Senior Product Designer

Forerunner is an early-stage company focused on building intelligent software for government and regulated industries to enhance critical infrastructure. They are looking for a Senior Product Designer to lead complex design projects, collaborating with cross-functional teams to create accessible and effective workflows that adapt to changing needs.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with PM + Eng to clarify problems, define scope, and set measurable outcomes — even when the problem is still fuzzy and the roadmap is evolving
• Lead discovery: interviews, task analyses, field / context research; turn insights into strategy
• Anticipate edge cases, constraints, and operational realities early — and adapt when new information changes the picture
• Design end-to-end flows across web and mobile, from low-fi to high-fi. Move quickly when speed matters; go deep when quality demands it
• Prototype fast (Figma, Claude Code), validate with users, and iterate — sometimes across multiple competing directions at once
• Drive implementation with engineering and run final design reviews before launch. Roll up your sleeves when the situation calls for it
• Contribute to our design system (Figma + component library), building scalable, accessible patterns — and know when to build new patterns versus reuse existing ones
• Document rationale and decisions so teams can move faster with confidence, even as priorities shift
• Build trusted relationships with PM, Eng, and CS; facilitate alignment in ambiguity and help the team make decisions when there isn't a clear right answer
• Communicate clearly to drive decisions and tell compelling product stories — in a scrappy Slack message or a polished review, whatever the moment calls for
• Share feedback generously and collaboratively; help raise the quality bar across teams

Requirements:

• You've led complex product design projects before — from early discovery through launch — and influenced product direction, not just executed on it
• Your portfolio shows systems thinking, crisp UX, and an ability to simplify complex workflows
• You bring depth in user research and product judgment: you know how to frame problems, validate solutions, and connect design choices to measurable outcomes
• You're fluent in Figma and Claude Code workflows and comfortable building and evolving design systems; you can prototype at multiple fidelities to communicate ideas
• You're a clear communicator who can tell compelling product stories and align cross-functional partners — and you can do it without waiting for perfect information
• You're genuinely comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities. You've worked in environments where the plan changed mid-sprint, where you had to make your best call without all the answers, and where scrappiness was a virtue. You didn't just survive that — you liked it
• You're resourceful. When you don't have a dedicated researcher, a UX writer, or a full component library, you figure it out. You make thoughtful decisions about when to go deep and when to ship
• You're collaborative and humble — you elevate teammates, welcome feedback, and contribute to design culture
• (Typically this means 5–8 years of experience in product design or equivalent depth — but we care more about the impact you've had than the exact number of years.)
• experience in civic tech, climate tools, or other high-stakes, data-heavy domains