Product Designer - UI / UX

Empowerly (www.empowerly.com) is an education technology company dedicated to democratizing college admissions through personalized college and career counseling. Committed to empowering students to become the most successful version of themselves, we provide tailored guidance backed by data-driven education technology. Our offerings include startup and research internship programs and expert counseling from former college Admission Officers and experienced college counselors, all designed to level the playing field in college admissions.

As a rapidly growing, mission-driven, and venture-backed company, we emphasize collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and empowerment. In February 2024, Empowerly raised $15 million in a funding round led by Conductive Ventures. This new capital will support the expansion of our services, enhance our machine learning capabilities, and aid in the development of our first mobile app, set to launch in the U.S. by the end of 2024. To date, Empowerly has raised $30 million.

Empowerly operates on a remote-first basis, building a team of individuals who excel in remote environments and are passionate about making high-quality college counseling accessible to all students, regardless of their background or location.

About the Role

Empowerly is seeking a Product Designer, UI/UX in the United States. As a Product Designer at Empowerly, you will collaborate with Founding Engineers, their teams, and their leadership to lead crucial, innovative projects and initiatives. 

We are seeking a passionate and innovative Product Designer, UI/UX who is driven by a mission to provide families across the United States with exceptional access to college counseling services. You should have a strong ability to think strategically about product design while being willing to dive into the details. If you love thinking differently and approaching product design with a futuristic lens, constantly challenging norms and inspiring others with your vision, we want you to join us. 

You should have a deep understanding of customer challenges, be adept at mapping user journeys through design thinking frameworks, and be obsessed with creative, design-forward problem solving focused on the humans using your product. Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills are essential as you thrive in our fast-paced, ever-evolving environment. Experience designing incentive or gamification features is a plus, as is a passion for using technology and design to connect people with the resources they need. Previous experience conducting user research and working in an agile team is also a plus. Join us in our mission to make college counseling accessible to families nationwide and help us drive forward this impactful vision.

Responsibilities

• Lead designer at Empowerly, working closely with founders, engineers and reporting to the head of product management
• Co-own the development and execution of product design strategy.
• Evolve the design style guide used across the company.
• Own design thinking throughout the full product lifecycle.
• Actively collaborate with marketing, product, engineering, community, marketing, and co-founders.
• Serve as the voice of design in cross-functional projects.
• Translate design requirements and product strategy into unique, out-of-the-box product ideas.
•  Develop designs that drive improved user experiences and metric performance by understanding customer needs.
• Influence design changes in the product based on user research and data insights.
• Create design concepts, flows, wireframes, transitions, interactions, and prototypes.
• Use visualization skills to support product strategy, sparking conversation and gaining alignment with leadership.
• Make abstract and ambiguous ideas concrete, always considering the “future” of design.
• Create functional prototypes of proposed UX/UI solutions to communicate vision, inspire colleagues, and gather feedback from users.
• Develop a unified aesthetic and personality for Empowerly's product.
• Define how the voice and personality are represented in UI patterns, animations, and copy.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5+ years of design experience
• Experience working with cross-functional teams (engineering, product, marketing, management, etc) & balancing business goals with user needs.
• Web & mobile app design development experience
• A strong UX/UI design portfolio including examples of user-focused design thinking and evangelism. Applicants must provide a link or attach their portfolio of work.
• Experience working in a variety of design applications such as Figma, Illustrator, etc.
• Guided and executed the design of a product or platform, and seen them through the entire release cycle
• Consumer social & 3D Design
• Experience auditing and contributing to product infrastructure.
• Demonstrated capacity to clearly and concisely communicate about complex technical, architectural, and organizational problems, including to non-technical employees, and propose thorough iterative solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to be agile and adaptable.
• Thrive in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment.
• Positive, can-do attitude.
• Resilience in overcoming minor setbacks and swiftly handling ambiguity.
• Impeccable attention to detail.
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Empowerly Characteristics

• Driven by a mission to provide comprehensive access to college counseling and beyond.
• A high-growth, scrappy, and intense startup environment.
• A team of high IQ, developmentally hungry professionals.
• A collaborative and energetic team player who is committed to personal and collective growth.
• Adaptable, quick to respond, and committed to delivering delightful experiences to both internal and external customers.

Join Empowerly

If you are passionate about building community relationships and driving educational success, Empowerly offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact. We invite you to apply and join us in our mission to empower students through education and beyond.