Founding Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product Designer

Company: Clera

Location: Berlin, Germany

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-10-03

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead product design initiatives as the first full-time designer in an early-stage, AI-first B2B SaaS company.

• Drive the entire design lifecycle, from in-depth customer discovery and needs assessment through to product launch and iteration.

• Conceptualize and prototype innovative solutions for AI-powered customer service, sales, and GTM operations workflows.

• Develop intuitive and approachable user interfaces for complex workflows, particularly where traditional UI patterns may not apply.

• Foster strong collaborative partnerships with product management and engineering teams to ensure pragmatic trade-offs and rapid, high-quality feature delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the primary focus is product design, the description heavily implies a strong connection to GTM operations by emphasizing workflows for customer service, sales, and operations. This role will likely involve designing systems that directly impact sales efficiency, customer success processes, and overall Go-To-Market operational effectiveness. The "AI-first" nature suggests a need for understanding how AI can optimize these operational areas.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct direct customer interviews and user research to deeply understand pain points and unmet needs within B2B operational workflows.

• Translate customer insights and business requirements into compelling product strategies and actionable design solutions.

• Own the end-to-end design process for new features and product areas, encompassing ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and high-fidelity UI design.

• Identify and explore opportunities for AI-driven product enhancements that can revolutionize customer service, sales, and operational efficiency for clients.

• Design user-friendly and scalable interfaces for AI-native software, focusing on clarity, usability, and seamless integration into existing business processes.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers to define product roadmaps and feature specifications, ensuring design alignment with business objectives.

• Partner with Software Engineers throughout the development lifecycle to ensure design feasibility, provide clear specifications, and make informed trade-offs that balance design integrity with development timelines.

• Develop and maintain a design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across the product.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles within the organization, championing best practices in product development and GTM strategy execution.

• Contribute to the product vision and strategy by bringing a strong design perspective informed by user needs and market trends in AI and B2B SaaS.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a critical role in shaping not just the user experience but also the operational efficiency of Clera's B2B clients. Designing for "AI-powered customer service, sales, and operations workflows" means the designer will directly influence how businesses manage their GTM functions. This requires a deep understanding of operational processes and how AI can augment them, making this role instrumental in driving GTM operational success for Clera's customers.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for foundational understanding in design principles and user experience.

Experience: Minimum of 3 years of progressive experience in product design, with a demonstrable track record in B2B SaaS environments or early-stage startups.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in end-to-end product design, from user research and concept development to high-fidelity prototyping and final UI implementation.

• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of product design projects, specifically highlighting B2B SaaS solutions and/or early-stage company contributions.

• Demonstrated experience in conducting customer interviews, user testing, and effectively integrating feedback into product design iterations.

• Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Lovable, V0, or Figma Make.

• Solid understanding of technical considerations and the ability to collaborate effectively with software engineers, making pragmatic trade-offs.

• Familiarity with AI concepts, large language models (LLMs), and a genuine interest in designing AI-native software experiences.

• Ability to design approachable interfaces for complex workflows where traditional UI patterns may not be suitable.

• Experience in identifying product opportunities and translating them into tangible design solutions.

• A pragmatic and iterative design approach, balancing design quality with the realities of rapid implementation. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for customer service, sales, or broader GTM operations workflows.

• Familiarity with AI product development cycles and methodologies.

• Experience with design systems and their implementation.

• Understanding of agile development methodologies and their impact on design processes.

• Exposure to business analytics or understanding of key business metrics that drive GTM success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "at least 3 years of experience" positions this as a mid-level role. The emphasis on B2B SaaS and early-stage companies suggests a need for adaptability and a hands-on approach. The "AI or large language models" experience, while not strictly mandatory, is a significant plus, indicating the company's strategic direction and the potential for this role to shape innovative AI-driven operational solutions.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing at least 3 distinct product design projects.

• Projects should demonstrate the full design process, including problem definition, user research findings, ideation sketches, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final UI designs.

• Specific emphasis on projects that highlight experience with B2B SaaS products or contributions to early-stage companies.

• Case studies that detail the impact of your design decisions on business outcomes, such as user engagement, conversion rates, or operational efficiency improvements.

• Examples of how you've collaborated with engineering and product teams to bring designs to life, including any trade-offs made. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your approach to user research and customer discovery, detailing methodologies used and how insights were synthesized.

• Present examples of your prototyping process, illustrating how you tested concepts and iterated based on feedback.

• Include a demonstration of your ability to design for complex workflows, particularly those involving AI or novel user interactions.

