Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Spot & Tango

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UI/UX Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-01

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design of intuitive and engaging digital experiences for Spot & Tango's customer-facing website and internal platforms, driving user acquisition and retention.

• Champion user-centered design principles, translating UX research and business requirements into high-fidelity, pixel-perfect UI designs and sophisticated prototypes.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and executives throughout the product development lifecycle, from ideation to iteration and technical implementation.

• Contribute to A/B testing initiatives and leverage data-driven insights to optimize website conversion rates and enhance customer satisfaction within an e-commerce context.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically for a Senior Product Designer with a strong focus on e-commerce and subscription-based services, requiring a blend of strategic thinking, user empathy, and hands-on execution within a fast-paced startup environment. The emphasis on designing for both customer acquisition and retention, alongside internal platforms, highlights a broad scope of responsibility.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Collaborate with product management and engineering teams to ideate, conceptualize, and design significant new digital features and user experiences across web and mobile platforms.

• Conduct and synthesize user research findings to deeply understand customer needs, pain points, and behaviors, informing design decisions and user flows.

• Develop detailed wireframes and user flows in partnership with product teams and leadership, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technical feasibility.

• Execute high-fidelity UI designs, meticulously crafting pixel-perfect interfaces that adhere to the established design system and are ready for engineering handoff.

• Provide ongoing design guidance and support to the engineering team during the development phase, ensuring the design vision is maintained and making necessary adjustments for technical implementation.

• Maintain and evolve the company's design system to ensure consistency and scalability of the product's visual language and user experience across all touchpoints.

• Partner with product and growth marketing teams to conceptualize, design, and implement A/B tests aimed at improving key e-commerce metrics like conversion rate, average order value, and customer lifetime value.

• Strategically design and iterate on various critical e-commerce pages and flows, including the homepage, landing pages, product detail pages, personalized questionnaire, checkout process, and customer portal.

• Lead and present design proposals, strategies, and rationale to business stakeholders, executives, and cross-functional teams, effectively communicating UI/UX decisions and their impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a senior-level role where the designer is expected to lead initiatives, influence product strategy, and drive measurable business outcomes through design excellence, particularly within the e-commerce and subscription sector.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, or a related field is often preferred for senior roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 5-8 years of professional experience as a Product Designer, UI Designer, or UX Designer, with a proven track record of designing and launching responsive web and mobile experiences for diverse user demographics.

Required Skills:

• UI/UX Design Expertise: Deep understanding of user-centered design principles, interaction design, and information architecture.

• E-commerce & Subscription Design: Proven experience designing for e-commerce platforms, subscription models, and customer acquisition/retention funnels.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced skills in Figma for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• User Research: Experience conducting and leveraging UX research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, usability testing) to inform design decisions.

• Prototyping: Ability to create sophisticated, interactive prototypes to demonstrate user flows and design concepts.

• Wireframing: Proficiency in creating detailed wireframes and user flows to map out product functionality and information architecture.

• Responsive Design: Expertise in designing for various screen sizes and devices, ensuring a seamless experience across web and mobile.

• A/B Testing: Familiarity with designing experiments and collaborating on A/B tests to optimize user engagement and conversion.

• Design Systems: Experience contributing to or maintaining design systems for consistency and scalability.

• Visual Design: Strong aesthetic sense and attention to detail in creating visually appealing and polished interfaces.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with product managers, engineers, marketers, and stakeholders.

• Problem-Solving: Ability to analyze complex problems, synthesize information, and develop creative design solutions.

• Self-Starter: Proven ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive projects forward with minimal direction.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with data analysis tools to understand user behavior and test results.

• Familiarity with front-end development concepts (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better collaborate with engineers.

• Experience in the pet industry or a related consumer goods sector.

• Experience presenting design work and strategy to executive leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5-8 years specifically targets a senior individual contributor who can operate with a high degree of autonomy. Proficiency in Figma is a critical technical requirement, and experience in e-commerce and subscription models is paramount given Spot & Tango's business.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate End-to-End Design Process: Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies that illustrate your entire design process, from initial problem definition and user research through ideation, wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and post-launch iteration.

