Lead Product Designer I

At Root, we’re on a mission to improve the lives of our customers by offering better insurance solutions. We challenge ourselves to think differently in order to reimagine insurance to make it smarter, more equitable, and a better experience for all.

We strive to “unbreak” the archaic insurance industry by using data and technology in innovative new ways. We believe we must be steadfast in our commitments to research, experimentation, and disciplined data-driven decision making in order to build products our customers love.

The Opportunity

The UX team at Root Insurance is a collaborative, high-impact group on a mission to redefine insurance by designing products and experiences our customers love. Root’s broader mission is to unbreak insurance through data and technology to improve the lives of our customers. We believe in that mission deeply—and we take it seriously.

Salary Range: $131,000 - $157,000 (Eligible for competitive bonus and equity offerings)

Root is a “work where it works best” company. We’ll support you working from wherever you thrive across the U.S.

Here are three things we think you should know about this role and our team:

Culture

We’re a small, tight-knit team working to build something better than what exists today. We take pride in our craft, enjoy what we do, and strive to create a workplace where people can be themselves, feel challenged, and do work that matters. If you’re kind, humble, curious, and driven—we’d love to meet you.

How We View Product Design

At Root, design is not a service function—it’s a strategic partner. We believe great product designers think like product managers, psychologists, and systems thinkers all at once. We expect our designers to co-own the product roadmap, deeply understand customer problems, and drive solutions that create meaningful business and user impact. We care about clarity, execution, and follow-through just as much as creativity and ideas.

What You Should Expect In This Role

We’re building the future of our internal Claims tooling—and you’ll be joining from the ground up. Root’s claims adjusters are your primary users: fast-moving experts who rely on our tools to triage, investigate, and resolve complex claims. This is a high-complexity, zero-to-one product space that demands systems thinking, design rigor, and a relentless focus on operational efficiency and clarity.

You’ll work side-by-side with a dedicated UX researcher, product manager, engineers, and analytics partners to understand user needs, lead discovery efforts, and deliver design solutions that improve adjuster workflows and ultimately, customer outcomes. You’ll also contribute to adjacent domains like Independent Agents, but Claims will be your core area of ownership.

This Is The Right Role For Someone Who

• Thrives on deep collaboration and cross-functional ownership

• Loves taking messy problems and turning them into structured, scalable systems

• Communicates clearly, directly, honestly, and with purpose

• Understands how to drive real impact by simplifying complexity

• Is energized by leading in the face of ambiguity

• If any or all of this excites you, we’d love to meet you.

Must-have Skills

What We’re Looking For

• 5-10+ years of experience in product design, including complex system or B2B tooling
• Proven ability to lead projects independently from 0 > 1 and deliver on time
• Strong systems thinking and information architecture skills
• Excellent communication and storytelling, both written and verbal
• Ownership mindset with a high degree of comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action
• Ability to synthesize discovery and research into concrete product design
• High attention to detail without losing the forest for the trees
• Ability to confidently communicate and defend your design decisions with rationale grounded in user needs and business goals
• Comfort giving and receiving constructive, professional, honest critique

We Are Also Looking For

• Background in B2B SaaS, enterprise, and/or internal tooling design
• Experience designing expert-facing workflows and administrative tools
• Experience working in claims, logistics, operations, insurance, or similar domains
• Familiarity with AI-powered design tools and workflows

Please provide a portfolio PDF or link demonstrating system thinking, complex problem-solving, and communication. Applications without portfolios will not be considered.

Additional Job Description

As part of Root's interview process, we kindly ask that all candidates be on camera for virtual interviews. This helps us create a more personal and engaging experience for both you and our interviewers. Being on camera is a standard requirement for our process and part of how we assess fit and communication style, so we do require it to move forward with any applicant's candidacy. If you have any concerns, feel free to let us know once you are contacted. We’re happy to talk it through.