Lead Product Designer

NerdWallet aims to make personal finance refreshingly simple, helpful, and human. Our consumers struggle to find clarity when deciding on a course of action for a financial decision. Our goal is to provide as much unbiased insight as possible, through simple and elegant product design. To do this, we’re seeking a Lead Product Designer who will push boundaries, influence strategy, and have a strong impact on product execution and quality. We’re intent on raising the bar in the financial technology space with smart, delightful solutions that lock-in on user needs and tightly align with company priorities. 

As a qualified candidate, you have both an incredible eye for detail and an ability to think big, break new ground, and innovate. You have experience designing for responsive web and native apps, and you have the technical chops to build prototypes that demonstrate the finer details in transitions, animations, and complex interactions. You’re also an excellent communicator and a flexible team player that can thrive in a very fast-paced, dynamic working environment. 

You will report to a Senior Manager of Product Design. 

Where you can make an impact:

• Lead end to end design process: Iterate and execute designs from concept to high-fidelity interactive prototypes. This process includes multiple iterations that sequentially build on test findings in a timely manner.

• Lead with generous creativity and practical empathy: Inspire a team of product designers & cross-disciplines and elevate our user’s experience by looking through a lens of a deep understanding of NerdWallet’s audience, and doing what’s right for them.

• Elevate Product Design: Elevate our user’s experience by looking through a lens of a deep understanding of NerdWallet’s audience, and doing what’s right for them. Push the boundaries of user experience and visual execution and try new ideas. Be able to think “Blue Sky” and explore divergent concepts, then converge on feasible, innovative designs within reasonable deadlines.

• Collaboration: Cultivate strong cross-functional partnerships, measurement programs, and feedback loops. Validate and substantiate your work, and be an advocate for user-centered design. Participate and facilitate healthy cross-functional collaboration within an iterative design and development model.

• Be Nerdy: Join a team of committed Nerds who are energized by the desire to empower people and change the way they think about their finances. Seek to share design best practices, and design knowledge beyond your discipline to the rest of the company.

You are:

• A strong systems thinker: You demonstrate the ability to design elegant solutions that balance complex & competing requirements. You have experience working with design systems and seek to harness the value and scalability across products you have shipped.

• Product visionary: Ability to include design thinking into product strategy and vision (not just ‘how it should look’ but ‘what we should build’).

• Highly collaborative: You strive to partner cross-functionally to build the very best product/user experiences. You thrive in an environment of fast feedback loops and a mindset of rapid prototyping and iteration.

• Data-driven, with a strong business acumen: You leverage qualitative and quantitative insights to inform and explain your decisions. You investigate, analyze & interpret how your design decisions influence key metrics and business outcomes.

• An enthusiastic collaborator with a growth mindset: Ability to be flexible, embrace ambiguity, take initiative, and learn new skills on a regular basis. You’re also comfortable giving & receiving thoughtful, constructive feedback in order to support growth & development of yourself and your team.

• Passionate about helping people: You recognize the importance of personal financial management, and lean into making it both useful & usable for our consumers.

• Perpetually curious:  You are passionate about new technologies, industry trends and relevant artifacts. You ask questions & take informed risks in pursuit of new opportunities.

Your experience:

We recognize not everyone will have all of these requirements. If you meet most of the criteria below and you’re excited about the opportunity and willing to learn, we’d love to hear from you.

• 6+ years of applied product design experience

• Ability to think big and understand complex user experience flows

• Multi-tasking and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks

• Ability to design for any platform (iOS, Android, mobile web, etc.)

• Ability to utilize research and data to drive design decisions 

• Strong information design skills with a solid foundation in product design heuristics

• Attention to detail with a good visual understanding (i.e layout, typography, color)

• Hands-on experience with design programs such as Figma. Additional experience in animation programs is a plus, but not required.

• Comfortable working closely with passionate designers, product managers, and engineers that care deeply about creating beautiful, high-impact experiences.

• Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment

Where:

• This role will be based in San Francisco, CA or remote (based in the U.S.).

• We believe great work can be done anywhere. No matter where you are based, NerdWallet offers benefits and perks to support the physical, financial, and emotional well being of you and your family.

What we offer:

Work hard, stay balanced (Life’s a series of balancing acts, eh?):

• Industry leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents

• Rejuvenation Policy – Flexible Time Off + 13 holidays + 4 Mental Health Days Off

• New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care

• Mental health support through Ginger.io 

• Financial wellness, guidance, and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) through Northstar 

• Paid sabbatical for Nerds to recharge, gain knowledge and pursue their interests

• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution

• Weekly Virtual Bootcamp, Yoga, and Mindfulness Meditation sessions

• Monthly Wellness Stipend, Cell Phone Stipend, and Wifi Stipend

Have some fun! (Nerds are fun, too):

• Nerd-led group initiatives – Intramural Sports, Employee Resource Groups for Parents, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Women, LGBTQIA, and other communities

• Hackathons, Happy Hours and team bonding across all teams and departments

• Company-wide events like Little Nerds Day (aka bring your kids to work day, even if you're remote!) and our annual Charity Auction 

Lifestyle (Be your best self - we’ll take care of the details):

• Our Nerds love to make an impact by paying it forward – Donate to your favorite causes with a company match

• WiFi stipend, work from home equipment stipend, and co-working space subsidy

• Commuting stipend and catered breakfast, lunch and onsite barista for SF based Nerds

• Anniversary recognition program – choose from different items and experiences

Plan for your future (And when you retire on your island, remember the little people):

• 401K with company match

• Annual Enrichment Stipend for learning and development

• Be the first to test and benefit from our new financial products and tools

• Access to Rocket Lawyer for online legal support and resources 

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.

NerdWallet is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.