Product Designer

About Differential

Differential is growing! Yep, it turns out clients like us :) Our team of designers, developers, jokesters, and all around good folk needs more firepower. We’re proudly headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, but our team spans across the country.

In addition to only choosing the best group of people to work around, we are also very picky about the types of clients we’ll work with. In line with our mission to rapidly unlock value for good people with meaningful ideas, we partner with forward-thinking corporate pioneers and innovators to revolutionize their organizations from the inside out and bring great digital products to life. This translates to a diverse range of products like transforming retail with Adidas, helping Lexmark innovate cross-industry, streamlining the sales process with Big Ass Fans, to multi-platform mobile apps for large audiences with Crossroads Church.

We hire great, trustworthy people so that we can optimize for a free & flexible culture: flexible hours, unlimited vacation, remote work, and working on stuff you’re excited about.

Job Description

The ideal candidate for this opening is someone that has a strong passion for interaction design, visual design and prototyping. Designers who thrive at Differential place equal emphasis between form and function. They’re highly strategic, multi-skilled, and bring a deep understanding in moving our product process forward. We believe in prototyping early and often. We engage in design thinking as a team and cross functionality among product managers, engineers and with our client partners. Our process aims to create original digital products and services that innovate and reshape companies.

You will focus on our Apollos line of business, a technology and content platform for the Church that equips people to develop healthy spiritual habits and stay better connected to their church community digitally. You will become an expert in guiding technology and strategy that impact churches all over with hundreds of thousands of followers using our products.

At Differential, we design, develop, support, and commercialize great digital products. Our process aims to create original digital products and services that innovate and reshape companies and organizations.

Above all, we are focused on finding someone that we love to work with. Culture to us isn’t a ping pong table in the breakroom or some words we put up on the wall. It’s embedded in our DNA and starts with our hiring process. Regardless of your prior experience, we want to consider passionate people for this position. 

Our mission statement, core values, benefits, and more can be found at handbook.differential.com.

What you can expect to do:

• Work on cross-functional product teams dedicated to enhancing the Apollos platform, focusing on creating exceptional digital products for church communities.
• Work iteratively and collaboratively on design thinking, design sprints, concepting, user flows, visual design and prototypes.
• Facilitate in-person design workshops and exercises to diverge, converge, and refine on concepts to get them ready for development.
• Make a positive impact on the culture of our design team. We’re a growing team!

What we’re after:

• Passion for the whole product process. We know you will have your specific areas of focus, but we find those that are passionate about the bigger picture collaborate best with our cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to rely on an iterative process to maintain momentum on projects. In other words - our work is never going to be perfect, and we expect you to be able to prioritize what matters most now so we can consistently and efficiently iterate.
• Familiarity with design and prototype tools. We use Figma.

Responsibilities of this position include:

• Translating user and client needs into a well-designed solution that solves the user and client’s problems.
• Gaining an understanding of who the users are, what their problems are, and why those problems exist.
• Putting the user — and their problems/needs — first in order to create and drive empathy amongst the product team and product stakeholders.
• Aligning well-designed solutions with the product vision.
• Setting the standards on which the quality and direction of the overall branding and design is built. Setting the tone for the look, feel, and quality of design.
• Striking a balance between the user’s expectations and the client’s expectation of how the product vision comes to life in order to satisfy the right business and strategic objectives.
• With the right standards and balance, driving alignment and clarity around the solution designed to solve the user’s problems, and, in turn, reach the product vision.
• Building design systems and maintainable standards that set the product — and product team — up for success.

Differential employees are those who:

• Communicate effectively with clients and teammates.

• Have an entrepreneurial mindset - meaning that you are comfortable in ambiguous and undefined situations and can figure out the best next step.

• Are self-motivated.

• Learn quickly and relentlessly.

• Curious about technology and the impact it can make on the world.

• Enjoy taking ownership and responsibility for their work.

• Enjoy collaborating with others on problems.

Candidates must be based in the United States and this role is highly desired to be based in Cincinnati, OH, and be available for meetings during standard business hours. There is flexibility in working hours but there is an expectation to be able to regularly attend external partner and internal team meetings. 

Differential is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

​​As part of our commitment to maintaining a legal and compliant workforce, we participate in the E-Verify program. For more information about E-Verify, please visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website at www.e-verify.gov.