Senior Product Designer

Government technology has failed the public for decades and Americans have been conditioned to expect websites from the 90s for essential public services.

Kaizen exists to strengthen trust in American public services by building technology that residents and public servants are proud to use. We partner with local state and federal agencies to replace legacy systems with modern AI-native software that is worthy of the people they serve. We started in outdoor recreation and now we're building toward something much larger — the software layer that powers how Americans access any government service.

Our platform already reaches 40 million residents across 50+ agencies in 17 states.

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA a16z Accel 776 and Carpenter Capital. We're builders designers and operators who believe that beautifully designed software shouldn’t be a luxury in government. It’s how you earn trust back.

This is a hybrid role based out of our New York City HQ. Candidates must reside in New York or be able to commute to New York City to work out of our office at least three times a week (Tuesdays - Thursdays).

As the fourth design hire at Kaizen you’ll report to the Design Lead and play a foundational role in crafting exceptional user experiences for government staff and members of the public. This high-agency opportunity will allow you to impact every aspect of design at the company: from scoping and shipping products with our engineers to building innovative prototypes for the sales team to creating marketing assets as we evolve our brand. In true startup fashion you’ll wear many hats including partnering closely with our implementation team on customer deployments and helping to define our product roadmap strategically.

• Lead design work end-to-end including:

  • Driving research and discovery sessions with our customers

  • Writing clear well-scoped product requirement documents

  • Designing and iterating upon high-fidelity flows and prototypes

  • Collaborating side-by-side with our wonderful engineering team to bring the work to life

  • Contributing to Trailmix our internal design system

• Partner with our implementation team on critical customer deployments by providing hands-on project management product strategy and customer communications

• Work with the business development team to define the future of the product with robust prototyping for RFP responses and demos

• Work with the leadership team to create marketing assets for socials one-pagers for conferences and other branded materials

• 4-6 years of experience in product design preferably in a high-growth startup or agency environment

• Experience designing administrative tooling

• Experience designing scalable solutions for SaaS products for desktop and mobile

• Experience in client services and excitement to work directly with customers

• Proficiency in Figma for both design and prototyping

• Workflows powered with AI tooling (ChatGPT Figma Make Lovable etc.)

• Experience with AI coding tools like Cursor to make your own contributions to the codebase

• Comprehensive medical through Oxford/United - Gold and Platinum PPO plans with 85% of premiums covered on the Platinum plan and a $0 employee premium option. Dental through Guardian PPO and vision through Beam with 99% of employee premiums covered and 50% for dependents.

• $100000 in fully paid life insurance. FSA and Dependent Care FSA. 401(k) access through Guideline.

• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents. 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.

• Unlimited PTO & closed for all federal holidays.

• Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas.

• One-time home office or desk setup stipend up to $750.

• $50/month commuter benefit.

• $100/month for wellness or productivity - your call on how you use it!

• $500/year for professional development.

• $250/year for recreation.

• Company-provided laptop.

• Expensed lunch while in the office.

Kaizen is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race color religion age sex national origin disability genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local law. If you need an accommodation during the interview process email us at [email protected].

What We Do

Have you struggled to reserve that coveted summer camping spot at a state park? Wondered why you’re still filling out a paper form at the DMV? Or tried (and failed) to book your favorite pickleball court from your phone? Kaizen Labs is rebuilding the government’s digital front door - bringing modern people-first software to the public services millions of Americans rely on every day. From parks & recreation and permitting to licensing and payments we’re replacing outdated systems with intuitive beautiful technology designed for residents and the public servants who serve them. Our platform now powers over 50 agencies across 17 states reaching more than 30 million residents. Recent partners include Maricopa County (AZ) San Bernardino County (CA) and the Cherokee Nation. In Maryland our platform helped eliminate seven-mile traffic jams at state parks saving hundreds of thousands in costs and dramatically improving the visitor experience. Founded in 2022 and based in New York City Kaizen has raised $35 million from world-class investors including NEA Andreessen Horowitz Accel 776 and Carpenter Capital. We’re a team of builders designers and operators redefining what it means to serve the public in the digital age - and we’re just getting started.

Why Work With Us

At Kaizen you’ll find more than just a job - you’ll find ownership autonomy and purpose. We're building tools that truly help communities with a culture rooted in trust psychological safety and cross-functional collaboration. It's meaningful work with smart supportive people by your side.

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