Job intelligence
Product Designer (1099 Contract) | Active Secret Clearance Required
DEFCON AI
Before relying on the listing: Confirm Compensation with the employer or source. See verification questions
Executive opportunity brief
The decision in one screen
A compact evidence-first read of compensation, flexibility, mobility and what still needs verification. No universal quality score is used.
Fast read
Opportunity DNA
There is a useful advantage here: location flexibility looks unusually broad. Still, the pay picture is incomplete could change the fit.
A financial comparison will need the approved compensation range.
No material geography, office-attendance or timezone restriction is visible in the available wording.
Some access and qualification signals are clear, but the overall entry path is neither unusually open nor unusually restrictive.
Sponsorship and relocation support are not clear from the current listing.
Part of the application route can be assessed, but the full external process may contain additional steps.
At least one recent enabled source can still renew this vacancy.
This fingerprint summarizes what is clear, constrained or still unanswered in the current listing. It is a reading aid, not an overall job score.
Decision evidence check
4 of 5 core facts stated
This checks whether the listing states the facts that commonly change an employment decision. It measures disclosure completeness, not whether the opportunity is good or bad.
Facts already stated
- Work arrangement
- Advertised location
- Application closing time
- Employment type
What to verify next
- Compensation: What is the approved compensation range, and what portion is guaranteed base pay rather than variable compensation?
Advertised location is not proof of work authorization, sponsorship, or legal eligibility. Unknown information is not a negative score; verify those questions separately.
Decision levers
What could make or break the fit?
Reasons to look closer
- Location flexibility looks unusually broad: The available wording supports high Remote Freedom without a material geography, office-attendance or timezone restriction showing up.
Trade-offs to weigh
- The pay picture is incomplete: No usable salary range is stated, so a meaningful financial comparison is not possible yet.
Questions worth asking before you invest more time
- Ask for the approved compensation range before comparing this opportunity financially.
- Confirm whether a degree is actually required, preferred, or replaceable with equivalent experience.
- Confirm the actual minimum experience requirement rather than assuming preferred background is mandatory.
- Ask whether visa sponsorship is available before investing significant time in the application.
These questions come from details the listing leaves open. An unanswered point is not treated as a disadvantage.
Opportunity neighborhood
Keep your options open
These live roles sit close enough to this opportunity to make useful comparison points. Look across several employers before deciding what pay, flexibility or access trade-offs you are willing to accept.
Graphic Designer - Pooling
The People Avenue · Remote — Worldwide
Why it is nearby: Same seniority band · Similar work arrangement · Same employment type
UI/UX Designer
Koniag Government Services · Remote — Worldwide
Why it is nearby: Same seniority band · Similar work arrangement · Recently posted
UX Designer | EMEA | Contract
Fueled · EMEA
Why it is nearby: Similar work arrangement · Same employment type · Recently posted
Different angle: Seniority is not explicit
UX Designer - Infrastructure
Canonical · EMEA
Why it is nearby: Similar work arrangement · Recently posted
Different angle: Seniority is not explicit
This neighborhood is drawn from current inventory in the same broad occupation. Similarity is based on explicit listing facts; missing details do not count against a job.
Role market context
How much current choice is visible around this kind of work?
This compares the vacancy with current High Paid Job inventory in the broad Design roles family. It describes visible choice and disclosure, not future demand or career quality.
200 most recent current roles sampled for the disclosure measures below.
Distinct employers in the bounded current sample, not an estimate of all employers hiring in the market.
Current sampled roles stating at least four of the five Core Decision Facts.
Requires a numeric amount, explicit ISO currency and supported pay period.
Listings with explicit enough remote, hybrid or on-site evidence to classify.
Missing deadline evidence remains unknown and is not interpreted as an open-ended application window.
Currencies with explicit pay evidence in the sample: USD (29) · EUR (18) · GBP (10) · CAD (4). Raw amounts across different currencies are not compared.
This describes current visible High Paid Job inventory in the same broad occupation family. Percentages use a bounded recent sample and are not a forecast, a complete labor-market census or an employer-quality measure.
Constraint opportunity lab
What changes the size of the current opportunity pool?
