Staff Product Designer, AI Search

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer, AI Search

Company: Clio

Location: Burnaby, Canada (with flexibility for remote candidates across Canada and the US)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / AI Experience Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-18

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (minimum 2 days/week in-office for those near Burnaby, Calgary, or Toronto hubs)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and end-to-end experience design for AI-powered search functionalities within Clio's platform.

• Define and establish the core interaction models, patterns, and guardrails for AI-driven experiences across the entire Clio product suite.

• Drive the development of trustworthy, explainable, and appropriately controlled AI experiences by deeply understanding customer needs and complex system constraints.

• Mentor and elevate other product designers, fostering a culture of high-quality craft and strategic thinking, particularly within the AI design domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on AI Search and the broader application of AI design principles across a B2B SaaS platform, indicating a need for deep expertise in translating complex AI capabilities into user-friendly and valuable product experiences. The "Staff" level suggests significant autonomy, strategic influence, and leadership in shaping design direction.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design lifecycle for AI Search, from initial customer discovery and opportunity framing through to prototyping, user validation, and high-fidelity execution.

• Develop and implement foundational design language, interaction models, and patterns for AI experiences that can be leveraged across various Clio products.

• Cultivate deep customer empathy and systems understanding to translate intricate workflows and technical constraints into clear design direction and robust solutions.

• Craft and articulate a compelling long-term vision for AI-driven experiences within the designated problem space, effectively communicating this vision to stakeholders through storytelling and collaborative workshops.

• Elevate the overall quality of design across the product ecosystem by creating cohesive, accessible, and scalable experiences that meet and exceed user expectations.

• Enhance design consistency and leverage across different product teams by contributing to and evolving design patterns, frameworks, and the broader design system.

• Facilitate decision-making processes, navigate ambiguity, and foster proactive cross-functional collaboration among Product, Engineering, and other design teams.

• Mentor and coach peer designers, providing constructive critique, guidance, and role-modeling strategic thinking and exceptional design craft.

• Collaborate closely with the Product Design Manager to ensure the highest standards of quality and craft are maintained within the assigned product area.

• Contribute to the broader design culture and participate in organization-wide initiatives through Staff-level forums and leadership activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of individual contribution to a critical AI feature and broader strategic influence on how AI is designed across Clio. This indicates a need for an experienced designer who can operate independently on complex problems while also acting as a thought leader and mentor for the design team.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and mastery of design principles is essential. A background in HCI, Design, Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: 8+ years of dedicated Product Design experience, with a strong preference for B2B SaaS environments. Proven experience in designing and shipping AI-powered products end-to-end is critical.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in designing AI-powered products, including a nuanced understanding of model capabilities, limitations, and how to communicate these honestly to users.

• Proven ability to establish scalable AI design patterns and principles that can be adopted across multiple product teams, not just for isolated AI features.

• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with AI/ML engineering teams to shape product strategy and direction.

• Experience in designing scalable user experiences that cater to multiple customer segments or product lines (e.g., Solo, SMB, Mid-Market).

• Track record of leading complex, cross-team initiatives and delivering cohesive solutions across interconnected systems.

• Proven ability to ship high-quality work that effectively solves customer problems and demonstrably moves key product metrics.

• Strong product judgment and business acumen, with the ability to connect customer needs with business strategy, metrics, and roadmap decisions.

• Deep mastery of UX craft, including complex interaction design, information architecture, usability testing, and visual design principles.

• Advanced customer-centric practice, capable of leading discovery efforts and aligning diverse teams around identified customer needs and opportunities.

• Proven systems thinking capability, with the ability to design reusable frameworks and patterns that scale effectively across teams and products.

• Excellent presentation and storytelling skills, effectively communicating design rationale and vision.

• Skilled facilitator adept at aligning leaders, driving decisions, and guiding teams through ambiguity.

• Strong cross-functional partnership skills, driving execution across diverse teams and workstreams.

• Experience in mentoring peer designers. Preferred Skills:

• Background working on AI platform or infrastructure products, rather than solely AI features.

• Prior experience on platform teams with a demonstrable track record of influencing how other designers build and ship products.

• Familiarity with the legal technology (LegalTech) industry or complex B2B enterprise software.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Staff" level experience implies a need for a designer who can operate with significant autonomy, drive strategic initiatives, and mentor others. The requirement for experience with AI design patterns and principles that scale across teams is a key differentiator for this role, moving beyond individual feature design to platform-level influence.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase of end-to-end product design projects, with a strong emphasis on complex AI-powered features or platforms.

• Detailed case studies demonstrating the design process from problem identification and user research through to solution design, validation, and post-launch iteration.

• Examples of how you have established and scaled design patterns, frameworks, or contributed to design system evolution, particularly in AI-related contexts.