• Highlight E-commerce & Conversion Focus: Include projects specifically related to e-commerce, subscription services, customer acquisition, or conversion rate optimization. Clearly articulate the business goals and how your design solutions addressed them.

• Showcase Figma & Prototyping Skills: Your portfolio should feature sophisticated prototypes created in Figma, demonstrating complex user flows, interactions, and micro-interactions.

• Illustrate Collaboration & Problem-Solving: Provide examples of how you collaborated with cross-functional teams (product, engineering) and how you navigated technical constraints or stakeholder feedback to arrive at effective design solutions.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics and data that demonstrate the positive impact of your design work on key business objectives (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user engagement, reduced churn).

Process Documentation:

• User Research Insights: Clearly document the user research methodologies used, key findings, and how these insights directly influenced design decisions and product strategy.

• Wireframing & User Flows: Present detailed wireframes and user flow diagrams that map out complex interactions and information architecture.

• UI Design & Design System Adherence: Showcase polished UI designs that align with established design principles and, ideally, demonstrate experience with or application of design systems.

• A/B Testing Design & Analysis: Detail your involvement in designing or analyzing A/B tests, including the hypotheses, design variations, and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is crucial for this role. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their case studies, explaining their design thinking, decision-making process, and the impact of their work. Focusing on e-commerce and conversion-driven projects will be highly advantageous.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in New York City with 5-8 years of experience, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between $130,000 - $170,000 annually. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and interview performance.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Stock Options/Equity: Potential for equity in a growing VC-backed startup.

• 401(k) Plan: Retirement savings plan with potential company match.

• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continued learning, workshops, and conferences.

• Team Events & Perks: Company-sponsored events, team lunches, and potentially pet-related perks.

• Hybrid Work Model: Flexibility with 3 days in the New York City office.

Working Hours: This is a full-time position, typically requiring approximately 40 hours per week. While the role involves hybrid work, specific daily hours may fluctuate based on project needs and team collaboration, with an expectation of availability during core business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on data from reputable compensation platforms (e.g., Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, LinkedIn Salary) for Senior Product Designers in NYC, factoring in the specified experience level and the startup environment. Benefits are typical for a well-funded tech startup.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce, Pet Health & Wellness, Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Subscription Services. Spot & Tango operates in a rapidly growing market driven by increasing consumer spending on pet health and personalized solutions.

Company Size: Spot & Tango is a VC-backed, high-growth startup. While the exact employee count isn't provided, this implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment where individuals can have a significant impact and wear multiple hats.

Founded: Founded with a mission to improve pet health through personalized, human-grade nutrition. This founding principle likely permeates the company culture, emphasizing quality, innovation, and genuine care for pets and their owners.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely consists of a small, focused group of designers working closely with Product Managers and Engineers.

• Reporting structure will likely be to a Head of Product, Director of Product Design, or a similar senior leadership role.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using data from UX research, A/B testing, and analytics to inform design choices and measure success.

• Agile Development: Likely operates within an agile framework, involving iterative design and development cycles.

• User-Centricity: A core philosophy of understanding and prioritizing the needs of pet parents and their pets in all design and product decisions.

• Iterative Improvement: A culture that embraces continuous improvement through feedback loops, testing, and refinement of existing features and new designs.

Company Website: http://www.spotandtango.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: As a high-growth startup, Spot & Tango likely fosters a culture of innovation, agility, and direct impact. The emphasis on dogs and pet health suggests a passionate and mission-driven workforce.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating an individual contributor position with a significant scope of responsibility. The role requires a high degree of autonomy, strategic input into product direction, and the ability to mentor or guide less experienced designers implicitly.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Head of Product, or a similar senior management position. They will work in close partnership with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on specific product initiatives.

Operations Impact: The design work directly influences customer acquisition, conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and retention within a subscription e-commerce model. By creating seamless, engaging, and intuitive user experiences, the Senior Product Designer plays a critical role in driving revenue growth and building brand loyalty. Their designs directly impact the user's journey from discovery through to becoming a repeat customer.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer or Design Manager role, overseeing a team and setting the strategic direction for design.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like conversion optimization, user research, or interaction design within the e-commerce/DTC space.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Ability to expand influence across broader product strategy and company-wide initiatives.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to building a strong design culture.

