Senior Product Design Team Lead

Hard Problems; California; Hybrid; USD 139,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision plans

401(k) with company match

PTO

Relocation bonus

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is seeking a hands-on design leader to own meaningful work at our San Diego headquarters, while managing a 2-3 person design team. You will shape product experiences that support student learning and engagement, collaborating closely with product and engineering.

You will lead end-to-end design, set high quality standards, and drive evidence-based decisions using research and data. This hybrid role offers relocation bonus and a strong design system focus.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Product Design, UX/UI, or Interaction Design.
• Strong visual and interaction design craft, systems thinking.
• Ability to independently lead complex product initiatives from problem framing through implementation.
• Experience mentoring designers and contributing to design systems.
• Collaborates with product and engineering and aligns stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design process for complex product experiences, shaping product direction with Product and Engineering.
• Set a high bar for design quality through strong visual and interaction craft and deep user understanding.
• Drive user-centered, evidence-based design decisions using research, product data, and experimentation.
• Build cross-functional partnerships by communicating a clear design point of view and aligning teams.
• Coach and manage a team of 2-3 designers, providing critique and feedback to grow their craft.
• Partner with senior designers to evolve a shared design system and scalable patterns.
• Improve team effectiveness through ownership, collaboration, and rapid iteration.

Skills

Design leadership

Product design

UX research

Interaction design

Design systems

Mentoring

Figma

Tools

Figma

Job description

Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is an education company on a mission to discover, inspire, and train the next generation of great problem solvers. Since 2003, it has worked with hundreds of thousands of top students, including nearly all members of the US International Math Olympiad team, through an online school, in-person academies, textbooks, and online learning systems. Originally focused on mathematics, AoPS has expanded its curriculum into language arts, science, and computer science.

The role

This is a hands-on design leadership position based at AoPS headquarters in San Diego, CA. You would own meaningful design work yourself while also managing a small team of 2-3 product designers. The role sits at the intersection of individual craft and people leadership, with responsibility for shaping product experiences that support student learning and engagement.

What you would do

• Lead the end-to-end design process for complex product experiences, shaping product direction in partnership with Product and Engineering.
• Set a high bar for design quality through strong visual and interaction design craft, deep user understanding, and sound judgment applied to your own work and your team's.
• Drive user-centered, evidence-based design decisions using research, product data, and experimentation to identify opportunities and validate solutions.
• Build cross-functional partnerships by communicating a clear design point of view, navigating tradeoffs, and driving alignment across teams.
• Coach and manage a team of 2-3 designers, providing critique and actionable feedback to develop their craft, judgment, and impact.
• Partner with other senior designers to shape and evolve a shared design system, developing scalable patterns and standards that create cohesive experiences across products.
• Improve team effectiveness by fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and rapid iteration, and by supporting planning, prioritization, and hiring.

What they are looking for

• 5+ years of experience in Product Design, UX/UI, or Interaction Design, with a portfolio showing strong visual and interaction design, systems thinking, and user-centered problem solving.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex product initiatives from problem framing through implementation, handling ambiguity and delivering measurable user and business impact.
• Strong product judgment and the ability to influence product direction through user understanding, research, and data.
• Experience developing scalable design patterns and contributing to design systems.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor designers, provide effective critique, and raise overall team output quality.
• Strong collaborative leadership skills, including the ability to communicate a clear design point of view and build alignment with stakeholders at all levels.
• A growth mindset grounded in curiosity, openness to feedback, and a commitment to continuous improvement for yourself and your team.

Working arrangements

This is a hybrid full-time position based at AoPS headquarters in San Diego, CA. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US; the company cannot offer visa sponsorship, including STEM-OPT or H-1B. A relocation bonus is available for candidates currently located outside of San Diego.

Pay and benefits

The full salary range for this position is $139,000 - $171,000. Benefits include multiple options for medical, dental, and vision plans, a 401(k) with company match, a PTO plan, and a casual hybrid work environment with flexible scheduling.