The New York Times is hiring a Senior Product Designer

The New York Times seeks a Senior Product Designer to join the Games mission. In this role, you will establish and evolve design foundations and systems across web and app experiences for games like Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, and The Daily Crossword. You will report to the Executive Director of Product Design for Games.

What You'll Do

• Co-own the platform-focused design systems roadmap with the Games Web & App Platform PM and engineering leads.
• Contribute to and maintain Figma libraries and engineering documentation that map cleanly to implemented component libraries.
• Audit existing web and app experiences and component libraries to identify opportunities for consolidation, improvement, and systemization.
• Define and monitor design system health and adoption.
• Champion responsive, system-first design practices across the Games mission.
• Provide guidance to designers using the system, including critiques, pairing, and improving documentation.
• Develop information architecture for complex user journeys and create functional prototypes of proposed UX solutions.
• Anticipate and solve for different entry points, exit points, system states, and user states in proposed interactions.
• Produce production-ready design deliverables and partner with engineers to ensure accurate implementation.
• Be the standard-bearer for design quality across Games surfaces and system contributions.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and commitment to our mission.

What We're Looking For

• 4+ years of relevant experience working within cross-functional teams.
• 2+ years experience working directly on design systems or platform/foundations work (components, tokens, patterns, or similar).
• A portfolio of work that showcases your thought process along with finished design work.
• Experience collaborating with engineers to implement design systems or component libraries.
• Demonstrated experience building, maintaining, and applying design systems in collaboration with engineering.
• Fluent in UX design best practices and usability principles that responsively scale across mobile and web platforms.
• Working knowledge of accessibility and inclusive design, especially as it applies to systems work (typography scales, contrast, motion, and semantics).
• Proficient in Figma or equivalent software.
• Understand the constraints and opportunities of technologies used to build modern digital experiences.

Nice to Have

• Experience leading or contributing to a design system that spans both web and native app surfaces.
• Experience shaping team design practices (e.g., crits, documentation, templates) to move an organization toward more responsive, system-first work.
• Experience collaborating on foundational refactors with platform or infrastructure teams (e.g., typography or color system overhauls, or migrations to new component libraries).
• Comfort working with engineers and understanding implementation tradeoffs – codified design intent through design tokens, component APIs, and reading through specs.
• Experience documenting and delivering UI screens and specifications to engineers.
• Interaction design skills that allow you to communicate your intent.
• Experience facilitating discovery sessions with stakeholders and cross-functional team members.
• Advanced visual design skills, including typography, hierarchy, and layout.
• Enthusiastic about the big picture and the smallest micro-interactions.
• Enthusiasm for puzzle games and the mission of The New York Times.

Technical Stack

• Figma

Team & Environment

You will be a key member of the Games team, reporting to the Executive Director of Product Design for Games.

Benefits & Compensation

• Compensation range: $120,000-$145,000 USD
• Variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock.
• Medical, dental and vision benefits.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s).
• Company-matching 401(k) plan.
• Paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave.
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

Work Mode

This is a hybrid position based in New York City.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law.