Founding Product Designer

Founding Product Designer — Confidential AI Technology Company

Location: New York City

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Environment: On-Site, 5 Days/Week

About the Company

Our client is a fast-growing, early-stage AI technology company building software for complex, high-trust professional workflows.

The company is developing AI-powered technology that helps organizations automate complex processes, modernize how teams operate, and safely incorporate AI into workflows where reliability, accuracy, security, and transparency are critical.

The Role

We are seeking a Founding Product Designer to help define how customers experience the company’s AI-powered platform.

This is a hands-on product design role focused on turning complex AI workflows into intuitive, trustworthy software experiences. You’ll work closely with Engineering, Product, domain experts, and customers to understand how professionals work today and design the interfaces and workflows that make sophisticated technology feel simple and reliable.

As one of the company’s first designers, you’ll have significant ownership over the product experience — from early concepts and user research through polished production designs. You’ll help establish the company’s design language, influence product direction, and shape how customers interact with AI every day.

Why This Role Matters

The company is building software for professionals performing complex, high-trust work.

Users need to clearly understand what the technology is doing, why it’s doing it, and where human judgment is required. Great product design in this environment goes far beyond aesthetics — it requires making sophisticated AI workflows feel transparent, intuitive, fast, and trustworthy.

As a Founding Product Designer, you’ll play a major role in defining that experience as the company and product scale.

What You’ll Do

• Design intuitive, end-to-end product experiences across the company’s core platform
• Partner closely with Engineering, Product, domain experts, and customers to understand complex workflows and translate them into thoughtful product experiences
• Own the design process from discovery and wireframes through high-fidelity mockups and production-ready specifications
• Create intuitive workflows for AI-powered products and features
• Conduct user research, gather customer feedback, and iterate quickly based on insights
• Build and evolve the company’s design system, interaction patterns, and visual language
• Design for clarity, trust, accessibility, and usability across complex workflows
• Collaborate closely with engineers throughout implementation to ensure high-quality execution
• Help establish design best practices and raise the overall product quality bar

What We’re Looking For

• 3+ years of experience designing modern software products
• Strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional product thinking, interaction design, and visual design
• Expert-level proficiency in Figma and modern product design workflows
• Experience designing complex web applications, SaaS platforms, or enterprise software
• Strong systems thinking and an ability to simplify complicated user journeys
• Comfortable collaborating closely with engineers throughout implementation
• High ownership and ability to operate independently in an ambiguous environment
• Excellent communication skills and strong product intuition
• Strong attention to detail and pride in creating exceptional user experiences

Preferred Experience

• Experience designing AI-native or agentic products
• Experience with enterprise workflow software or productivity tools
• Experience designing for regulated or trust-sensitive industries
• Experience creating and maintaining scalable design systems
• Experience conducting customer research and usability testing
• Previous early-stage startup experience

The Environment

• 5 days per week on-site in New York City — no remote or hybrid
• Fast-paced, early-stage startup environment
• High level of ownership and accountability
• Flat, highly collaborative team structure
• Opportunity to directly influence the product and design function as the company scales

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO
• Premium fitness and wellness membership
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Daily company-provided dinner