THE ROLE

We're looking for a Staff Product Designer with a high bar for both product thinking and visual craft. You care deeply about how things work and how they look, and you do not treat those as separate concerns.

You are an end-to-end product thinker: systems-fluent, research-informed, and comfortable owning a problem from framing through launch. You also bring a genuine eye for design. Bold typography, purposeful motion, and expressive micro-interactions are part of how you solve problems, not a layer you apply at the end.

You set a high bar for yourself and help raise it for the people around you. You notice things, form a point of view, and move. You also treat AI as a core part of your practice and have used it to ship real product.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Drive renter acquisition and engagement through design Own the design of experiences that attract, convert, and delight renters. Shape how people first encounter Apartment List through interactive, shareable, and visually rich touchpoints that feel exciting and delightful rather than utilitarian.

Raise visual craft across product and brand Champion brand and expressive visual design. You know when to work within guidelines, when it’s time to evolve them, and you can articulate why. You spot opportunities to improve the product beyond your immediate scope and act on them.

Spot problems, move on them, and collaborate openly You notice things early. You form a point of view and act. You communicate your thinking clearly and early, present with conviction, take feedback with grace, and help your teammates do their best work.

Keep pushing what AI makes possible You are curious about new tools, quick to experiment, and generous with what you discover. You help the team stay sharp and move faster together.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Baseline, required for all Product Designers

• 6-8 years shipping consumer or B2C digital products, end-to-end: from problem framing and research through detailed UI and launch
• Mastery of Figma, including components, auto layout, variables, and prototyping; strong design systems fluency
• Product strategy chops: you connect user needs to business outcomes and make smart tradeoffs
• Deep user empathy and excellent collaboration skills across product, engineering, data, and marketing
• Curious about AI design tools and actively using them to move faster

Specialty, what makes this role unique

• An exceptional eye for visual design: motion, and brand expression are how you think, not flourishes you add at the end
• Brand design fluency: you understand the difference between rigidly applying a system and extending it with intent, and you know when to flag that the brand system itself should evolve.
• Motion design sensibility: you can design and specify meaningful animations and micro-interactions, with a clear understanding of timing, easing, and attention
• High agency, low maintenance: you spot problems before they are assigned, form a point of view, and move
• A portfolio that shows authored work: not just usable, but visually exciting, with evidence across growth surfaces, brand expression, and visual craft

NICE TO HAVE

Rive / Lottie / After Effects · Cursor / Storybook / Claude Code / Vercel · HTML / CSS / React · Online marketplaces · A/B testing and experimentation  

HERE'S THE PAY RANGE:

At Apartment List, we carefully consider a variety of factors to determine compensation for each position, including the role, level, and work. The Canada base salary range for this position is: ($CAD)

• Zone 1: $131,000 CAD - $159,000 CAD TTC (including $117,900 CAD - $139,920 CAD base salary) + equity
• Zone 2: $118,000 CAD - $143,000 CAD TTC (including $106,200 CAD - $125,840 CAD base salary) + equity

This reflects the compensation target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Please note, the compensation details provided do not include benefits and perks that we offer. 

We also rely on market indicators along with considering your work location, job related skills, experience and relevant education and training, to determine compensation that is fair and competitive for you. Apartment List will consider paying compensation near the higher of the range in exceptional circumstances, where candidates have the experience, credentials or expertise that would warrant such consideration. It is always our goal to hire exceptional talent and we would be happy to share more about compensation during the hiring process.