• Startup Growth: As the company scales, new opportunities for advancement and increased responsibility will emerge.

📝 Enhancement Note: The senior title implies significant autonomy and the expectation of strategic contribution. Growth paths typically lead to leadership or deep specialization within the product design domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, requiring presence in the New York City office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork, brainstorming, and in-person communication.

Office Location(s): Midtown Manhattan, New York City. This prime location offers access to a vibrant business district and is convenient for those living in or commuting to the city.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office days are intended for team meetings, design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and building strong working relationships with colleagues.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard office technology, including high-performance workstations suitable for design software like Figma, and potentially collaborative whiteboarding tools.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for spontaneous conversations, informal feedback sessions, and building camaraderie with the product, engineering, and marketing teams.

Work Schedule: The role requires approximately 40 hours per week. While hybrid, the expectation is that the 3 days in the office are utilized for high-collaboration activities. Flexibility may exist for remote work on other days, but core availability during business hours is essential for team coordination.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model indicates a balance between focused individual work (potentially remote) and collaborative team activities (in-office). Midtown Manhattan is a typical location for tech startups in NYC.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Screen: Review of resume and portfolio. Candidates should ensure their portfolio clearly highlights relevant e-commerce/subscription experience and Figma proficiency.

• Hiring Manager/Recruiter Call: A brief discussion to assess overall fit, experience alignment, and salary expectations.

• Design Exercise/Take-Home Challenge: Candidates may be asked to complete a design exercise or a take-home challenge related to Spot & Tango's products or customer journey. This assesses problem-solving skills, design thinking, and execution.

• Portfolio Presentation & Stakeholder Interviews: A more in-depth session where candidates present 1-2 key case studies from their portfolio. This is followed by interviews with key stakeholders, including Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers or leadership. These interviews will assess design rationale, collaboration skills, and strategic thinking.

• Final Interview: Potentially a conversation with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product, CEO) to discuss company vision, cultural fit, and overall strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Focus on 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant case studies that demonstrate the full design process and highlight your impact.

• Tell a Story: Structure each case study with a clear narrative: the problem, your role, the process, your solutions, the challenges, and the outcomes (quantified where possible).

• Emphasize E-commerce & Conversion: Clearly articulate how your designs addressed business objectives like customer acquisition, conversion rate optimization, and retention.

• Showcase Figma & Prototyping: Be prepared to demonstrate interactive prototypes and explain the rationale behind specific interaction patterns.

• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with product managers and engineers, and how you incorporated feedback.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, trade-offs made, and how you would approach specific challenges at Spot & Tango.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Business: Research Spot & Tango's mission, target audience, product offerings, and competitive landscape.

• Focus on User Needs & Business Goals: Ensure any design solution addresses both user pain points and business objectives.

• Think Iteratively: Be prepared to discuss how you would iterate on your initial design based on feedback or new data.

• Practice Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio case studies and any design challenge solutions clearly and concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only design skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration abilities, and fit within a startup environment. A strong portfolio presentation is critical.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect to be proficient in its advanced features.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities are key, potentially supplemented by tools like InVision for specific workflows.

• User Research Platforms: Tools like UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, or internal methods for conducting usability testing and gathering feedback.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms for understanding user behavior on the website.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Tools like Optimizely, VWO, or internal experimentation platforms for designing and analyzing tests.

• Data Visualization: Potentially tools like Tableau or Looker for deeper data exploration, though primary reporting might be handled by other teams.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly a design tool, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) informs customer segmentation and personalization can be beneficial.

• Project Management: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks and collaborating with engineering.

• Communication: Slack for day-to-day team communication and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the central design tool. Familiarity with analytics and A/B testing platforms is crucial for designing conversion-focused features and measuring their impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A passion for improving pet health and happiness, translating into dedication to product quality and user experience.

• Customer Obsessed: Deep empathy for pet parents, with a commitment to understanding their needs and delivering exceptional service and products.