Each line applies one stricter evidence-based constraint to the same bounded current role-family sample. It helps you see the trade-off in visible choice without deciding which trade-off is right for you.
Counts only affirmative or possible sponsorship evidence, or relocation explicitly offered. Unknown is not treated as no.
Uses only roles with a stated employment type.
A much stricter subset: only listings with explicit worldwide-remote evidence remain.
Requires amount, explicit ISO currency and a supported pay period. Missing pay evidence remains unknown.
Includes roles whose seniority is genuinely unspecified rather than assuming they belong to another level.
Shows the subset with enough stated evidence for a more informed first comparison.
Counts roles explicitly classified as worldwide remote, region-restricted remote or remote with restrictions still unclear.
These are counterfactual filters over a bounded sample of current HPJ inventory in the same broad occupation family. They show how visible choice changes when one evidence-based constraint is applied; they do not tell you which constraint you should choose or predict hiring outcomes. The calculation uses the 200 most recent current roles from 318 visible roles in this broad family.
Salary transparency context
Is pay disclosure typical for this kind of role?
This listing does not state usable structured compensation. About 31% of the bounded current role sample does.
Compensation counts only when amount, ISO currency and supported pay period are all known.
Pay disclosure is limited in the current role sample.
Employer-level comparison is withheld until enough current employer listings are available.
This compares salary-disclosure behavior in current visible listings. It does not compare raw salary amounts across currencies, infer undisclosed pay as zero, or rate employer quality.
Private offer & negotiation lab
Turn an offer into evidence, not guesswork
Enter an annual base offer and, if you want, your own target. HPJ compares only within one explicit currency and never chooses a target for you.
Negotiation evidence available: current same-currency market context, strong decision evidence.
Enter an annual base offer to compare it with explicit same-currency evidence. HPJ will not suggest a target for you.
Review the full package · 10 terms
Mark what is confirmed, what needs clarification and what you want to prioritize. These choices and notes stay in this browser.
The approved base-pay range is not established in the listing.
Variable compensation is mentioned; verify amount, formula, target and eligibility.
Equity or long-term incentive language is mentioned; verify grant type, vesting and valuation basis.
Retirement or pension benefits are mentioned; verify employer contribution and vesting.
Health-benefit language is mentioned; verify coverage, dependants and employee cost.
Paid-leave language is mentioned; verify the exact entitlement and carry-over rules.
A work-arrangement signal is available; verify schedule details before relying on it.
Relocation support not established
Sponsorship not established
A review cycle is mentioned; verify timing and whether compensation can change at that review.
Questions worth taking into the offer conversation
- What is the approved base-pay range for this role?
- Is there a bonus, commission or other variable-pay component, and how is it calculated?
- Does the package include equity or another long-term incentive, and what are the vesting terms?
- What retirement or pension contribution does the employer provide?
- What health coverage is included and what costs remain with the employee?
- How much paid leave is provided and what are the carry-over or blackout rules?
- If relocation is relevant, what expenses, timing and repayment conditions are covered?
- What exact sponsorship or work-authorization conditions apply to this role?
Occupation intelligence
What broader career references connect to this role?
HPJ uses broad comparison families for current-market analysis. External taxonomy results are reference candidates for that broad family, not a declaration that this vacancy has been authoritatively classified into a specific occupation.
European occupation references
- technical communicator
- user interface designer
- user experience analyst
- web designer
- instructional designer
This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.
U.S. occupation references
- Web and Digital Interface Designers 15-1255.00
- Fashion Designers 27-1022.00
- Floral Designers 27-1023.00
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers 15-1253.00
- Web Developers 15-1254.00
This site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Career reference research
Skills worth investigating
Official occupational context, paired with exact phrases visible in this vacancy. It is not a skills test or an applicant-fit score.
