Senior Product Designer, The Athletic
$135-155k
Subscription-based sports content publisher
Posted today
Subscription-based sports content publisher
501-1000 employees
Posted today
$135-155k
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To produce smarter coverage for die-hard fans and redefine the way fans get access to sports content by flipping the normal model for sports journalism.
Role
Who you are
- Demonstrable expertise in designing shipped product experiences across both web and native mobile applications
- Strong Visual and Interaction Design skills, as exemplified in an online portfolio or presentation
- Subject matter expertise related to sports and/or media. You have a strong understanding of what makes a great sports and/or media app, and ideas on how you could make our experience even better
- Experience working with other designers directly on projects, and also indirectly to provide and receive feedback on work
- Experience collaborating with engineers, product managers, other XFN partners, and stakeholders with a high standard of quality and professionalism
- Ability to manage your time effectively, sometimes across several projects
- Expert Figma skills and knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite
- Hands-on experience using AI to develop concepts and live experiences
- Experience with prototyping and animation as a means to explore and convey design solutions
- An eagerness to try new things, innovate and learn — and a willingness to learn from mistakes
- Enthusiasm for being part of a multidisciplinary design studio and a collaborative design process
What the job involves
- Our product mission is to be the best place for sports fans
- We are looking for a product designer to support the experience of our core product, which encompasses how users discover and consume content across all our platforms
- The ideal candidate is also able to help drive the future vision of our products, through world-class designs that add value to both our business and to our users
- As a Product Designer on the Core team, you will be counted on to help lead new projects and initiatives related to our core offering
- You’ll work closely with the product team to bring new experiences to life, while collaborating with engineers, editors and other designers on the team
- There’s ample opportunity here for a designer who works well independently and is well versed in both user experience and visual design
- Create user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and production-ready design deliverables
- Support high-level product strategy, ensuring we're asking the right questions and solving for the most important internal and external user needs
- Lead and conduct design and user research, as necessary
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, partnering with Product Managers, Engineers, Content Operations, SEO Strategists, Product Analysts, and fellow designers to take concepts from ideation to execution
- Work closely with engineers and PMs to evaluate constraints and trade offs
- Lead design projects with input from other members of the design team to ensure design quality and consistency across the user experience
- Understand the competitive environment and stay on top of great user experiences, especially within sports apps, sports media, and news related products
- Actively contribute to The Athletic’s Design System
Our take
The Athletic provides authentic, in-depth coverage written by journalists who know the teams they write about inside out. Its model bucks the trend of traditional sports journalism outfits by asking for a subscription rather than relying on ad-revenue.
Despite initial doubts that users would be willing to pay for sports journalistic content, The Athletic has found significant success and was acquired by the New York Times in 2022. Despite it operating at a loss directly after the takeover, it was clear that the New York Times perceived this as a long-term investment.
In 2025, it was reported that The Athletic was now profitable, which aligns well with its parent's prediction of profitability within 4 years. This has been aided by accelerated customer growth alongside the rising trend of subscription-based sports news.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Jan 2020
$50m
SERIES D
May 2019
$21.8m
SERIES C
Total funding: $139.7m
Company benefits
- Paid Time Off
- Paid Sick Leave
- Paid Parental Leave
- 401 (k)
- Short & Long Term Disability
- Free Subscription
- Competitive Health Care
- HSA & FSA
- Commuter Benefits
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Adam Hansmann
(President & Co-Founder)Previously a McKinsey Business Analyst and then Associate at Calera Capital.
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