Lead Product Designer

At Acorns, our mission is to look after the financial best interests of the up-and-coming, beginning with the empowering, proud step of micro-investing. How do we accomplish our mission? Our values.

Lead With Heart - With compassion, integrity, and tenacity, inspire yourself and others to move past all previous thresholds of possibility

Make Bold Decisions - We are creating a new world. Be optimistic, adventurous, and courageous. Leap fearlessly into the future

Always Build Trust - Say what you mean, mean what you say, and do what you say you’re going to do. We are all owners. We are one team

Never Stop Growing - Change IS the constant. Stay hungry and curious. Be relentless in the pursuit of progress

Find a way - Never settle, no excuses, nothing is impossible. Just make it happen

Our values guide us, and our mission drives us. Come join us and help deliver financial wellness for the whole family, putting the tools of wealth-making into everyone’s hands.

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Lead Product Designer | Acorns

Money is deeply emotional; it can make you feel guilty, stressed, jealous, or even angry.  And yet, most financial products are designed like money is just numbers on a screen—ignoring the very real emotions that come with every dollar earned, spent, saved, or invested.

Now, imagine you’re the person tasked with making people feel good about their financial decisions. Not just comfortable, not just confident—but hopeful. That’s not just a design problem; that’s a psychology problem. A storytelling problem. A behavior problem. And solving it will require a designer who understands that great design is about both function and perception.

As a Lead Product Designer, you won’t just push pixels; you’ll push ideas. You’ll own key product experiences, working from concept to execution to craft intuitive, thoughtful, and delightful financial tools. You’ll collaborate closely with fellow designers, engineers, product managers, and executives to refine and evolve our products. You’ll need to be just as comfortable discussing design systems and UX principles as you are thinking through human behavior and emotional impact.

At Acorns, we move fast, and we challenge each other to aim high. Good design isn’t enough—it has to be engaging, intuitive, and emotionally resonant. That means:

• You think beyond “functional”—because the best products don’t just work; they inspire action and elicit emotion.

• You have a strong point of view—but you’re open to new perspectives and feedback that makes ideas better.

• You’re comfortable with ambiguity—because great ideas don’t come from step-by-step instructions.

• You know that humor and humility go a long way—because creativity thrives in an environment where people can challenge themselves without taking themselves too seriously.

This isn’t just a job—it’s life’s work, because when people feel in control of their money, they feel more in control of their lives. And when that happens at scale, society changes. If that idea excites you, then we’d love to have you join us.

Acorns is a remote-first organization, offering the flexibility to work remotely while providing optional access to office space in Irvine, CA.

Key Responsibilities:

• Product Expertise: Have a deep understanding of product goals and objectives. Translate high-level requirements into actionable designs that address user pain points while driving measurable outcomes aligned with company OKRs.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead cross-functional teams through the design process, from concept to execution, ensuring seamless implementation of features and functionality across multiple platforms. Foster alignment and collaboration across teams.

• Solution Presentation:  Illustrate and present creative, logical design solutions that enhance customer experience; effectively communicate design rationale to stakeholders (including executive leadership)

• Research-Driven Design: Advocate for and incorporate user research into the design process. Share findings to inform product development and refine solutions. Must be comfortable with running live A/B experiments and contribute to research strategy

• Collaboration and Advocacy: Foster a culture of constructive feedback and collaboration within the design team and beyond. Lead by example as a design advocate and mentor, inspiring a shared commitment to excellence.

What you will bring to Acorns:

• Proven Experience: 8+ years of experience in Product Design, UX/UI Design, or a related role, with a demonstrated ability to deliver impactful user experiences

• Design Mastery: Expertise in design principles and best practices, including typography, desktop/mobile UI, color schemes, layout, and iconography. Proficient in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite

• Design Leadership: Proven ability to lead and mentor more junior designers, driving a culture of excellence and collaboration

• Portfolio: A compelling portfolio that showcases your ability to design and deliver user-centered, high-impact solutions.

• Exceptional Communication: Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively.

• Design Systems: Experience working with and evolving design systems to ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability in design outputs.

To excel at Acorns, you’ll also bring:

• Mission Alignment: A strong passion for Acorns’ mission in personal finance and a belief that your work contributes to meaningful societal change

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A knack for turning ambiguous ideas into actionable concepts and delivering tangible results, with an innovative and resourceful mindset.

• Action-Oriented Mindset: A bias toward action, demonstrating initiative, decisiveness, and the ability to move projects forward even in uncertain or ambiguous situations.

• Continuous Curiosity: A commitment to lifelong learning and a natural curiosity to explore how to make products better for users. Your openness to feedback and willingness to challenge assumptions will be invaluable to our collective success.

You are not expected to have experience with all listed requirements. If you feel passionate about Acorns' mission, vision, and values, please apply.  

What we offer: 

• Competitive salary and stock options

• A comprehensive benefits package for you and your family

• Flexible work location, hours, and paid time off 

• 401(k) discretionary match

• Monthly Acorns account contribution & GoHenry account for your family

• Mindfulness and Financial Wellness resources, Headspace and Addition Wealth

• Acorns Career Development Program (Ongoing training sessions, development plans, development check-ins, Cornerstone’s online training platform)

• Roots Leadership Program for Emerging Leaders

• Community week onsite gatherings and various virtual events

• Talented and motivated team members who care deeply about one another, our mission, and our customers.

• The rare opportunity to create a new world. We inspire one another every day to do meaningful work that solves big societal challenges.

About Acorns:

Acorns is a financial wellness app that helps everyday people and families save and invest money for the long term. Since 2014, Acorns has grown into a global company with multiple life-stage products serving the needs of kids, teens, adults, and parents. Named one of Time’s “World’s Best Brands of 2024,” Acorns has helped over 14 million people save & invest over $25 billion dollars, much of it from spare change and small amounts.

Compensation Information:

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $200,000 and $215,500/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a sign-on bonus, equity grants, and discretionary cash bonus awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Work Authorization:

Acorns participates in E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For more information about E-Verify, please visit www.e-verify.gov