Product Designer, OTT

PRODUCT DESIGNER, OTT

Hourly Rate: $75 - $95/Hr

Duration: ASAP to Dec 31, 2026

Location: New York

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Product Designer, OTT will play a critical role in shaping how audiences experience live and on-demand content across the brands connected-TV platforms. This role focuses on designing intuitive, media-rich experiences optimized for the television screen - helping viewers navigate content, engage with live news, and access video seamlessly across Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung, and other major OTT surfaces.

You will partner closely with product, engineering, and editorial teams to translate content and business requirements into polished, platform-appropriate interfaces. This includes ownership of core OTT surfaces such as home screens, navigation, video players, content discovery, and live coverage experiences.

The ideal candidate combines strong product thinking with a deep understanding of 10-foot UI design, lean-back viewing behavior, and the constraints of building across multiple connected-TV platforms. This role requires a systems-level mindset to ensure consistency, reliability, and performance across a matrixed, multi-brand environment.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design intuitive, platform-appropriate OTT experiences across major connected-TV platforms including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung.
• Own and evolve core OTT surfaces including home screens, navigation, video players, content discovery, and live and breaking news experiences.
• Translate editorial priorities and content hierarchies into clear, visually compelling interfaces optimized for lean-back viewing and D-pad navigation.
• Partner closely with product and engineering to define interaction patterns, platform constraints, and release requirements across multiple OTT environments.
• Optimize information hierarchy and content density to support passive discovery as well as intentional, goal-driven navigation.
• Collaborate with editorial teams to ensure live coverage, breaking news, and video-first content translates effectively to the television screen.
• Contribute to and extend the design system with components tailored for OTT surfaces and connected-TV conventions.
• Ensure consistency and usability across platforms while accommodating platform-specific guidelines and technical constraints.
• Leverage user research, analytics, and platform best practices to continuously improve usability and engagement.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 2-4 years of experience in product design, UX/UI design, or interaction design, with demonstrated work on OTT, streaming, or connected-TV products.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating experience with dual screen interaction, 10-foot UI design, lean-back viewing contexts, or media-rich platform experiences.
• Proven ability to design within platform constraints where clarity, performance, and navigation simplicity are critical.
• Deep understanding of information architecture, D-pad interaction patterns, and UX conventions specific to connected-TV environments.
• Experience designing consumer-facing products across multiple platforms or screen contexts.
• Familiarity with live video, streaming workflows, and their implications for UX and interface design.
• Strong systems-thinking mindset, with experience contributing to scalable design systems.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly across product and engineering partners.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with product, engineering, and editorial teams in a fast-paced media environment.
• Self-driven with strong prioritization and execution skills.

DESIRED

• Experience designing within a large, matrixed media organization or multi-brand digital ecosystem.
• Background working in streaming media, digital news, or broadcast-adjacent digital products.
• Experience designing for high-frequency or habitual use cases such as daily news consumption or live event viewing.
• Exposure to personalization, content recommendation, or AI-assisted discovery in streaming products.
• Understanding of cross-platform ecosystems including web, mobile, and connected devices.
• Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, or a related field.

Please reach out to George Brown on the attached details to discuss this role further.