Lead Product Designer

BrainPOP is an online K-12 educational solution that makes rigorous learning experiences accessible and engaging for all. Proven to raise academic achievement, BrainPOP has been a trusted resource to more than six million educators, and engages the hearts and challenges the minds of over 300 million learners worldwide. 

We recently launched a brand new consumer product meant to shake up the world of after-school learning for kids—an iOS app called Grobo, built for 7-11 year olds. Grobo is designed to be kid-demanded and wildly fun. Our newest product grows kids’ creative thinking and cognitive skills through sticky gameplay, trivia questions, and engaging videos, among other interactive elements. In Grobo, everything is play.

In this role, you will:

Lead Product Designer on Grobo, you will be primarily responsible for working collaboratively to iterate on, and define new features for, our recently launched app built for kids aged 7-11 years old. You will be working with product managers, UX researchers, UX writers, content creators, developers and artists to create delightful digital experiences that engage, entertain and educate kids. You will be responsible for leading design workshops, producing art or UI for prototypes, delivering wireframes and mockups, and providing visual feedback and direction to our digital studio partners.

This position requires cross-collaboration with team members in the Eastern Time (ET) zone. Please provide your portfolio password in your cover letter or resume. Due to a high volume of applications, we will not be able to contact applicants for portfolio access.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead the Grobo team in exploratory design workshops to help define, rapidly test, and validate potential features that will meet broader business and engagement goals
• Lead and collaborate with external digital studio to execute the design solutions for product areas
• Coordinate with external studio to set design reviews and follow-up 
• Design prototypes for testing user research questions, in collaboration with game designers, UX Researchers, and UX Writers.
• Lead and execute the design solutions of undefined problem spaces
• Potentially manage 1-2 designers towards successful growth and development in the future
• Develop programs (e.g. Design Systems) to improve design practice and workflow
• Evaluate potential design solutions and recommend, rationalize, explore strategies
• Foster participation and cross-functional partnership to support operations programs
• Determine and communicate goals, milestones, schedules for operations projects
• Develop approach, process, innovative solutions for tackling design problems
• Investigate and define problem areas and opportunities
• Help clarify and prioritize requirements, reframe problems
• Execute research (discovery, exploratory) as needed
• Produce clear, robust, timely artifacts (e.g. wireframes, diagrams, flowcharts)
• Design high-fidelity screens and user interactions, specifications, accessibility affordances, and work with frontend developers to experiment with the design
• Peer-mentor other product designers, contribute to design culture, and foster design excellence
• Support the recruitment process

Key Skills to Success

• A design leader who leverages an architectural and systems mindset
• A nurturer of design excellence through clear feedback, modeling, guidance
• Manages designers through successful pathways and roadblocks
• Highly organized with ability to manage multiple concurrent projects
• Encourages teamwork and positive collaboration towards common goals
• Can step into a project lead role ad hoc
• A proactive planner, facilitator, propeller of discussions and working sessions
• A seasoned thought-partner with product managers and developers
• Self-directed and know when to embrace ambiguity – you may not know the answers, but will try and figure it out, even if it means failing or asking for help
• Data and insights-driven. You’re not afraid to ask “why” and to provide a solution. You take smart risks and advocate for new ideas
• Highly generative with solutions and next steps, proportionate to investigating questions
• Well-practiced in communicating and collaborating to find the right answers to the right problems
• Clearly explains the rationale behind design choices
• Strong proficiency with current design tools like Figma
• Previous experience working end-to-end in the product development process in an engineering-focused organization
• An articulate communicator with strong writing skills
• An advocate for accessibility and inclusion
• Understanding of frontend development technologies

On Your Resume

• 7+ years of experience as a digital product designer
• Shipped iOS or web apps designed specifically for kids
• Hands-on experience working end-to-end in the product development process, from Discovery to Delivery
• Experience running qualitative user research and usability studies
• Bachelor Degree in Design, HCI, Interaction Design or equivalent Design degree, or equivalent industry experience

Nice to Have

• Collaboration with external studio designers
• Cross-functional collaboration with Marketing

Life at BrainPOP

What we do today directly impacts how teachers teach, and students learn. We continue to be inspired because we can see the difference we’re making and we’re proud to be a creative, collaborative, always-teaching, and always-learning community. Our commitment to supporting and empowering teachers and students is reflected in our dedication to enhancing the lives of our employees—in and out of the office. Our team is made up of educators, data scientists, published authors, engineers, artists, bakers, film buffs, cyclists, dual-citizens, and so much more. We value Diversity & Inclusion, collaboration, and learning from multiple perspectives, and encourage people to bring their most authentic selves to work. Besides offering a comprehensive benefits package and putting an emphasis on work-life balance, we make it a point to integrate fun and play into the workplace. 

We offer:

• Corporate Donation Matching 
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Paid Life Insurance
• 401K with a company match 
• Friends & Family BrainPOP Subscription
• Learning & Development Stipend
• Wellness Activities (ClassPass Membership)
• Annual Performance Bonus & Equity Appreciation Plan 
• Company Events (happy hours, volunteering opportunities, trivia nights, and monthly Town Halls) 

The starting salary for this role is between $130,000 - $165,000, depending on skills and experience. We take a geo-neutral approach to compensation within the US, meaning that we pay based on job function and level, not location. For all other countries, we have competitive pay bands based on market standards. Individual compensation decisions are based on a number of factors, including experience level, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company. We expect the majority of the candidates who are offered roles at our company to fall healthily throughout the range based on these factors. We recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted. If that ends up being the case, the updated salary range will be communicated with you as a candidate.

Location:

BrainPOP is a hybrid work environment, allowing employees to self-select where they work–whether fully remote in approved states or in-office in our New York headquarters.

We are able to employ remotely out of the following approved hiring states:

• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois 
• Massachusetts
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Texas

We believe that a diverse organization is a more effective organization. BrainPOP is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.