Senior Product Designer II

ForeFlight
Full-time$143k-175k/year (USD)Austin, United States

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer II

Company: ForeFlight

Location: Austin, Texas, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design (with a focus on AI and Operations)

Date Posted: May 12, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

  • Lead the end-to-end design of cutting-edge agentic AI platforms and adjacent operational products within the aviation industry.

  • Shape intelligent workflows, human-AI collaboration models, and AI-native user experiences for high-stakes operational environments.

  • Translate complex operational data and workflows into intuitive decision-support tools, focusing on trust, transparency, and user control.

  • Drive product strategy and influence roadmap discussions through user-centered design principles and a strong understanding of AI product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior Product Designer II," the description and experience requirements strongly indicate a role focused on advanced AI product design and complex operational systems, rather than a generalist product design position. The emphasis on "agentic AI platform," "human-AI collaboration models," and "high-stakes operational environments" points towards a specialized UX/Product Design role within operations technology. The "10+ years" experience level derived from the "8+ years" basic qualification and the seniority implied by "lead design" and "mentor other designers" further solidifies this.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Lead the complete design lifecycle for the agentic AI platform and related operational products, from initial concept and discovery through to launch and ongoing iteration.

  • Design AI-native product experiences, including agent orchestration, sophisticated conversational interfaces, intelligent recommendation systems, and robust human-in-the-loop workflows.

  • Collaborate intimately with product managers and engineering teams to conceptualize and refine AI-powered user experiences that meticulously balance automation capabilities with user control and trust.

  • Deconstruct and translate intricate operational workflows and data systems into clear, intuitive interfaces and effective decision-support tools for aviation professionals.

  • Develop comprehensive design artifacts, including detailed workflows, wireframes, interaction models, interactive prototypes, and system maps that articulate complex relationships.

  • Define and evolve interaction patterns specifically for agentic systems, encompassing task delegation, contextual information surfacing, explainability features, and confidence signaling mechanisms.

  • Leverage user research, operational data analysis, and AI-assisted workflows to accelerate the design iteration process and measurably enhance design quality.

  • Independently plan and execute user research studies, usability testing sessions, and workflow validation exercises with pilots, dispatchers, and other key operational stakeholders.

  • Partner closely with engineering teams to ensure the faithful and high-quality implementation of designs, focusing on thoughtful AI behavior in production environments.

  • Contribute to the development and evolution of design systems and shared interaction patterns specifically for AI-enabled products, ensuring consistency and scalability.

  • Mentor junior designers, fostering a culture of excellence in craft, systems thinking, and maturity in AI product design practices across the team.

  • Actively influence product strategy and champion user-centered AI implementation within cross-functional planning sessions and roadmap discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The original description provides a list of responsibilities. These have been expanded to be more descriptive and to integrate operations-specific terminology and context, such as "operational data," "decision-support tools for aviation professionals," and "task delegation for agentic systems."

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for senior-level product design roles, especially those involving complex systems.

Experience: 8+ years of experience in designing and successfully shipping digital products, with a strong emphasis on AI-powered systems and complex operational workflows.

Required Skills:

  • Demonstrated end-to-end product design leadership, showcased through a compelling portfolio that highlights systems thinking and measurable business impact.

  • Proven experience designing AI-powered products, agentic systems, copilots, intelligent assistants, or complex workflow automation tools.

  • Deep understanding of human-AI interaction principles, including emerging paradigms such as transparency, trust, feedback loops, user control, and explainability.

  • Extensive experience designing complex workflow software within operational, enterprise, or highly regulated domains (e.g., aviation, healthcare, finance, logistics).

  • Exceptional interaction design skills, particularly for data-rich and context-heavy environments where precision and clarity are paramount.

  • Demonstrated ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, bringing clarity and structure to ambiguous problem spaces.

  • Excellent stakeholder communication and influencing skills, with a proven track record of influencing senior partners across product management and engineering.

  • Proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools such as Figma, and experience with AI tools to accelerate design exploration and synthesis.

  • Experience planning and conducting comprehensive user research, and adeptness at translating research findings into actionable product decisions.

  • Strong systems thinking capabilities, with the ability to design cohesive experiences across interconnected product ecosystems.

Preferred Skills:

  • Direct interest in or prior experience within the aviation industry.

  • Experience designing operational software specifically for dispatch, logistics, or mission-critical workflow management.

  • Familiarity with conversational UI design, agentic workflow orchestration frameworks, or AI integration platforms.

  • Experience designing with mapping, geospatial interfaces, or cartography-heavy products.

