Product Designer

Texas A&M University System•Houston, TX

18h

About The Position

The CHARM team at Texas A&M AgriLife Extensions’ Disaster Assessment and Recovery (DAR) Unit provides education, outreach, and planning support for communities around the state of Texas, focusing on approaches that foster collaboration and holistic solutions to reduce risks from floods and other hazards. Central to our approach is the engagement of community staff, elected officials, and decision-makers in interactive planning exercises. Leveraging data-driven methodologies and innovative tools, such as our award-winning GIS-based scenario planning software, CommunityViz, we facilitate collaborative and community-centered sessions aimed at envisioning a future that can withstand future disasters and challenges. Operating within the largest university-based extension program nationwide, the CHARM team is uniquely positioned to deliver highly impactful community planning applications and services. Your Role The Product Designer designs intuitive, user-centered online mapping tools that make resilience planning and decision-making more accessible for communities of all sizes. Reporting to a Staff Product Designer, this role collaborates closely with GIS and planning teams, developers, and stakeholders to support CHARM Online Studio, a geospatial platform that enables non-GIS users to explore data, map scenarios, and document land-use and hazard mitigation decisions. The Product Designer contributes across the full design lifecycle—including user research, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and developer handoff—and plays a key role in delivering high-impact tools that support real communities along the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
One year of related experience in research and design of software products.
1-2+ years of experience in UX/Product Design.
Experience with Figma and design systems.
Strong grasp of user research, accessibility, and design best practices.
Clear written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to multitask and work collaboratively with others.

Nice To Haves

Experience in project management preferred.
Experience designing for mapping tools, GIS, or civic/public sector.

Responsibilities

Collaborates with the Staff Product Designer, product managers, stakeholders, and developers to understand user needs and product goals.
Designs intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces for GIS applications.
Designs wireframes, prototypes, and user flows to communicate UX concepts.
Collaborates with developers to ensure seamless integration of UX design from a QA and testing perspective.
Stays updated on industry trends and UX best practices in geospatial design.
Advocates for user-centric design principles throughout the development process.
Assists in and at times conducts usability studies, compilation and create reports.
Assists in validating and refining the product roadmap.
Updates and maintains design documentation in Confluence.
Performs other duties as assigned.