Chief Design Officer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Chief Design Officer

Company: Bjak

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Design Leadership / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-09-01

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic design direction and establish the quality bar for all consumer products and brands within the organization.

• Drive hands-on product design for critical user journeys, ensuring seamless integration of complex financial and AI workflows into simple, intuitive consumer experiences.

• Define and uphold standards across product design, interaction design, visual design, and the development and maintenance of robust design systems.

• Collaborate closely with product management and engineering teams from the initial concept phase through to final product launch, ensuring design integrity and user-centricity.

• Focus on enhancing the user experience for AI-native applications, aiming to reduce complexity and improve reliability for everyday tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior leadership position within a product-focused technology company specializing in AI-native consumer applications. The emphasis on "hands-on design leadership" and "deep product and interaction design capability" suggests a role that requires both strategic vision and direct contribution to design execution, rather than solely people management. The company's mission to build "proactive applications" and "organise anyone's life" indicates a strong focus on user-centricity and simplifying complex tasks through AI.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Establish and champion the overarching design vision and quality benchmarks for all consumer-facing products and associated brands.

• Directly contribute to or meticulously review key user journeys, innovative product concepts, and user interfaces, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.

• Translate intricate financial and AI-driven workflows into elegant, user-friendly consumer experiences that require minimal to no complex prompting.

• Develop, document, and enforce comprehensive standards for product design, interaction design, visual design, and the evolution of the company's design systems.

• Conduct thorough reviews of released products to identify and systematically address usability issues and design deficiencies.

• Partner proactively with product managers and engineering leads throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from ideation to deployment and iteration.

• Lead the recruitment, assessment, and development of senior talent in product design, UI design, and brand design, building a high-performing design team.

• Drive innovation in AI-native application design, focusing on high reliability for long-running workflows and persistent context for real-world task completion.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on strategic leadership (setting direction, standards, recruitment) and direct design contribution (reviewing journeys, concepts, interfaces, hands-on work). The mention of "complex financial and AI workflows" and the goal of "minimal to no prompting" indicates a specialized domain requiring sophisticated problem-solving and user empathy. The emphasis on "high reliability for long-running workflows" and "persistent context" points to a need for robust design solutions that can handle complex, ongoing user tasks.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a Chief Design Officer role. Relevant certifications or equivalent practical experience may be considered.

Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant portion in leadership roles, is required. Experience should demonstrate a track record of shipping successful consumer technology products with substantial user engagement.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio: A strong, demonstrable portfolio showcasing shipped consumer technology products with meaningful usage and impact.

• Product & Interaction Design: Deep expertise in product strategy, user-centered design principles, and complex interaction design.

• Visual Judgement: Exceptional visual acuity and meticulous attention to detail in interface design.

• Prototyping & Communication: Proven ability to create interactive prototypes and clearly articulate product interactions and design rationale.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Extensive experience working closely and effectively with product management and engineering teams on product development and launch.

• Hands-on Design Execution: A proactive, hands-on design approach, capable of creating, critiquing, and directly improving design work.

• Leadership & Talent Assessment: Experience in recruiting, mentoring, and assessing senior design talent.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in AI-native application design and understanding of prompt-less interaction models.

• Familiarity with complex financial workflows and their translation into consumer-friendly interfaces.

• Expertise in establishing and scaling design systems.

• Brand design strategy and execution.

• Usability testing and user research methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize practical, hands-on design skills and a proven track record of shipping products, rather than purely managerial experience. The "10+" years of experience and the "Chief" title signify a senior executive level. The specific mention of "consumer technology products with meaningful usage" implies a need for designs that have demonstrably succeeded in the market. The preference for "deep product and interaction design capability, not primarily people management" is a critical differentiator, indicating that the candidate must be a strong individual contributor and design thinker first and foremost.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Shipped Products: Showcase at least 2-3 significant consumer technology products that have been successfully launched and are in active use.

• Impact & Metrics: Clearly articulate the user impact, business outcomes, and key metrics (e.g., user engagement, conversion rates, retention) associated with your design contributions.

• Process & Rationale: Detail the design process followed, including problem definition, user research, ideation, prototyping, iteration, and collaboration with engineering. Explain the rationale behind key design decisions.

• Complexity Handling: Demonstrate experience in simplifying complex workflows (especially financial or AI-related) into intuitive user experiences.

