Associate Product Designer

Description

At Macmillan Learning, we're committed to driving innovation that transforms education. We seek team members who thrive on pushing boundaries, envisioning future possibilities, and building solutions that make a lasting impact. Whether you're a Pioneer shaping bold new ideas, a Builder turning possibilities into reality, or a Stabilizer optimizing for success, you'll play a vital role in advancing our mission. If you're excited by the prospect of testing new technologies, implementing transformative strategies, and thriving in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we'd love to hear from you!

As an Associate Product Designer, you'll bring ideas to life through thoughtful, hands-on design work. Much of your time will be spent using Figma (our current product design shared workspace) to build, refine, and iterate on screens, flows, and components that make our learning products more intuitive and engaging. You'll transform feedback, research findings, and design direction into tangible user experiences that help students and instructors reach their goals.

You'll work closely with other designers, product managers, and engineers, translating concepts into production-ready designs that align with our systems and standards. You'll participate in critiques, apply accessibility and usability principles, and learn how design decisions connect to both business outcomes and user needs.

Your work will often focus on the details of pixel-perfect execution, consistent interaction patterns, and thoughtful handoffs; but each project will grow your understanding of the full design process. Over time, you'll develop your confidence, expand your skills, and contribute to a culture that values collaboration, curiosity, and the craft of design. This role exists to help you grow into a well-rounded designer while delivering meaningful, high-quality design work that moves our products forward.

We know that talented candidates sometimes hesitate to apply when they don't meet every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply if you're excited about this role and believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, even if your background doesn't align perfectly with every requirement. We're looking for people who are passionate about our mission and can bring valuable perspectives to our work. Different experiences, skills, and approaches all have the potential to strengthen what we do. If this opportunity interests you, we'd love to hear how your unique background and abilities could contribute to our team's success. We're committed to building a workplace where everyone can do their best work and where diverse viewpoints are valued. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply - we're excited to learn about the different ways you might add value to our organization.

Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to :

Design Execution

Apply foundational UX and visual design skills to create user flows, wireframes, and prototypes for clearly scoped features.

Deliver design artifacts that align with established design systems, accessibility standards, and brand guidelines.

Iterate based on feedback and quality assurance reviews.

Collaboration and Cross-Functional Alignment

Work closely with designers, product managers, and engineers to translate user and business needs into clear, actionable designs.

Participate in agile ceremonies, design critiques, and reviews to ensure alignment across disciplines.

Research and User Understanding

Assist with user research activities, including note-taking, analysis, and synthesizing insights.

Apply findings to improve design outcomes and validate design decisions.

Process and Documentation

Contribute to maintaining organized design files, consistent documentation, and adherence to established design processes.

Support the team's operational effectiveness through good file hygiene and project organization.

Learning and Professional Development

Engage in mentorship, feedback, and learning opportunities to deepen understanding of design craft, product strategy, and business context.

Build toward increasing autonomy and readiness for the next level.

Required Qualifications :

Foundational proficiency with modern design tools (strong, demonstrable Figma skills will be required for this role).

Understanding of product design principles, usability, and accessibility.

Strong collaboration and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications :

Internship or project-based experience in digital product design.

Familiarity with responsive and accessible design practices.

Exposure to user research and agile development environments.

Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, or related field.

A commitment to advancing design excellence within an organization dedicated to transforming education through technology.

Salary Range : $60,000 - $80,000

Exemption Status : Exempt

Physical Requirements :

Requires periods of close concentration; must be able to multi-task; must be able to travel occasionally; work overtime - more than 40 hours a week - regularly, as needed.

The position is eligible for remote employment, excluding the following locations : Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Please include a portfolio URL with your application.

Benefits

Regular full-time and qualifying part-time employees and their dependents are eligible for Macmillan benefits, effective on the employee's date of hire. Macmillan also offers health benefits coverage to qualifying same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners (may require additional documentation) of active employees.

Competitive pay and bonus plan

Generous Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)

Contributions to your 401k retirement account through Fidelity

Generous paid time off, sick time, floating holidays, and paid holidays (Spring Reset Day , Juneteenth, Indigenous People's Day, Election Day, and more!)

Employee Assistance Program, Education Assistance Program

100% employer-paid life and AD&D insurance

And much more!

Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community. Macmillan Learning is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a family-owned global media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

At Macmillan Learning, we believe diverse perspectives and backgrounds enrich our mission to improve lives through learning. We actively seek candidates who reflect a wide range of identities, experiences, and communities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability, neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and economic status and background, geographical status and background, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. You can read more about our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives here.

The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC d / b / a Macmillan Learning. Bedford Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC has developed an affirmative action program in compliance with the NY Department of Education's guidance. Portions of the affirmative action program are available for review by applicants and employees by contacting Human Resources at Macmillan Learning.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.