Product Designer

Product Designer (Contract)

Company: Butter Location: Remote (San Francisco Bay Area preferred for hybrid option) Contract Type: Contract (with potential for full-time transition)

About Butter

Butter is building a new kind of social product focused on meaningful interactions within smaller groups. Unlike broadcast-centric platforms, Butter empowers friend groups to create and play within custom mini-apps, fostering deeper connections through shared experiences, games, utilities, and unique group activities. Our mission is to become the primary online space where friendships live and evolve. We are a fast-moving, early-stage startup founded by experienced professionals from Airbnb, Instagram, and Snap, backed by top-tier investors.

About the Role

We are seeking a talented Product Designer with exceptional craft and strong product instincts to join our core team. This is a contract role with significant potential to transition into a full-time position for the right candidate. You will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our product, working directly with the founders to define its direction, establish design culture, and make foundational decisions about the user experience.

This role requires a designer who thinks holistically about the product experience, extending beyond UI to encompass the entire user journey. You will own projects from initial concept through to execution, impacting key areas such as group spaces, mini-apps, creation tools, onboarding, discovery, and our emerging AI systems. As the product is still in its early stages, you can expect a high degree of ownership, ambiguity, and influence.

What You'll Do

• Design product experiences from the initial idea through to the shipped product.
• Develop elegant and simple solutions for complex interaction challenges.
• Define interaction patterns, motion design, visual systems, and product quality standards.
• Design and iterate on core user experiences, including group spaces, mini-apps, creation flows, and discovery features.
• Collaborate closely with founders, engineering, and product teams to shape company strategy.
• Engage directly with users to gather insights and translate them into product direction.
• Elevate the overall quality and craft of the product.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience designing consumer products.
• Strong skills in visual design, interaction design, and product thinking.
• A portfolio showcasing exceptional craft and meticulous attention to detail.
• Proven ability to simplify complex workflows into intuitive user experiences.
• A strong aesthetic sense and a deep understanding of internet culture, communication, and modern social products.
• Comfort working with ambiguity and a proven ability to create clarity.
• Ability to execute quickly without compromising quality.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills.
• Enthusiasm for startup environments and founder-level ownership.
• Availability to work Monday-Friday during regular work hours.
• Please mention the word SUSTAINABLE when applying.

Bonus Points

• Experience at a consumer startup or in a 0-to-1 product environment.
• Skills in motion design, advanced prototyping, or creative coding.
• Experience designing social products, creator tools, gaming products, or AI-powered experiences.
• Based in San Francisco or interested in a hybrid work model.

What We Offer

• Competitive hourly compensation for the contract period.
• The opportunity to transition into a full-time role with salary, equity, and benefits.
• Flexible scheduling and remote work flexibility.
• A high-trust, high-ownership, high-standards environment within a small team.
• The unique chance to help define a product from its earliest stages.

Butter is committed to building a product that feels natural and inclusive for all users. We believe diverse perspectives lead to better products, and we celebrate candidates from all backgrounds. We evaluate applicants based on skills, experience, potential, and alignment with our mission.