• Design System Contribution: If applicable, showcase contributions to or leadership in the development and implementation of design systems.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Examples of how you have designed and optimized complex workflows for clarity and efficiency.

• User Journey Mapping: Demonstrate experience in mapping and improving critical user journeys.

• Design Standards: Evidence of establishing or influencing design standards for interaction, visual, and UI design.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Documentation: Illustrate how design processes integrate with product and engineering workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Chief Design Officer role, the portfolio is paramount. It's not just about aesthetics but about demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to drive tangible business and user outcomes through design. The emphasis on "shipped consumer technology products with meaningful usage" means the portfolio should highlight real-world impact. The ability to articulate the process behind the design, including the rationale for decisions and how complexity was managed, will be crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Chief Design Officer role in London with 10+ years of experience and a leadership scope in a tech startup environment, the estimated salary range is £120,000 - £180,000 per annum. This estimate accounts for the seniority of the role, the strategic responsibilities, and the cost of living in London.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary and potential for performance-based bonuses or equity.

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage, including medical, dental, and vision plans.

• Generous paid time off (PTO), including vacation days, sick leave, and public holidays.

• Professional development opportunities, such as conference attendance, training programs, and access to design resources.

• Hybrid work model flexibility, allowing for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work.

• Opportunities for significant impact and growth within a rapidly evolving AI-focused company.

• Potential for stock options or equity, reflecting the company's growth and success.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. However, given the leadership nature of the role, flexibility may be required to meet project deadlines and strategic objectives, with an emphasis on output and results.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on research from reputable compensation data providers for senior design leadership roles in London, factoring in the tech industry and startup environment. Benefits are standard for senior positions in the UK tech sector, with a focus on professional growth and work-life balance. The hybrid work arrangement suggests a need for effective remote collaboration and in-office engagement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focusing on AI-native consumer applications and productivity tools. The company aims to make everyday applications "AI-native" and simplify tasks for billions of users.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the mention of "group's consumer products and brands" and the need to "Recruit and assess senior product, UI and brand designers" suggests a growing organization that is scaling its design and product teams. It's likely a Series A/B funded startup or a growing tech company.

Founded: The company "ActAI" (likely a placeholder for Bjak's internal name or a specific project) is focused on building next-generation AI applications. The founding mission is to bring intelligence to conversations, errands, and workflows with minimal prompting, aiming to organize anyone's life.

Team Structure:

• The Chief Design Officer will lead a team that likely includes senior product designers, interaction designers, visual designers, and potentially UI/UX researchers.

• This role will require close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially Marketing/Brand teams.

• The design team will operate within a structure that supports the development of group-wide consumer products and brands. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on user data and metrics to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Agile Development: Close integration with engineering teams using agile methodologies for iterative product development.

• User-Centricity: A core philosophy of building products that solve real user problems and simplify complex tasks.

• AI Integration: Focus on leveraging AI to enhance user experiences and create proactive, intelligent applications.

Company Website: https://bjak.my/en/about-us

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "AI-native" applications and simplifying complex tasks is a key differentiator. This suggests a culture that values innovation, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of user needs, particularly for individuals not accustomed to complex technology. The hybrid work environment implies a need for strong communication and collaboration tools and practices.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a C-suite executive position, reporting likely to the CEO or CTO. It represents the highest level of design leadership within the organization, responsible for the strategic vision and execution of all design efforts across consumer products.

Reporting Structure: The Chief Design Officer will likely report directly to the CEO or a senior executive (e.g., Chief Product Officer, CTO) and will manage a team of senior design professionals.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on the success of Bjak's consumer products. Design quality, user experience, and the ability to translate complex AI/financial concepts into simple, engaging interfaces are critical drivers of user adoption, retention, and overall business growth. The CDO's decisions shape the perception and usability of the company's offerings.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the long-term product vision and company strategy through design leadership.

• Team Building: Build and scale a world-class design team, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to the advancement of AI-native consumer applications and establish new standards in user experience design.

• Executive Development: Grow as an executive leader within a fast-paced, innovative technology company, with potential for broader responsibilities.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI, complex workflows, and mass-market consumer adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a Chief Design Officer, the growth trajectory is typically within executive leadership. This role offers the chance to build a design function from a strategic level, influence company direction, and make a significant mark on the industry through innovative AI product design. The emphasis on "meaningful usage" of shipped products suggests that success in this role is measured by tangible impact, not just process.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work environment, indicating a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration. This suggests a modern workplace that values flexibility while recognizing the importance of in-person interaction for strategic discussions and team building.

