Product Design Lead

Title: Product Design Lead - (Open to remote)

Location: Remote United States

Job Description:

As the team's sole senior design IC (individual contributor), you'll serve as the lead technical creative for building user-friendly solutions for a complex array of internal IT applications and tooling. You will report to the head of Publishing Applications in the IT department.

You'll have an immediate impact working closely with our technical staff to build innovative solutions from concept to completion. You'll contribute alongside development teams while also playing a pivotal role in elevating product experiences and ensuring project success. Specifically, you'll work closely with business owners and stakeholders in Editorial, Production, Sales, Marketing, Publicity, and Consumer Marketing to translate a complex array of business goals and strategies into powerful product experiences that are not only functional but also provide an exceptional user experience.

A successful candidate will have a strong foundational understanding of software development and information architecture and will nimbly navigate ambiguity through proactive and creative leadership.

Day to Day

• Independently explore and develop solutions from concept to execution; design and ship high-quality product improvements
• Lead the end-to-end interaction and visual design of user-friendly IT products and services that are accessible and enhance usability
• Own the design of industry-leading internal applications that manage and automate the entire publishing production process, enable flexible reporting, distribute customer data, offer AI-based tools, and serve the publishing base.
• Contribute to overall strategy and decision-making about product direction
• Deliver and refine clear storytelling around product needs and opportunities to key stakeholders; technical and non-technical audiences
• Work with your team members and cross-functional partners to scope project requirements, driving nimbly towards timelines and milestones

Key Responsibilities:

Design (core responsibility)

You'll primarily focus your efforts on product design craft, building solutions from concept to completion:

• Create, collaborate, and iterate on user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity visuals for IT applications
• Research and scope project work (in partnership with cross-functional partners like PMs and engineers) to tackle complex problems that ensure design feasibility and successful implementation
• Craft and present compelling and persuasive narratives around product opportunities, design concepts and solutions, using storytelling to align stakeholders and drive impact
• Collaborate with branding and corporate design departments
• Steward systematic thinking, intuitive interactions, and attention to every pixel across a vast application suite

Research and Testing (supporting responsibility)

• Conduct user research to gather insights and understand user needs and behaviors
• Perform usability testing and gather feedback to refine and improve designs
• Analyze user feedback and activity to iterate on design solutions

Collaboration and Communication (supporting responsibility)

• Serve as a role model in how to elevate design work through development collaboration and proactive use of design systems
• Communicate and refine clear storytelling around product needs, opportunities, and design solutions to technical and non-technical audiences
• Build strong relationships with leaders inside and outside of core product teams; strong communication and executive stakeholder management skills required from the jump
• Lead and participate in design reviews; provide and accept constructive peer-to-peer feedback
• Interact with project management tools such as Jira, Monday.com, and project planning documentation
• Effective, professional collaboration; you provide and accept iterative feedback
• Familiarity with React, Java, HTML, CSS, and WordPress are a plus

Innovation and Trends (peripheral responsibility)

• Proactively stay on top of design trends, new technologies (EG, AI) and best practices as well as develop a deep, conceptual understanding of our businesses and related markets
• Focus on innovation, both near-term and long-term that enhances user experience and engagement while staying true to PRH's core design principles

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in design or equivalent with deep experience (6+ years) designing intuitive, high-quality UX and UI for complex systems, preferably for IT or related industries
• Experience working collaboratively in a team environment while handling complex projects with overlapping organizational lines
• Proficiency in prototyping your ideas to help articulate design decisions
• Proficiency in design and prototyping tools like Figma
• Strong understanding of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) is a plus
• Ability to leverage strong understanding of information architecture to organize content intuitively for a vast array of users
• Sharp attention to detail to uphold high quality standards on all projects
• Excellent, proactive communication and interpersonal skills

This position is open to remote candidates.

The salary range is $100,000 - $140,000. All positions are currently eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to Company results.

Please apply by July 22nd using our online application process, and please include your resume, cover letter and salary requirements.

Penguin Random House job postings include a good faith compensation range for each open position. The salary range listed is specific to each particular open position and takes into account various factors including the specifics of the individual role, and candidate's relevant experience and qualifications.

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off.

Penguin Random House is the leading adult and children's publishing house in North America, the United Kingdom and many other regions around the world. In publishing the best books in every genre and subject for all ages, we are committed to quality, excellence in execution, and innovation throughout the entire publishing process: editorial, design, marketing, publicity, sales, production, and distribution. Our vibrant and diverse international community of nearly 300 publishing brands and imprints include Ballantine Bantam Dell, Berkley, Clarkson Potter, Crown, DK, Doubleday, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Little Golden Books, Knopf, Modern Library, Pantheon, Penguin Books, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Young Readers, Portfolio, Puffin, Putnam, Random House, Random House Children's Books, Riverhead, Ten Speed Press, Viking, and Vintage, among others. More information can be found at http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/.

Penguin Random House values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Company: Penguin Random House LLC

Country: United States of America

State/Region: New York

City:

Postal Code:

Job ID: 281201

Date: Jul 8, 2025

Location:

New York, NY, US, NY 10019

Job Segment: Book Publishing, User Experience, Web Design, Testing, Outside Sales, Publishing, Technology, Creative, Sales