Senior Product Designer

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Senior Product Designer in the Technology Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The ACLU Technology Department is a broad umbrella covering both the ACLU’s Analytics and its Product & Engineering teams, two robust and innovative divisions that power the work of the ACLU. The department provides trusted, dependable, and impactful analytics, engineering, as well as product management and product design expertise for the ACLU. In partnership with experts across the ACLU, the technology team delivers best-in-class solutions, services, and innovation that advance the ACLU mission and organizational priorities. The tech team strives to ensure the ACLU leads by example in the ethical use of technology by ensuring privacy and security standards are maintained, directional insights are used to inform programming and business strategy, best-in-class products are designed to get the ACLU message out into the world and grow the ACLU supporter base, as well as to help steward high standards for algorithmic fairness, accountability, and transparency.

The Product & Engineering division includes engineers, product managers, product designers, and project operations experts who build and maintain engaging digital products and secure technical systems that accelerate the ACLU’s mission as our nationwide guardian of rights and liberties.

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU).

Reporting to the Product Design Manager, the Senior Product Designer will own and contribute to projects across the ACLU National website (aclu.org) and our 50+ Affiliate websites. Projects will focus on guiding users to engage with our impact-driven experiences that showcase the ACLU’s position on various civil rights issues, encouraging advocacy to support the protection and advancement of civil liberties through digital and on-the-ground actions, and promoting pathways to support the ACLU’s mission and longevity via engagement funnels.

• Fully own and drive the end-to-end design lifecycle for product initiatives across ACLU's National and Affiliate websites:
• Seek out and utilize data (industry standards, quantitative data and A/B testing, and qualitative research) to understand user needs and frictions, evaluate usability, and inform each project’s design direction and future iterations.
• Explore widely different design approaches and patterns to address the defined problem using wireframes and lightweight prototypes to efficiently communicate a variety of concepts and approaches.
• Request feedback from Design, Product, and stakeholder partners, and incorporate learnings into final designs.
• Create high-fidelity mocks and prototypes of lightweight approaches while simultaneously exploring and sharing opportunities for future, larger-scale improvements.
• Spec designs for Engineering implementation, collaborating directly with Engineers to achieve the ideal output within the given scope and timeframe. Lead on Design and web accessibility UAT/QA for assigned projects.
• Receive project assignments from Product Design Manager and provide your design strategy per project based on scope, timeline, and priority.
• Serve as the Product Design representative partner to Product Managers and Engineering Leads, translating requirements and constraints into user-centric experiences that meet user needs and address business goals.
• Collaborate with Product Managers to communicate complex ideas skillfully and with nuance to achieve non-technical stakeholder buy-in and support.
• Participate in brainstorms and provide constructive feedback on fellow Product Designers’ projects.
• Facilitate product and design decision-making by articulating a strong rationale on benefits and risks for solutions, clearly tying design decisions to user needs and behaviors that drive product outcomes.
• Collaboratively use and contribute to our developing Design System with the rest of the Product Design team.
• Balance raising our product design bar with realistic considerations towards timeline, scope, and feasibility. Thoughtfully determine when to use our existing design system and when to innovate to garner wider-spread visibility and adoption.
• Mentor and/or manage Product Design interns as assigned.
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned.

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

• Example work reflecting 5+ years (or equivalent experience) creating and shipping digital product designs with your role clearly defined in each project. *Applications that do not include relevant example work will not be considered.*
• Expert proficiency in digital design tools (we use Figma).
• Please note: The ACLU Product Design Team does not currently use AI-powered design or research tools in our processes. We expect all applicants to be proficient in their work without AI support or tooling.
• Strong foundation in UX/UI standards and best practices, including experience designing for web across device types, sizes, and browsers.
• Experience working within and contributing to evolving design systems and brand guidelines.
• Commitment to following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) criteria in all designs, documentation, and acceptance testing.
• Strategic problem-solving skills and the capacity to distill complex information into meaningful concepts, ideas, and designs.
• Experience presenting and defending design decisions, industry standards, and process approaches to stakeholders of various levels of seniority and technical fluency.
• Openness to giving and accepting constructive feedback and collaborating with fellow Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers.
• Ability to operate independently within all phases of the design lifecycle while remaining adaptable to ambiguous and shifting requirements and timelines.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.    

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please complete the Accommodation Request Form

If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.