate complex, data-rich, and compliance-sensitive workflows into calm, legible, and trustworthy user interfaces.

• Leverage advanced Figma capabilities (variables, advanced interactions) for rapid prototyping, user testing, and collaboration with engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core job title is "Senior Product Designer," the responsibilities and context strongly indicate a role focused on the intersection of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design within a complex, multi-stakeholder fintech and HR-tech environment. The emphasis on "end-to-end design," "systems thinking," and "operational tooling" suggests a need for a designer who can not only create beautiful interfaces but also deeply understand and optimize intricate workflows and business processes. The specific mention of "HRIS integration," "flow-of-funds visibility," and "invoice and credit reconciliation" points to a highly specialized area of product design that bridges consumer, enterprise, and financial operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the full design lifecycle for Clasp Talent, from ambiguous problem discovery and framing through to prototyping, user validation, production, and final polish.

• Design intuitive and efficient experiences for four key personas: students discovering and applying for roles, recruiters sourcing and placing candidates, employees receiving and managing their student loan repayment benefits, and employer administrators managing the program.

• Build upon and evolve the existing design system by adding new components, refactoring patterns, and ensuring consistency across diverse product surfaces, including marketing-adjacent and operational fintech workflows.

• Simplify and clarify complex operational workflows such as HRIS integration setup, flow-of-funds tracking, invoice and credit reconciliation, and benefit administration.

• Rapidly prototype and test design solutions using Figma, incorporating variables and advanced interactions, to ensure designs are intuitive, efficient, and aligned with user behavior.

• Collaborate closely with Product teams to conduct qualitative and quantitative research, including usability testing, user interviews, and data analysis, to inform design decisions.

• Partner with the Marketing team to design seamless top-of-funnel experiences, including landing pages and conversion paths, ensuring a cohesive transition from marketing touchpoints to the product.

• Elevate the visual craft of the product by enhancing clarity, quality, and cohesion, reflecting the gravity of career and financial decisions users are making.

• Inject moments of delight, warmth, and personality into the product experience, even within operational interfaces, to build trust and memorability.

• Explore and responsibly apply emerging AI tools to accelerate design research, ideation, and production, enhancing process efficiency and scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities highlight a need for a designer with robust end-to-end product design capabilities, specifically within a multi-sided platform context. The emphasis on "making complex workflows feel simple" and designing for "operational surfaces" is a key differentiator, suggesting the role requires more than just standard UX/UI skills; it demands an understanding of business operations, fintech intricacies, and how to translate these into user-friendly interfaces. The expectation to "evolve the design system" indicates a senior-level contribution to the product's foundational design elements.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 5+ years of professional product design experience, with a portfolio demonstrating a consistent track record of shipping high-quality, end-to-end user experiences for complex products.

Required Skills:

• Full-lifecycle product design experience, from problem identification and insight validation to system design, interaction design, and final shipping.

• Proficiency in designing across both consumer-facing acquisition flows and data-dense operational tooling.

• Strong systems thinking ability to design scalable, interconnected experiences across multiple user flows and personas.

• Demonstrated experience designing for products with multiple distinct user types or a strong instinct for balancing competing needs.

• Experience working within and evolving production design systems, including component development and pattern refactoring.

• Deep fluency in Figma, including components, variables, auto layout, and advanced prototyping capabilities.

• Refined visual design craft, with a strong sense of typography, layout, color, and visual hierarchy.

• Competency in partnering on qualitative and quantitative user research, including usability testing, interviews, and analytics review.

• Hands-on experience experimenting with AI tools in a design workflow and enthusiasm for their responsible application.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in healthcare, health-tech, fintech, or HR-tech industries.

• Experience designing for products where the user and the customer are not the same individual.

• Understanding of how designs map to code and effective collaboration with engineering teams.

• Familiarity with modern product aesthetics and an instinct for when to apply and when to break design conventions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5+ years" experience level, coupled with the expectation to "anchor end-to-end design" and "evolve the design system," clearly positions this as a senior individual contributor role. The emphasis on both consumer and operational surfaces, along with systems thinking and multi-persona design, suggests a need for a designer who can manage significant product complexity and strategic design direction rather than just executing specific UI tasks. The AI curiosity is a forward-looking requirement, indicating the company's interest in leveraging emerging technologies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case studies showcasing end-to-end product design processes, from initial problem discovery and user research to final shipped solutions.

• Projects that demonstrate the ability to design for complex, multi-persona ecosystems and interconnected user journeys.

• Examples of evolving or contributing to a design system, illustrating component development, pattern refactoring, and consistency enforcement.

• Prototypes created in Figma, ideally showcasing advanced interactions, variables, or complex component states.