• Data-Informed: A culture that values data and evidence in decision-making, using insights from research and analytics to guide product development.

• Agile & Iterative: Embracing rapid iteration, learning from mistakes, and continuously improving products and processes.

• Collaborative Spirit: A belief in teamwork, open communication, and shared ownership across functions.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking initiative, driving projects forward, and holding oneself accountable for results.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnerships: Strong emphasis on close working relationships with Product Managers, Engineers, and Growth Marketers, fostering a shared understanding of goals and challenges.

• Open Feedback Loops: Encouraging constructive feedback during design critiques, team meetings, and throughout the development process.

• Transparent Communication: Maintaining open channels for sharing progress, insights, and potential roadblocks.

• Shared Vision: Working collectively to ensure all team members understand and are aligned with the product vision and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture likely emphasizes passion for the mission, data-driven decisions, and strong collaboration within a fast-paced startup environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Continuously finding the optimal balance between creating delightful user experiences and meeting ambitious business objectives in a competitive e-commerce market.

• Rapid Iteration in a Fast-Paced Environment: Adapting quickly to changing priorities, market feedback, and technical constraints inherent in a high-growth startup.

• Scaling Design Systems: Ensuring the design system remains robust and scalable as the product and company grow.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively communicating design rationale and managing expectations across diverse stakeholders with varying priorities.

• Measuring Design Impact: Quantifying the precise impact of design changes on key business metrics and demonstrating ROI.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into E-commerce & DTC: Gaining specialized knowledge in conversion optimization, subscription models, and customer lifecycle marketing through practical application.

• Advanced Design Tool Proficiency: Mastering Figma and exploring new design and prototyping techniques.

• User Research & Data Analysis: Developing stronger skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods and leveraging data for design insights.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from experienced product leaders and potentially mentor junior team members.

• Strategic Product Input: Contributing to high-level product strategy and roadmap planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a senior role in a growth-stage startup, offering significant opportunities for professional development and impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex e-commerce feature you designed from concept to launch. What was the problem, your approach, and the outcome? How did you measure success?" (Focus on demonstrating end-to-end ownership, problem-solving, and impact.)

• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives when designing for a subscription service like Spot & Tango?" (Prepare examples of trade-offs and how you navigated them, emphasizing data-driven decisions.)

• "Walk us through your process for designing and iterating on A/B tests. How do you collaborate with growth marketing and product teams?" (Highlight your understanding of experimentation and cross-functional collaboration.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Spot & Tango and the pet wellness industry specifically?" (Show genuine interest and research into the company's mission.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with engineers and product managers? Describe a time you had a disagreement and how you resolved it." (Focus on communication, empathy, and problem-solving.)

• "How do you stay updated on design trends and best practices, particularly in the e-commerce space?" (Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly articulate: the business context, the user problem, your specific role and contributions, your design process (research, ideation, iteration), the final solution, and the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Figma & Prototypes: Be ready to share your screen and demonstrate interactive prototypes, explaining the user flows and interactions.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics whenever possible to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., "increased conversion by X%", "reduced drop-off by Y%").

• Explain Your Decisions: Be prepared to justify every design choice, explaining the "why" behind your solutions.

• Showcase Collaboration: Discuss how you worked with cross-functional teams and incorporated their feedback.

• Be Concise and Engaging: Practice your presentation to ensure it flows well and respects the allocated time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss their portfolio in detail, demonstrating not just design execution but also strategic thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills relevant to a startup environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Spot & Tango careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight experience with e-commerce, subscription models, Figma proficiency, and end-to-end product design processes. Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases your most relevant case studies.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume uses keywords from the job description (e.g., UI/UX Design, Product Design, Figma, E-commerce, Responsive Design, User Research, Prototyping) and quantifies achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on the narrative, your design decisions, and the measurable impact of your work. Prepare answers to common product design and behavioral interview questions.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Spot & Tango's mission, products, target audience, and recent news to demonstrate genuine interest and understanding of their business and market.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with Spot & Tango through their application process before making application decisions.