• Evidence of systems thinking, illustrating how you've designed for scalability, consistency, and reusability across multiple products or user segments.

• Projects highlighting your ability to navigate ambiguity, define new interaction models, and translate complex technical concepts (like AI/ML) into user-friendly experiences. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate the problem space, user needs, constraints, and the strategic rationale behind design decisions.

• Demonstrate the application of a customer-centric design process, including methods for user discovery, qualitative and quantitative validation, and iterative refinement.

• Illustrate how you have collaborated with cross-functional partners (Product Management, Engineering, AI/ML teams) throughout the design process.

• Include examples of how design decisions were informed by business objectives, product metrics, and technical feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff Product Designer role, especially one focused on AI, the portfolio must showcase not just individual design execution but also strategic thinking, leadership in defining design systems and patterns, and the ability to influence design direction across multiple teams. The ability to demonstrate impact on key product metrics and business outcomes is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The expected salary range for this role is $148,000 to $222,000 CAD per year. Clio typically hires at or around the midpoint of the band for experienced individuals, with the upper portion reserved for sustained high performance and impact. Offers may be below the midpoint for candidates new to the role. Salary will be dependent on geographical region, applicable experience, and skillset.

Benefits:

• Competitive, equitable salary.

• Top-tier health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• Flexible time off policy, with an encouraged minimum of 20 days off per year.

• Annual counseling benefit of $2,000.

• RRSP matching.

• RESP contribution.

• Clioversary recognition program, with special acknowledgments at 3, 5, 7, and 10 years of service.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week. Clio offers a hybrid work environment, with an expectation for local employees in hubs like Burnaby, Calgary, and Toronto to be in the office a minimum of twice per week on designated Anchor Days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary band provided is specific to CAD. Clio utilizes a structured compensation approach that allows for growth based on performance and experience, which is common for Staff-level positions. The hybrid work model and flexible time off are key benefits for work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Legal AI Technology / LegalTech. Clio is a global leader in transforming the legal experience through AI, aiming to improve efficiency for legal professionals and increase access to justice.

Company Size: Clio is a significant player in the LegalTech space, indicating a mid-to-large-sized organization with established processes and a growing global presence. The mention of multiple office hubs (Burnaby, Calgary, Toronto, Dublin, London, New York City, Sydney) suggests a substantial employee base.

Founded: Founded in 2008, Clio has a history of growth and innovation, evolving from its early stages to become a market leader. This maturity suggests a stable yet dynamic work environment.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team operates as a core pillar of the Research and Development organization, alongside Product and Engineering.

• Designers work directly with customers to understand user needs and champion high-quality experiences.

• The "Platform team" is a high-impact group responsible for building shared foundations, including AI Search and foundational AI patterns, enabling other product teams to move faster.

• Staff Designers are expected to lead strategy, mentor others, and contribute to design culture beyond their immediate portfolio. Methodology:

• Clio emphasizes a customer-centric approach, with designers directly engaging with customers to understand behaviors, needs, and workflows.

• The company leverages AI to improve operations, including recruitment, while ensuring human oversight and review.

• There's a focus on shipping value to customers and transforming an industry through thoughtful, high-quality experiences.

• Design is positioned as a strategic partner, influencing product direction and quality across the organization.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Clio's positioning as a "Human and High Performing AI company" highlights a commitment to both human-centric design and leveraging AI for operational efficiency. The emphasis on the "Platform team" is critical for understanding where this role sits in terms of impact and scope – building foundational elements that empower the entire organization.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer represents a senior individual contributor role. This level is characterized by strategic leadership, end-to-end ownership of complex product areas, a significant impact on design quality and direction, and the responsibility for mentoring junior and mid-level designers. It signifies a move beyond executing tasks to shaping strategy and influencing the broader product and design organization.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into a Product Design Manager, who oversees a specific portfolio. However, the Staff Designer is expected to operate with substantial autonomy and influence cross-functional leadership (Product, Engineering). They also contribute to "Staff-level forums" and "org-wide initiatives," indicating a leadership role that transcends their immediate reporting line.

Operations Impact: The Staff Product Designer on the AI Search team will have a direct and significant impact on Clio's core product offerings. By defining the future of AI-powered search and AI experiences, this role will influence how legal professionals operate, improve their efficiency, and enhance access to justice. Their work on foundational patterns will accelerate innovation across other product teams, amplifying their impact company-wide.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI/ML product design, interaction models for generative AI, and designing for trust and explainability in AI systems.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Transition into a formal leadership role (e.g., Design Manager) or become a recognized design authority within the Staff Designer track, leading larger initiatives and influencing organizational design strategy.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across Product, Engineering, and Data Science, becoming a key strategic partner in shaping Clio's AI roadmap and product vision.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to shaping the future of AI in LegalTech, potentially speaking at conferences or publishing insights on AI design best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Staff level is a critical junction in a design career, offering opportunities to move from expert execution to strategic leadership and broad organizational influence. The AI focus presents a unique chance to be at the forefront of a rapidly evolving technology within the LegalTech sector.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Clio operates a hybrid work model. For employees located near hubs like Burnaby, Calgary, or Toronto, a minimum of two days per week in the office is expected on designated "Anchor Days." This suggests a blend of focused individual work (potentially remote) and collaborative in-office sessions.