ESCO · European occupation
technical communicator
Usually essential in this ESCO occupation
- apply tools for content development
- content development processes
- compile content
- manage information sources
- product usage risks analysis
- interpret technical texts
- gather technical information
Context-dependent ESCO skills
- create script for artistic production
- provide online help
- Sass
- translate requirements into visual design
- use markup languages
O*NET · U.S. occupation
Web and Digital Interface Designers
O*NET occupation skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
- Active Listening
- Complex Problem Solving
- Programming
- Monitoring
Build my private skill preparation brief Your evidence · Practice · Interview questions
Plan how you might demonstrate or investigate occupational skills. These are broad-family reference examples, not confirmed vacancy requirements. Nothing you enter is sent to High Paid Job.
Private to this browser. Up to 20 reference skills; not a qualification assessment or hiring prediction.
Useful next question: Which of these occupational reference skills does the hiring manager actually expect for this specific role, and what evidence would demonstrate them?
These skills belong to one reference occupation selected for HPJ’s broad career family, not a verified classification of this vacancy. Text overlap only means a phrase appears in the available listing text; it does not establish an employer requirement, your proficiency, or a qualification gap. A missing mention is unknown, not a deficit.
Adjacent current roles to investigate
Marketing Specialist
Slasify · Remote — Worldwide
same seniority band · similar work-arrangement evidenceNorwegian SEO Specialist
Welo Global · France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, UK
same employment type · similar work-arrangement evidenceSr. Counsel; Product, Privacy, and AI
Veeam Software · USA
similar work-arrangement evidenceAdjacent-family roles are exploration prompts from current HPJ inventory. They are not inferred qualification matches and they do not imply a promotion path.
Career move map
What sits one step away?
This listing is currently read as Mid-career. Nearby roles one visible seniority step away can help you judge whether to widen the search, stretch upward or compare the responsibilities more carefully.
Broader-entry direction
Graduate Product Designer 2027 (London)
Deliveroo · London
Recently postedStretch direction
Senior Graphic Designer
Health Hue Digital · Remote — Worldwide
Similar work arrangement · Recently postedProduct Designer Lead
Insense · Remote — Worldwide
Similar work arrangement · Recently postedThese are live roles one visible seniority step away in the same broad occupation family. They can reveal nearby options, but they are not a guaranteed promotion path and do not account for your personal experience.
Skill bridge
What does this role connect to?
Figma is one of the signals this listing shares with skills appearing often across current Design roles opportunities.
Skills named in this listing
Shared with the current career sample
- Figma Seen in 49 sampled listings
- React Seen in 6 sampled listings
- Stakeholder Management Seen in 3 sampled listings
Combinations also appearing together
- Figma + React appeared together in 3 sampled listings
Additional signals in this listing: TypeScript
Application edge
- If these skills match your background, prepare one concrete example that shows how you used Figma, React, and Stakeholder Management rather than relying on a keyword-only claim.
- The listing mentions extra application steps. Review those requirements before starting so you can prepare the requested material in one pass.
If the named skills are genuinely transferable in your own experience, the occupation map also points to adjacent current families worth researching: Product roles and Marketing roles. This is exploration context, not a qualification match.
Skill signals come from explicit text mentions. A mention is not automatically a requirement, and absence from the current top-skill list does not make a skill rare or unimportant. The current career comparison draws on 101 sampled listings; 72 contain a recognized skill signal.
Application Decision Lab
Turn the listing into a preparation plan
Separate what the listing actually states from what you still need to prepare or verify. Your selections and short notes stay in this browser and are never submitted to High Paid Job.
Security-clearance barrier stated
The listing contains an explicit security-clearance requirement or eligibility condition that can materially restrict access.
Figma
This skill or technology is explicitly mentioned in the available listing text. A mention is not automatically a mandatory requirement; prepare a concrete example only if it is relevant to your experience.
React
This skill or technology is explicitly mentioned in the available listing text. A mention is not automatically a mandatory requirement; prepare a concrete example only if it is relevant to your experience.
Stakeholder Management
This skill or technology is explicitly mentioned in the available listing text. A mention is not automatically a mandatory requirement; prepare a concrete example only if it is relevant to your experience.
TypeScript
This skill or technology is explicitly mentioned in the available listing text. A mention is not automatically a mandatory requirement; prepare a concrete example only if it is relevant to your experience.
Prepare for a stated application step
A cover letter is explicitly mentioned.
Prepare for a stated application step
A portfolio or work sample is explicitly mentioned.