  • Proficiency in designing data visualization dashboards and operational reporting tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Basic Qualifications" have been reframed as "Required Skills" and the "Preferred Qualifications" as "Preferred Skills" for clarity. The experience level has been inferred as "10+" based on the "8+ years" requirement for a "Senior II" role and the typical progression in design fields. The educational requirements are inferred based on industry standards for senior design positions.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Demonstrate end-to-end product design ownership for at least one significant AI-powered or complex operational product.

  • Showcase your approach to systems thinking, illustrating how you design for interconnectedness and scalability within a product ecosystem.

  • Include case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your design process, the solutions implemented, and the measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, improved decision-making, user adoption).

Process Documentation:

  • Provide examples of your process for translating complex operational workflows and data into intuitive user interfaces and decision-support tools.

  • Detail your methodology for integrating user research and operational data into the design process, particularly for AI-driven features.

  • Include examples of how you have shaped interaction patterns for agentic systems, including explainability, confidence signaling, and human-in-the-loop workflows.

  • Showcase your ability to collaborate with product and engineering, illustrating how you ensure high-quality implementation of AI-driven features.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is crafted to provide specific guidance on what a product designer applying for an AI-focused, operational role should emphasize in their portfolio. It focuses on demonstrating process, systems thinking, and impact, which are critical for senior roles in this domain.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $143,000 - $175,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

  • Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

  • Employer-Sponsored Premiums: Full employer coverage for health insurance premiums, significantly reducing employee out-of-pocket costs.

  • Flexible Time Off: An open Paid Time Off (PTO) policy, allowing employees to manage their time off based on project needs and personal requirements.

  • Retirement Savings: A 401(k) plan with a generous company match of up to 10%, featuring immediate vesting, allowing employees to build long-term financial security.

  • Family Support: Generous paid leave policies, including 12 weeks for maternity leave and 4 weeks for paternity leave, supporting work-life balance during critical family moments.

  • Professional Development: Unique Flight Training Rewards, aligning with the aviation industry focus and supporting employee growth and interest.

Working Hours: The standard workweek is 40 hours, typical for a full-time role. Given the on-site nature and the demands of leading complex projects, flexibility may be expected, but core hours will likely align with standard business operations in Austin, TX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range and benefits were explicitly provided in the job description. The details have been organized and elaborated upon to highlight their value to potential candidates, especially those in specialized tech roles. The "working hours" are inferred as standard full-time.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Aviation Software, Flight Planning, and Operations Technology. ForeFlight is part of Jeppesen, a Boeing company, indicating a strong presence and deep expertise in the aviation sector.

Company Size: ForeFlight is described as a "high-growth, private equity-backed company," suggesting a dynamic environment that is likely scaling rapidly. While specific numbers aren't provided, this implies a company size that balances the resources of a larger entity with the agility of a growing firm.

Founded: While the founding date of ForeFlight isn't explicitly stated, its parent company, Jeppesen, has a long history in aviation data and services, dating back to 1940. ForeFlight itself was founded in 2007. This blend of established expertise with modern innovation is a key characteristic.

Team Structure:

  • The product design team operates globally and is distributed, necessitating strong asynchronous communication and collaboration skills.

  • Designers work closely with Product Management and Engineering teams, indicating a collaborative, cross-functional approach to product development.

Methodology:

  • AI-Native Design: A core focus on designing for AI, emphasizing human-AI interaction, trust, transparency, and orchestration.

  • Systems Thinking: Designing across interconnected product ecosystems and complex operational workflows.

  • User-Centricity: Deeply understanding the needs of pilots, dispatchers, and aviation operations teams through research and data.

  • Agile Development: Likely employing agile methodologies, given the "high-growth" and "scaling operations" context, with continuous iteration and feedback loops.

Company Website: https://foreflight.com/ (Note: The provided URL was null, so a standard company website is inferred.)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is derived from the initial paragraph of the job description and general knowledge about ForeFlight and Jeppesen. The emphasis is placed on how this context impacts the operations and design roles.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer II, indicating a senior individual contributor role with significant leadership responsibilities in design strategy and execution for AI-powered operational products. It signifies a level of expertise that allows for independent project leadership and mentorship.

Reporting Structure: The designer will collaborate closely with product managers and engineers. While the direct reporting manager isn't specified, senior designers typically report to a Design Lead, Design Manager, or Director of Product Design, who oversees the design function and its alignment with business objectives.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer will have a direct impact on operational efficiency and decision-making within aviation. By designing intelligent workflows and AI-driven tools, this role will empower users to make faster, more informed decisions in critical operational contexts, directly influencing safety, efficiency, and business outcomes in a high-stakes industry.