Office Location(s): The primary location is London, England, United Kingdom. This provides access to a vibrant tech ecosystem and a diverse talent pool.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment likely features collaborative spaces designed to foster brainstorming, workshops, and cross-functional team meetings.

• Technology Enabled: Access to industry-standard design tools, prototyping software, and collaboration platforms is expected.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with product managers, engineers, and fellow design leaders to ensure cohesive product development.

• Flexible Work: The hybrid model allows for personalizing work arrangements to optimize productivity and work-life balance.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule is anticipated, with flexibility to accommodate project needs. The focus will be on delivering high-quality design outcomes and meeting strategic objectives, rather than strict adherence to hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model in London suggests a company that embraces modern work practices. For a design leader, this means ensuring effective remote collaboration tools and processes are in place, while also facilitating impactful in-person sessions for strategic alignment and team cohesion.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess foundational qualifications and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio, focusing on shipped consumer products, design process, strategic thinking, and impact. This is a critical stage for demonstrating hands-on capability and leadership.

• Design & Strategy Discussions: In-depth conversations with hiring managers, product leads, and potentially engineering leads to discuss design philosophy, approach to complex problems (e.g., AI workflows, financial complexity), and strategic vision.

• Leadership & Team Fit: Interviews focused on leadership style, experience in recruiting and managing senior talent, and cultural alignment with the company's values and collaborative approach.

• Executive Review: Final interviews with senior executives (e.g., CEO, CTO) to assess strategic alignment and overall fit for the C-suite.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Focus on 3-5 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your leadership, hands-on skills, and ability to ship successful consumer technology products.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, key decisions made, and the measurable outcomes and impact. Use clear, concise language.

• Highlight Complexity & AI: Emphasize projects where you've tackled complex workflows (financial, AI) and simplified them into elegant, user-friendly experiences. Showcase your understanding of AI-native design principles.

• Showcase Hands-on Work: Include specific examples of your direct design contributions (wireframes, prototypes, high-fidelity mockups, interaction flows) and explain the rationale behind them.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of how you've influenced design direction, mentored designers, or collaborated effectively with cross-functional teams.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design exercise or case study that may require you to outline your approach to a complex design challenge relevant to AI-native consumer applications or financial workflows. Focus on your thought process and strategic problem-solving.

• Strategic Vision: Articulate your vision for design at Bjak, considering the company's mission and the future of AI-native applications.

• Leadership Philosophy: Be ready to discuss your approach to building and leading high-performing design teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Chief Design Officer is rigorous and heavily weighted towards portfolio evaluation. Candidates must be prepared to not only present their work but also to deeply discuss their strategic thinking, design process, and leadership capabilities. The emphasis on "hands-on design style" means demonstrating direct contribution will be key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Principle, Framer.

• User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Maze, Optimal Workshop, Lookback, Dovetail.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, Notion.

• Design System Management: Storybook, Zeroheight, or similar platforms for documenting and managing design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Google Analytics, Pendo.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Looker, Power BI (for understanding product performance and user behavior data).

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, an understanding of how design impacts CRM and automation workflows (e.g., user onboarding, lead generation funnels) would be beneficial. Proficiency in tools like Salesforce or HubSpot from a user perspective might be relevant.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack for a Chief Design Officer involves a broad range of tools. The core will be design and prototyping software, but critically, there's a need to leverage user research, analytics, and project management tools to inform design decisions and demonstrate impact. Familiarity with tools used for managing design systems is also essential.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the user, ensuring products are intuitive, valuable, and accessible to a broad audience.

• Innovation & Proactivity: Driving forward with new ideas, particularly in AI and application design, to create proactive tools that simplify lives.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: Upholding high standards in all aspects of design, from interaction details to visual polish, ensuring a premium user experience.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Working closely with product and engineering, fostering an open environment for feedback and shared problem-solving.

• Simplicity & Clarity: The core tenet of turning complex concepts into easy-to-understand and use experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Partnerships: Design is seen as a core partner to Product and Engineering, involved from the earliest stages of ideation through to launch and iteration.

