Staff Product Designer (US Based)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer

Company: Dispel

Location: United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-06

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and architectural ownership of Dispel's design system, ensuring scalability and consistency across the product platform.

• Drive complex, multi-team design initiatives, translating intricate technical constraints into intuitive user experiences for critical infrastructure operators.

• Champion the integration and operationalization of AI-assisted design tools and workflows to enhance team productivity and output.

• Mentor and develop senior and mid-level designers, fostering a culture of high-quality feedback, continuous learning, and design excellence.

• Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to influence roadmap decisions and ensure design has a strategic seat at the table.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant leadership and strategic influence, focusing on the foundational aspects of design operations and system thinking within a fast-paced, AI-integrated environment. The emphasis on "architectural level" for the design system and leading "complex, highest-stakes initiatives" indicates a need for deep systems thinking and cross-functional leadership capabilities beyond typical senior designer roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute the multi-year design strategy for Dispel's product platform, collaborating closely with Product, Engineering, and executive leadership.

• Architect and govern the design system, including token structures, component libraries, theming, and scalability principles, ensuring alignment with both product and brand surfaces.

• Establish and enforce design quality bars, review processes, and acceptance criteria for all product design work.

• Develop and implement design principles, interaction patterns, and documentation standards that guide decision-making and ensure consistency across product teams.

• Lead end-to-end design for critical, complex workflows spanning multiple product areas and user types (e.g., admin, operator, end-user).

• Evaluate, integrate, and operationalize AI tools and automation to accelerate design exploration, prototyping, research analysis, and documentation.

• Drive platform-level design initiatives such as design system adoption, accessibility compliance (WCAG), and information architecture improvements.

• Mentor and coach senior designers on craft, systems thinking, and career development, while fostering a robust design critique culture.

• Collaborate with Brand & Web Design to ensure visual alignment between product interfaces and marketing materials.

• Contribute to product roadmap planning, OKR setting, and investment decisions, providing a critical design perspective.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on strategic design leadership and hands-on execution for high-impact initiatives. The explicit mention of "architectural level" for the design system, "AI-first practices," and influencing "executive decisions" points to a role that blends deep technical design expertise with organizational leadership and operational excellence in design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong understanding of design principles, human-computer interaction, and systems thinking is essential, often gained through formal education or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 10+ years of professional product design experience, encompassing both web and native applications.

• Minimum of 3 years in a senior or staff-level design role, demonstrating leadership and strategic impact.

• Proven track record of building, governing, and scaling design systems utilized by multiple product teams.

• Extensive experience with AI-assisted design tools and workflows as a core component of daily practice, with the ability to define and implement AI-first design methodologies. Required Skills:

• Design Systems Architecture: Deep expertise in designing, implementing, and scaling design systems, including token structures, component governance, theming, and cross-platform consistency.

• AI-Assisted Design: Fluency in leveraging AI tools for design exploration, prototyping, research analysis, and documentation generation; ability to establish AI-first practices for a design team.

• Complex Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to tackle intricate design challenges, particularly within technical domains like networking, identity, secure access, and multi-tenancy.

• Systems Thinking: Capacity to understand and design for interconnected systems, information architecture, and platform-level initiatives.

• Design Leadership & Mentorship: Proven ability to mentor senior designers, guide critique sessions, and elevate the overall quality of design output.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Expertise in partnering effectively with Product Management, Engineering Leads, and executive stakeholders to drive strategic initiatives.

• Prototyping & UI Design: Proficiency in Figma and advanced prototyping tools, with a strong portfolio showcasing complex interface design.

• Accessibility Standards: Solid understanding and practical application of accessibility compliance, such as WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Preferred Skills:

• Front-end Development Familiarity: Understanding of front-end constraints, including HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and React component architecture.

• Production Code Contribution: Ability to contribute directly to production code, ideally in React.

• Enterprise/Infrastructure Design: Experience designing for infrastructure platforms, enterprise admin consoles, or complex multi-tenant architectures.

• Legacy Modernization: Experience in modernizing legacy products through systematic design evolution.

• Accessibility Program Establishment: Experience in building and operationalizing organizational accessibility programs.

• Specialized Design Areas: Interest or experience in motion design, data visualization, or complex workflow design.