Growth Opportunities:

  • AI Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing AI-native experiences, human-AI collaboration, and agentic systems, becoming a leader in this emerging field.

  • Leadership & Mentorship: Grow into a design leadership role by mentoring other designers, contributing to design system evolution, and influencing product strategy.

  • Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in aviation operations, further enhancing career prospects within this niche but critical industry.

  • Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across product, engineering, and business strategy teams, contributing to high-level decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section synthesizes information about the role's seniority, its impact on operations, and potential career trajectories within ForeFlight, focusing on growth opportunities relevant to a specialized design role.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is specified as "On-site" in Austin, Texas. This suggests a traditional office environment where in-person collaboration, spontaneous discussions, and team cohesion are valued.

Office Location(s): Austin, Texas, 78702. This location is known for its vibrant tech scene, offering potential networking opportunities and access to a diverse talent pool.

Workspace Context:

  • Collaborative Environment: Expect a workspace that fosters close collaboration with distributed product, engineering, and design teams. This will likely involve a mix of in-person meetings and digital collaboration tools.

  • Technology & Tools: Access to modern design tools like Figma and potentially AI-assisted design tools will be standard. The company's focus on cutting-edge AI platforms implies a commitment to providing robust technological resources.

  • Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with a global design team, as well as cross-functional teams, will be frequent, facilitating knowledge sharing and diverse perspectives.

Work Schedule: As an "On-site" role with a "Full-Time" employment type, the work schedule will likely adhere to standard business hours in the Austin, TX timezone (America/Chicago). While specific flexibility isn't detailed, the "open PTO policy" suggests a culture that values work-life balance, provided operational needs and project deadlines are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "On-site" designation is the primary driver for this section. It's expanded to consider the implications of an office-based role in a tech hub, focusing on collaboration and available resources.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience alignment, particularly with AI-native design and operational workflows.

  • Portfolio Presentation/Design Exercise: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, walking through case studies that demonstrate your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and impact on complex systems. A specific design challenge related to AI or operational workflows may also be given.

  • Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other Designers to evaluate collaboration style, technical understanding, and fit within the team. Expect questions about your approach to human-AI interaction and designing for high-stakes environments.

  • Hiring Manager/Senior Leadership Interview: A final discussion to assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit with ForeFlight's culture and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Focus on AI & Operations: Clearly showcase projects involving AI-powered products, agentic systems, or complex operational workflows. Detail the challenges you faced and how your design solutions addressed them.

  • Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Illustrate your ability to design across interconnected systems and complex data environments. Use system maps or diagrams where appropriate.

  • Highlight Impact: Quantify the results of your work whenever possible. Use metrics related to efficiency, user adoption, task completion time, or decision-making accuracy.

  • Explain Your Process: Be prepared to articulate your design process step-by-step, emphasizing user research, iterative design, and collaboration with stakeholders. For AI products, explain how you considered trust, transparency, and user control.

  • Conciseness and Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and clearly communicates your contributions and the outcomes of your projects.

Challenge Preparation:

  • AI Interaction Design: Prepare to discuss or design solutions for common human-AI interaction challenges, such as managing AI errors, providing clear feedback, or facilitating user control over autonomous systems.

  • Workflow Optimization: Be ready to analyze a hypothetical complex operational workflow and propose design improvements using AI or other UX enhancements.

  • Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating complex design decisions and their rationale to both technical and non-technical audiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates, focusing on the specific demands of an AI and operations-focused design role, emphasizing portfolio content and interview preparation strategies.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Figma: Explicitly mentioned as a required proficiency for modern design and prototyping. Expect advanced usage for UI design, component creation, and collaborative workflows.

  • Prototyping Tools: Proficiency beyond Figma, potentially including tools for creating interactive prototypes to demonstrate complex AI interactions and workflows.

  • AI Tools: Experience using AI tools to accelerate design exploration, synthesis, and prototyping is a key requirement, suggesting familiarity with AI-assisted design workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

  • Not directly applicable to the core design function but understanding how design integrates with underlying CRM or automation systems that drive operational workflows could be an advantage.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Tools & Technology Stack" section is primarily based on the explicit mention of Figma and the requirement to use AI tools. Other tools are inferred based on the nature of the role and the industry.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Innovation & Cutting-Edge Technology: A strong emphasis on developing industry-leading software, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of AI and agentic systems.