• Data-Informed Iteration: Design decisions are informed by user data, analytics, and feedback loops, leading to continuous improvement.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging constructive critique and open communication to elevate the quality of design work.

• Cross-Functional Workshops: Regular sessions involving designers, product managers, and engineers to align on strategy and solve complex problems collaboratively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values are clearly aligned with its mission: simplifying complex AI/financial tasks for a mass audience. This implies a culture that values empathy, clarity, and a relentless pursuit of user-centric solutions. The collaborative style suggests a flat hierarchy where ideas are valued from all functions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Simplifying AI Complexity: Translating advanced AI capabilities and complex financial concepts into genuinely simple, prompt-less consumer experiences for a broad user base.

• Balancing Innovation with Reliability: Ensuring that the pursuit of novel AI features does not compromise the reliability and consistency required for everyday productivity tools.

• Scaling Design Systems: Developing and maintaining a robust, scalable design system that supports multiple consumer products and brands while allowing for unique brand expression.

• Talent Acquisition & Retention: Attracting and retaining top-tier senior design talent in a competitive London market, particularly those with expertise in AI and consumer tech.

• Measuring Design Impact: Quantifying the direct impact of design on user adoption, engagement, and business metrics, especially in the context of AI-native applications.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Frontier: Opportunity to be at the forefront of designing AI-native applications, shaping the future of user interaction with intelligent systems.

• Executive Leadership: Developing strategic leadership skills within a dynamic tech environment, with potential for broader organizational influence.

• Product Strategy: Deepen involvement in overall product strategy, contributing design expertise to business-level decisions.

• Mentorship: Guide and mentor a growing team of talented designers, fostering their professional development.

• Industry Recognition: Opportunity to build a reputation as a leader in AI-driven product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in the core mission: making advanced AI accessible and useful for everyday users without complex interaction. This requires a deep understanding of both AI capabilities and human psychology. Growth opportunities are significant for an executive role, offering influence over product direction and team building.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining the design strategy for an AI-native application that aims to replace manual tasks like scheduling and note-taking, requiring minimal user prompting?" (Prepare to discuss user research, defining core AI functionalities, interaction models, and success metrics.)

• "Describe a time you successfully translated a complex financial workflow into a simple, intuitive consumer experience. What was your process, and what were the outcomes?" (Focus on problem definition, user journey mapping, simplification techniques, and quantifiable results.)

• "What is your vision for a design system that supports multiple consumer products and brands, while ensuring a consistent yet adaptable user experience?" (Discuss principles of scalability, modularity, brand integration, and governance.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on our mission to organize anyone's life with AI-native applications, what do you see as the biggest design challenges and opportunities for Bjak?" (Research Bjak's mission and values; articulate how your design philosophy aligns.)

• "How would you foster a culture of design excellence and collaboration within a growing product and engineering organization?" (Discuss your leadership style, approach to feedback, and cross-functional collaboration strategies.)

• "How do you measure the success and impact of design initiatives, particularly in the context of AI-driven products?" (Prepare to discuss key metrics beyond traditional UX, focusing on AI effectiveness, task completion, and user adoption.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Structure: Craft a compelling narrative for each project, emphasizing the problem, your role, the process, key decisions, and the quantifiable impact.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your presentation is visually clean and professional, with high-quality mockups and prototypes.

• Focus on "Why": Clearly articulate the rationale behind your design decisions. Why did you choose a particular interaction, visual style, or feature?

• Demonstrate Hands-on Skills: Be ready to walk through specific UI elements, interaction flows, or prototypes you created.

• Highlight Leadership: Showcase instances where you led design efforts, mentored others, or influenced product strategy through design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, hands-on design expertise, and leadership capabilities. Candidates should be ready to articulate their design philosophy in the context of AI and complex workflows, and to back up their claims with concrete examples from their portfolio.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Chief Design Officer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashbyhq.com.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight consumer technology products with significant usage and impact, especially those involving complex workflows or AI elements. Emphasize your direct design contributions and the measurable outcomes.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 10+ years of experience, leadership roles, and specific achievements in product and interaction design. Use keywords relevant to AI, consumer tech, and design leadership.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on storytelling, design rationale, and demonstrating your hands-on capabilities. Prepare thoughtful answers to strategic and leadership questions.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Bjak's mission, products, and target audience. Understand their focus on AI-native applications and simplifying complex tasks to articulate how your vision aligns with their goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.