Hybrid - 2 days a week onsite in either Dallas,TX or Bothell, WA
12-18 months
Optomi has partnered with a telecommunications leader to find their next Product Designer (Design Lead). This is an exciting opportunity to drive innovation and problem-solving within the organization, focusing on non-core business areas (beyond 5G and wireless). You'll be at the forefront of a new way of working, inspired by the Silicon Valley model, helping to generate new ideas and tackle complex customer problems that could drive net-new or unexpected revenue within the companies products and services.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead Product Design Efforts: Take ownership of the end-to-end design process, from ideation to MVP delivery, working closely with Product and Tech Leads.
- Research & Customer Insights: Lead and participate in generative research, concept testing, usability testing, and rapid prototyping. Work closely with a dedicated Researcher and other designers to gather insights and validate concepts.
- Product Strategy & Execution: Define product pitches for leadership councils (including the CEO) to secure funding for new product ideas. Help craft and iterate product strategies to launch new MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) in a fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative Leadership: Work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Research teams. Influence the direction of product development with data-driven design decisions and creative problem-solving.
- Ownership of Design Decisions: Act as the design authority on the team, making firm recommendations and challenging both leadership and team members to make customer-centric decisions.
- Documentation & Communication: Produce clear, well-organized documentation of design concepts, user flows, and decisions. Be comfortable presenting design ideas and recommendations to executives and stakeholders.
- Innovative Thinking: Proactively identify new opportunities, ideas, and product solutions outside of the companies traditional product scope.
Skills & Qualifications
Must-Have Skills:
- Generative Research Expertise: Strong focus on rapid user research, including concept testing, usability testing, and customer validation. Comfortable with guerilla research and using insights to iterate quickly.
- MVP Development & Launch: Proven experience in launching MVPs and defining product strategy. Comfortable with both execution and strategy—hands-on with product development and able to lead a team of designers.
- Executive-Facing: Ability to present to and influence senior leadership, including C-suite executives. Comfortable leading discussions around design decisions with strong documentation and persuasive communication skills.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong leadership and collaboration skills to work with diverse teams, including Product Leads, Tech Leads, and Research teams.
- Creative Problem Solving: Ability to navigate ambiguity and complex challenges with creative solutions. Comfortable with iteration and adapting ideas when something doesn’t work.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Able to make firm recommendations backed by data and insights. Can challenge teams to push forward on customer-centric design decisions.
- Resilience & Adaptability: Comfortable with failure and willing to move quickly to iterate on new ideas.
Nice to Have Skills:
- Familiarity with tools like UserZoom for research, and other design tools (beyond Figma) that could help in rapid prototyping and design validation.
- Experience leading teams of designers or mentoring junior designers in a collaborative environment.
Logistics & Additional Information
- Type: Contract (12-18+ months, with potential to convert to full-time)
- Location: Flexible (Dallas, TX or Bothell, WA preferred, with hybrid flexibility)
