Product Designer, OTT

Versant; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fitness center onsite

Gourmet cafeteria

Dry cleaning

Free shuttle

Job summary

Versant is seeking a Product Designer for OTT to shape live and on-demand experiences across CNBC and MS Now. You will design lean-back, 10-foot interfaces for connected-TV platforms, collaborating with product, engineering, and editorial to translate content priorities into intuitive interfaces.

You will help extend the design system for OTT surfaces, ensuring consistency and performance across multiple brands in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in product design, UX/UI design, or interaction design with OTT or connected-TV products.
• Strong portfolio showing dual-screen interaction and lean-back viewing experiences.
• Ability to design within platform constraints for clarity, performance, and navigation.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end product design strategy for CNBC’s digital products across web, mobile apps and OTT.
• Design platform-appropriate OTT experiences for MS Now and CNBC on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung.
• Own and evolve core OTT surfaces: home screens, navigation, video players, content discovery, live/breaking news.

Skills

OTT Design

10-foot UI

Lean-back UX

Cross-platform

Live video UX

Information architecture

Education

Bachelor's in Design/ HCI

Job description

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

The Product Designer, OTT will play a critical role in shaping how audiences experience live and on-demand content across MS Now and CNBC's connected-TV platforms. This role focuses on designing intuitive, media-rich experiences optimized for the television screen — helping viewers navigate content, engage with live news, and access video seamlessly across Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung, and other major OTT surfaces.

You will partner closely with product, engineering, and editorial teams to translate content and business requirements into polished, platform-appropriate interfaces. This includes ownership of core OTT surfaces such as home screens, navigation, video players, content discovery, and live coverage experiences.

The ideal candidate combines strong product thinking with a deep understanding of 10-foot UI design, lean-back viewing behavior, and the constraints of building across multiple connected-TV platforms. This role requires a systems-level mindset to ensure consistency, reliability, and performance across a matrixed, multi-brand environment.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end product design strategy for CNBC’s digital products across web, mobile apps and OTT
• Design intuitive, platform-appropriate OTT experiences for MS Now and CNBC across major connected-TV platforms including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung
• Own and evolve core OTT surfaces including home screens, navigation, video players, content discovery, and live and breaking news experiences
• Translate editorial priorities and content hierarchies into clear, visually compelling interfaces optimized for lean-back viewing and D-pad navigation
• Partner closely with product and engineering to define interaction patterns, platform constraints, and release requirements across multiple OTT environments
• Optimize information hierarchy and content density to support passive discovery as well as intentional, goal-driven navigation
• Collaborate with editorial teams to ensure live coverage, breaking news, and video-first content translates effectively to the television screen
• Contribute to and extend the design system with components tailored for OTT surfaces and connected-TV conventions
• Ensure consistency and usability across platforms while accommodating platform-specific guidelines and technical constraints
• Leverage user research, analytics, and platform best practices to continuously improve usability and engagement

At CNBC Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, you’ll have access to great perks and amenities:

• Sweat it out-- Free onsite fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, plus daily group classes
• Eat up-- Gourmet cafeteria with daily specials plus soup and salad bars
• Extras-- Dry cleaning

Don’t have a car? No problem! We offer free shuttle transportation to and from multiple locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Hoboken and Jersey City

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Salary range: $115,000-$130,000.

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in product design, UX/UI design, or interaction design, with demonstrated work on OTT, streaming, or connected-TV products
• Strong portfolio demonstrating experience with dual screen interaction, 10-foot UI design, lean-back viewing contexts, or media-rich platform experiences
• Proven ability to design within platform constraints where clarity, performance, and navigation simplicity are critical
• Deep understanding of information architecture, D-pad interaction patterns, and UX conventions specific to connected-TV environments
• Experience designing consumer-facing products across multiple platforms or screen contexts
• Familiarity with live video, streaming workflows, and their implications for UX and interface design
• Strong systems-thinking mindset, with experience contributing to scalable design systems
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly across product and engineering partners
• Ability to work cross-functionally with product, engineering, and editorial teams in a fast-paced media environment
• Self-driven with strong prioritization and execution skills

Desired Qualifications

• Experience designing within a large, matrixed media organization or multi-brand digital ecosystem
• Background working in streaming media, digital news, or broadcast-adjacent digital products. Experience in financial news is a plus
• Experience designing for high-frequency or habitual use cases such as daily news consumption or live event viewing
• Exposure to personalization, content recommendation, or AI-assisted discovery in streaming products
• Understanding of cross-platform ecosystems including web, mobile, and connected devices
• Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, or a related field

Additional Requirements

• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States
• Hybrid: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week.

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision.

VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [e-mail].

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.