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Senior Product Designer

Remote

Vannevar Labs builds next generation defense software for the public servants keeping our country safe.  As a team, we exist because we believe in public service, and we think that our democracy and government improve only if we put serious, collective effort into improving them, including the technology our government uses.   
 
This mission has become urgent. Ukraine is engaged in a war for survival with Russia. China regularly flies nuclear-capable bombers into Taiwan and Japan’s airspace. The US and our allies are fighting a war of deterrence with woefully outdated technology. We build software to support these missions, including providing battlefield information to allies, identifying malign activity, and helping the US deter and deescalate conflict.  
 
We are a profitable growth startup with some of the best defense investors in the world, including General Catalyst, DFJ Growth, Point72, and enterprise tech investors Costanoa and Felicis. 

We're seeking a Senior Product Designer to lead the design vision and execution for one of our core product pillars at Vannevar Labs. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape the future of mission-critical software, reporting directly to our Head of Design. If you're passionate about translating complex challenges into elegant, user-centered solutions while making a meaningful impact, we want to hear from you.

About the role 

As a Senior Product Designer, you will be a key member of our Design team, leading the design vision for new and existing product initiatives from concept to launch. You'll have the opportunity to define what great design means at Vannevar while working on products that directly support critical national security missions. While primarily focused on software, this role occasionally involves exciting opportunities to contribute to physical product design initiatives. In this role, you'll collaborate closely with engineering, product, and business development teams to create intuitive solutions that solve complex challenges.

What you'll do

  • Drive Product Vision: Own the end-to-end design process for new and existing products, from initial concept through successful launch.
  • Champion User-Centered Design: Deeply understand our users' needs and translate complex mission requirements into elegant, functional solutions.
  • Contribute to Design Systems: Contribute to and help scale the design system to ensure consistency across our entire product portfolio.
  • Lead User Research: Plan and conduct user research to inform design decisions and validate solutions.
  • Foster Design Excellence: Mentor team members and contribute to building a world-class design culture.
  • Collaborate Cross-functionally: Partner closely with engineering, product, and BD teams to ensure seamless execution of design vision.
  • Shape Product Strategy: Contribute to product strategy through design thinking and user insights.
  • Innovate and Iterate: Rapidly prototype and test new ideas while maintaining high standards of quality.

What we look for

  • Proven Experience: 5+ years of product design experience with a track record of shipping successful B2B or B2G software products.
  • Strong Portfolio: A portfolio that demonstrates excellence in interaction design, visual design, and systematic thinking.
  • Strategic Mindset: Ability to balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints while maintaining focus on mission impact.
  • Research Expert: Experience planning and conducting user research to inform design decisions.
  • Systems Thinker: Proven ability to create scalable design systems and patterns.
  • Collaborative Leader: Outstanding communication skills with experience influencing stakeholders and mentoring others.
  • Autonomous Driver: Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple projects while maintaining attention to detail.
  • Mission Focused: Passionate about creating impactful solutions for national security challenges.
  • Bonus Experience: Background in physical product design is a plus. We occasionally work on hardware interfaces and physical product experiences.
  • Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance. Active clearance is a plus.

What we offer

We’re proud to offer competitive benefits that support our employees. Some key highlights of our benefits package include: 

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 100% remote first culture. You can work from anywhere in the US and all full time employees have WeWork access
  • Unlimited PTO including competitive vacation and holiday schedules
  • Lifestyle stipends - Monthly mental health, wellness & fitness stipend, in-home office setup stipend and family planning assistance 
  • Salary top-up during military reserve duty
  • Fully paid parental leave
  • Child and pet care reimbursement during travel
Vannevar Labs is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.
 
We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, even if you don't feel like you're a perfect fit. If you're passionate about contributing to our mission, we'd love to hear from you!
 
IMPORTANT NOTICE
We are committed to protecting the privacy of all applicants. Official emails from the company will come from an @vannevarlabs.com domain. Under no circumstances will a legitimate representative from our company contact you to request passwords, financial information, or other sensitive personal data. Please be vigilant of potential scams.

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