Staff Product Designer

About Customer.io

Over 8,000 companies — from scrappy startups to global brands — use our platform to send billions of emails, push notifications, in-app messages, and SMS every day. Customer.io powers automated communication that people actually want to receive. We help teams send smarter, more relevant messages using real-time behavioral data.

About the role

Hi, my name is Ben V, Product Design Manager at Customer.io, and I'm looking for a Staff Product Designer to bring Design Craft, conviction, and AI-forward thinking to our product experience. This is a role that helped shape our design language, and we're looking for someone who can not only hold that bar but raise it.

We're transforming our product toward an AI-era experience, and this role is central to that evolution.

What we value

• Design Craft and conviction — you have opinions, you can defend them, and you're curious when challenged
• AI enthusiasm — you see AI as expanding what's possible, not threatening to craft, and can prove it.
• Systems thinking — you care about consistency, patterns, and the long-term health of the experience

What you'll do

• Own end-to-end design for key product areas, from discovery and definition through delivery and iteration
• Set the Design Craft bar — lead critiques, challenge the team to do their best work, and advocate for quality at every stage
• Steward our design system in a lean environment — help own the component library, enforce consistency, and evolve patterns as we scale
• Bring AI-forward thinking to every product surface — identify AI opportunities, design for AI-native interactions, and push the team to think differently about what's possible
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering on strategy, tradeoffs, and roadmap decisions — with the user experience always at the center
• Help evolve our product from its established foundation toward a genuinely AI-era experience

What we're looking for

• 7+ years of product design experience with a portfolio that demonstrates clear Design Craft and conviction
• Experience in B2B SaaS with complex, data-driven product interfaces
• Ability to steward a design system without dedicated system manager support
• Genuine AI enthusiasm and demonstrated curiosity about designing for AI-native experiences
• Strong communication and critique skills. You can defend your decisions and give feedback that makes work better
• Comfort making design calls in ambiguous situations with incomplete information
• Close collaboration experience with Engineering and Product in a fast-moving environment

Compensation & Benefits

We believe in transparency. Starting salary for this role is $205k–$228k USD (or equivalent in local currency) depending on experience and subject to market rate adjustment.

We know our people are what make us great, and we’re committed to taking great care of them. Our inclusive benefits package supports your well-being and growth, including 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and supplemental insurance premiums for you and your family. We also offer 16 weeks paid parental leave, unlimited PTO, stipends for remote work and wellness, a professional development budget, and more.

See full benefits here →

Our Process

No gotchas, no trick questions - just a clear, human process designed to help both of us make an informed decision.

1. 30-minute video call with a Recruiter
2. 30-minute video call with the Hiring Manager
3. 30-minute video call with cross-functional team member
4. 60-minute design case and case review call

All final candidates will be asked to complete a background check and employment verifications as part of our pre-employment process.

Customer.io recognizes the stifling impact of systemic injustice on diverse communities. We commit to using our influence to increase inclusion and equity within the tech industry. We strive to build an inclusive team culture, implement bias-free hiring practices, and develop community partnerships to expand our global impact.

Zoom is the only video conference platform that we use, virtual interviews will be conducted using the video capability (i.e., not via the chat), and offers will be extended in writing on official Customer.io letterhead. Please be vigilant in all of your job search activity, and if you have any questions please contact jobs@customer.io.

Join us!

Check out our careers page for more information about why you should come work with us! We believe in empathy, transparency, responsibility, and, yes, a little awkwardness. If you’re excited by what you read — apply now.