Fractional Senior Product Designer (Staff Level)

Overview

The company is a mid-sized connected hardware and software product organization with longstanding experience building connected products. We operate with a fast-moving, entrepreneurial R&D culture and are hiring a Fractional Senior Product Designer (Staff level preferred) to shape design strategy and execution for existing and next-generation connected products. This is a part-time, remote-friendly role with candidates in Minnesota preferred and occasional on-site visits as needed. The role will complement the in-house product team and the full-time UI designer, driving cohesive hardware + companion app experiences.

Responsibilities

• Partner with product managers, engineers, and the in-house design team to define and drive product design strategy across hardware and software touchpoints
• Design end-to-end connected product experiences (physical product interactions and companion app flows/UI)
• Lead both strategic design work (systems thinking, UX strategy, feature prioritization) and hands-on execution (wireframes, prototypes, visual design, specs)
• Support R&D and rapid-prototyping initiatives, iterating on proof-of-concept designs
• Create prototypes and high-fidelity deliverables to validate concepts with stakeholders and users
• Produce design documentation and handoffs that enable engineering implementation across firmware, hardware, and app teams
• Participate in user research, usability testing, and incorporate findings into design iterations
• Provide senior-level design leadership, critique, and mentorship to support the existing design resource
• Present design rationale to cross-functional stakeholders and incorporate feedback into prioritized workstreams

Qualifications

• Senior/Staff-level product designer with a strong portfolio demonstrating both hardware (physical product interaction) and software/app design work
• Prior experience at a connected fitness, consumer IoT, or adjacent connected-hardware company strongly preferred
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and execution levels—able to lead vision and also produce detailed deliverables and specs
• Proven ability to collaborate closely with hardware engineers, firmware teams, product managers, and developers in cross-disciplinary teams
• Experience with prototyping and design tools for both UX and hardware interaction validation
• Experience conducting or incorporating user research and usability testing into product design decisions
• Background or strong interest in sports, athletics, or consumer hardware is a plus