We're looking for a Principal Product Designer to join our design team. At Ethena design is part of our business strategy, not a service function. This role will own the design of new product features while helping shape how we build, using AI-driven development to move fast without sacrificing quality. You'll be a key contributor to Ethena's growing product surface area and the design practice itself.
What you'll do
Report to the VP of Design
Own the end-to-end design process for new product features from early concept through to shipped, collaborating closely with product and engineering throughout
Leverage AI tools throughout your process (we use Cursor and Claude Code to accelerate design iterations and rely on working prototypes to test ideas before shipping)
Communicate and rationalize design decisions to internal and external stakeholders, keeping users' needs centered throughout
Own our qualitative research practice and work directly with users to turn insights into product direction
Shape short- and long-term product planning as the design voice, partnering with product and engineering from discovery through delivery
What makes a great candidate
A track record of shipping product at a high-growth startup; you know what it takes to get things over the line
A genuine fascination with users and a talent for translating messy research into clear product direction
Able to reduce complex problems to the right balance of flexibility, power, and ease of use
AI-first in how you work, with a clear-eyed view of where they add value
An excellent communicator who can manage up and collaborate across functions, making the case for good design without needing to fight for it
A self-starter who thrives in a hands-off management environment, takes ownership with a 'roll up your sleeves mentality', is comfortable with ambiguity, and drives work forward with minimal oversight
We're a startup so we're not just looking for someone to run a playbook. We want you to help build it.
Passion for what we're building here at Ethena and a strong alignment with our core values (which includes an impeccable sense of humor)
Skills Required
- A track record of shipping product at a high-growth startup
- A talent for translating messy research into clear product direction
- Excellent communication skills to manage collaboration across functions
- Ability to work as a self-starter in a hands-off management environment
- Strong alignment with Ethena's core values and culture
Ethena Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Ethena and has not been reviewed or approved by Ethena.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered transparent, with publicly shared salary formulas, posted ranges on job descriptions, and a stated compensation philosophy. Practices like a no‑negotiation approach and location‑agnostic engineering pay aim to reduce gaps and increase clarity.
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Pay Growth & Progression — Progression appears structured through a formula‑based approach and twice‑yearly review cycles that provide predictable increases. Market adjustments and stronger performance can yield larger raises within this framework.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off breadth includes unlimited PTO, all U.S. federal holidays, and a company‑wide week‑long year‑end break. This structure signals meaningful rest time for a remote‑first environment.
Ethena Insights
What We Do
Compliance training that customizes itself to you. Ethena combines top-rated training content with intelligent AI that builds and adapts training to reflect your company’s unique brand, roles, policies, and risks. From auto-assigning courses based on HRIS data to transforming your policies into interactive training in minutes, Ethena helps People, Legal, and Compliance teams do more with less. Companies like Genesco, Zendesk, Pinterest, and Synaptics use Ethena to launch training in days instead of months and cut learner seat time by up to 60% with adaptive learning paths. Beyond training, Ethena unifies core compliance tools including Hotline & Case Management, Policy Bot, and Phishing Simulator in one platform. This simplifies your compliance tech stack, connects data sources, and continuously strengthens your training by identifying knowledge gaps. With built-in audit trails, compliance controls, and a 93% approval rating across more than 1 million learners, Ethena delivers programs that are responsive and effective.
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