Principal Product Designer

<p><b>Academy</b> is reimagining higher education for the age of AI with an entirely new collegiate experience designed to expand access and opportunity. Backed by <b>$38M</b> from top venture firms including <b>Khosla Ventures</b>, <b>Forerunner</b>, <b>DST Global Partners</b>, and <b>Lightspeed</b>, and led by former <b>Duolingo</b> executives and a founding team that also includes <b>Emmy Award winners</b>, Outsmart is building something ambitious from the ground up. You’ll join a team that’s already generating <b>1–5 million weekly organic views</b> on social media.</p><p>In this <b>hybrid</b> role based in <b>Los Angeles, CA</b>, you’ll take on a hands-on, end-to-end design leadership position. The work blends strategy, interaction and visual craft, research and data, and rapid prototyping to ship and iterate on major student product areas.</p><h3>What you’ll be doing</h3><ul><li>Lead <b>end-to-end design</b> for major areas of the <b>Outsmart student experience</b></li><li>Translate ambiguous product problems into clear <b>strategies</b>, <b>flows</b>, <b>prototypes</b>, and polished user experiences</li><li>Partner closely with <b>Product</b> and <b>Engineering</b> from early exploration through <b>launch</b> and <b>iteration</b></li><li>Mentor and manage designers, supporting growth while raising the <b>quality bar</b></li><li>Run critiques and help build a culture of thoughtful, direct, and productive feedback</li><li>Help establish lightweight design processes so a small team can move quickly without sacrificing quality</li><li>Use <b>research</b>, <b>data</b>, experimentation, and <b>rapid prototyping</b> to inform product decisions</li><li>Evolve Outsmart’s <b>design system</b> and overall product language</li><li>Contribute to design team growth and help shape team culture as the company scales</li></ul><h3>What you bring</h3><ul><li><b>8+ years</b> of product design experience, including significant experience designing <b>consumer-facing digital products</b></li><li>Previous experience <b>managing and developing product designers</b></li><li>A portfolio showing exceptional <b>product thinking</b>, <b>interaction design</b>, and <b>visual craft</b></li><li>Experience owning <b>complex products</b> or major product areas from strategy through launch</li><li>A strong track record of shipping products used by real customers at meaningful scale</li><li>Excellent <b>Figma</b> and prototyping skills, with willingness to stay deeply hands-on</li><li>Strong collaboration with <b>Product</b> and <b>Engineering</b>, comfortable navigating technical and business constraints</li><li>Experience using <b>AI tools</b> to accelerate design, prototyping, and exploration</li><li>Strong communication skills and the ability to influence product direction across disciplines</li><li>High standards for craft paired with good judgment on when to <b>ship and iterate</b></li><li>A low-ego approach to leadership, collaboration, critique, and feedback</li><li><b>Bonus:</b> experience with consumer education, social, gaming, or other highly engaging products</li><li>Comfort moving between big-picture strategy and the smallest interaction details</li><li>Clear, constructive feedback skills that develop designers and support an environment where great work happens</li><li>Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to add structure without unnecessary process</li><li>Genuine curiosity about AI, actively using new tools to prototype, explore, and rethink how product teams work</li></ul><h3>Benefits</h3><ul><li>Competitive <b>salary, equity, and benefits</b></li><li>Healthcare for you and your dependents (medical, dental, and vision)</li><li>Parental leave for any full-time employee (birthing, non-birthing, and adoptive parents)</li><li><b>15 PTO days</b> per year, a winter break, and <b>12+ paid company holidays</b> per year</li><li>Remote work days</li><li>Lunch provided in-office daily</li><li>Working with super talented people who want to make a difference in the world</li></ul><h3>Role details</h3><ul><li><b>Level:</b> Staff / Principal (8+ years experience)</li><li><b>Type:</b> Full-time</li><li><b>Location:</b> Hybrid in Los Angeles, CA</li><li><b>Salary:</b> USD <b>175,000</b> to <b>225,000</b> per year base, plus significant equity</li></ul><p><b>AI Tools Notice:</b> Academy may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist the recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.</p><br />#J-18808-Ljbffr