Questions worth resolving before you rely on the opportunity
- Compensation: What is the approved compensation range, and what portion is guaranteed base pay rather than variable compensation?
- Work authorization / sponsorship: If sponsorship or work authorization matters to you, what exact immigration or employer-sponsorship conditions apply to this role?
Decision analysis
What the listing really tells you
A closer look at Product Designer (1099 Contract) | Active Secret Clearance Required at DEFCON AI points most strongly to the location rules are clear enough to judge, the entry path is becoming clearer, and the application route gives a few useful clues. Those signals shape the practical upside and the questions still worth asking.
The location rules are clear enough to judge
Location flexibility can be assessed here: Highly location-flexible, with a Remote Freedom reading of 96/100.
The entry path is becoming clearer
1 additional stated barrier. Only requirements actually stated in the listing are counted; anything left unsaid remains unresolved.
The application route gives a few useful clues
Provider-mediated application path · 2 visible process steps. The external application may contain additional steps that are not visible from the listing itself.
Source continuity adds useful context
1 recent enabled source can currently renew this vacancy across 1 source classes. That improves traceability, although it does not verify the employer itself.
How this analysis is assembled
The brief pulls together the parts of the vacancy that can be compared reliably today. Gaps in the listing remain visible instead of being filled with assumptions.
Analysis evidence coverage
How much analysis can the current evidence support?
Comparable salary data is not available for this job yet.
Measures observable location flexibility and explicit restrictions; it does not determine whether remote work is personally desirable.
Missing compensation is not treated as negative evidence; this dimension simply remains unavailable.
The source posting date is today.
At least one enabled source recently observed the vacancy. The source chain is traceable, but this is not independent employer verification.
There is no universal opportunity score because pay, flexibility and access matter differently to different people. Compare Jobs lets you weight the evidence around your own priorities.
Decision checklist
What is supported, uncertain or worth checking?
This checklist separates supported strengths, visible cautions and missing evidence. It is not an overall recommendation or guarantee that the job is suitable for you.
Supported strengths
- The available work-location evidence indicates strong location flexibility.
Visible cautions
- A security-clearance requirement may substantially narrow eligibility.
- This is not a standard permanent full-time arrangement; compare benefits, taxes and continuity as well as headline pay.
- Security-clearance barrier stated
Still unknown
- There is not enough comparable salary evidence to establish this job’s current pay position.
- Visa sponsorship is not established by the available listing data.
Pay vs. barriers
Opportunity Efficiency not assessed
The current pay position is not reliable enough to weigh compensation against the stated barriers.
1 explicit required barrier is visible in the available wording.
- Current comparable pay position is unavailable.
- Education requirement is not established.
- Required prior-experience level is not established.
This section weighs pay context against clearly stated barriers without collapsing unlike requirements into one universal score. Degree, experience, licensing, clearance and location limits remain separate, and missing qualification details stay unknown.
Beyond the headline
Not enough evidence for a hidden-value finding
Potential hidden value appears only when several distinct non-pay advantages are actually supported. Missing requirements or benefits are never counted as positives.
The observable Remote Freedom evidence is strong and contains few explicit restriction signals.
Still check: Security-clearance barrier stated · The current application path is provider-mediated rather than directly classified as an employer-authorized or official route.
Hidden Value is an experimental evidence summary, not an investment-style score or guarantee of employability. It only uses explicit current listing evidence and does not infer that an unmentioned qualification is unnecessary.
Explainable opportunity highlight
Why this opportunity stands out
These are supported signals from the current listing and comparison sample—not a guarantee that this is the best job for you.
The observable work-location signals indicate unusually strong location flexibility.
The source posting date is today.
Compensation intelligence
How competitive is this pay?
Comparable salary data is not available for this job yet.
Why this analysis?
- Comparable salary data is not available for this job yet.
- Salary confidence: Not available. No disclosed salary can currently be normalized for comparison. Missing compensation is not treated as low-quality salary evidence.
- Range quality: No disclosed range.
Employer compensation communication
Pay transparency at DEFCON AI
Only 1 current listing from this employer is indexed. At least three are required before employer-level pay transparency is summarized.
