Staff Product Designer

About Mainstay

Mainstay is the leading market intelligence platform purpose built for buying, managing, and selling homes in the single family rental industry. As an AI native company, we turn complex data into clarity that helps the industry move forward with confidence. Founded within Opendoor, Mainstay launched as an independent company in 2024 and recently raised a Series A round led by Khosla Ventures.

Ready to shape the future of real estate with AI? Join Mainstay and help us redefine what’s possible in the single family rental space. If you thrive on solving complex problems and want to make a tangible impact in a fast-growing industry, we’d love to hear from you - apply now and let’s move the industry forward, together!

About the role

As a Staff Product Designer, you will begin by owning design work in one product area, building deep expertise and driving high quality outcomes. Over time, your initiatives will influence and shape experiences across multiple product areas, improving usability, efficiency, and business impact at scale. You will partner with product managers, engineers, and leadership to turn vision into experiences that scale. You will also help define how AI and emerging technologies are applied responsibly and creatively in our product.

As part of our interview process, you’ll complete a short, paid work trial that reflects how we actually collaborate at Mainstay. You can read more about how we approach work trials here

In this role you will

• Lead the design strategy and execution for one or more core product workstreams.

• Collaborate with product, engineering, and other partners to translate business needs into clear, scalable user experiences.

• Conduct user research and synthesize insights to inform design direction.

• Create prototypes and high-fidelity mockups in Figma that communicate design intent effectively.

• Extend and evolve our design system to improve consistency and efficiency.

• Mentor designers and help shape Mainstay’s design culture.

• Explore how AI and automation can thoughtfully enhance user experience and workflow efficiency.

What we’re looking for

• 8+ years of experience designing and shipping digital products, ideally in SaaS or complex system environments.

• Strong product thinking. You connect user needs, business goals, and technical realities into clear, effective design solutions.

• Mastery of interaction and visual design. You care about details and know when to simplify.

• Experience leading design work from discovery to launch — setting direction, aligning teams, and iterating with intent.

• Clear communicator who can explain decisions and guide discussions with empathy and precision.

• Comfortable working in fast-moving, collaborative environments. You stay grounded and organized amid change.

• Genuine curiosity about how emerging technologies, including AI, can improve product experiences.

• Excitement for mentoring and helping others grow. You raise the quality bar and bring others with you.

This role is a great fit if…

• You enjoy shaping ideas with others and believe collaboration makes the work stronger.

• You move easily between big-picture systems thinking and hands-on design craft.

• You value clarity - in your work, your communication, and how you make decisions.

• You can work independently, manage your time well, and follow through on commitments.

• You’re motivated by meaningful problems and want to see your designs make a real impact.

Not a great fit if…

• You prefer rigid structures or highly defined processes before you start designing.

• You’re uncomfortable sharing unfinished work or receiving feedback early and often.

• You prefer working solo and find cross-functional collaboration draining.

• You’re looking for short-term contract work rather than a long-term, full-time opportunity.

Interview Process

We aim to keep the process clear, respectful of your time, and true to how we work.

Here’s what to expect:

1. Application - Submit your resume and portfolio.

2. Team Portfolio Review - Our design team reviews submissions to identify strong fits.

3. Recruiter Call (30 min) - brief conversation to learn more about you and share details about Mainstay.

4. Portfolio Interview (60 min) - deeper discussion of one or two projects that show your process and impact.

5. Paid Work Trial (1 week) - short, collaborative project that reflects real Mainstay work.

6. Debrief & Offer Discussion - exchange feedback, answer questions, and discuss next steps together.

We’ll communicate clearly at each step so you always know what’s coming next.

#LI-AW

Mainstay Built on Trust

At Mainstay, trust is at the core of everything we do. We build trust with everyone -- from candidates to employees to partners. We believe in fairness and openness throughout our hiring process, evaluating candidates based on qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status. Our privacy practices describe how we handle applicant information, you can find the policy details for California residents here.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, religious beliefs, or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at mainstay-recruiting@opendoor.com