• AI Pipeline Operationalization: Experience in building or operationalizing AI-assisted design pipelines for a team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of advanced technical design skills, strategic leadership, and operational proficiency in AI integration. The preference for direct code contribution and experience with enterprise/infrastructure platforms suggests the company values designers who deeply understand technical feasibility and can bridge the gap between design and development effectively.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Systems-Level Thinking: Showcase examples of how you've approached design challenges with a systems-first mindset, illustrating interconnectedness and scalability.

• Design System Architecture: Include detailed case studies on building, governing, or significantly evolving a design system, highlighting its impact on efficiency and consistency.

• Complex Problem-Solving: Present 1-2 in-depth case studies demonstrating your approach to solving highly complex user problems, particularly those involving technical constraints or enterprise-level workflows.

• AI-Assisted Design Integration: Provide examples of how you've actively used AI tools in your design process, detailing the workflows, benefits realized, and any challenges overcome. Showcase how you've operationalized these tools for broader team adoption.

• Design Leadership & Mentorship: Illustrate instances where you've led design initiatives, mentored other designers, or influenced product strategy through design.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate your ability to map, analyze, and optimize complex user workflows, especially within secure or critical infrastructure contexts.

• System Implementation & Governance: Provide evidence of establishing processes for design system implementation, component governance, and maintaining design quality across distributed teams.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Showcase how you've defined and tracked key design metrics (e.g., adoption rates, efficiency gains, user satisfaction) and used data to inform design decisions and improvements.

• AI Workflow Operationalization: Detail processes you've established for integrating AI into team workflows, including training, best practices, and impact measurement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily geared towards demonstrating strategic thinking, system-level impact, and practical application of advanced design methodologies, particularly AI integration and design system governance. Candidates should focus on quantifiable outcomes and clear articulation of their process and influence.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $160,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a company match, supporting long-term financial planning.

• Work-Life Balance: Unlimited paid time off, allowing for flexibility and rejuvenation.

• Family Support: Comprehensive parental leave policy to support new parents.

• Health & Wellness: Full medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage for employees and potentially dependents.

• Performance Incentives: Eligibility for performance bonuses and company equity, aligning individual success with company growth.

• Remote Work: Fully remote work arrangement, providing flexibility in location within the United States.

Working Hours: While not explicitly stated, a full-time position typically implies around 40 hours per week. The remote nature and unlimited PTO suggest a focus on output and flexibility rather than strict hour tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Staff-level Product Designer in the US, especially for a remote role with significant responsibilities. The benefits package is comprehensive, emphasizing work-life balance, financial well-being, and performance-based rewards. The salary estimate is based on the provided explicit range.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Critical Infrastructure Security & Remote Access Software. Dispel operates in a highly specialized sector focused on providing secure remote access solutions for industries like utilities, manufacturing, and essential services. This implies a need for robust, reliable, and secure product design that can withstand rigorous operational demands.

Company Size: The description implies a growing tech company, likely a Series A or B stage, where design is becoming more formalized and strategic. The mention of "design leadership role," "setting strategic direction," and "building the team around you" suggests a company that is scaling its design function and recognizes its importance. The need to integrate AI tools also points to a forward-thinking, innovation-focused environment.

Founded: While the founding date isn't provided, the company's focus on critical infrastructure and secure remote access suggests a mature understanding of cybersecurity and operational resilience. The current emphasis on AI integration indicates a drive towards modernizing and optimizing its offerings and internal processes.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: The role implies a growing design team, likely with a mix of senior and mid-level designers, reporting to a Head of Design or VP of Product. This Staff Designer will be a key leader within this team, mentoring others and setting architectural standards.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Strong partnerships will exist with Product Management and Engineering leadership, particularly those focused on infrastructure, networking, and security. Collaboration with Brand & Web Design is also mentioned.

• Reporting Structure: The Staff Product Designer will likely report to a design lead (e.g., Head of Design or Director of Design) and will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on specific initiatives.

Methodology:

• AI-First Design: A core methodology will be the deep integration of AI tools into the design workflow, from ideation to execution and analysis.

• Systems Thinking: Emphasis on designing for complex, interconnected systems and maintaining platform-level consistency through robust design systems.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizing research, analytics, and user feedback to inform design strategy and validate solutions.

• Agile Development: Likely operating within agile frameworks, requiring close collaboration and rapid iteration with engineering teams.

