About OpenEd At OpenEd, we’re opening the world to every learner. With over 100,000 students served and growing rapidly, families trust us as a partner to the most precious thing in their lives, their children. Our vision: a future where education is no longer constrained by geography, rigid models, or outdated systems. Our mission: to give every student customized, world-class education and resources, empowering families and opening millions of doors for learners across the country.

Our Culture (The Foundation of Everything We Do) Culture at OpenEd is intentional. It’s defined by what we promote—and what we tolerate. Our latest eNPS (employee net promoter score) of 70 places OpenEd in the top .1% of technology companies. Our values aren't just words; they are non-negotiable principles that guide every decision:

Customer First – Obsessed with delivering value; we fight tirelessly for our learners and families.
Hard Choices, Easy Life – Face challenges directly, swiftly, and transparently.
I Did > We Should – Action over theory; bring experiments, not just opinions.
Learn Out Loud – Share your growth openly; feedback is a gift, ego is the enemy.
Prioritize Ruthlessly – Excellence in the few critical areas over mediocrity everywhere.
Fast AND World Class – Speed doesn’t compromise quality.
Strong Opinions, Weakly Held – Advocate passionately, adjust readily.
Make Others Famous – Elevate your colleagues, partners, and community.

We’re currently accepting applications from those living in: AZ, CO, FL, GA, ID, IN, MD, NC, NM, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI.

About the Role As OpenEd’s Founding Designer, you'll own the end-to-end design process for our consumer-facing platform, from strategic discovery through polished execution. You'll work closely with product, engineering, and Learning teams to translate complex educational concepts into delightful user experiences that serve diverse learning needs and family contexts.

Your Immediate Impact

Months 1-3: Deeply understand our learners, families, and educators through user research and product immersion. Ship your first meaningful UI improvements to our core student and parent dashboards, establishing design systems foundations that will scale with our growth.

Months 4-6: Lead the redesign of a key product area (e.g., student onboarding, curriculum navigation, or family communication tools) from concept to launch. Establish repeatable design processes and begin building out our design system component library.

Months 7-12: Drive strategic design initiatives that measurably improve family satisfaction and staff efficiency. Mentor cross-functional partners on design thinking principles and advocate for user-centered decision making across the organization.

Success Metrics:

Parent Confidence: Do parents using OpenEd’s product find it a joy to use? Do they vocally praise the experience with their peers?
Staff Confidence: Can staff members confidently and easily carry out their work via our internal tools? Can we ramp up new staff with minimal training?
Engineering Velocity: Are product teams able to ship high quality, polished experiences consistently, without design becoming a bottleneck?

Who You Are:

5+ years of product design experience with at least 3 years designing consumer-facing digital products that reached significant scale (100K+ users)
You care as much about the information hierarchy and emotional experience of the user as you do about getting that nested corner radius correct.
You can demonstrate exceptional UI design craft with a portfolio of polished, production-ready work across web and mobile platforms
You know how to balance a strong aesthetic vision with user and stakeholder feedback to avoid design-by-committee while acknowledging your own limitations.
You’ve designed products that handle multiple types of users within the same cohesive design vision.
You get annoyed when the user experience of internal tools is treated like an afterthought - your coworkers should get to work with world class tools as much as the users should.
You’re a systems thinker: you've built design systems that enable consistency and efficiency across large and varied product surfaces
Proficiency in modern design tools like Figma and intimate knowledge of the technical constraints of the mediums you operate within (web & mobile).
Outstanding communication skills with the ability to articulate design rationale and advocate for users at all levels of the organization
Experience collaborating in fast-paced, lean environments where you've worn multiple hats and driven projects independently

Bonus Points For:

Experience designing for education or regulatory compliance focused product experiences.
Background in designing for accessibility and inclusive design principles
Motion design or illustration capabilities that bring extra delight to user experiences
Familiarity with Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) methodology

This Role Will Excite You IF:

You're energized by mission-driven work where your designs directly impact children's educational journeys and family experiences
You thrive in environments where you'll have significant ownership and autonomy to shape product direction through design
You love working cross-functionally and see engineering, product, and Learning partners as collaborators in creating exceptional experiences
You're excited to be an early design leader who will help establish design culture, processes, and standards as the company scales
You want to work fast without sacrificing quality, and you're comfortable with ambiguity and rapid iteration

Team & Autonomy:

You'll work closely with our Product and Success teams in a highly collaborative, remote-first environment. This role offers significant autonomy; you'll be trusted to identify opportunities, propose solutions, and drive projects from conception through launch. You'll have direct access to users for research and feedback, and your voice will meaningfully shape product strategy and priorities.

Reporting Line:

This role reports to Dave Wasmer, CTO.

Company Benefits:

Competitive salary and 401k plan + company matching opportunities.
Comprehensive Health Benefits: Health insurance package including medical, dental, vision, life, critical illness, accident, STD/LTD, HSA, and FSA with dependent care.
Flexible Work Arrangement: We’re a fully remote workforce that emphasizes a healthy work-life balance by allowing some autonomy in work hours.
Generous Paid Time Off policy, enabling you to recharge, spend quality time with loved ones, and pursue personal interests outside of work.
Supportive Team Environment: Join a supportive and collaborative team environment where your contributions are valued, and teamwork is encouraged, fostering a culture of success and mutual respect.

EEO Statement

OpenEd is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

OpenEd participates in E-Verify.

OpenEd

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