Application Guide

How to Apply for UX Team Lead

at The Tor Project

🏢 About The Tor Project

The Tor Project is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing human rights and freedoms through anonymity and privacy technologies. Working here means contributing to tools that protect journalists, activists, and everyday users from surveillance and censorship, with a strong commitment to open source and user-centric design.

About This Role

As UX Team Lead, you will manage a team of designers and drive UX strategy across Tor's web and software products, including the Tor Browser. Your work directly impacts the usability and accessibility of privacy tools for millions of users worldwide, balancing security with intuitive design.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day might start with a standup with your design team, reviewing progress on feature designs and offering feedback. You'll then collaborate with product managers to prioritize upcoming work, followed by a deep-focus session refining a design system component or conducting a usability review of a new Tor Browser feature. Afternoons often involve cross-team meetings with engineering to ensure design feasibility and accessibility compliance.

🚀 Application Tools

Generate Cover Letter

AI-powered, tailored for The Tor Project

Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who The Tor Project Is Looking For

  • Has 3+ years of direct people management experience with designers, including mentoring and performance reviews.
  • Possesses 7+ years in UX/product design with a portfolio showcasing systems thinking, interaction design, and user-centered problem solving, especially for complex desktop or mobile applications.
  • Is proficient in Figma and has experience with design systems, Android/Material Design 3, and frontend technologies to collaborate effectively with engineers.
  • Understands privacy and security constraints and can design for high-trust, low-friction user experiences without compromising anonymity.

📝 Tips for Applying to The Tor Project

1

Highlight any experience designing for privacy, security, or anti-censorship tools in your portfolio and resume.

2

Emphasize your people management successes: how you grew your team, resolved conflicts, or improved design processes.

3

Showcase your familiarity with open source communities and your comfort with transparent, collaborative workflows (e.g., public issue trackers).

4

Tailor your portfolio to include examples of design systems you've built or contributed to, especially for cross-platform products.

5

In your cover letter, explicitly connect your design philosophy to Tor's mission of human rights and freedom.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for privacy and anonymity as a fundamental human right, and alignment with Tor's nonprofit mission.", 'Your leadership style and specific examples of mentoring designers and fostering inclusive team cultures.', 'Your experience balancing user needs with technical constraints (e.g., security vs. usability) in complex products.', 'Your familiarity with designing for diverse, global audiences including users in restrictive environments.']

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Explore Tor's current products (Tor Browser, Tor for Android, Tor services) and identify usability pain points from user feedback or reviews.
  • → Review Tor's blog and community forums to understand their design philosophy and recent UX changes.
  • → Read about the technical constraints of designing for anonymity (e.g., fingerprinting, network latency) to show technical awareness.
  • → Learn about Tor's organizational structure and how design interacts with engineering and product teams.
Visit The Tor Project's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you approach designing a feature that requires minimal data collection while still providing a good user experience?
2 Describe a time you had to advocate for design decisions with engineering or product teams. How did you handle pushback?
3 How do you prioritize design work across multiple products with limited resources?
4 What changes would you make to Tor Browser's current UX to improve accessibility without compromising anonymity?
5 How do you foster collaboration between designers, engineers, and product managers in a remote, open source environment?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic application without referencing Tor's mission or specific products—personalize every element.
  • Focusing solely on visual design without demonstrating systems thinking or understanding of technical constraints.
  • Ignoring the people management aspect: failing to provide examples of team leadership or mentorship in your application.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to The Tor Project!

← Back to Job Listing Apply Now →