Staff Product Designer
San Francisco, CA
Volley /
Full-Time /
Hybrid
The Opportunity:
Dive into the heart of innovation at Volley, where your creativity meets the future of voice-controlled entertainment. As our Staff Product Designer, you embark on a journey that marries your creative vision with the power of mentorship, setting the stage for unparalleled gaming and entertainment experiences. Your canvas spans across diverse platforms—Roku & Fire TV, Alexa devices, and mobile—each offering a unique opportunity to redefine interaction through voice.
From day one, you're not just a designer; you're a visionary seeking to uncover the untapped potential of voice-based games. Your first 90 days are a deep dive into Volley's core projects, where your insights and designs will play a crucial role in shaping our direction. You'll be instrumental in pushing the boundaries of our product design, making your mark on our prime intellectual properties, and pioneering new paths for engagement and fun.
This role is your platform to lead the voice revolution, crafting experiences that resonate, entertain, and inspire. If you're driven by innovation, eager to mentor a dynamic team, and ready to make a significant impact, Volley is your stage.
This job offers a hybrid work arrangement. We're seeking candidates comfortable with on-site attendance at Volley's Bay Area office 2-3 times per week. Candidates currently residing in or near the Bay Area or willing to relocate for on-site work are particularly encouraged to apply. Volley offers an attractive relocation assistance program.
For Pay Transparency: The salary range that Volley expects to pay for this position is $167,720-$230,615 annually. This is a portion of the pay band for the role and level being sought. The final offer amount will depend on experience, education, and skills. Base pay is only one part of the total package that is provided to compensate and recognize the value of Volley employees.
What You'll Do: Shape, Mentor, Innovate 🎨
- Shape Future Experiences: You'll become a key part of a team designing next-generation voice-controlled games and entertainment, transforming user interactions with technology across various platforms. Your role will be to envision and execute designs that set new standards for engagement and fun.
- Mentor and Collaborate: Act as a catalyst for growth within our design team, fostering a culture of learning and innovation. You will work closely with Product Management to define project scopes, identify user problems, and develop MVPs. Your ability to communicate and collaborate with cross-functional teams will be key to creating focused, high-quality experiences that solve user needs.
- Advocate for the User: Place the user at the heart of every design decision. Through empathy and insight, you'll ensure our creations resonate deeply, delivering experiences that are not only enjoyable but also intuitive and accessible.
- Harness Insights for Impact: Utilize data and user feedback as your compass to steer design decisions. Your analytical approach will help us refine our offerings, ensuring we meet and exceed user expectations.
- Share and Inspire: Be a source of inspiration and knowledge for the wider Volley community. By sharing your experiences and insights, you'll help us foster an environment where innovation thrives and every voice is heard.
What You've Done: Pioneered, Guided, Transformed 💡
- Pioneered Voice-Controlled Design: Your portfolio is a testament to your leadership in designing captivating voice-controlled experiences. With groundbreaking work across mobile, smart speakers, and connected TVs, you've demonstrated your ability to innovate and engage users on a massive scale.
- Guided Teams to Excellence: Your mentorship has been key in nurturing design talent, elevating work quality through collaborative practices. Your approach has consistently fostered innovation and skill development, making you a respected leader in the design community.
- Transformed User Interactions: Employing a user-centered design methodology, you've revolutionized user-tech interaction. Your strategies have masterfully bridged user needs with technological capabilities, enhancing the user experience across the board.
- Leveraged Data to Drive Decisions: Your exceptional ability to integrate user feedback and analytics into the design process has significantly enhanced product relevance and user satisfaction, setting new standards in consumer entertainment and gaming experiences.
- Demonstrated Diverse Project Experience: You bring a rich history of successfully leading multiple product design projects across various platforms, showcasing a portfolio that reflects a wide range of design challenges and solutions.
What Sets You Apart: Creativity, Leadership, and a Passion for Interactive Design 🎓
- Multi-Platform Design Mastery: With over 6+ years of experience, you've excelled in creating engaging, user-centered solutions across diverse platforms. Your ability to navigate and innovate within the voice-controlled and interactive entertainment landscape is unparalleled.
- Leadership in Design Innovation: Your performance history leading design teams and projects is marked by collaboration, inspiration, and excellence. You're a catalyst for creative vision and discovery, respected for your ability to mentor and elevate those around you.
- User Experience Champion: Your designs are deeply rooted in empathy and research, ensuring products are visually appealing but also intuitive and accessible. Your commitment to user-centric design principles has made you a pivotal figure in enhancing user engagement and satisfaction.
- Data-Driven Design Approach: Your expertise in utilizing data analytics and user feedback has been instrumental in refining design strategies and setting new benchmarks for success in the industry. You have a proven track record of employing specific user insights to inform and elevate your design decisions.
- Effective Communication: You possess strong verbal and written communication skills, enabling you to articulate complex design processes, decisions, and user needs clearly and concisely. Your ability to communicate effectively is essential for collaboration and innovation.
- Portfolio Excellence: A compelling portfolio that showcases your diverse project experience and your ability to communicate your design vision and process clearly is expected as part of the application process.
Volley's Tech Stack: Technologies and Tools 🛠️
- Figma: The cornerstone of our collaborative design efforts, Figma enables us to create, prototype, and iterate with agility. Your designs will come to life in this dynamic environment, where real-time collaboration and feedback are just a click away.
- Miro & Figjam: Our brainstorming and ideation take physical form in Miro and Figjam, where the seeds of innovation are planted. These platforms are our playgrounds for mind mapping, sketching out user flows, and visualizing the big picture, ensuring that every voice on the team is heard and every idea is explored.
