Principal Product Designer, Growth

About Upstart

Upstart is a leading AI lending marketplace partnering with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit. By leveraging Upstart's AI marketplace, Upstart-powered banks and credit unions can have higher approval rates and lower loss rates across races, ages, and genders, while simultaneously delivering the exceptional digital-first lending experience their customers demand. More than two-thirds of Upstart loans are approved instantly and are fully automated.

Upstart is a digital-first company, which means that most Upstarters live and work anywhere in the United States. However, we also have offices in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas.

Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Upstart, we’d love to hear from you!

The Team

Upstart's Growth team is dedicated to creating a seamless loan application experience that allows customers to effortlessly discover and access Upstart’s credit products. By building exceptional, customer-centric experiences, this team plays a crucial role in making Upstart the premier destination for consumer credit, driving growth, and unifying Upstart’s product portfolio into a cohesive, multi-product marketplace. 

As a Principal Product Designer, you will own the design direction for new and impactful product initiatives within Upstart Growth, and ensure a cohesive borrower journey from discovery and awareness through application submission. You will work with senior designers on Upstart Growth, refining the experience of Upstart’s flagship personal loans product and uniting Upstart's credit offerings into a unified application process. You will also operate as a design leader, upleveling the craft of design at Upstart while ensuring a high bar for product design, research, and strategy.

Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote

Time Zone Requirements - This team operates on the East/West Coast time zones.

Travel Requirements - As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Work closely with product and engineering partners to define project goals, iterate design concepts, and deliver impactful solutions for Upstart customers
• Develop wireframes, interactive prototypes, and design mockups that communicate design ideas clearly and effectively for a fast moving team of partners and stakeholders
• Lead design sprints and innovation workshops that inspire the team to think bigger, look around corners, and approach solutions with a design thinking mindset steeped in the customer journey
• Drive user research that uncovers insights into customer needs, behavior, and pain points in borrower workflows
• Conduct usability tests on new and existing features to evaluate the effectiveness of design solutions 
• Ensure product experiences are designed for accessibility and inclusion
• Lead by example, demonstrating a high quality bar and influencing the work of other designers throughout the company

What we’re looking for: 

• Minimum requirements:
• 10+ years experience designing and launching high quality digital products
  • 3+ years experience designing for growth and top of funnel products, in partnership with brand or marketing teams
  • Strong portfolio showcasing user centered end-to-end design process and product design skills
  • Highly skilled with Figma, Usertesting, and similar design/research tools
  • Experience leading design research and experimentation, including synthesis of data and usage patterns
  • Strong customer-centric mindset with the ability to translate customer insights into actionable design solutions
  • Proven success navigating the dynamic relationship between user needs and business requirements
  • Clear communicator and collaborator who is comfortable giving and taking design feedback, presenting to stakeholders and executives, and driving consensus around a common goal
• Preferred qualifications:
  • Experience launching consumer products for technology companies in highly regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, etc.)
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