Senior Product Designer

CommonLit is a nonprofit education technology organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, especially students in Title I schools, graduate with the reading, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. We envision a world where all students get the opportunity to have a world class education. We operate an online reading program for grades 3-12, www.CommonLit.org, that is used by teachers in over 90,000 American schools.

The Opportunity

As a Senior Product Designer, you'll lead designing journeys, flows, interactions, and user interfaces for millions of students and their teachers as part of our digitally-delivered literacy program. You’ll collaborate with other designers and in revolving product triads that include product managers and engineers. You'll also collaborate and proactively build partnerships with many teams across the organization to understand user/customer needs and business priorities, develop and test prototypes, design wireframes and mockups, and support engineers and product managers throughout development.

CommonLit’s product development is driven by our product vision, organizational strategy, user research, data, feedback from teachers, and partnerships with schools and districts across the country. We’re designing and mapping the end-to-end experience, and we build in small iterations through product cycles. We’re building an application that’s used by students and teachers across a broad range of technology and connectivity access, and we take accessibility seriously.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, detail-oriented designer who can balance big-picture thinking with hands-on design execution. They thrive in cross-functional teams, bring a strong user-centered mindset, and are comfortable driving projects from concept to launch. They’re an excellent communicator, passionate about accessible and inclusive design, and skilled at translating complex problems into elegant, intuitive experiences. The ideal teammate is collaborative, curious, and eager to contribute to a mission-driven product that supports teaching and learning.

This is a remote position. Candidates must be based in and eligible to work in the U.S.

We currently have design and engineering teammates who are based on the East and West coasts. You will be expected to collaborate on Zoom and Slack during overlapping business hours.

Apply by: June 27 at 5 pm ET

Roles and Responsibilities

Product Design

• • Create interaction models, information architecture, and UI components.
  • Simplify complex requirements into intuitive user experiences.
  • Ensure designs are technically feasible, performant, and aligned with style guides.
  • Apply accessibility guidelines and principles (WCAG 2.0 AA)

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Strategy

• • Partner with Product Managers and Engineers to iterate on and refine experiences.
  • Advocate for design decisions and solutions with clear rationale rooted in user needs and business goals.
  • Collaborate on and contribute to user research initiatives.

Design Deliverables & Operations

• • Produce wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and user flows.
  • Maintain and evolve design guidelines and the CommonLit Design System.
  • Promote best practices and systems thinking across the team.
  • EdTech & Product KnowledgeBuild deep expertise in CommonLit's content, tools, and integrations.
  • Apply best practices in designing for learning and teaching experiences.

Team & Culture Development

• • Share trends in UX, tools, and methods to keep the team inspired and informed.
  • Mentor junior designers in UX principles and product thinking.
  • Contribute to team-building and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Qualifications

• • 4+ years of experience designing responsive SaaS or web applications (EdTech a plus).
  • Strong command of systems-level thinking, information architecture, accessibility standards, and UX/UI best practices.
  • Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally with engineers, product managers, and researchers.
  • Skilled in applying user research and usability testing to guide design decisions.
  • Confident communicator who can align stakeholders and advocate for design strategy.
  • Strong visual design skills and experience designing within established systems or brand guidelines.
  • Proficient in Figma and familiar with whiteboard tools like Miro.
  • Portfolio featuring 3-6 case studies that demonstrate problem-solving, collaboration, and design process.
  • Authorized to work in the U.S. without employer sponsorship.

The following skills are appreciated and should be highlighted in your application:

• • Experience working in/with communities of color
  • Previous people management or team lead experience
  • Knowledge of front-end development web programming languages such as HTML andCSS, JQuery, and JavaScript

Physical & Additional Requirements: This role involves prolonged periods in a stationary position at a desk and working on a computer.

At CommonLit, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive company culture that values work-life balance and adapts to life’s changes. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support our employees’ health, well-being, and financial security:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• HSA and FSA Plans, including Medical FSA, Limited FSA, and Dependent Care FSA options
• Company-sponsored basic life insurance, with additional options for supplemental life insurance
• Legal insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 4% safe harbor employer match
• Access to exclusive discounts, including pet insurance, hotel booking discounts, and more
• Pre-tax commuter benefits for employees in the D.C. metropolitan area
• Remote work support, including a home office set-up stipend

Generous time off, including:

• 16 paid holidays annually
• Paid time off accruals and sick leave
• Paid family leave, including caregiver leave, medical leave, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• 2 floating holidays
• Volunteer and school visitation leave
• Jury duty leave
• Bereavement and compassionate leave
• Flexible work options

As a remote-first organization, CommonLit has team members in nearly 30 states and Washington, D.C. We strive to create a collaborative and engaging workplace through various connection opportunities:

• Monthly remote activities, such as dumpling-making, yoga, and virtual escape rooms
• Monthly "CoffeeLit" sessions for connecting with colleagues
• Learning and development opportunities for teams and individuals

As an equal opportunity employer, CommonLit values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or an other legally protected characteristics. If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at careers@commonlit.org