  • User-Centricity in High-Stakes Environments: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of aviation professionals, where user experience directly impacts safety and efficiency.

  • Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership: A culture that values close collaboration between design, product, and engineering to deliver complex solutions.

  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research, operational data, and AI-assisted workflows to inform design choices and measure impact.

  • Ownership & Autonomy: Empowering senior team members to lead complex initiatives independently and drive product strategy.

Collaboration Style:

  • Global & Distributed: Expect a collaborative style that accommodates remote and distributed team members, relying on clear communication and digital tools.

  • Cross-Functional Integration: Close working relationships with product managers and engineers are essential for translating complex requirements into user-friendly AI experiences.

  • Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages senior designers to mentor junior colleagues and actively contribute to the growth of the design team's capabilities, especially in AI design.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section infers cultural values and collaboration styles based on the company's description, the role's responsibilities, and the industry context.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Designing for Trust in AI: Creating AI systems that users trust and feel in control of, especially in mission-critical aviation operations, is a significant challenge. This requires careful design of explainability, confidence signaling, and human-in-the-loop mechanisms.

  • Simplifying Complexity: Translating intricate aviation operational workflows and advanced AI capabilities into intuitive and accessible user experiences.

  • Balancing Automation and Human Oversight: Finding the optimal balance between AI-driven automation and necessary human control and decision-making.

  • Navigating Ambiguity: Thriving in an environment where AI product development is rapidly evolving and requires clear definition of new interaction paradigms.

  • Global & Distributed Team Collaboration: Effectively collaborating with geographically dispersed teams, ensuring alignment and consistent design quality.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • AI Product Design Mastery: Becoming a recognized expert in designing cutting-edge AI-native experiences and agentic systems.

  • Aviation Domain Expertise: Deepening knowledge of aviation operations, regulations, and user needs, becoming a subject matter expert.

  • Design Leadership: Developing leadership skills through mentorship, strategic influence, and potentially managing design initiatives.

  • Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gaining insights into the technical intricacies of AI development and the business drivers of aviation operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section identifies potential challenges and growth opportunities specific to a senior AI product designer role in a specialized industry like aviation.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "Describe a complex operational workflow you've designed for. How did you ensure user trust and transparency in the system, especially if it involved automation or AI?" (Focus on process, AI principles, and impact.)

  • "Imagine designing an AI agent that assists pilots with pre-flight checks. What are the key considerations for interaction design, error handling, and ensuring pilot control?" (Prepare to discuss AI interaction patterns, user control, and safety-critical design.)

Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What interests you most about designing AI for the aviation industry, and specifically for ForeFlight's mission?" (Research ForeFlight's mission, values, and recent product developments.)

  • "How do you approach mentoring junior designers, particularly in the context of rapidly evolving AI technologies?" (Be ready to share your mentorship philosophy and experience.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Narrative Arc: Structure your portfolio presentations around a clear narrative: problem, your approach, solution, and impact. For AI projects, focus on the "why" behind the AI and how it serves the user's operational needs.

  • Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, interactive prototypes, and system diagrams to illustrate complex concepts. For AI features, explain the underlying logic and user control mechanisms.

  • Quantify Impact: Clearly state metrics related to efficiency, accuracy, safety, or user satisfaction that your designs achieved.

  • Address AI Specifics: Be prepared to discuss your understanding of AI ethics, bias, explainability, and how you design for trust and transparency in AI-driven products.

📝 Enhancement Note: These interview questions and preparation tips are tailored to the specific requirements of a Senior Product Designer II role focused on AI and operations within the aviation sector.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer II position:

  • Submit your application through the ForeFlight careers portal via the provided link.

  • Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most relevant projects that showcase your experience in AI-native design, complex operational workflows, and systems thinking. Ensure each case study clearly articulates the problem, your process, the solution, and measurable impact.

  • Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and experiences directly related to AI product design, human-AI interaction, operational software, enterprise systems, and your proficiency with tools like Figma. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

  • Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear communication of your design process, strategic thinking, and the user/business outcomes achieved, especially for AI-driven features. Be ready to discuss your approach to designing for trust and control in AI systems.

  • Research ForeFlight: Understand ForeFlight's mission, its place in the aviation industry, its key products, and its recent developments, particularly concerning AI integration. Prepare to articulate why you are a good cultural fit and how your skills align with their operational focus.

⚠️ 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.

Application Requirements

Requires over 8 years of experience in digital product design with a strong portfolio focusing on AI-powered systems and complex operational workflows. Proficiency in Figma and experience conducting user research in regulated domains are essential.