About BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed (Nasdaq: BZFD) is home to the best of the internet with a mission to spread joy & truth. Across entertainment, news, food, pop culture, & commerce, our brands drive conversation & inspire what audiences watch, read, & buy now & into the future. Born on the internet in 2006, BuzzFeed is committed to improving it: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the internet more inclusive, empathetic, & creative; & inspiring our audience to live better lives. 

Business Area: Technology

Job Category: Design

Salary: $185,000.00- $200,000.00 USD

Union Status: Non-Union  

BuzzFeed is committed to fair & equitable compensation practices. We reserve the ability to adjust the final compensation for this role based on the final candidate's experience, skillset, certifications, & geography.

The Role

At BuzzFeed we are looking for a talented Lead Product Designer to help shape the vision of BuzzFeed Island, an upcoming social networking app designed to transform social media from a passive experience into an interactive & creative one. Leveraging AI, were pioneering a new way for users to explore, create, & engage with dynamic, interest-driven spaces that foster connection & creativity. This is a full-time, hybrid position based in our New York City office, with flexibility for the candidate to be near our Los Angeles, office as well.

You Will

Youll play a key role in defining the apps overall user experience, making this new platform feel intuitive, engaging, & magical. Working closely with our founder & CEO, Jonah Peretti, your work will influence product strategy at the leadership level & shape the way for making AI creation effortless, engaging, & inherently social. 

Drive End-to-End User Experience

• Setting the tone for the user experience Ensure the UI & interactive elements feel intuitive, inspiring, & dynamic, guiding users seamlessly from exploration to creation.
• Develop fluid user flows for discovering, engaging with, & personalizing dynamic media objects & creative tools.
• Design for both individual creativity & shared social engagement, ensuring that users feel inspired to remix & interact with user generated content.
• Collaborate with AI engineers to ensure that generative tools feel accessible & playful rather than technical or overwhelming.
• Build a platform that balances exploration, interaction, & collaboration with seamless AI-powered creativity.

Strategic & cross-functional leadership 

• Work closely with the existing team of designers to ensure consistency & user delight across all touchpoints.
• Partner with product & engineering teams to balance user needs with technical feasibility while maintaining high design quality.
• Advocate for design best practices while encouraging experimentation in interactive & AI-driven experiences.

You Have

Must-Have Experience & Skills

• 7+ years of product design experience & 3+ years leading teams (experience designing for consumer, social, gaming, or creative tools preferred). 
• Deep expertise in designing social & interactive experiences, where users engage with, create, or remix content (e.g., TikTok, Snap, Roblox, Canva, or similar).
• Strong UI/UX skills with a portfolio showcasing interactive experiences, game-like interfaces, or AI-powered tools.
• A strong systems thinker who can architect modular & scalable UX frameworks for creative tools.
• Passion for playful, expressive design You love designing for self-expression, creativity, & fun.
• Proficiency in Figma & prototyping tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Framer, etc.).
• Mobile-first mindset Strong knowledge of iOS app design principles, responsive web design, & native interactions.
• Excellent collaboration skillsthrives in cross-disciplinary teams with engineers, AI researchers, & product leaders.
• Adaptableproactive at problem solving & driving alignment through design.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Experience with game design, interactive media, or digital world-building.
• Experience working with generative AI tools, real-time content creation, or interactive media.
• Passion for AI-assisted creativity & pushing the boundaries of self expression on the internet.

Life at BuzzFeed

We celebrate inclusion & are committed to equal-opportunity employment. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, & will not be discriminated against based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other protected category.

You can expect:

• A supportive, inclusive atmosphere on a team that values your contributions.
• Opportunities for personal & professional growth through work experience, offerings from our in-house Learning Team, our Employee Resource Groups, & more.
• An attractive & equitable compensation package, including salary.
• A well-rounded benefits program featuring paid time off, unlimited sick time, comprehensive medical benefits, a family leave policy, access to mental health platforms, retirement plans, health & wellness discounts, & much more.