Principal Product Designer, Core
The Opportunity
BetterUp is looking for a Principal Product Designer to join our Design team and shape the future of human transformation at scale. This is a rare opportunity to work at the highest individual contributor level in Design—owning domain-level craft, strategy, and systems thinking across BetterUp’s core product experiences.
Reporting to the VP of Product Design, you will set the bar for design excellence, influence cross-functional direction, and help define what it means to build a world-class human-AI product.
What You'll Do
- Arcitect the design vision for BetterUp’s core product experiences—identifying the highest-leverage opportunities, defining the strategic direction, and ensuring continuity across complex, multi-surface journeys
- Drive design quality and craft standards across the product, raising the bar for the entire Design org through rigorous critique, deep collaboration, and principled decision-making
- Partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Research to shape roadmaps from the earliest stages—bringing design perspective to problem framing, not just solutions
- Lead complex, ambiguous design challenges from 0→1 and 1→n, navigating organizational complexity with clear thinking and strong point of view
- Build and maintain scalable design systems and foundational patterns that enable speed and coherence across teams
- Mentor and elevate senior designers, providing thoughtful feedback that develops taste, confidence, and craft
- Influence VP-level and executive stakeholders with clarity and conviction, earning trust as a thought partner on product and design strategy
- Represent the design function in cross-functional planning, helping align design investment with company priorities
What You'll Bring
- 10+ years of product design experience, including time at a consumer or B2B SaaS company where design played a central role in product strategy
- A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional craft, systems thinking, and the ability to operate across the full design spectrum—from early concept to polished execution
- Proven track record of leading complex, multi-year design initiatives with measurable impact on product outcomes and user experience
- Deep experience influencing product and engineering direction at the senior leadership level
- Strong design systems sensibility—you understand how foundational decisions compound across a product at scale
- Experience designing products at the intersection of human behavior and technology; familiarity with AI-native product patterns is a strong plus
- Exceptional communication and storytelling skills—you make complex ideas clear and compelling to any audience
- A growth mindset and genuine curiosity about how AI tools can enhance design craft and process
Benefits
- Access to BetterUp coaching; one for you and one for a friend or family member
- A competitive compensation plan with opportunity for advancement
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible paid time off
- Volunteer days to give back
- Learning and Development stipend
- Company wide Summer & Winter breaks
- Year-round charitable contribution of your choice on behalf of BetterUp
- 401(k) self contribution
About the Role
This is a rare opportunity to work at the highest individual contributor level in Design—owning domain-level craft, strategy, and systems thinking across BetterUp’s core product experiences.
Reporting to the VP of Product Design, you will set the bar for design excellence, influence cross-functional direction, and help define what it means to build a world-class human-AI product.
Qualifications
10+ years of product design experience, including time at a consumer or B2B SaaS company where design played a central role in product strategy
A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional craft, systems thinking, and the ability to operate across the full design spectrum—from early concept to polished execution
Proven track record of leading complex, multi-year design initiatives with measurable impact on product outcomes and user experience
Deep experience influencing product and engineering direction at the senior leadership level
Strong design systems sensibility—you understand how foundational decisions compound across a product at scale
Experience designing products at the intersection of human behavior and technology; familiarity with AI-native product patterns is a strong plus
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills—you make complex ideas clear and compelling to any audience
A growth mindset and genuine curiosity about how AI tools can enhance design craft and process
Skills
- Exceptional craft, systems thinking, and the ability to operate across the full design spectrum—from early concept to polished execution
- Proven track record of leading complex, multi-year design initiatives with measurable impact on product outcomes and user experience
- Deep experience influencing product and engineering direction at the senior leadership level
- Strong design systems sensibility—you understand how foundational decisions compound across a product at scale
- Experience designing products at the intersection of human behavior and technology; familiarity with AI-native product patterns is a strong plus
- Exceptional communication and storytelling skills—you make complex ideas clear and compelling to any audience
- A growth mindset and genuine curiosity about how AI tools can enhance design craft and process
Benefits
- Access to BetterUp coaching; one for you and one for a friend or family member
- A competitive compensation plan with opportunity for advancement
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible paid time off
- Volunteer days to give back
- Learning and Development stipend
- Company wide Summer & Winter breaks
- Year-round charitable contribution of your choice on behalf of BetterUp
- 401(k) self contribution
Pay
The base salary range for this role is as follows:
- New York City and San Francisco: $250,000 - $320,000
- Austin and Arlington: $230,000 - $285,000
Schedule
Not specified