This pattern comes from the employer’s current visible vacancies. It describes hiring and pay transparency in those listings, not employee satisfaction or a permanent judgement of the employer.
Current employer intelligence
DEFCON AI — current opportunity snapshot
Only 1 current listing from this employer is visible. At least three are needed before an employer pattern is shown.
This snapshot describes the employer’s current visible vacancies—things such as pay disclosure and work arrangement. It is not an employee-satisfaction or hiring-quality rating, and different currencies stay separate.
Work-location intelligence
Remote Freedom
Highly location-flexible
Why this score?
- The source describes the role as open worldwide or globally.
Flexibility signals detected
- Worldwide or global remote eligibility is explicitly indicated.
Remote Freedom measures observable location flexibility only. Unknown work-location information remains unscored. Timezone wording is penalized only when it appears restrictive; general collaboration across time zones is not treated as a restriction. A score does not guarantee legal work eligibility, payroll availability or visa sponsorship.
International applicant intelligence
Visa & relocation signals
Sponsorship status is shown only when the listing provides clear enough wording. Employer history or headquarters location is not used to guess an answer.
The available listing details do not contain a clear enough sponsorship statement.
The available listing details do not contain a clear enough relocation statement.
Tradeoff check
What’s the catch?
These are visible conditions worth checking before treating the headline compensation as the whole story:
- A security-clearance requirement may substantially narrow eligibility.
- This is not a standard permanent full-time arrangement; compare benefits, taxes and continuity as well as headline pay.
Application-path intelligence
What can we see about the application process?
Provider-mediated application path
The current application path comes through a publisher or aggregator. The destination may still lead to an employer-authorized hiring system, but that is not clear enough to assume.
Current destination: himalayas.app · HTTPS
Visible application steps or requirements
- A cover letter is explicitly mentioned.
- A portfolio or work sample is explicitly mentioned.
Application effort is estimated from visible listing and source details. Optional steps are kept separate from mandatory ones, and the external form may contain additional requirements that are not visible here.
Application safety context
Application safety check
Basic application-safety context available
The current application destination has a basic transport-safety signal such as HTTPS. This does not verify the employer, vacancy, recruiter or application process.
Evidence checked: Source provenance · Application destination · Listing wording
Observable transport-safety signals
- The available application destination uses HTTPS.
Before you share money or sensitive information
- Confirm the vacancy on the employer’s official careers site when practical, especially if a recruiter contacts you outside the listed application path.
- Check that recruiter email domains and application destinations are consistent with the employer or an identifiable recruiting provider.
- Do not pay application, processing, training or equipment fees merely to be considered for a job.
- Do not send cryptocurrency, gift cards, online-banking credentials or PINs as part of an application.
- Treat unusually fast offers or interviews conducted only through informal messaging channels as reasons to verify the employer independently.
This is a limited safety screen, not employer verification and not a fraud determination. Never send money, cryptocurrency, passwords or sensitive banking credentials merely because a listing appears on a job platform.
Original listing details
The section below comes from the listing source. The decision sections above use the job’s structured pay, location, qualification, mobility and application details to give you additional context.
ABOUT DEFCON AI
RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF DISRUPTION. DEFCON AI is an insights company that leverages artificial intelligence, mathematical optimization, data analytics, and software engineering for resilient optimization of complex systems.
In today’s dynamically changing world, DEFCON AI’s technology aligns outcomes with operational goals, better decision making, and empowers customers to anticipate assess, and mitigate the impacts of disruptions.
About the Role
We're hiring a mid-level Product Designer to own end-to-end design on one or more product areas. You will work directly with engineers, product, and subject-matter experts to turn ambiguous operational problems into interfaces that are dense, fast, and legible. This is a hands-on role: you will be in Figma, in the design system, and in code review conversations, not just in strategy decks.
You will work in a small team with a short distance between design and shipped software and direct contact with the people who use what we build. Designers have meaningful ownership of their product areas and are expected to bring informed opinions to the work.
This is a 1099 contract opportunity, with expected 40 hours per week. A Secret Clearance is required.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the design of features from discovery through shipped implementation — problem framing, flows, wireframes, high-fidelity UI, and design QA.
