What are the responsibilities and job description for the Product Design Lead @ Big Human position at Academy?
About Big Human:
- Big Human is a New York City-based technology, design, and branding agency with over a decade of experience solving complex problems and creating world-class digital experiences
- Notable work includes HQ Trivia, Vine, and Subdial; clients span from high-growth startups to Fortune 500s including Netflix, Gemini, Rockefeller Center, and Whistle
- Fully remote team with regular company retreats and quarterly coworking events
- Values: supportive, grounded, passionate, forward-thinking, and accountable
About the Role:
- Big Human is looking for a Product Design Lead with 10 years of product design experience at an agency, studio, or client-side organization
- This is a rare opportunity to meaningfully shape the creative direction and design culture of a growing studio. They're looking for someone with a builder's mindset — someone motivated by influence and craft, not just credentials.
- You'll lead design projects end-to-end, from discovery and ideation through to high-fidelity design, handoff, and QA, across a diverse range of clients from startups to Fortune 500s
- You'll collaborate closely with Design, Product, Marketing, and Engineering teams to deliver exceptional digital experiences
- Agency experience is required
- Lead design projects from start to finish with autonomy and authority, including discovery, ideation, workshops, definition, high-fidelity design, design systems, handoff, and visual QA
- Plan and facilitate design workshops, client reviews, user research, and user testing sessions
- Work collaboratively with the Big Human design team to solve complex product and UI challenges; contribute hands-on design work when needed
- Provide feedback and guidance to ensure work meets high visual standards and incorporates best practices
- Lead, mentor, and guide designers at both an individual and team level with high-level strategic design direction
- Articulate and defend design decisions clearly to clients and internal stakeholders
- Navigate ambiguity and pivot quickly with changing priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
- Oversee and provide creative direction across 1–2 additional concurrent projects beyond your own hands-on work, guiding other designers to maintain quality and consistency
- 10 years of product design experience, with agency experience required
- A high-caliber portfolio showcasing complex products with strong visual design, UI/UX, prototyping, typography, and visual hierarchy
- Masterful knowledge of user-centric and data-informed product design; strategic decision-making rooted in data, research, analytics, and business context
- Experience designing mobile apps, web products, and marketing websites
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate design decisions to clients and stakeholders
- Expert-level Figma proficiency and working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite
- Comfortable in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and a willingness to ask questions in times of uncertainty
- Branding or art direction experience
- Illustration or craft-making experience
- Motion graphics or 3D modeling experience (After Effects, Blender, Cinema4D, etc.)
- Experience with Unreal Engine, Unity, Framer, Webflow, or similar tools
- Curiosity about internet culture, design trends, and emerging technology
- Experience designing for TV or streaming device interfaces (e.g. Roku, Apple TV, connected TV platforms)
Salary: $170,000
Benefits:
Benefits:
- Medical: Up to $950/month company contribution (~$11,400/year)
- Dental: 100% of premiums covered (~$700/year)
- Vision: 100% of premiums covered (~$100/year)
- 401(k) with 3% salary match
- Home internet reimbursement: $900/year
- Home office upgrade stipend: $960/year
- Shared experience fund: $960/year
- Coworking stipend: $960/year
- Education stipend: $1,500/year
- 10–16 weeks parental leave
- 14 paid holidays generous vacation time
- Summer Fridays
- Donation matching
- Yearly team retreat quarterly coworking events
Location: Technically Remote (work timezone: EST hours), but may require client visits on the East Coast
Work Authorization: US citizens or Green Card Holders only