Who We Are & How We Operate

Own Up’s mission is to ensure no borrower overpays for their mortgage by eliminating information asymmetry and pairing borrowers with lenders that best meet their needs. Our technology and Advisor team create better financial outcomes and simplify the home financing experience by empowering shoppers with customized data, personalized advice, and unprecedented access to lenders. We're proud to offer a fundamentally different way to get a mortgage.

As a small, scrappy startup we act with urgency in all things, operate with a high degree of cross-functional collaboration, and always keep an eye on our KPI’s to know we’re moving in the right direction. Our even smaller, but mighty Product team sets the standard for testing and moving quickly as well as cross-functional collaboration. You’ll report directly to the VP, Product and work closely with the software development, cross-functional, and leadership teams.

TL;DR

Early-stage, venture-backed startup seeks fully remote Senior Product Designer to work as a trusted strategic partner to the Head of Product, solving meaningful customer and business challenges by leveraging customer insights and best-in-class design principles to guide shoppers seamlessly through their mortgage journey.

• Position: Full-time, non-exempt 
• Compensation range: $125,000 - $175,000 per year
• Required:
• • Previous product design experience in a start-up environment;
  • Senior-level UX/product design expertise with mobile-first approach;
  • AI chat interface design specialization; 
  • Advanced design tool proficiency and systems thinking; 
  • Accessibility standards and inclusive design knowledge; and 
  • User research and validation methodology expertise. 
• Preferred:
• • Fintech and mortgage industry domain expertise; and 
  • Data analytics and conversion optimization.

The Opportunity

As the lead and sole Product Designer, you will spearhead the development of the user experience and how we continue to leverage AI to transform the shopper journey. It's a total green space! You will be responsible for creating intuitive, visually compelling, and high-performing experiences across our entire product ecosystem that transform how consumers shop for mortgages. You will also drive team productivity and output by actively collaborating with developers and stakeholders to gather input and feedback, participating in Agile ceremonies including Sprint Reviews, Sprint Planning, and daily stand-ups. Your design expertise will span the full spectrum from high-level strategic work—creating prototypes, wireframes, and leading idea generation—to tactical day-to-day design edits and suggestions delivered through Figma.

Your expertise will be instrumental in shaping Own Up's future by designing experiences that extract shopper intent and direct them to destinations that achieve both customer satisfaction and lender success. You will implement essential design thinking, creativity, and user experience best practices to our product development process, enabling us to deliver the polished, intuitive interface necessary to revolutionize the mortgage shopping experience and establish Own Up as the premier destination for mortgage shoppers.

Competencies You'll Need

• Self-directed and proactive: Takes initiative to identify problems and drive solutions forward without constant direction, demonstrating ownership and accountability for design outcomes.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Works seamlessly with product managers and engineering teams to translate business requirements into design solutions..
• Adaptability in uncertain environments: Thrives in ambiguous situations where requirements may be unclear or evolving, using design thinking to navigate complexity and define clear paths forward.
• Strategic time management: Effectively prioritizes multiple projects and deadlines while maintaining high-quality design standards, balancing immediate deliverables with long-term strategic initiatives.
• Growth mindset and receptiveness: Actively seeks feedback from stakeholders and peers, incorporating input to iteratively improve designs and personal skills.
• Tactical execution with strategic perspective: Delivers detailed design specifications and day-to-day tactical work while contributing meaningfully to high-level product strategy and vision.
• Data-driven design advocacy: Uses quantitative insights, user research, and design metrics to inform decisions and effectively communicate design rationale to stakeholders at all levels.
• Rapid iteration and experimentation: Embraces a fast-paced environment by quickly prototyping concepts, testing assumptions, and learning from failures to accelerate product development cycles.

Interview Process

1. Initial Interview: A high-level discussion with a member of our talent team to cover the basics (phone, 45 mins).
2. 2nd Interview: An in-depth evaluation of your skills and experience as well as presenting to the hiring manager on a relevant project you’ve led from start to finish, walking through the process, outcome, and impact (video, 1 hr).
3. 3rd Interview: A conversation with members of our Development team to assess your potential and fit as a teammate and an opportunity to hear their firsthand experience (video, 45 mins).
4. Final Interview: An opportunity to meet with a member of our leadership team and seal the deal (video, 15 mins)!

Onboarding & Training

Week 1 you will:

• Learn about our company, vision, product, key objectives, and how your role will contribute to all of those!
• Meet folks across the org including, leadership, other departments, your onboarding team and teammates!

Month 1 you will:

• Master our business model, key stakeholder relationships, and customer personas to inform design decisions and strategic recommendations.
• Adopt our existing design system and internal workflow processes while identifying opportunities for optimization and standardization.
• Analyze MVP learnings from Katina (Own Up's AI agent) and develop prototype designs for the next generation AI chat agent interface.
• Present design work and concepts confidently during Sprint Reviews, articulating design rationale and gathering stakeholder feedback effectively.
• Execute comprehensive competitive audit to benchmark our user experience against industry leaders and identify specific improvement opportunities that will match or exceed competitor offerings.

Month 3 you will:

• Audit the entire experience and tooling suite to provide recommendations for quick win improvements and optimizations as well as long-term strategic ideas.
• Contribute regularly to our product roadmap development through design insights and user experience priorities.
• Facilitate brainstorming and ideation sessions to inform roadmap planning and feature prioritization.
• Execute user research and testing initiatives specifically focused on AI-related features and functionality.
• Design different solutions tailored to various shopper segments and their specific stages in the home buying process.

You Should Apply If

• You’re comfortable working as a team of one
• You're excited about AI and the ability to test and iterate rapidly
• You're confident about working closely/directly with leadership
• You're intrigued by the unknown opportunities
• You're ready to make a direct impact on product
• You're confident as the design leader/pillar/SME for the org

You Shouldn't Apply If:

• You’re uncomfortable with change and ambiguity. We’re building the plane as we’re flying it, which means we don’t have a 6 to 12 month roadmap. Challenges will emerge that we don’t have the answers to and we’ll need to figure them out in real-time by moving quickly to test and iterate. You must be prepared to invest a significant amount of time and energy towards specific work and projects knowing that you may have to pivot and abandon that work based on business needs and priorities. 
• You want to manage a team. In an individual contributor position at a small, scrappy startup, leadership is not management. You’ll have the opportunity to lead through your work ethic and output in collaboration with cross-functional partners as well as by serving as the org’s Product Design SME.  
• You can’t balance strategy and execution. As a team of one, you’ll be expected to roll up your sleeves and get in the weeds day-to-day, while also maintaining a high-level, strategic perspective on product design.

Benefits

• We are a remote-first organization; this position will be 100% remote!
• Flexible time off (minimum two weeks).
• 11 company holidays per year.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (subsidized by employer).
• Disability and Life insurance (employer-paid).
• 401(k) with 50% employer match of the first 4% of contributions.
• 12 weeks fully paid parental leave (birthing and non-birthing).
• Company stock options.