Senior Product Design Fellow

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

Job summary

City of New York is seeking a Senior Product Design Fellow to design and ship resident-facing digital products end-to-end. This hands-on role covers user research, interaction, visual, and content design, partnering with cross-functional teams to move from problem statements to working public services for New Yorkers.

Responsibilities include research, prototyping, and collaboration with policy and legal teams to translate complex rules into usable experiences, while embedding accessibility from

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field plus 4+ years of experience in design or product development.
• Experience designing resident-facing digital products and services.
• Strong communication and collaboration with product, policy, and engineering teams.
• Experience designing for accessibility and using design systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design on resident-facing products from concept to launch.
• Conduct rapid prototyping, usability testing, and MVP iterations.
• Plan and conduct user research with New Yorkers and synthesize findings.
• Design user flows, IA, wireframes, and high-fidelity interfaces.
• Translate complex rules into clear, actionable product copy.
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, researchers, and policy teams.
• Ensure accessibility and contribute to a shared design system.

Skills

User research

Interaction design

Visual design

Content design

Prototyping

Accessibility

Cross-functional collaboration

Public sector design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / related field

Associate degree in Computer Science / related field

Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience in related area

Education and/or experience equivalent

Job description

• Salary Band: $150,000+
• Compensation: USD 75,000 - USD 160,000

Job Description

THIS IS A GRANT FUNDED POSITION WITH A TENURE OF 18 MONTHS ENDING JULY 2028

The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) leverages technology to drive opportunity, improve public safety, and help government run better across New York City. From delivering affordable broadband to protecting against cybersecurity threats and building digital government services, OTI is at the forefront of how the city delivers for New Yorkers in the 21st century. Follow us on social media @NYCOfficeofTech, and visit www.nyc.gov/oti to learn more.

At OTI, we offer great benefits, and the chance to work on projects that have a meaningful impact on millions of people. You'll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate with other passionate professionals who share your drive and commitment to making a difference through technology.

OUR WORK

The Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew, at the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation, builds the technology, products, and services needed to deliver a more affordable New York City. We design, build, and launch exceptional public-facing products for New Yorkers. The PIT Crew is hiring Senior Fellows for an 18-month tour of public service in City government, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Senior Fellows will bring deep technical and product delivery expertise into City government to build high-priority, public-facing products for New Yorkers. During this 18-month period, the fellowship team will embed with the PIT Crew and partner closely with City agencies to launch multiple public-facing products that demonstrate tangible, measurable impact and make New Yorkers' lives better and more affordable. The team will pilot modern design and technology best practices to pilot a new way of working in City government, delivering high-quality user experiences to New Yorkers, faster and more cost effectively.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are hiring a Senior Product Design Fellow to design and ship resident-facing products end-to-end. This is a hands‑on role spanning user research, interaction design, visual design, and content design. You will pair closely with product managers, engineers, other designers, policy teams, and other city employees to move from problem statements to working products and services for New Yorkers; lead design across the full process: framing the problem, conducting user research, building prototypes, designing interfaces, and partnering with product managers and engineers through build and launch; lead modern design practices for the team: how we conduct research, how we use shared design systems, and how we produce quality products and services at pace and scale.

Responsibilities will include, but not limited to:

• 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, pilot, 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, and synthesize findings into actionable choices for the team.
• Design clear user flows, information architecture, wireframes, and high-fidelity interfaces, and help build prototypes to test interactions.
• Practice plain-language content design, 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, user researchers, and other OTI employees on day-to-day product decisions, and contribute to scoping and prioritization.
• Work directly with agency staff, policy advisors, and legal counsel to translate complex rules and regulations into experiences that are easy to use.
• 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 make the next product faster to design than the last one.
• Shape the design culture of a small, mission-driven team, including mentorship, and onboarding for future hires.
• Perform special projects and initiatives related to this grant as assigned.

HOURS/SHIFT

Day - Due to the necessary duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, candidate may be required to work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.

WORK LOCATION

Brooklyn, NY

OTI participates in E-Verify

Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college in computer science, engineering, human computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphics design, data visualization, communication or a related field, and four years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain; or
2. An associate degree from an accredited college in computer science, engineering, human computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphics design, data visualization, communication or a related field, and six years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain; or
3. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and eight years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain; or
4. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1", "2", or "3" above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.