Office Location(s): Key hubs include Burnaby, Calgary, and Toronto in Canada, and also New York City in the US, among others globally. The role is open to candidates across Canada (excluding Quebec) and the US.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model is designed to facilitate collaboration, team building, and knowledge sharing through in-person interactions on Anchor Days.

• Tools & Technology: While not explicitly detailed, it can be inferred that a modern tech stack supporting design, collaboration, and AI development is available. This would likely include design software, communication platforms, and potentially access to AI development environments.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with Product Managers, Engineering leads, AI/ML specialists, and fellow designers will be frequent, both in person and virtually.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is 40 hours per week. The hybrid model and flexible time off policy aim to provide a balance between demanding project work and personal well-being.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with designated office days indicates a company that values both focused work and in-person collaboration. This setup is common for senior roles requiring strategic discussions and mentorship, ensuring that remote flexibility doesn't dilute team cohesion or strategic alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application and portfolio by the recruiting team to assess alignment with the role's requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the Product Design Manager to delve into your experience, approach to AI design, and strategic thinking.

• Design Portfolio Review & Presentation: A deep dive into your portfolio, focusing on relevant case studies, particularly those involving AI, complex systems, and B2B SaaS. You will likely be asked to present your work and explain your design process, decisions, and impact.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product and Engineering leaders to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to drive initiatives across disciplines.

• Staff-Level Forum / Design Leadership Interview: An interview with other senior designers or design leadership to evaluate strategic thinking, mentorship capabilities, and contribution to design culture.

• Final Interview: Potentially a discussion with a senior executive to assess overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight AI Expertise: Showcase 2-3 strong case studies focused on AI-powered products or features. Emphasize your understanding of AI capabilities, limitations, and how you designed for trustworthiness, explainability, and user control.

• Demonstrate End-to-End Ownership: Clearly articulate your role and contributions from problem definition, user research, ideation, prototyping, validation, to final execution and iteration.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Include projects that illustrate your ability to design scalable patterns, frameworks, or contribute to design systems that benefit multiple products or teams.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics and outcomes that demonstrate the business value and user impact of your designs (e.g., conversion rates, efficiency gains, user satisfaction scores).

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives, detailing the challenges, your process, the decisions you made, and the results achieved.

• AI Design Principles: Be prepared to discuss your personal principles for designing AI experiences, including ethical considerations, bias mitigation, and user education.

Challenge Preparation:

• AI Design Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would approach designing specific AI features or solving complex AI-related UX problems.

• Strategic Vision: Be ready to discuss your vision for the future of AI in LegalTech and how design can shape that future at Clio.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Prepare examples of how you have mentored other designers or led design initiatives.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Think about how you effectively partner with Product Managers and Engineers, especially when dealing with complex technical constraints or emerging technologies like AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Staff role is rigorous and designed to assess not just design craft but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to influence at a senior level. A strong portfolio that explicitly addresses AI design challenges and scalable systems is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely for collaborative design and prototyping), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• User Research & Testing: Tools for conducting user interviews, usability testing, and gathering feedback (e.g., Lookback, UserTesting.com, Maze).

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

• Design Systems: Familiarity with managing and contributing to robust design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to understand user behavior and product usage.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools for creating dashboards and reporting on key metrics.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Tools for experimenting with design variations and measuring impact.

CRM & Automation:

• While this role is focused on Product Design, an understanding of CRM systems (like Salesforce, though Clio is a legal CRM) and automation principles in a SaaS context is beneficial for understanding the broader business landscape.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the role implies proficiency in industry-standard design and collaboration software. Given the focus on AI and B2B SaaS, experience with tools that facilitate complex workflows, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration is expected. Figma is the de facto standard for collaborative design in modern tech companies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human & High Performing: Clio aims to be both human-centric in its approach to employee and customer experience, and high-performing in its execution and results. This means valuing empathy, collaboration, and individual well-being alongside a drive for excellence and impact.

• Customer-Centricity: A core value, emphasized by designers working directly with customers to understand and solve their problems.

