Lead Product Designer (Contract)
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 19, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 7, 2026.
At Acorns, our mission is to look after the financial best interests of the up-and-coming, beginning with the empowering, proud step of micro-investing. How do we accomplish our mission? Our values.
Lead With Heart - With compassion, integrity, and tenacity, inspire yourself and others to move past all previous thresholds of possibility
Make Bold Decisions - We are creating a new world. Be optimistic, adventurous, and courageous. Leap fearlessly into the future
Always Build Trust - Say what you mean, mean what you say, and do what you say you’re going to do. We are all owners. We are one team
Never Stop Growing - Change IS the constant. Stay hungry and curious. Be relentless in the pursuit of progress
Find a way - Never settle, no excuses, nothing is impossible. Just make it happen
Our values guide us, and our mission drives us. Come join us and help deliver financial wellness for the whole family, putting the tools of wealth-making into everyone’s hands.
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Lead Product Designer, Acorns Early (4-Month Contract) | Acorns
Acorns is seeking a Lead Product Designer to join the Family design team on a 4-month contract (November 2026 through end of February 2027), covering a teammate's leave and driving committed Acorns Early and Early Invest roadmap work. You'll step into active projects with established product and engineering partners, lead design direction across multiple initiatives, and raise the quality bar from day one.
This role is being offered on a contract basis with an expected duration of 4 months and requiring 40 hours of work per week.
Acorns is a remote-first organization, offering the flexibility to work remotely while providing optional access to office space in Irvine, CA.
What you will do at Acorns:
Lead design across multiple Acorns Early and Early Invest initiatives, setting direction from problem framing through high-fidelity design and handoff.
Partner with product and engineering leads to shape scope, prioritize, and make tradeoffs that keep delivery on track.
Translate business goals and customer insight into clear product concepts and experience strategy.
Design experiences that serve parents and kids together, with clarity and trust at the center.
Prototype and test ideas quickly to validate direction before engineering investment.
Guide and give feedback to other designers on the Family team, raising craft and consistency.
Present work and rationale to senior stakeholders and build alignment across teams.
Contribute to the Acorns design system and support engineering through build and QA.
What you will bring to Acorns:
8+ years of product design experience, with a portfolio of shipped consumer mobile work and clear examples of leading projects end to end.
Proven ability to set design direction and drive alignment across product, engineering, and leadership.
Strong strategic and conceptual thinking, paired with excellent interaction and visual craft.
Ability to ramp up quickly on existing projects and make sound decisions with limited context.
Experience guiding other designers through feedback and critique.
Clear, confident communication and storytelling with senior stakeholders.
Fluency in Figma and modern prototyping tools.
Experience in fintech, investing, or family products is a plus.
Hunger to deliver game-changing products.
Exceptional drive and precision in delivery.
A belief that your work is tied to your life's mission.
Optimistic about the potential of societal change.
You are not expected to have experience with all listed requirements. If you feel passionate about Acorns' mission, vision, and values, please apply.
What We Offer
Competitive hourly rates
Talented and motivated team who care deeply about one another, our mission, and our customers
The rare opportunity to create a new world, solving big societal challenges through meaningful work
About Acorns:
Acorns is a financial wellness app that helps everyday people and families save and invest money for the long term. Since 2014, Acorns has grown into a global company with multiple life-stage products serving the needs of kids, teens, adults, and parents. Named one of Time’s “World’s Best Brands of 2024,” Acorns has helped over 14 million people save & invest over $25 billion dollars, much of it from spare change and small amounts.
Compensation Information:
The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $120/hour and $140/hour; commensurate with experience and qualifications. Company reserves the right to modify hourly rate at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.
Work Authorization:
Acorns participates in E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For more information about E-Verify, please visitwww.e-verify.gov.