• Projects that highlight experience designing both consumer-facing flows and operational tooling or enterprise-level interfaces.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of a structured design process that includes problem framing, user research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, and iteration.

• Workflow diagrams or explanations that illustrate how complex operational processes were simplified and translated into user-friendly interfaces.

• Case studies detailing the strategic thinking behind design decisions, particularly in balancing the needs of multiple user personas or integrating with existing systems like HRIS.

• Examples of how design systems were leveraged to ensure scalability, consistency, and efficiency in product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, especially one involving complex operational and financial workflows, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond showcasing aesthetics to demonstrating strategic thinking, process rigor, and the ability to solve complex problems at scale. The emphasis on "end-to-end design" and "systems thinking" means candidates should be prepared to articulate their process and the impact of their design decisions in detail, particularly how they handled the intricate nature of fintech and HR-tech operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $140,000 - $170,000 annually.

This range is competitive and will be commensurate with the candidate's experience, qualifications, and industry knowledge. The company also offers an attractive equity component as part of the overall compensation package.

Benefits:

• Competitive cash and equity compensation.

• Comprehensive health benefits (health, dental, & vision insurance).

• Student loan repayment benefits offered by Clasp.

• 401k matching program.

• Commuter benefits.

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy.

• Opportunities for professional growth and development in a fast-paced environment.

Working Hours: The job is full-time, with an implied standard 40-hour work week. However, the remote nature and fast-paced startup environment suggest flexibility may be expected, with a strong emphasis on Eastern and Central time zone alignment for collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a Senior Product Designer in the US tech market, especially in a venture-backed startup environment. The inclusion of equity is standard for these roles. The benefits are also competitive, with the unique offering of Clasp's own student loan repayment benefits, which is a strong differentiator. The remote policy requires careful consideration for candidates outside of ET/CT zones.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Fintech, Ed-tech, HR-tech. Clasp operates at the intersection of financial technology, education technology, and human resources technology, aiming to improve access to education and career pathways while addressing student debt. This multi-industry focus means the company navigates complex regulatory environments and diverse user needs.

Company Size: Venture-backed startup, indicating a dynamic, fast-paced, and growth-oriented environment. The team is likely lean, with significant impact potential for each member.

Founded: Clasp was founded with a mission to be a catalyst for economic mobility, transforming how employers attract talent and how educational institutions support students. This mission-driven ethos is central to its culture and operations.

Team Structure:

• The design role is embedded within the Product team, with dedicated PM counterparts for both Clasp Talent's Recruitment and Repayment product lines.

• The Senior Product Designer will be the sole design anchor for Clasp Talent, requiring strong self-direction and the ability to influence design strategy.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative research to inform design.

• Agile development practices, with a focus on rapid prototyping, user validation, and iterative shipping.

• Emphasis on systems thinking to manage complexity and ensure scalability across interconnected products and user personas.

• A commitment to social impact and using technology to drive economic mobility.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission-driven nature, combined with its venture-backed startup status, suggests a culture that values innovation, impact, and rapid execution. The Senior Product Designer will be pivotal in shaping the user experience of products that directly influence financial well-being and career progression, requiring a designer who is not only skilled but also aligned with these values. The remote-first approach with specific timezone requirements indicates a need for strong asynchronous communication skills and occasional synchronous collaboration.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor (IC) role. The expectation is for the designer to operate with a high degree of autonomy, owning significant product areas and contributing to design strategy. The role requires seasoned experience in handling ambiguity, complex problem spaces, and driving projects to completion.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to a Director-level leader within Product or Design, likely the Director of Product, given the description. They will work very closely with two dedicated Senior PMs on Clasp Talent.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's impact will be direct and substantial. They will be responsible for the entire user experience of Clasp Talent, a core business line for the company. This includes:

• Revenue Generation: Designing consumer acquisition flows that drive student sign-ups and employer partnerships.

• Operational Efficiency: Creating intuitive interfaces for recruiters, employees, and administrators that streamline complex benefit administration and HRIS integrations, reducing manual effort and errors.

• Product Strategy: Influencing the product roadmap through user insights and design innovation, ensuring the product meets market needs and drives business objectives.

• Brand Perception: Shaping the user's perception of Clasp as a trustworthy, innovative, and impactful provider of financial and career solutions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to shape the design direction and mature the design system for a critical product line. As the company grows, potential to mentor junior designers or lead specific design initiatives.

• Strategic Product Influence: Deep involvement in product strategy due to the senior IC nature and cross-functional collaboration, offering chances to influence business outcomes.

• Industry Expertise: Gaining specialized knowledge in fintech, ed-tech, and HR-tech, particularly in areas like student finance, loan repayment, and talent acquisition.

• AI Integration: Opportunity to be at the forefront of integrating AI tools into design workflows, developing new capabilities and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth potential for a designer looking to make a substantial impact within a mission-driven startup. The combination of strategic influence, ownership over a key product area, and exposure to complex fintech/HR-tech domains makes it attractive for career advancement. The emphasis on evolving the design system also points to an opportunity to build a lasting design foundation.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Primarily remote, with a requirement for candidates to be located within the Eastern (ET) and Central (CT) time zones. Occasional travel to Boston is expected for onboarding and collaborative sessions, suggesting a hybrid work model where remote work is the norm but in-person interaction is valued.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the expectation for travel to Boston implies a need for proximity to a medium or large airport with frequent daily flights to Boston. This suggests a focus on candidates within a reasonable distance of major transportation hubs in the ET and CT zones.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The work environment is structured for effective remote collaboration, emphasizing strong asynchronous communication tools and practices.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: Opportunities to engage with Product Managers, Engineers, Marketing, and Partner Success teams, fostering a collaborative and integrated product development culture.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern design tools (Figma) and potentially AI integration tools, supporting efficient and innovative design processes.

• Fast-Paced Culture: The startup environment implies a dynamic workplace where agility, adaptability, and proactive problem-solving are key.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, the startup nature may require flexibility. The key constraint is adherence to ET & CT time zones for collaborative meetings and team synchronization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote setup combined with specific time zone requirements and occasional travel indicates a modern hybrid work model. Candidates should be comfortable managing their own schedules while ensuring availability for crucial team interactions. The emphasis on travel to Boston for key events suggests the company values in-person connection for strategic alignment and team building.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

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

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: A deeper dive into your portfolio with a hiring manager or design lead. Expect to walk through 1-2 case studies, articulating your process, decision-making, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your designs.

• Skills-Based Interviews: Interviews focusing on specific design competencies, including systems thinking, UX/UI principles, Figma proficiency, and experience with complex workflows.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Conversations with Product Managers and/or Engineers to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team.

• Final Interview: A meeting with senior leadership (e.g., Director of Product) to discuss strategic alignment, cultural fit, and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select case studies that best showcase your ability to handle complex, multi-persona products and operational workflows. Highlight projects where you drove end-to-end design from discovery to launch.

• Focus on Process & Impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process, key decisions, challenges faced, and the measurable impact of your solutions (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user engagement, reduced operational friction).

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Include examples of how you've worked with or evolved design systems, or how you approach designing interconnected experiences.

• Demonstrate Figma Fluency: Be prepared to discuss your use of advanced Figma features like variables, auto layout, and complex prototyping.

• Highlight Operational Design: If possible, include a case study that demonstrates your ability to design for data-dense, operational, or fintech-related interfaces, showcasing how you bring clarity and trust to complex functions.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives that guide the reviewer through your problem-solving journey.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design exercise or a take-home challenge that assesses your ability to tackle a realistic problem statement relevant to Clasp's products. This might involve user flow mapping, wireframing, or prototyping.

• Problem-Solving: Practice articulating how you would approach an ambiguous problem, break it down, conduct research, and develop potential solutions.

• Communication: Hone your ability to clearly and concisely present your design rationale and defend your decisions, especially when discussing trade-offs or complex requirements.

• AI Integration: Be ready to discuss how you might leverage AI tools in your design process for research, ideation, or content generation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a senior design role at a startup typically involves a thorough evaluation of both hard design skills and soft skills like collaboration and strategic thinking. The portfolio review is critical, and candidates should prepare to articulate not just what they designed, but why and how it impacted the business and users, especially given the complex operational and fintech aspects of Clasp's products.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool. Deep proficiency is required, including advanced features such as components, variants, auto layout, variables, and complex prototyping.

• Design Systems: Experience working within and contributing to established design systems. Understanding of how to evolve components, patterns, and guidelines for scalability and consistency.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities are central, with an emphasis on creating interactive and high-fidelity prototypes for user testing and developer handoff.

Analytics & Reporting:

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

• Data Analysis: Ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative data from user research and product analytics to inform design decisions. Experience with tools like Amplitude, Google Analytics, or similar platforms would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• HRIS Integration Context: While not a direct design tool, understanding the implications of HRIS integrations for user workflows and data management is crucial for designing effective operational tooling.

• Fintech Workflow Understanding: Familiarity with financial transaction flows, reconciliation processes, and compliance considerations that impact interface design.

• AI Tools: Curiosity and hands-on experience with emerging AI tools for research, ideation, content generation, or design assistance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma is explicit and central. Beyond that, the role requires an understanding of the broader product development ecosystem, including user research methodologies, data analysis for design insights, and the operational context of HRIS and fintech workflows. The mention of AI tools suggests an openness to integrating new technologies into the design stack.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to social impact and driving economic mobility through education and career pathways. This means designs should align with user needs and company mission.

