About SmartNews
SmartNews is a global leader in redefining information and news discovery, committed to providing users with accurate, timely information and supporting quality journalism. We combine the power of our unique machine-learning technology with the expertise of our first-rate editorial team to bring news that matters to millions of users from our over 3,000 global publishing partners.
Founded in 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, SmartNews has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, and Singapore.
The Team & Role
The Design team at SmartNews is dedicated to revolutionizing how people consume news through user-centric design. Our mission is to build upon our Japan and US products to better inform, engage and empower our users.
As a lead product designer, you will play a crucial role in shaping the design and user experience of our JP product, by driving innovative UX design and applying in-depth UX research.
You will be responsible for driving high-level product strategy while remaining hands-on. You will work closely with and inspire and influence cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, data scientists and content specialists, to bring your vision to life, from project inception to completion. Strong user research skills will be essential as you gather insights to inform design decisions and create user-centered solutions.
Your relentless focus on enhancing user experience will elevate our brand, reinforcing our position in the tech industry.
Your Responsibilities
- Drive overall product strategy and vision in collaboration with product leadership.
- Partner closely with cross-functional teams to define product requirements and deliver designs that meet business goals while enhancing user satisfaction.
- Lead the design process and craft every detail of new features, from idea to pixel-perfect execution, ensuring adherence to design standards and best practices.
- Advocate for a forward-thinking design culture, fostering an innovative work environment to elevate the overall design quality.
- Drive and conduct user research and usability testing to identify opportunities, and gather user insights to inform design direction and product improvements.
- Be fully hands-on in creating user flows, design concepts, prototypes, and refined visual designs that effectively address user and business problems.
Requirements
Minimum requirements
- You have a proven track record as a lead/senior-level product designer, driving product strategy and successfully launching user-centric products in the Japan market.
- You have a mastery of UX design principles, techniques and best practices.
- You deeply care about business needs and goals, and the practicality of your designs, and don’t get too caught up on pretty designs.
- You seek to understand the needs of customers through user research, analysis and synthesis, and then explore and advocate for the best user experience to solve their problems.
- You have exceptional leadership and team management skills and the ability to inspire and influence.
- You’re an excellent communicator, and can convey concepts and ideas in a compelling manner, articulating how design choices meet user and business needs.
- You have experience working with cross-cultural teams.
- You have excellent time-management skills, with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and allocate time and effort efficiently.
- You have strong problem-solving skills, creativity, and attention to detail.
- You have strong proficiency in Figma.
- You have business level Japanese and at least conversational English.
Nice to have experiences/skills
- You have experience with news, media, or content platforms.
- You have a continuous improvement mindset and are focused on impact to our users and business.
- You have front-end development skills for bringing your ideas to life through working prototypes.
- You have a high level of fluency in English.
Working Condition
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Benefits
- Annual health check covered by the company
- Visa sponsorship and overseas relocation support available for eligible candidates
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