Product Design, Principal

Remote - United States 

About the Role

We're a small, funded internal startup within Blackboard building a new AI-native product. This is not a feature team, and it's not an enhancement to an existing product — we're building something categorically new, with full access to institutional infrastructure, platform data, and a direct mandate from leadership to ship in 2026.

Product development here works differently than anywhere you've probably worked. Ideas start in an LLM — clarifying intent, surfacing constraints, drafting requirements. Prototyping happens in code, using tools like Claude Code and Cursor, before it ever reaches high-fidelity design. Figma is for systems and polish, not for exploration.

If you've been wishing product and design worked more like engineering, this is that team. We need a Product & Design Lead who can operate in this model fluently — not someone we need to convince it's worth learning.

You are the founding product and design leader. This is not a strategy job. You will define the user experience, prototype interactions directly in code with AI tools, and work hand-in-hand with engineering to ship. You will own the full product vision from the user's perspective: how intelligence surfaces in ways that feel clear and motivating, and how design decisions translate directly into behavior change.

This is a maker role first. If you're looking to primarily direct others, this isn't the right fit. We need someone who still loves designing and building — and is exceptional at it.

What You'll Build

User-Facing Experience

• A proactive, daily user experience that surfaces the right information at the right moment — without cognitive overload
• Interfaces that make AI-driven recommendations feel clear, trustworthy, and actionable — not robotic
• A design system built for speed and consistency across multiple product surfaces

Engagement & Motivation Layer

• Progress and momentum mechanics grounded in learning science — habit formation, not dark patterns
• Visual systems that communicate state and trajectory in ways users actually understand and act on

Product Strategy & Roadmap

• Own the product roadmap from v1 through v2 in close partnership with the technical and scientific leads
• Define success metrics for the user experience and build feedback loops that inform iteration
• Translate evidence-based principles into product decisions — not as a constraint, but as a competitive advantage

Design Infrastructure

• Build and maintain a component library that enables the engineering team to move fast without breaking consistency
• Establish a design culture that is opinionated, user-first, and evidence-informed

Why This Role

Define the product experience from scratch — no existing design language to inherit or work around

Real autonomy and real users: your work ships to people who depend on it, with a fast and visible feedback loop

A team operating at the intersection of AI, science, and institutional infrastructure — with distribution advantages no independent product can match

The Right Person

You believe great design isn't decoration — it's the mechanism by which intelligence becomes useful. You're energized by the challenge of making something complex feel effortless. You know the difference between a feature that looks good in a demo and one that actually changes behavior.

You're skeptical of engagement for engagement's sake. You'd rather design one interaction that genuinely helps a user than ten that just generate clicks. You think in systems, not screens.

You think in systems, not screens. You hold strong opinions, loosely held — and you care more about impact than credit.

Required Skills and Experience

• At least 12 years of professional experience
• You've shipped consumer-facing products that real users actually love — and you have a portfolio that proves it
• You can prototype directly in code using AI tools (Cursor, Claude Code, or equivalent) — Figma isn't the starting point for exploration
• Strong visual and interaction design craft — you can produce high-fidelity work yourself, not just direct others
• Product thinking that goes beyond UI — you understand retention, habit formation, and behavior change
• You've worked in deeply integrated cross-functional teams where design and engineering aren't separated by handoffs
• You use AI tools actively in your current workflow and can articulate how they've changed how you work
• Fluency in written and spoken English

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Experience designing AI-powered or data-driven consumer products
• Background in domains where behavior change and motivation design matter (EdTech, health tech, fitness tech)
• Familiarity with learning science principles — spaced repetition, metacognition, cognitive load
• Prior experience as a founding or solo designer/PM at an early-stage company

About Blackboard

Blackboard advances teaching excellence and unlocks the full potential of technology to deliver meaningful outcomes. We empower institutions to deepen connections between educators and learners, inspire engagement, and drive long-term academic success across the full learner journey.  For more information, please visit www.blackboard.com.  

The expected salary range for this position is $154,000 - $165,000. The range reflects base salary only and does not include additional compensation such as company bonus or benefits. Placement within the pay range will depend on a variety of factors, such as experience, skills, internal parity, and location.

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time.    

Blackboard is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, protected military/veteran status, or any other legally protected factor.