• Innovation & Transformation: The company is dedicated to transforming the legal industry through technology, particularly AI, fostering a culture that embraces new ideas and challenges the status quo.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: A strong emphasis on delivering high-quality experiences, pushing beyond "good enough" and setting a high bar for design excellence.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Encouraging open communication, knowledge sharing, and partnership across teams to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Designers are expected to be integral partners with Product Management and Engineering, working closely to define strategy, solve problems, and ensure successful product delivery.

• Mentorship & Peer Support: A culture where designers actively mentor and support each other, fostering a learning environment.

• Data-Informed Decisions: While design is a creative discipline, decisions are expected to be informed by customer insights, data analytics, and performance metrics.

• Ambiguity Navigation: The team is comfortable working in ambiguous spaces, particularly with new technologies like AI, and uses structured processes to bring clarity and drive progress.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Human and High Performing AI company" suggests a culture that balances employee well-being and collaborative spirit with a strong drive for results and innovation, particularly in the AI space. Staff designers are expected to embody and champion these values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for AI Ambiguity: Navigating the inherent uncertainty and rapid evolution of AI technology, translating complex and sometimes unpredictable outputs into reliable and user-friendly experiences.

• Establishing AI Design Standards: Defining and scaling foundational AI design patterns and principles that ensure trust, transparency, and ethical use across a broad product suite.

• Balancing Innovation with Scalability: Innovating with AI while ensuring designs are scalable, accessible, and integrate seamlessly with existing B2B SaaS workflows.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring alignment between design, product, and AI/ML engineering teams on vision, strategy, and execution for AI features.

• Mentorship at Scale: Effectively mentoring and elevating a diverse group of designers while managing strategic responsibilities and driving product outcomes.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Deep dive into cutting-edge AI interaction models, generative AI applications, and the ethical considerations of AI in enterprise software.

• Platform Design Expertise: Gain significant experience in building foundational components and design systems that influence an entire product organization.

• Strategic Influence: Develop skills in shaping product strategy, influencing roadmaps, and driving significant organizational change through design leadership.

• Industry Thought Leadership: Opportunity to contribute to industry discussions on AI design best practices, potentially through speaking engagements or publications.

• Mentorship & Leadership Development: Formal and informal opportunities to hone leadership and mentorship skills, preparing for potential future management roles or senior individual contributor paths.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned at the forefront of AI design within LegalTech. The challenges and growth opportunities are significant, offering a chance to shape a critical area of technology and influence the future direction of a leading company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a new AI-powered search experience that aims to provide highly relevant results for legal professionals, considering the complexity and nuance of legal queries?" (Focus on process, user research, AI limitations, and iterative validation.)

• "Describe your philosophy on designing AI experiences that are trustworthy, explainable, and allow for appropriate user control. Provide examples of how you've implemented these principles." (Highlight honesty about AI, clear communication, and user agency.)

• "Imagine you need to establish a new set of AI design patterns for Clio. What would be your process for developing, validating, and scaling these patterns across multiple product teams?" (Focus on systems thinking, collaboration, and design system integration.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see AI transforming the legal industry, and what role do you believe product design plays in that transformation at a company like Clio?" (Connect your passion for AI and design with Clio's mission.)

• "How would you contribute to Clio's culture of being a 'Human and High Performing AI company' as a Staff Product Designer?" (Discuss balancing user empathy with driving impactful results and fostering collaboration.)

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders (Product, Engineering, leadership) to adopt a particular design direction, especially when there was initial resistance." (Focus on storytelling, data, and collaborative problem-solving.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process you followed, the key decisions made, the challenges encountered, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on AI & Scale: Prioritize projects that showcase your AI design expertise and your ability to design for scalability, systems thinking, and cross-team impact.

• Highlight Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss your collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and AI/ML specialists, illustrating how you drove alignment and execution.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. If direct metrics aren't available, discuss proxy metrics or qualitative feedback that illustrates value.

• Articulate Your Vision: Be ready to share your perspective on the future of AI in product design and how you would approach it at Clio.

• Engage in Dialogue: Treat the presentation as a conversation. Be open to questions and use them as opportunities to elaborate on your thinking and experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation for this role should heavily emphasize AI design principles, systems thinking, and the ability to operate at a strategic level. Be ready to discuss how you lead, mentor, and influence design decisions within a cross-functional, hybrid environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link on the Clio Careers site.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight your 8+ years of Product Design experience, specifically emphasizing your work on AI-powered products, B2B SaaS, and any experience with complex systems or platform design. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best demonstrate your expertise in AI design, end-to-end ownership, systems thinking, and ability to drive impact. Ensure they clearly articulate your process and outcomes.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear storytelling, quantifiable results, and your ability to discuss AI design principles and challenges. Be ready to articulate your vision for AI experiences.

• Research Clio: Understand Clio's mission, its position in the LegalTech market, its AI initiatives, and its company values. Prepare to discuss how your skills and experience align 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.