- Adobe Creative Cloud: With the full suite of Adobe Creative Cloud at your fingertips, your creative potential is limitless. From Photoshop's intricate photo editing to Illustrator's vector art magic, these tools are the paintbrushes for our digital canvas, allowing us to refine our visual storytelling and brand identity.
- UXCam: Understanding user behavior is key to our design success. UXCam gives us a window into the user's world, offering insights into app interactions and usability challenges. This tool helps us to empathize deeply with our audience, guiding our design decisions towards more intuitive and engaging experiences.
- Tableau: Data isn't just numbers; it's the story of our users' journey. Tableau transforms raw data into actionable insights, enabling us to analyze user engagement and performance metrics. Your designs will be informed by a deep understanding of how our games and apps resonate with users, driving continuous improvement and innovation.
The Hiring Process: Embarking on Your Journey with Volley 🚀
- Stage 1 (Initial Connect): Your adventure begins with a 30-minute Google Meet (no video) with a member of our recruiting team. This initial conversation is our opportunity to learn about your professional journey, understand your career aspirations, and delve into the details of the Staff Product Designer role at Volley. It's the first step in our mutual exploration and a chance for you to get a feel for what it means to be part of our team.
- Stage 2 (Hiring Manager Interview): Next, you'll meet via video with our Head of Product Design, Matthew Grunwald. This conversation is your opportunity to demonstrate your potential to thrive in the role and to engage in a deeper discussion about your design philosophy, experiences, and how you envision contributing to our team. It's also a chance to clarify expectations and learn more about your potential future manager's vision.
- Stage 3 (Take-Home Interview): Following the interview with Matthew, you'll work on a design challenge reflective of the real-world scenarios you'll encounter at Volley. This take-home project is your canvas to showcase your design methodology, strategic thinking, and how your vision aligns with our mission to revolutionize voice-controlled entertainment. It's a glimpse into your problem-solving prowess and creative process.
- Stage 4 (On-Site Interview): Stepping into Volley's dynamic workspace, you're up for a hands-on evaluation. Engage in a new, real-time design challenge that showcases your adaptability and innovative spirit. Impress our panel with your ability to unravel design complexities, followed by an insightful one-on-one with Volley's Head of Product, Roshni Jain. This encounter offers a deep dive into our culture, inviting you to witness firsthand the collaborative spirit and dynamism at the heart of Volley.
- Stage 5 (Founder Connect): The final stage before an offer involves a meaningful conversation with our Co-Founders. This is your opportunity to align your vision and values with the foundational principles of Volley. It's also a chance for you to inquire directly about the company's direction, culture, and the role you will play in shaping our future.
- Stage 6 (Offer): If our visions align and we see a mutual fit, we'll extend a competitive offer to welcome you aboard as Volley's Staff Product Designer. This moment marks the beginning of your impactful journey with us, where your designs will not only be seen and experienced but will redefine the future of interactive entertainment.
What's In It For You: Benefits Beyond Boundaries 🎁
- Comprehensive Health and Family Benefits 🌿: At Volley, we prioritize your well-being and that of your loved ones. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that medical, dental, and vision insurance are 100% covered for both you and your dependents. We believe in supporting our team's health inside and out, ensuring you're always at your best.
- Investment in Your Future 💼: Planning for the long term? So are we. Our 401(k) Retirement Plan comes with matching, empowering you to build a secure future while we contribute to your nest egg. It's our way of investing in you, as you invest in us.
- Flexible Work Model 🏡➡️🏢: Embrace the best of both worlds with our hybrid work-from-home and in-office model. We understand the importance of flexibility and work-life balance, offering you the freedom to design your workday in a way that suits you best.
- Time to Recharge ⏳: We champion taking the time you need to refresh and recharge. With 4 weeks of paid time off (enforcing a 2-week minimum to truly unwind!), 16 paid holidays, 40 hours of bereavement leave, and unlimited sick days, we ensure you have the space to take care of yourself and your loved ones.
- Generous Parental Leave 👶: Welcoming a new member to the family? Volley supports you with 24 weeks at 100% pay for birthing parents and 12 weeks at 100% pay for non-birthing parents. It's our way of ensuring you can fully embrace this new chapter in your life without worry.
- A Culture of Perks and Possibilities 🎉: Dive deeper into the full spectrum of benefits and perks Volley offers here. From professional development opportunities to team-building activities, we're committed to creating an environment where you can grow, thrive, and enjoy every moment.
About Volley:
Volley, named one of Y Combinator's Top Companies, is the leading developer of voice AI games and entertainment apps for smart speaker platforms like Amazon Alexa, smartphones, and connected TVs. Our voice apps are world-class and attract millions of users every month.
We’ve created several of the top experiences for voice-controlled devices, including:
Jeopardy - America’s most popular game show
Song Quiz - a name-that-tune music trivia game
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? - a quiz game to test your elementary-level knowledge
Bedtime Stories - a soothing, narrated skill to help you fall asleep
We believe voice control will be the main way people access entertainment in their bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and cars. Our goal is to build a destination for interactive audio entertainment, as Netflix did for television.
Volley believes in an inclusive workplace and is committed to building a team from a variety of backgrounds. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive the other benefits and privileges of employment.
We’re a small but quickly growing team that truly enjoys working together. We love coming together over Zoom happy hours, the funny and strange in Slack #random, and occasional karaoke sessions in our brand new Hayes Valley office. If this sounds like fun (we promise it is), get in touch!
Underrepresented candidates and candidates from nontraditional backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply!