Company Website: https://dispel.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's domain in critical infrastructure security is a key differentiator. Candidates should highlight experience or understanding of security-sensitive environments, high-reliability systems, and enterprise-level software. The emphasis on AI integration suggests Dispel is a company that embraces cutting-edge technology for both product development and internal operations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role that carries significant leadership responsibilities. It sits at the top tier of individual contributor design roles, often preceding Principal or Distinguished Designer positions, or serving as an alternative leadership track to management. It requires deep expertise, strategic vision, and the ability to influence across multiple teams and disciplines.

Reporting Structure: This role will likely report to a Head of Design, Director of Design, or potentially a VP of Product. The Staff Designer will be expected to lead and mentor other designers, including those at senior levels, and will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads as a peer.

Operations Impact: The Staff Product Designer will have a profound impact on Dispel's success by:

• Defining Product Vision: Shaping the user experience strategy and direction for the entire product platform, ensuring it meets the critical needs of infrastructure operators.

• Ensuring Scalability & Consistency: Owning the design system ensures that as the product grows, it remains cohesive, usable, and maintainable, directly impacting development efficiency and user trust.

• Driving Innovation: Leading the integration of AI into design workflows can significantly boost productivity, enabling faster iteration and the development of more sophisticated features.

• Elevating Design Quality: Setting quality bars and mentoring designers directly contributes to a higher standard of product craft, which is crucial for a security-focused, critical infrastructure product.

• Strategic Influence: Acting as a design thought leader, influencing roadmap decisions, and ensuring design is a key consideration in business strategy.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow into a Principal Designer role, leading even larger, more strategic initiatives, or transition into a design management track.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like AI-driven design operations, advanced design systems architecture, or specific domains within critical infrastructure.

• Organizational Impact: Influence hiring practices, establish new design processes, and contribute to the overall strategic direction of the company.

• Technical Skill Development: Opportunities to further develop skills in areas like front-end development (React), data visualization, or advanced prototyping techniques.

• Cross-functional Acumen: Enhance skills in executive communication, strategic planning, and influencing without direct authority.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for experienced designers to exert significant influence and grow into even more senior leadership positions, either as deep individual contributors or by moving into management. The emphasis on AI and systems architecture provides opportunities for specialization in highly sought-after areas.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote role, meaning there is no central office requirement. Employees work from their home offices.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, it is restricted to candidates based in the United States. This is likely due to legal, tax, or payroll considerations.

Workspace Context:

• Remote-First Culture: Expect a work environment that is optimized for remote collaboration, utilizing digital communication tools and asynchronous workflows. Dispel's success in this role will depend on strong self-management and communication skills.

• Technology Stack: Access to a robust set of digital tools for collaboration, design, and communication, including Figma, advanced prototyping tools, and AI design assistants.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with design, product, and engineering teams through video calls, Slack, and collaborative design sessions. The culture emphasizes structured critique and open communication to compensate for the lack of in-person interaction.

• Focus on Output: The remote nature and unlimited PTO suggest a culture that values results and impact over hours spent at a desk.

Work Schedule: While a standard full-time commitment (likely ~40 hours/week) is expected, the "unlimited PTO" and remote nature suggest a degree of flexibility in how and when work is accomplished, provided deadlines are met and collaboration is maintained across relevant time zones within the US.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should be comfortable with and productive in a remote-first environment. Strong self-discipline, communication skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively across digital channels are paramount. The US-only restriction is a critical logistical detail for applicants.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your application and resume, focusing on experience level, relevant skills (design systems, AI, leadership), and portfolio.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will be asked to present your portfolio, focusing on 2-3 key projects that demonstrate your systems-level thinking, design leadership, AI integration, and complex problem-solving abilities. Be prepared to discuss your process, decisions, and impact in detail.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: A practical exercise, potentially a take-home assignment or a live collaborative session, to assess your design approach, problem-solving skills, and ability to apply design system principles or AI tools to a given scenario.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Management and Engineering leadership to assess your collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to influence.

• Final Round/Executive Interview: Potentially a conversation with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Product, CEO) to assess cultural fit, strategic alignment, and overall leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best highlight your expertise in design systems, AI-assisted design, leadership, and complex problem-solving for enterprise/infrastructure environments.

• Structure for Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process (emphasizing systems thinking and AI), the solution, and quantifiable outcomes/impact.

