Overview
Join to apply for the Principal Product Designer - SlideShare role at Scribd, Inc.
Slideshare is evolving fast, grounded in a refreshed brand and mission, and guided by a clear multi-year strategy to modernize discovery, elevate the core experience, and grow the business. We’re hiring a Principal Product Designer to lead design on Slideshare—a senior partner to Product, Research, Analytics, and Engineering who sets the vision, raises the bar for quality, and mentors a small team of designers to create meaningful impact.
About The Company
At Scribd (pronounced “scribbed”), our mission is to spark human curiosity. We aim to democratize the exchange of ideas and information and empower collective expertise through our products: Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare. Scribd supports a culture where employees can be real and bold; we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and every employee is empowered to take action with a customer-first mindset. Scribd values flexibility and community connections, with Scribd Flex enabling employees and managers to choose daily work styles that suit individual needs. Occasional in-person attendance is encouraged where possible to build collaboration, culture, and connection.
We hire for “GRIT” — the intersection of passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. The acronym is described as: Go-als, Results, Innovation, and Team through collaboration and attitude.
What You’ll Do
- Lead vision and strategy—set the north star and near-term bets with pillar leads and partners, turning long-term vision into testable hypotheses and iterative projects.
- Uplevel quality—establish patterns, systems, and team rituals that raise craft across Slideshare and keep the experience cohesive, accessible, and performant.
- Mentor and multiply—coach senior/junior designers, modeling crisp decision-making, and upleveling interaction and visual polish.
- Turn ideas into evidence—prototype, run focused studies with UXR, and partner with Analytics to quantify impact.
- Align across brands—work with design counterparts across brands to avoid design debt, share components where sensible, and keep AI surfaces coherent.
- Communicate with influence—drive crisp narratives, reviews, and decision docs that create alignment and momentum at the org level.
What We’re Looking For
- 10+ years in product design. Experience with principal-level scope, from zero-to-one strategy through high-fidelity execution and launch.
- A portfolio that shows systems thinking, interaction depth, visual excellence, and measurable outcomes.
- Strength in problem framing and critical thinking—you connect insights to strategy and strategy to shipped, validated work.
- Track record mentoring senior ICs and leading through influence across Executive Leadership, as well as Product, Engineering, and Research.
- Fluency with research methods and product analytics—you use data and judgment to move fast without losing confidence.
- Mastery of Figma and modern prototyping tools. Comfortable with motion, micro-interactions, AI prototyping, and design documentation.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted creation/recommendation patterns.
- Experience with UGC/creator ecosystems, search/SEO, or marketplace dynamics is a nice to have.
Who You Are
- A visionary and collaborative designer who pushes beyond precedent and builds the north star with partners—not in a vacuum.
- A systems thinker who can zoom from ambiguous problem framing to clear narratives and polished UI.
- Evidence-driven and user-centered—you partner with UXR and Analytics to measure outcomes and iterate with clear goals in mind.
- A multiplier—you raise the bar through critique, design standards, a collaborative working style, and effective mentorship.
- An excellent communicator who creates clarity, influences cross-functionally, and builds shared ownership.
- A collaborative leader who understands that great ideas can come from anywhere.
How We Work
We value openness, experimentation, and craft. We write things down, review work early, and optimize for outcomes over output. You’ll have the autonomy to lead, and the support to do the best work of your career.
We carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including experience, job-related skills, education or training, and other business needs. The salary range for this role varies by location and level, and may include equity and a comprehensive benefits package.
Working at Scribd
Are you currently based in a location where Scribd is able to employ you? Primary residence should be in or near one of the listed cities: United States (Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C.), Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver), or Mexico City. Scribd is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other protected characteristic.
Benefits, perks, and wellbeing at Scribd include healthcare coverage, parental leave, disability plans, 401k/RSP matching, home office stipends, learning and development allowances, wellness stipends, mental health resources, and more. Some benefits vary by location.
Want to learn more about life at Scribd?
We’re committed to accessibility in our interview process. If you need reasonable adjustments, email Scribd is an equal opportunity employer.
Seniority level
- Mid-Senior level
Employment type
- Full-time
Job function
- Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology
- Industries: Software Development