Product Design Contractor

Product Design Contractor

About the Role

Spherical is a transdisciplinary research and design studio working to regenerate the health and integrity of Earth's living systems.

We are looking for a mid-level Product Design Contractor to join our team for a six-month engagement. This designer will work closely with Spherical's Design Director and Senior Designer on the Living Infrastructure Field Kit, contributing UI design, interaction design, and component documentation that directly shapes how communities across Greater Los Angeles plan and propose living infrastructure projects.

This is a 32-40-hour/week remote contract position reporting directly to the Design Director.

About the Living Infrastructure Field Kit

The Living Infrastructure Field Kit is a free platform for the Greater LA region. It provides map-based planning tools, local data, and learning materials for anyone designing or proposing living infrastructure projects in their neighborhood. The Field Kit serves a diverse range of users, from community organizers and environmental advocates to government agencies and educators, and is funded by Accelerate Resilience Los Angeles (ARLA).

The product team works in three-week sprints, with design and engineering running in parallel. This designer will work in a research-informed environment, collaborating closely with product designers, a researcher, and engineers.

Scope of Work

Core Responsibilities

The primary focus of this role is to deliver UI design and documented components for the Field Kit. Specifics will be refined and agreed upon at the start of the engagement. Key outcomes include:

Simplify key flows to make the platform easier to navigate and use

Improve visual consistency and component coverage across the UI kit

Ground design decisions in validated user needs and technical feasibility

Deliver clear specs and prototypes that support smooth engineering handoff

Contribute to accessibility improvements across the platform

Additional Responsibilities

Collaborate with the product team on short discovery cycles to validate user needs, synthesize findings into design requirements, and establish guardrails before high-fidelity work begins

Partner with engineers throughout implementation to review production builds and ensure design quality

Support Design leadership in creating presentations and executive-ready visuals for leadership and client reviews, as needed and within allocated hours

Deliverables

User flows and journey maps for priority features and flows

Annotated wireframes and interaction specs, including empty, loading, error, and success states that detail end-to-end flows

High-fidelity UI screens and interactive prototypes

Design system maintenance including component revisions and documentation

Handoff package for engineering, including specs, annotations, and assets

Requirements

Experience and Education

Formal education in graphic design, interaction design, or a related field is a plus, though equivalent professional experience and a strong portfolio are equally valued

Demonstrated professional experience designing digital products across web and mobile

A strong portfolio showing product design work; please include your portfolio link with your application

Skills

Strong foundation in visual design fundamentals: typography, color, layout, and composition

Solid interaction design skills with experience designing complex flows, edge cases, and responsive interfaces

Experience working with and contributing to design systems

Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design practices

Proficiency in Figma, familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite is a plus

Healthy balance of comfort, curiosity and discernment in the use of AI-assisted tools and workflows

Ways of Working

Able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously and keep the Design Director informed of any issues in real time

High standards of craft with a consistent ability to meet deadlines

A thorough, exploratory approach to design and a willingness to push ideas before landing on the right solution

Collaborative, with a calm and solutions-oriented approach under pressure

Comfortable taking direction and iterating quickly and accurately

Able to work effectively in a sprint cadence alongside engineers and researchers

Contract Details

Duration: 6 months

Hours: 32-40 hours

Rate: $120/hr

Location: Remote

Start date: As soon as possible

Reporting to: Michael Yap, Design Director

How to Apply

Spherical is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We are happy to provide accommodations throughout the hiring process. Please let us know what you need.

Please send your resume, portfolio, and a brief note about why this role interests you.