• Showcase AI Integration: Dedicate specific sections or examples to how you've effectively used AI tools to enhance your workflow, design exploration, or team productivity.

• Highlight Design System Governance: If applicable, detail your experience in building, scaling, and governing design systems, including your approach to component libraries, tokens, and adoption.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Be ready to discuss the architectural decisions behind your designs, the trade-offs made, and how you measured success.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of mentorship, driving initiatives, and influencing stakeholders.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Dispel's product and the critical infrastructure security sector.

• Focus on Systems: If the challenge involves a product area, think about how it fits into the larger platform and how design systems can be leveraged.

• Embrace AI: Consider how AI tools could be applied to solve the challenge or expedite your solution.

• Communicate Clearly: Articulate your thought process, assumptions, and proposed solutions concisely and logically.

• Address Constraints: Be mindful of potential technical or security constraints inherent in Dispel's domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes a deep dive into your portfolio and practical application of skills. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and specific experience with AI-driven design and design systems architecture. Demonstrating an understanding of Dispel's unique market is also crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design and prototyping tool. Proficiency is essential for UI design, component building, and collaborative workflows.

• Advanced Prototyping Tools: Likely includes tools integrated with

Figma or standalone solutions for creating high-fidelity, interactive prototypes to test complex flows and interactions.

• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Expect proficiency with a range of AI tools for tasks such as:
  • Design Exploration & Ideation: Generating visual concepts, layouts, and variations.
  • Prototyping Acceleration: Creating interactive prototypes more rapidly.
  • Research Analysis: Summarizing user feedback, identifying patterns, and generating insights from qualitative data.
  • Documentation Generation: Automating the creation of design specifications and system documentation.
  • Workflow Automation: Streamlining repetitive design tasks.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, a Staff Designer would likely interact with product analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) to understand user behavior and measure the impact of design changes.

• Reporting tools for design system adoption and performance metrics may also be utilized. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the designer's primary tools, but understanding how design integrates with CRM and automation platforms might be beneficial, especially if designing for workflows that interact with these systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of AI tools as a daily practice is a key differentiator. Candidates should be ready to discuss specific AI tools they use, how they integrate them into their workflow, and their experience in operationalizing these tools for a team. Figma proficiency is a baseline requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• AI-First Mentality: A commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance creativity, efficiency, and the overall design process.

• Systems Thinking & Scalability: A focus on building robust, scalable design systems and solutions that can grow with the company and its product offerings.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: A dedication to high-quality design execution, attention to detail, and delivering polished, reliable user experiences, especially critical for security software.

• Collaboration & Mentorship: A culture that values open communication, constructive feedback, and mutual support among team members, with a strong emphasis on mentoring senior designers.

• Impact & Ownership: A drive to take ownership of complex problems and deliver measurable impact on the product and the business.

• Security & Reliability: An inherent understanding and respect for the importance of security and reliability in the context of critical infrastructure.

Collaboration Style:

• Remote-First Collaboration: Heavy reliance on digital tools (Slack, Figma, video conferencing) for seamless communication and collaboration across distributed teams.

• Structured Critique: Emphasis on running effective design critiques that provide actionable feedback and elevate the quality of work.

• Cross-functional Partnership: Working as a peer with Product and Engineering to co-create solutions, ensuring alignment on strategy and technical feasibility.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, AI tool discoveries, and design learnings across the team.

• Proactive Communication: A culture that values proactive updates, clear articulation of needs, and transparency in decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: Dispel's culture appears to be innovative, process-oriented, and focused on delivering high-quality, secure solutions. Candidates who can demonstrate adaptability, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and a strong sense of ownership will likely thrive. The emphasis on AI and systems thinking is central to their operational values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Integrating AI Effectively: Moving beyond experimental use of AI to deeply embedding it into team workflows and processes, ensuring tangible productivity gains and maintaining design integrity.

• Architectural Design System Governance: Maintaining and scaling a design system across a complex, evolving product platform, especially with diverse technical constraints and user needs.

• Balancing Technical Constraints with Usability: Designing intuitive user experiences for complex, high-security technical domains (networking, identity, secure access) where deep technical constraints are paramount.

• Leading Without Direct Authority: Influencing product and engineering direction, driving adoption of design standards, and mentoring senior designers without direct management oversight.

• Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Ensuring effective communication, collaboration, and team cohesion in a fully remote environment, especially for high-stakes, complex projects.

• Keeping Pace with Technology: Continuously evaluating and adopting new AI tools and design methodologies to maintain a competitive edge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Operations Leadership: Opportunity to become a recognized expert and leader in operationalizing AI within a design team, potentially defining industry best practices.

• Advanced Design Systems Strategy: Deepen expertise in scalable design system architecture, governance models, and cross-platform implementation.

• Critical Infrastructure Domain Expertise: Gain in-depth understanding of the unique challenges and user needs within critical infrastructure sectors, enhancing specialized design skills.

• Executive Influence & Strategy: Develop skills in presenting to and influencing executive leadership, contributing to broader company strategy.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Opportunities to expand front-end development skills (React) or explore specialized design areas like data visualization or motion design.

• Mentorship & Team Building: Gain experience in shaping design team culture, hiring, and developing talent.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant and directly tied to the role's senior nature and the company's focus on innovation and critical infrastructure. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering paths to become a leading voice in AI-driven design operations and advanced design systems.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the architectural design of a design system. What were the key principles, governance models, and challenges you faced?" (Focus on systems thinking, governance, and scalability.)

• "How have you integrated AI tools into your daily design workflow? Provide a specific example of how AI helped you achieve a design outcome faster or better." (Demonstrate practical AI application and operationalization.)

• "Walk us through a complex product design initiative you led that spanned multiple teams or required deep technical collaboration. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Highlight leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and problem-solving for complex technical domains.)

• "How do you establish and maintain design quality and consistency across a product platform, especially in a remote-first environment?" (Focus on process, standards, and quality bars.)

• "Imagine we need to design a new feature for managing secure network access for utility operators. How would you approach this problem, considering security, usability, and potential AI integrations?" (Assess your domain understanding, problem-solving approach, and AI ideation.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Dispel's mission to secure critical infrastructure?" (Show genuine interest and understanding of their market.)

• "How do you foster a strong design culture and mentor senior designers in a remote setting?" (Assess your leadership and team-building approach.)

• "How do you ensure design has a seat at the table when strategic product decisions are made?" (Evaluate your ability to influence and advocate for design.)

• "What are your thoughts on the future of AI in product design, and how do you see it evolving at Dispel?" (Gauge your forward-thinking perspective and alignment with Dispel's AI focus.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure each case study with a clear beginning (problem/context), middle (your process, solutions, AI integration, system thinking), and end (outcomes, impact, learnings).

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs and initiatives (e.g., adoption rates, efficiency gains, reduction in errors).

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, prototypes, and clear explanations to illustrate your design solutions and processes.

• Highlight AI & Systems: Explicitly call out how AI tools were used and how your design system thinking contributed to the solution.

• Be Prepared for Q&A: Anticipate detailed questions about your decision-making, trade-offs, and the technical feasibility of your designs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Focus on Process: Even if you don't complete the entire challenge, clearly articulate your thought process, assumptions, and next steps.

• Leverage AI: If appropriate, discuss how you would use AI tools to accelerate your approach to the challenge.

• Consider Systems: Think about how the challenge fits into a broader system or design language.

• Communicate Ambiguities: If there are unclear requirements, state your assumptions and how you would seek clarification.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice focuses on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, practical AI integration, and a deep understanding of design systems within a complex technical domain. Candidates should be ready to showcase their ability to lead and innovate, not just execute.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight your 10+ years of experience, specifically emphasizing your 3+ years in senior/staff roles, your expertise in design systems architecture, AI-assisted design workflows, and any experience in enterprise/infrastructure software. Use keywords from the job description such as "design leadership," "AI-first practices," "systems thinking," and "complex problem-solving."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best showcase your systems-level thinking, design system governance, AI integration, and leadership capabilities. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your role, process, solution, and quantifiable impact.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your experience and portfolio projects, focusing on your strategic contributions, leadership style, and how you've driven efficiency and quality through design and AI. Be ready to discuss your approach to mentoring and cross-functional collaboration.

• Research Dispel: Understand Dispel's mission, product, and the critical infrastructure sector they serve. Familiarize yourself with their current design aesthetic and any publicly available information about their technology stack or company culture.

⚠️ 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.