IT - Designer - Senior

Job Details:
Job Title: Senior Product Designer Authoring Interface
Location: Austin, TX
Duration: 12 Months
Type: Full-Time, Contract

Note: Portfolio is expected to be an important part of evaluating candidates. Portfolio should demonstrate actual Product Design work, especially authoring interfaces, content creation experiences, content publishing workflows, CMS interfaces, and complex functional products.

Description:
The team is moving at an accelerated pace and needs an experienced Product Designer to design a new content-authoring interface as part of a broader platform/site rebuild. The immediate priority is to build the authoring interface in Q4, with the solution targeted to be ready for Q1. Because of the timeline, the manager is specifically looking for someone with existing, directly relevant experience who can hit the ground running without significant handholding. The role is expected to be a key contributor to the overall platform effort. The role is a Product Designer, specifically focused on the authoring experience/interface. The designer will be part of a larger cross-functional team. Dedicated experts on the team will handle content modeling, workflows, content governance, and related platform/middleware considerations. This designer's responsibility is to be laser-focused on the authoring interface and the user inputs required to make that experience successful. The end product is essentially a company-specific WordPress-like publishing experience for marketers and publishers. The interface will allow publishers to create web pages, select/input headlines, select imagery, add motion/interactivity options, use predefined/static components where consistency is required, compose a page, and publish the content. The authoring interface will integrate with company content, regulatory/compliance review processes, and the design system.

Top 5-7 Skills:

1. Product Design experience

2. Authoring experience / authoring interface design

3. Experience designing products for content creation, publishing, or content management

4. Experience with CMS-related products/interfaces, ideally involving a headless CMS

5. Strong understanding of content workflows and publishing experiences

6. Demonstrated ability to work independently in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

7. Relevant experience that shows the candidate can immediately contribute without handholding

Requirements for the role:

• Product Design experience

• Authoring experience / authoring interface design

• Experience designing products for content creation, publishing, or content management

• Experience with CMS-related products/interfaces, ideally involving a headless CMS

• Strong understanding of content workflows and publishing experiences

• Demonstrated ability to work independently in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

• Relevant experience that shows the candidate can immediately contribute without handholding

• Strong Product Design background is the priority

• Direct experience designing authoring experiences/interfaces is highly valuable and preferred

• Candidates must be capable of designing a product/interface, not simply understanding content management systems

• Experience with content management systems, content modeling, and workflows alone is not enough

• Demonstrated experience with content authoring, content publishing, experience design, and product design

• Must be comfortable working in ambiguity and moving quickly

• Strong initiative and proactive behavior

• Must be able to self-start, ask questions, find answers, and operate independently

• Must have the experience and confidence to hit the ground running

• Strong understanding of how content functions and how web experiences are created

• Design approach should prioritize functionality over aesthetics for this product

Education and Experience:

• Relevant experience in Product Design with a focus on authoring interfaces, content creation, publishing, or content management

• Or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have):

• Sanity Studio preferred

• Contentful relevant/acceptable alternative

• Headless Content Management Systems

• Content authoring platforms/interfaces

• Design systems

• Content workflows/publishing systems

• Experience in a regulated industry (insurance, healthcare, financial services) significant advantage

Mindlance is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of Minority/Gender/Disability/Religion/LGBTQI/Age/Veterans.