Product Designer

Who We Are

STEAMe is a workforce technology company turning fragmented systems into engines of economic advancement. Our roots in NowPow—a nationally recognized social care referral platform that connected 13 million people to vital care services—taught us how to deliver multi-sided platforms that power complex ecosystems. We channel that expertise into STEAMe, with purpose-built workforce solutions that close data and process gaps, connect stakeholders, and accelerate job placement and prosperity at scale.

Role Overview

The Product Designer plays an essential role in the creation and continuous improvement of STEAMe products. You'll own end-to-end user experiences — from user research through rapid prototyping — providing day-to-day design across our four products and working closely with product managers and engineers to bring new solutions to market. This role reports to the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and partners closely with our UX Lead.

Key Responsibilities

• Own knowledge of our user personas, their pain points, and use cases to create valuable and delightful solutions
• Plan and lead user research to inform problem definition and prioritization
• Design end-to-end experiences using a design-thinking approach — observational studies, customer interviews, usability testing, and other qualitative and quantitative methods — to learn about user behavior and validate concepts
• Create rapid iterations of mockups and prototypes for discovery and validation
• Organize, recruit, and lead user testing sessions on new functionality
• Analyze findings and communicate key insights to drive team decisions
• Work within and extend our robust design system (in place from day one) to keep our four products consistent and efficient to build
• Create high-quality design materials — wireframes, mockups, and style guides
• Collaborate with engineering to ensure design specs are implemented
• Contribute to product roadmap development and help define requirements
• Use AI-powered design and research tools to work faster, and bring a point of view on where AI can improve our design process and products
• Partner with the UX Lead to refine processes and best practices for product design

Requirements

• 3+ years of relevant experience across user research and UI/UX design — or 2+ years with a completed UX/UI design program or related degree
• A portfolio (include the password if applicable) with examples where you led both the research and the product design of the resulting solution
• Solid grasp of the user-centered design process, UX best practices, and methodologies
• Proficiency with design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma) and user testing platforms
• Experience in an agile software environment, guiding product decisions through research and iterative feedback alongside product managers
• Experience creating responsive designs across desktop, tablet, and mobile web that meet accessibility standards (WCAG)
• Comfort with AI tooling in a design workflow
• Strong communication skills to present and explain design decisions to teammates, users, and stakeholders, and to advocate for our users
• Demonstrated passion for social entrepreneurship or using technology to address social challenges
• Preferred Experience
• Previous work on a social-impact solution or in B2B/B2B2C
• 0-to-1 design experience
• Fast-paced startup environment working with multiple PMs and engineering teams
• Experience working within and contributing to an established design system

Environmental Job Requirements & Working Conditions

• This position is based in Chicago, IL - We do not provide relocation assistance
• STEAMe is a Hybrid work environment, with 3 days work from home and 2 days in-office work
• The pay range for this role is: $90,000 - 110,000. This salary range represents our target hiring range. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including experience, skill set, and alignment to the role’s scope and level.

STEAMe is committed to building a diverse team and fostering an inclusive culture, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace and encourage our employees' differences in race, religion, color, national origin, gender, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age.