Lead Product Designer, Engagement - Remote, US

Earnest’s mission is to make higher education accessible and affordable for everyone. We empower past, present, and soon-to-be students to maximize their financial futures through thoughtful guidance and impactful products.

We build tools that help people feel in control of their financial future, including:

• Private student loans - low rates, people-first service, and flexible payments.
• Student loan refinancing - break free from high interest rates or monthly payments.
• Scholarships - access to thousands of scholarships to help students pay less. 

The Lead Product Designer, Engagement will report to the Head of Design. 

As the Lead Product Designer, Engagement, you will:

• Set and execute a vision for an end to end user journey starting on Going Merry ending with Earnest products. 
• Manage a team of two ICs, maintaining and elevating their craft. 
• Form close strategic partnerships with the General Manager and Group Product Manager of Going Merry. 

Your Impact:

Product Strategy 

• Lead design initiatives for web and print, strategize design vision and goals, and collaborate with teams across Product Management, Engineering, and Research to define product solutions and improve business efficiency.
• Focus on user-centric design solutions, leveraging research and data to meet user and business needs, prioritize design resources, and ideate new product features in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

UX Design

• Formulate strategic insights and strategies for UX development, design high-level user flows for complex products, and create versatile design processes, features, and components.
• Understand and integrate business and technical requirements, working cross-functionally within and outside the product team to develop innovative features.

UI Design

• Design versatile processes, features, and components for cross-product use, create UI components for product flows, and contribute to the Earnest design system, ensuring alignment with engineering specifications.
• Collaborate closely with Design Leadership to expand the team and enhance design processes.

Leadership

• Effectively communicate design strategy across the company, including to executives, and present ideas and work to teams, while managing and mentoring junior design team members and leading workshops and brainstorming sessions.

About You:

• 6+ years of designing web-based products, with experience with UX and UI 
• High proficiency in Figma
• Familiarity with other UX/UI software for creating flows, prototypes
• Experience managing designers and/or servicing as a project lead
• Excellent verbal and communication skills
• Excellent analytical skills to break down and solve complex problems
• Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally
• Design discovery (user research, competitive research)
• Deep user empathy around complex/emotional categories

About Us:

What makes an “Earnie” culture: 

• Drivers – Drivers are satisfied by making things happen, not coming along for the ride. They feel a strong sense of ownership for their projects and teams and demand high standards from themselves and others.
• Humility – Humble team players check their egos and consider the team’s needs above their own. They are self-aware of their strengths and opportunities for improvement.
• Growth Mindset – People with a growth mindset approach challenges and failures as learning opportunities. They seek feedback to improve, give feedback to others, and genuinely want to perform well. 

Earnies are committed to helping students live their best lives, free from the stress of student debt. If you’re as passionate as we are about our mission, read more below, and let’s build something great together! 

Earnest believes in enabling our employees to live their best lives. We offer a variety of perks and competitive benefits, including: 

• Health, Dental, & Vision benefits plus savings plans
• Work anywhere in the U.S. 
• Mac computers + work from home stipend to set up your home office
• Monthly internet and phone reimbursement
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• RSUs
• 401(k) plan to help you save for retirement plus a company match
• Robust tuition reimbursement program
• $1,000 travel perk on each Earnie-versary to anywhere in the world 
• Competitive days of annual PTO
• Annual “my day” 
• Pet insurance!
• Competitive parental leave
• Plenty of Earnest swag, optional in person team gatherings, picnics, celebrations, and plenty of fun virtual events 

At Earnest, we are committed to building an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging enables us to move forward with our mission. We are dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team and encourage anyone to apply if your experience is close to what we are looking for.  

Earnest provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status disability or genetics. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for the position in a manner consistent with the Fair Chance Ordinance.

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