Product Designer

About Ascendion :Ascendion is a full service digital engineering solutions company. We make and manage software platforms and products that power growth and deliver captivating experiences to consumers and employees. Our engineering, cloud, data, experience design, and talent solution capabilities accelerate transformation and impact for enterprise clients. Headquartered in New Jersey, our workforce of 6,000+ Ascenders delivers solutions from around the globe. Ascendion is built differently to engineer the next. Ascendion | Engineering to elevate lifeWe have a culture built on opportunity, inclusion, and a spirit of partnership. Come, change the world with us:Build the coolest tech for world's leading brandsSolve complex problems - and learn new skillsExperience the power of transforming digital engineering for Fortune 500 clientsMaster your craft with leading training programs and hands-on experienceExperience a community of change-makers!Join a culture of high-performing innovators with endless ideas and a passion for tech. Our culture is the fabric of our company, and it is what makes us unique and diverse. The way we share ideas, learning, experiences, successes, and joy allows everyone to be their best at Ascendion. Title: Product Designer 3Location: RemoteTypical Day in the Role • Purpose of the Team: The purpose of this team is to design content experiences on the Edge browser and in Windows, including AI-generated and personalized content experiences for users. • Key projects: This role will contribute to AI-first news experiences in partnership with the Copilot core team, as well as the redesign of the current product to better appeal to a younger audience. • Candidate Requirements • Disqualifiers: Candidates with no portfolio will not be eligible for the role, as the sponsor confirmed they will not consider candidates without a portfolio. • Best vs. Average: The ideal resume would contain a strong portfolio that is not boilerplate, demonstrates experimentation and tinkering, shows comfort with technical exploration or vibe coding, and presents beautiful, clean, easy-to-operate design work. Job Description: • Experience: 5-7 years in product design with a strong visual design background Responsibilities: • Design expressive, visually compelling features for users of our AI news and interest feed • Craft clear, engaging visual stories that communicate ideas effectively to our stakeholders • Partner with product managers, engineers, and content strategists to define and deliver product features • Work effectively within a complex design system to deliver cohesive, scalable designs • Apply a sharp eye for detail to ensure pixel-perfect execution and high-quality fit and finish across releases. • Collaborate with motion designers to integrate animation and micro-interactions that enhance usability and delight. • Contribute to design critiques and articulate rationale behind visual decisions to build alignment across stakeholders. • Stay ahead of emerging design trends, AI capabilities, and consumer content behaviors to inform innovative solutions. Qualifications: • 5-7 years of professional product design experience, with a portfolio showcasing excellence in visual design for consumer-facing digital products. • Bachelor's degree in graphic design, visual communication, fine arts, product design, or a related field preferred, but equivalent practical experience is valued. • Strong background in visual design, typography, color, layout, and iconography. • Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite; familiarity with prototyping tools and workflows. • Experience collaborating in multidisciplinary teams and delivering independently from concept to production. • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, balancing creativity with deadlines. • Bonus: Motion design skills (After Effects, Principle, Lottie, or similar) with an understanding of UX animation principles. • Bonus: Experience with generative AI tools (e.g., Figma Make, MidJourney, DALL·E, Runway, or similar) Explain a typical day in the role • You will design for core consumer surfaces such as the Edge new tab page, Windows Widgets panel, or Copilot Discover. • You will own end-to-end design for specific features (e.g., video experiences, feed personalization), from concept through ship. • You will partner closely with product and engineering in regular working sessions to define problems, explore solutions, and align on scope. • You will create designs in Figma and validate ideas through interactive prototypes (including lightweight coded prototypes when needed). • You will present work in weekly design reviews, incorporate feedback, and deliver finalized specs for engineering handoff. What is the ideal background of a candidate for this role? • Strong visual design craft (layout, typography, interaction design) with a portfolio demonstrating polished, shipped work • Experience designing and shipping consumer-facing digital products • Comfor