• Craftsmanship & Quality: High standards for visual design, user experience, and attention to detail, especially in complex operational and financial interfaces.

• Systems Thinking: Valuing interconnectedness and scalability in design solutions, ensuring consistency and efficiency across the product ecosystem.

• User-Centricity: Deep empathy for users (students, recruiters, employees, administrators) and a commitment to solving their problems through thoughtful design.

• Collaboration & Communication: Openness to feedback, proactive communication, and effective teamwork, especially within a remote, cross-functional environment.

• Innovation & Efficiency: Embracing new technologies (like AI) and methodologies to improve processes and product outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Marketing, and Partner Success teams is essential.

• Design System Advocacy: Championing the design system to ensure consistency and efficiency across the product.

• Feedback Loops: An open culture for giving and receiving constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement.

• Asynchronous Communication: Proficiency in communicating ideas and updates effectively through written documentation and collaboration tools, complementing synchronous meetings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to blend a strong social mission with the rigor of a tech startup. The values emphasize both the "why" (impact) and the "how" (craft, systems, collaboration). For a designer, understanding and aligning with these values will be key to success and integration into the team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Multi-Persona Products: Designing for four distinct user groups with often competing needs and contexts requires careful balancing and prioritization.

• Bridging Consumer & Operational Interfaces: Seamlessly integrating user-friendly consumer acquisition flows with robust, data-intensive operational and fintech workflows.

• Evolving an Existing Design System: Building on prior foundations requires understanding existing constraints while driving necessary improvements and expansions.

• Remote Collaboration & Travel: Managing a remote work setup effectively while being prepared for occasional travel and in-person collaboration.

• Ambiguity in Early-Stage Product: Navigating an evolving product landscape and contributing to strategic direction in a dynamic startup environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Domain Expertise: Deepening knowledge in fintech, ed-tech, and HR-tech, particularly in financial aid, student loan repayment, and talent acquisition processes.

• AI in Design: Becoming a leader in applying AI tools to enhance design research, ideation, and workflow efficiency.

• Strategic Design Impact: Contributing significantly to the product strategy and success of a core business line, with potential for increased leadership responsibility over time.

• Design System Maturity: Playing a key role in the growth and refinement of Clasp's design system, establishing best practices.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Strengthening skills in collaborating with diverse teams like engineering, marketing, and partner success to achieve shared goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges due to its complexity and breadth, but these are directly tied to substantial growth opportunities for a motivated designer. The emphasis on AI and specialized industry domains offers avenues for cutting-edge skill development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for multiple user personas with conflicting needs. How did you prioritize and ensure a positive experience for each?" (Focus on trade-offs, user research, and compromise).

• "Walk me through a complex operational workflow you've designed. What were the key challenges, and how did you make it user-friendly and trustworthy?" (Highlight process simplification, data visualization, and building trust in fintech/operational contexts).

• "How would you approach evolving an existing design system to accommodate new product features or components? What are the key considerations for balancing consistency and flexibility?" (Discuss design system principles, component libraries, and governance).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Clasp's mission to drive economic mobility through education and career pathways?" (Connect your personal values and career goals to the company's mission).

• "How do you approach collaboration in a remote, cross-functional environment? What are your strategies for effective communication and feedback?" (Emphasize proactive communication, asynchronous methods, and conflict resolution).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure each case study as a compelling story: the problem, the user, your role, the process, the solution, and the measurable impact.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your slides are clean, well-designed, and easy to follow. Use high-fidelity mockups and prototypes to showcase your work.

• Process Emphasis: Clearly articulate your design process, including research methodologies, ideation techniques, and iteration loops. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics or outcomes that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores).

• Figma Deep Dive: Be prepared to discuss specific Figma techniques used, especially for prototyping and design system components.

• AI Integration Examples: If applicable, showcase how you've used AI tools in your workflow and the benefits it provided.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation for this role should focus on demonstrating a blend of strategic thinking, deep design craft, and operational acumen. Candidates must be ready to articulate their process for complex problems, show how they leverage tools like Figma effectively, and connect their work to business impact and user value, especially within the fintech and HR-tech context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight 1-2 key projects that best demonstrate your experience with complex, multi-persona products, end-to-end design lifecycles, and operational/fintech workflows. Emphasize your process and the impact of your work.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 5+ years of experience, highlighting achievements related to shipping products, collaborating cross-functionally, and working with design systems and Figma. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and the impact of your work. Prepare to discuss your experience with Figma, design systems, and remote collaboration. Be ready to share insights from your portfolio case studies.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Clasp's mission, business lines (Talent and Finance), and target audience. Understand their commitment to social impact and economic mobility. Research their current product offerings and market position.

⚠️ 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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