Staff/Principal Product Designer

Product Designer

Company: Skylight
Location: Fully Remote
Position Type: Full-time, Exempt

About Skylight

Skylight is a digital consultancy dedicated to improving public services through innovative design and technology. We are at the forefront of a movement to reimagine how government agencies serve citizens in the digital age. Join our growing team of public interest technologists and make a tangible impact.

About the Role

As a Product Designer at Skylight, you will be instrumental in understanding complex problem spaces, identifying opportunities, and developing user-centered solutions using a lean-agile approach. You will serve as the primary user advocate on your team, conducting continuous research throughout the product lifecycle, from concept to implementation. Your work will ensure that product teams are building the right solutions for the public.

What You'll Do

• Plan and execute research to inform strategic product and design direction across multiple workstreams.
• Define end-to-end product flows, incorporating information architecture, systems thinking, design principles, and common design patterns, especially for secure data exchanges.
• Create simple, elegant user interfaces and evolve existing visual systems with clear rationale.
• Champion human-centered design principles and their value to stakeholders, partners, and subject matter experts.
• Balance user and business needs within an agile environment, fostering empathy for public users and government workers.
• Set design standards for engagements and mentor other designers to elevate overall quality.

What We're Looking For

Minimum Qualifications:

• A strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design from research to accessible UI, including patterns, components, and standards adopted by other teams.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, synthesize, and share generative and evaluative user research.
• Experience defining scalable, end-to-end interaction flows with key design principles, information architecture, common patterns, and accessibility.
• Ability to create simple, elegant, and thoughtful user interfaces through visual design.
• Capacity to contribute to product strategy by advocating for users and balancing needs.
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills, driving alignment without losing sight of the user.
• Experience setting design direction across multiple workstreams or teams and mentoring designers (principal level).
• Proven ability to work effectively in a professional services environment and communicate with clients.
• Passion for improving public outcomes through government services.
• Alignment with Skylight's core values and work approach.
• Willingness to travel for work as needed.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications:

• Experience designing services handling sensitive personal data (e.g., tax, financial, benefits).
• Prior experience in the civic tech space.
• Experience working in a remote-team environment.

If you don't meet every qualification but are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply. We value a range of backgrounds and experiences.

Other Requirements

• All work must be conducted within the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories).
• Some federal contracts may require U.S. citizenship.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• Successful completion of a company background check.
• A degree or additional years of experience may be required for roles on federal contracts.

Salary Ranges

• Associate Product Designer: $90,000–$125,000
• Product Designer I: $120,000–$140,000
• Product Designer II: $135,000–$160,000
• Senior Product Designer: $150,000–$185,000
• Staff Product Designer: $170,000–$203,000
• Principal Product Designer: $180,000–$230,000

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Life and AD&D insurance
• Dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account
• Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% with no vesting period
• Flexible paid time off (approx. 25 days/year) plus 11 paid federal holidays
• Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Performance rewards: annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, stock options
• Business development/sales bonuses
• Referral bonuses
• $2,000 annual allowance for professional development
• $750 annual allowance for tech purchases
• $100 annual swag budget
• Dollar-for-dollar charity donation matching up to $500/year
• Flexible, remote-friendly work environment
• Empowering environment to contribute to public good

Interview Tips

• Visit the Skylight careers page for interview process details.
• Review the Career Pathways framework for role information.
• Include 1-2 work samples in your application portfolio (website, slide deck, etc.). Ensure no passwords are required for access.
• Contact recruiting@skylight.digital for accommodation requests.