- Design for complexity: data-dense tables, map and timeline views, simulation outputs, and multi-role workflows where information hierarchy is the whole job.
- Contribute to and extend our design system (@defcon/ui) — build components in Figma, define tokens and variants, and partner with engineering on the React/TypeScript implementation.
- Run lightweight discovery with SMEs and end users, working within the access constraints of government environments. Translate what you learn into shared artifacts the team actually uses.
- Design the unglamorous but critical parts of government software: authentication flows (CAC/PIV), role-based access control, permissions, empty and error states, and audit-friendly interactions.
- Meet accessibility requirements as a baseline, not a cleanup pass — WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 compliance.
- Give and receive critique. Present work clearly to non-designers, including customers and program stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
- 4–5 years of product design experience shipping software, supported by a portfolio that demonstrates your process and decision-making, not just final screens.
- Strong proficiency in Figma, including components, variants, auto-layout, and variables.
- Hands-on experience building and maintaining a design system, including defining tokens and component APIs, documenting usage, communicating version changes, managing deprecations, and keeping the design library aligned with its coded implementation.
- Experience designing complex, information-dense applications, such as enterprise, analytics, logistics, or operational tools. Portfolios focused exclusively on consumer products may be less aligned with this role.
- Working knowledge of front-end concepts, including component structure, state, responsive behavior, and design tokens, with the ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and identify implementation drift.
- Experience using discovery, user research, or competitive analysis to inform design decisions and solve product problems.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to translate business goals into functional design solutions, explain trade-offs, and respectfully challenge decisions when needed.
- Ability to work independently through standard design challenges while recognizing when to seek guidance on complex architectural or system-scaling decisions.
- Strong storytelling, presentation, written, and asynchronous communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design rationale and build alignment across teams, time zones, and security boundaries.
- Active Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship required.
Preferred Qualifications
- A clearance above Secret (Top Secret or TS/SCI).
- Prior work on defense, government, or other regulated or compliance-heavy products.
- Experience contributing code to a design system or front-end codebase (React, TypeScript, CSS).
- Familiarity with map-based interfaces, scheduling and timeline UI, or simulation and modeling tools.
- Experience designing for classified or air-gapped environments, or working within FedRAMP and IL5 constraints.
Compensation: This is a 1099 independent contractor position. Compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, scope of work, and anticipated level of effort.
We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer: You’ll receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.Applicant Data Disclosure
By submitting an application, you acknowledge that Defcon AI uses third-party service providers to facilitate its recruitment and hiring processes. These providers include applicant tracking systems, candidate verification platforms, and fraud detection tools (collectively, "Hiring Platforms"). Your application materials, including your résumé, cover letter, work samples, responses to application questions, and any other information you submit, may be transmitted to and processed by these Hiring Platforms for the following purposes:- Managing and administering your application throughout the hiring process;
- Verifying the accuracy and authenticity of application materials, including by cross-referencing information you provide against publicly available sources and proprietary databases;
- Identifying indicators of potentially fraudulent, fabricated, or materially misleading application content, including but not limited to discrepancies between submitted materials and publicly available professional profiles, geographic anomalies, and fabricated work histories.
Originally posted on Himalayas
Listing provenance
Where did this job come from?
See where this vacancy came from and whether more than one current source can still support it. Source names help with traceability and attribution; they are not endorsements or guarantees.
At least one enabled source recently observed the vacancy. The source chain is traceable, but this is not independent employer verification.
- Continuity
- One recent renewable source
- Source-class independence
- One renewable source class
- Last source observation
- Observed today
This records when High Paid Job last observed the vacancy in source evidence. It confirms source presence, not that the employer edited the vacancy at that time.
- 1 enabled source recently observed this vacancy.
Source confidence is about traceability and continuity. It is separate from application safety and should not be read as an employer reputation rating.
The vacancy is supplied by an external job publisher. Source information helps show where the listing came from; it is not a guarantee about the employer or vacancy.
Listing source: Himalayas. Destination: himalayas.app. The application opens in a new tab so you can keep this report open.