Staff Product Designer, Product Infrastructure

About the Company

Valon is building the AI-native operating system for regulated finance, starting with mortgage servicing.

We're a Series C company backed by a16z, transforming industries that others have written off as too complex to innovate.

Rather than build on top of broken legacy systems, we took a different approach: we built and operate our own mortgage servicing business managing $110+ billion in loans. This wasn't the end goal, it was how we deeply understood the complexity needed to build software that actually works in regulated industries.

The results speak for themselves. We've transformed mortgage servicing from a 0% margin business into 60%+ margins while dramatically improving customer experience. Major enterprise contracts are now deploying across the industry.

ValonOS is our unified platform that makes every process structured and programmable and it is perfectly positioned for the AI era. When everything flows through one system with rich data, AI agents don't just automate tasks, they continuously improve entire operations. Mortgage servicing is just the beginning of our vision to transform regulated industries and beyond.

Design at Valon

Design at Valon goes beyond creating products. We’re rebuilding trust in the mortgage industry by simplifying the complex, empowering users to make confident decisions, and delivering peace of mind. We create transparency for homeowners and provide scalable, efficient tools for servicers, setting new standards that improve user experiences and business efficiency.

Your application requires a portfolio for consideration.

About the Role

We’re seeking a Staff Product Designer to lead end-to-end design for our Product Infrastructure team. This team is responsible for building the core foundations that will transform Valon’s in-house mortgage servicing platform into a scalable, flexible SaaS product for any servicer. Your work will empower other product teams to move faster and with greater quality, driving critical impact on Valon’s business. You'll partner closely with cross-functional stakeholders to untangle complex problems and deliver elegant, user-centered solutions.

This role is for someone who excels in execution, thrives in ambiguity, moves with urgency, and leads by example.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design of foundational platform capabilities, reusable patterns, and our design system, enhancing usability and accelerating product development across the organization.

• Contribute to product strategy, bringing a strong user-centered perspective and helping the team identify the most important initiatives to work on and why.

• Drive deep user understanding through quantitative and qualitative research—serving the needs of mortgage servicing operators, deployment strategists, and technical teams alike.

• Partner closely with cross-functional partners and other internal product teams to identify shared requirements and deliver generalized tools and systems that solve for broad use cases, reduce redundancy, and promote consistency.

• Mentor designers and cross-functional partners, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuously raising the bar for product quality and craft.

Qualities We Value on the Design Team

• User Empathy and Advocacy: Deep understanding of user needs and ability to represent those needs in every design decision.

• Strong Communication and Collaboration: Can articulate design decisions and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.

• Critical Thinking and Thought Partnership: Provide thoughtful input on product and design strategy, focusing on long-term impact.

• Humble and Growth-Oriented Mindset: Continuously seeking ways to improve and contribute to team success.

• Balanced Approach: Cares about the big picture but executes with precision in design details.

• Startup Mindset: I am excited to work in a fast-paced, evolving startup environment.

Required Background

• 3+ years of product design experience, preferably in a D2C fintech environment.

• A portfolio showcasing strong design fundamentals, systems thinking, and a user-centered approach to solving complex problems.

• Track record of shipping and iterating on end-to-end product experiences, from concept to launch and beyond.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity with confidence, bringing clarity and structure to evolving product spaces.

• Excellent communication and organizational skills, with a collaborative mindset and attention to detail.

Bonus Points For

• Familiarity with LLM/Generative AI tools.

• Experience designing workflows, internal tools, or B2B SaaS products

• Familiarity with user research, usability testing, and data-driven design decisions

Benefits

• Base salary band: $174,250 to $235,750

  • This Base Compensation pay range applies to our New York City located staff and may differ according to location.

• Compensation: competitive salary with a meaningful stake in the company via equity, and 401k plan 

• Health & well-being: we’ll invest in your physical and mental well-being with comprehensive medical, dental, & vision benefits

• Commuter benefits: We offer pre-tax deductions for public transportation, rideshare services, and parking expenses to make your commute more affordable and convenient.

• Grow together: Company wide orientation for you to successfully onboard and other learning & development opportunities including regular review cycles that feature 360 degree feedback

• Play together: quarterly budgets for team and company outings. Use it for team swag, cooking classes, or team dinners!

• Generous time off: flexible paid time off, sick days, and 11 company holidays 

• Baby bonding time!: 12 weeks off for both birthing and non-birthing parents - fully paid so you can focus your energy on your newest addition

Throughout the interview process, please remember that emails will only be from valon.com emails. We won't ever be asking for any personally identifiable information during the interview process itself. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any requests to verify the authenticity of an outreach.

Valon is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. Valon makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.