The Star Tribune is the Upper Midwest’s largest news organization, with audience numbers consistently in the top five in the country amongst regional and national peers. Building on an extraordinary legacy that includes seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards, the Star Tribune is an unrivaled force for journalistic excellence in Minnesota. It is also a company under transformation — realigning its core purpose for a new age of media consumption through innovative new partnerships, technology strategies, and a refreshed strategic direction. Our company has a new vision to create the leading model for local news in America – driving innovation in media to make every Minnesotan’s life better. We’re looking for dynamic leaders to help create that model. We’re excited to work with people who care about journalism and democracy and are eager to re-invent one of our state’s most trusted companies for a completely new era of growth that embraces new technologies and strategies for excellence. 

Job Summary

Star Tribune is looking for a Product Designer who thrives working in a fast-paced, agile environment to join our growing Design team. This role would be focused on our suite of digital products, including the website, our apps and new product development.

The ideal candidate for this position would be excited to work with new tools and technologies, have deep experience working with design prototyping tools and managing high-speed feedback, would be comfortable in an iterative-design and strategy-led culture, and have an ability to write efficient, standards-based HTML and CSS and a familiarity with JavaScript. You will work in a team- focused environment with UX researchers, designers, data analysts, full-stack engineers and product managers where there is opportunity for an open exchange of ideas and philosophies.

We strive to build strong products that deliver the best possible experience to readers on all types of devices and screens as they are looking for news and information about Minnesota. The Product department plays a multi-faceted role in Star Tribune’s creation and deployment of new and improved user experiences for its readers. We work within and alongside a world-class news organization to ensure stability, performance, and continuous improvement to our digital products. Our overall focus is to build products that anticipate and respond to the changing needs of a growing news-consumer base and to help make Star Tribune an indispensable news source for thousands of new readers.

The person in this role will have the opportunity to work with the various functions of Star Tribune — News, Advertising, Marketing, Consumer Growth, Design and more. This means touching all parts of the user journey from designing solutions that support core content systems, a complex advertising marketplace, commerce systems and subscription services. 

Responsibilities/Key Accountabilities 

• Iteratively design and build upon the visual elements and user experiences of the Star Tribune’s digital products, ensuring they are usable, accessible, effective and visually cohesive with our brand standards.
• Collaborate with data analysts, business stakeholders and customers to translate user research insights and requirements into human-centered, seamless user experiences by crafting user flow diagrams, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups and interactive design prototypes. 
• Work closely with stakeholders across Product, News, Advertising, Marketing and Consumer Growth departments as well as with Design colleagues to understand requirements, gather feedback and iterate on designs to meet project goals.
• Create design documentation that fits inside a broader system of annotations and design patterns to ensure consistency and coherence across Star Tribune platforms. 
• Collaborate with data analysts, scrum teams and internal stakeholders to craft hypothesis-led design solutions for A/B testing and personalization experimentation. 
• Understand, advocate for and help audit/implement best practices around modern accessible digital design standards. 
• Keep up with design trends, tools and technologies to continually improve design practices and deliver innovative, impactful, and human-centered design solutions.
• Foster a collaborative and open design culture by working early and often with teammates and stakeholders across the organization. 

Requirements

• A portfolio that demonstrates deep experience with UX/UI design solutions for responsive websites, applications and other digital products.
• Experience working with design prototyping tools to create low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity designs that fit into a broader brand design system.
• An aptitude for and keen interest in how color, spatial relationships and typography can all work in concert to affect the overall user experience. 
• The ability to estimate tasks based on business requirements and execute them in a timely manner. 
• Three or more years of digital design experience or other relevant experience.
• Comfortable writing HTML and CSS and a familiarity with JavaScript and/or frameworks like React.js.
• Experience designing for news is a nice to have, but not a requirement.

More about the Star Tribune 

At the Star Tribune, we believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. We go above and beyond to ensure their happiness, growth, and overall well-being. Here is a glimpse into the exceptional benefits we offer: 

Modern downtown office with a free fitness center and rooftop patio. Commuting subsidy, medical, dental, and vision insurance. Wellness program with financial incentives. Paid time off which includes flexible holidays to honor the preferences of employees, plus one volunteer day and 2 wellness days. 401(k) with company match, parental and caregiving leaves, flexible work arrangements, employee assistance program, pet insurance, tuition reimbursement, flexible spending, and health savings accounts. 

Selected in 2023 to Diversity MBA's inaugural list of Top 25 Outstanding Leadership and Diversity Impact Awards. 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

If you're interested in this role but don't meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. The Star Tribune is dedicated to fostering a more diverse and inclusive workplace, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.