Senior Product Design Fellow

Hard Problems; New York (NY); On-site; USD 75,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

NYC Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) seeks a Senior Product Design Fellow to lead end‑to‑end design for resident‑facing digital products. You will own research, interaction, content, and visual design within the PIT Crew, partnering with city agencies to ship impact‑driving solutions.

Work spans research, prototyping, usability testing, and accessibility, with collaboration across PMs, engineers, policy teams, and agency staff. On-site in Brooklyn, 18‑month fellowship.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional product design experience with shipped UX.
• End‑to‑end design including research, interaction, content and visuals.
• Hands‑on experience taking a product from concept to launch.
• Experience in small cross‑functional teams with PMs, Eng, Researchers.
• Proficiency in Figma, prototyping, design systems and handoff.

Responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end design on resident‑facing products from concept to launch.
• Rapid prototyping, usability testing, MVP iterations, public launch.
• Plan and conduct user research with New Yorkers and synthesize findings.
• Design user flows, IA, wireframes, and high‑fidelity interfaces.
• Write plain‑language content turning complex rules into clear copy.
• Collaborate with PMs, engineers, researchers, and agency staff.
• Translate regulations into usable experiences and ensure accessibility.
• Contribute to a shared design system and scalable patterns.
• Mentor and onboard future designers in the team.

Skills

End-to-end product design

Figma proficiency

User research facilitation

Information architecture

Wireframing prototyping

Content design

Accessibility standards

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication with stakeholders

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/UX/related field

Tools

Figma

Design systems

Job description

The NYC Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) uses technology to improve public safety, expand opportunity, and make city government work better for New Yorkers. Its Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew designs, builds, and launches public-facing digital products and services. This 18-month fellowship (ending July 2028) is grant-funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and embeds Senior Fellows within the PIT Crew to deliver high-priority products in partnership with City agencies.

The role

The Senior Product Design Fellow is a hands‑on, end-to-end design role within the PIT Crew at OTI. The fellowship team works directly with City agencies to launch multiple public-facing products that demonstrate measurable impact and make New Yorkers' lives more affordable. The role spans user research, interaction design, visual design, and content design, and sits alongside product managers, engineers, policy teams, and agency staff. It is a grant‑funded, 18-month position based at 15 Metrotech, Brooklyn.

What you would do

• Lead end‑to‑end design on resident‑facing products from concept to launch, owning user research, interaction design, content design, and visual design.
• Move quickly through rapid prototyping, usability testing, MVP iteration, and public launch, making pragmatic tradeoffs between scope, quality, and timing.
• Plan and conduct user research with New Yorkers, including interviews, usability sessions, and field visits, then synthesize findings into actionable decisions for the team.
• Design user flows, information architecture, wireframes, and high‑fidelity interfaces, and build prototypes to test interactions.
• Write plain‑language content, turning complex eligibility rules, legal language, and agency processes into product copy that is clear, accurate, and easy to act on.
• Partner with product managers, engineers, researchers, and other OTI staff on day‑to‑day product decisions, scoping, and prioritization.
• Work directly with agency staff, policy advisors, and legal counsel to translate complex regulations into usable experiences.
• Build accessibility into the design process from the start and partner with engineers to ship products that meet the city's quality and accessibility standards.
• Contribute to a shared design system and reusable patterns that speed up future product work.
• Shape the design culture of the team, including mentorship and onboarding for future hires.

What they are looking for

• 5 or more years of professional product design experience, with a portfolio showing shipped user‑facing digital products.
• End‑to‑end design experience covering research, interaction design, content design, and visual design.
• Direct, hands‑on experience taking a product from concept through launch (not only iterating on existing flows).
• Experience on small, cross‑functional product teams alongside product managers, engineers, and researchers.
• Working fluency with Figma, including prototyping, design systems, version control for design files, and engineering handoff.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain design decisions to non‑designers and represent the team with agency partners and senior stakeholders.
• Experience planning and moderating user research, including interviews with members of the public.
• Experience designing in complex, regulated, or legacy environments where rules are messy and constraints are real.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508) and experience shipping products that meet them.
• Content design and plain‑language experience, especially for users with low trust or limited patience for jargon.
• Experience with mobile‑first responsive design and designing for users on low‑end devices and slow connections.
• Familiarity with localization and internationalization considerations.
• Experience handling user data with appropriate privacy and ethical considerations.
• A baccalaureate degree in computer science, engineering, human‑computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphic design, data visualization, communication, or a related field, plus four years of relevant full‑time experience (or equivalent combinations of education and experience as specified in the minimum qualifications).

Working arrangements

The role is based on‑site at 15 Metrotech, Brooklyn, NY. Due to the nature of the position in a 24/7 operation, candidates may be required to work various shifts, including evenings, nights, and weekends. New York City residency is not required.

Pay and benefits

The salary range is $75,000 to $160,000 per year. Employees may be eligible for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs.