Senior Product Designer, Internationalization

Boston, MA, United States

At Klaviyo, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives each Klaviyo (we call ourselves Klaviyos) brings to our workplace each and every day. We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at success and appreciate the experiences each person brings beyond the traditional job requirements. If you’re a close but not exact match with the description, we hope you’ll still consider applying. Want to learn more about life at Klaviyo? Visit careers.klaviyo.com to see how we empower creators to own their own destiny.

As a Senior Product Designer with a focus on internationalization and localization, you will be at the forefront of designing Klaviyo to resonate with a global audience. You will specialize in creating designs that are culturally sensitive and linguistically accurate, ensuring that our products feel local to users from various regions of the world.

Role will be based in Boston as we believe there will be significant collaboration with other design teams, product, and there is no design leadership in London. We do not feel like the time difference with the internationalization teams will cause issues. Travel to London is a possibility for team meetings.

Beneficial Skills

Systems thinking is crucial when considering the intricate web of factors influencing internationalization and localization, including cultural norms, language, technical constraints, and user behaviors.

Internationalization often involves complex problems that cannot be solved in isolation. Systems thinking equips designers with the ability to identify and address the root causes of issues rather than just their symptoms.

Sensitivity to cultural nuances and practices in different regions.

Ability to create intuitive, user-friendly designs that can be adapted for global audiences.

Knowledge of multiple languages is a plus, or at least an understanding of linguistic principles that affect design (like directionality, text expansion, etc.).

Awareness and understanding of different cultural references, symbols, and conventions.

Creative problem-solving skills to address and preempt internationalization and localization issues.

Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities, often coordinating with different teams and time zones.

Knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements in different countries that might affect product design, such as data privacy laws, accessibility standards, and age restrictions.

Experience in designing for diverse languages and scripts, including right-to-left languages such as Arabic or Hebrew.

Experience with French, Spanish, and/or German is beneficial.

Key Responsibilities

Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and designers, to ensure designs align with international standards and practices.

Lead the design process for internationalization from concept to delivery, ensuring that product can be easily adapted to multiple languages and regions without redesign.

Design user interfaces that accommodate varying text expansion for translation and ensure that layout and design elements are culturally appropriate.

Collaborate with research to understand the needs and behaviors of international users and integrate these insights into design decisions.

Create and maintain the i18n/l10n design system guidelines that supports localization efforts and promotes consistency across different locales.

Work closely with localization teams to ensure that the translation of text within the user interface is contextually relevant.

Continuously evaluate and iterate on designs based on feedback from international users, keeping up-to-date with global design trends and cultural nuances.

Provide guidance and expertise on internationalization best practices to other designers and stakeholders within the company.

30 / 60 / 90 Day plan

The following is an educated guess based on current understanding of needs and is subject to change as we discover and learn more.

First 30 Days: Onboarding & Understanding

Objectives

Integrate with the team

Understand current internationalization and localization guidance

Identify guidance needs

Review existing plans and commitments

Actions

Meet with the design and localization teams to build relationships and understand roles and workflows

Study the Ascent design system and guidelines with a focus on internationalization aspects

Conduct one-on-one meetings with the localization team to understand their needs and expectations regarding internationalization

Review ongoing projects for French language and assess internationalization and localization

Begin documenting any immediate design issues or gaps in current internationalization efforts

Deliverables

Summary of initial findings on current internationalization practices

A list of needs and/or projects based on discussions with team members

An outline of potential improvements in the internationalization process

First 60 Days: Developing Perspectives & Providing Support

Objectives

Establish a point of view on current design and localization issues

Begin language incubation for the first non-English language (French)

Add support for five additional SMS locales (French +5)

Assist translation teams

Review new design work

Actions

Dive deeper into research for the first new language to understand linguistic and cultural nuances

Start incubation for the first new language, setting a foundation for design adjustments

Collaborate with the localization team and design pillar(s) to support the addition of five new SMS locales, addressing any design issues that arise

Review new design work to proactively ensure compatibility with internationalization standards

Provide ongoing support to the translation teams, answering questions and help resolve design-related translation issues

Deliverables

Designs, as required, to support issues identified in translating the product to French

A comprehensive point of view document outlining the current state and future recommendations for design internationalization

First 90 Days: Establishing Guidelines & Preparing for Future

Objectives

Document comprehensive internationalization and localization guidelines

Define culturally flexible iconography and illustration guidelines

Establish layout best practices for different scripts and languages

Prepare for future work on Right-to-Left (RTL) languages and high-density Asian languages

Actions

Finalize and document guidelines including cultural elements such as color usage, flag representation, and other locale-specific considerations

Create a set of iconography and illustrations that are neutral and adaptable across cultures without relying on text

Define and document layout best practices for localization, focusing on flexibility for translation, text expansion, and RTL scripts

Begin preliminary research on the design challenges posed by RTL languages and the density of Asian languages

Deliverables

Designs, as required, to support issues identified in translating the product to French

Collaboration with teams and possible design work for five new SMS locales

A complete set of internationalization and localization guidelines ready for R&D distribution

A best practices guide for localization-ready layouts and patterns

Start to develop a handoff checklist for designers to ensure that work meets the requirements of localization

The pay range for this role is listed below. Sales roles are also eligible for variable compensation and hourly non-exempt roles are eligible for overtime in accordance with applicable law. This role is eligible for benefits, including: medical, dental and vision coverage, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k), flexible paid time off and company-paid holidays and a culture of learning that includes a learning allowance and access to a professional coaching service for all employees.

Pay Range For US Locations:

$144,000—$216,000 USD

Get to Know Klaviyo

We’re Klaviyo (pronounced clay-vee-oh). We empower creators to own their destiny by making first-party data accessible and actionable like never before. We see limitless potential for the technology we’re developing to nurture personalized experiences in ecommerce and beyond. To reach our goals, we need our own crew of remarkable creators—ambitious and collaborative teammates who stay focused on our north star: delighting our customers. If you’re ready to do the best work of your career, where you’ll be welcomed as your whole self from day one and supported with generous benefits, we hope you’ll join us.

Klaviyo is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin, color, religion or religious creed, age, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, veteran or active military status, marital status, criminal record, genetics, retaliation, sexual harassment or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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