• Illustrate your understanding of technical constraints and how you've worked with engineering to optimize designs for implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Founding Product Designer" role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond just showcasing aesthetics; it must demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and a tangible impact on business goals, particularly within the B2B SaaS and AI domains. The ability to articulate the process behind the design, especially how it influenced operational outcomes for users, will be critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $85,000 - $160,000 USD per year.

• Note: This range is provided in USD. Given the role is based in Berlin, Germany, the actual compensation may be adjusted based on local market rates, cost of living, and the candidate's experience. The company's stated range in USD suggests a potential benchmark they are using, or it could indicate a possibility for compensation tied to a global standard if the company operates internationally.

Benefits:

• Visa sponsorship available, facilitating relocation and employment for international candidates.

• Opportunity to be the first full-time product designer, offering significant ownership and influence.

• Equity/stock options (inferred for an early-stage founding role).

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance (standard for full-time roles, details to be confirmed).

• Paid time off and holidays.

• Potential for professional development and learning opportunities in AI and B2B SaaS design.

Working Hours: Approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected in an early-stage startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided in USD, which is a key point for a role based in Berlin. This suggests the company might be US-based or operates with a global compensation philosophy. A thorough candidate should research comparable Product Designer salaries in Berlin for mid-level roles in B2B SaaS startups, factoring in the USD range as a strong anchor. The visa sponsorship is a significant benefit for international applicants. Equity is a standard expectation for "founding" roles in early-stage companies and should be explored.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: AI-first B2B SaaS. Clera is positioned at the intersection of artificial intelligence and business software solutions, aiming to enhance productivity and efficiency for its clients.

Company Size: Early-stage startup. This implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a lean team where individual contributions have a significant impact.

Founded: Specific founding date not provided, but indicated as an "early-stage AI-first B2B SaaS company." This suggests a focus on innovation, rapid growth, and building foundational products.

Team Structure:

• As the first full-time product designer, you will likely work very closely with the founders, product management, and engineering leads.

• The team is expected to be lean, agile, and highly collaborative, with a strong emphasis on shared ownership and rapid iteration.

• Cross-functional collaboration will be essential, particularly between design, product, and engineering to bring AI-powered features to market effectively. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging customer feedback and product analytics to inform design and development.

• Agile and iterative product development, focusing on shipping MVPs and continuously improving based on user input and market response.

• Emphasis on understanding and applying AI capabilities to solve real-world business problems for B2B clients.

• Customer-centric approach, with a strong focus on user research and direct customer engagement.

Company Website: https://www.getclera.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The "early-stage" nature is critical. Candidates should expect a high degree of ambiguity, a need for self-direction, and the opportunity to shape processes and culture from the ground up. The "AI-first" approach means the company is likely building novel solutions, requiring designers to think creatively about user interactions with AI.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Founding Product Designer. This title signifies a foundational, high-impact role within the company's product development. It implies significant autonomy and responsibility for establishing the design function and its methodologies.

Reporting Structure: Likely reporting directly to a co-founder, Head of Product, or CTO, given the early stage of the company. The designer will be a key voice in product strategy discussions.

Operations Impact: Your design work will directly influence how businesses leverage AI for their customer service, sales, and operational workflows. This means your contributions will have a tangible impact on client efficiency, revenue generation, and overall GTM effectiveness. You'll be designing the core user experience for Clera's AI-powered solutions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: As the company scales, there's a clear path to building and leading a design team, defining the design vision, and establishing design best practices.

• Product Strategy Influence: Deep involvement in product strategy and roadmap planning, shaping the future direction of AI-driven B2B SaaS products.

• Specialization in AI Design: Opportunity to become an expert in designing for AI-native applications and complex operational workflows, a highly sought-after skill.

• Entrepreneurial Experience: Gain invaluable experience in an early-stage startup environment, understanding all facets of building and scaling a tech company.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor future designers as the team grows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Founding" aspect of this role is key. It suggests a high degree of ownership and potential for significant career acceleration if the company succeeds. Candidates should consider this as an opportunity to build something from scratch and have a profound impact on both the product and the company's trajectory. The growth is less about climbing a traditional ladder and more about expanding responsibilities and influence as the company evolves.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site role in Berlin, Germany. This suggests a physical office space where collaboration and in-person interaction are prioritized.

Office Location(s): Berlin, Germany. A vibrant tech hub known for its innovation and talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative environment with a focus on teamwork between design, product, and engineering.

• Access to modern design and prototyping tools (Figma, etc.) and potentially AI-specific development tools.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with customers, providing real-time feedback and insights.

• A dynamic startup atmosphere where roles can evolve and individuals are encouraged to contribute across different areas.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 per week), but with the flexibility often found in startups, where focus and output are valued over strict adherence to hours. Expect a fast-paced environment requiring adaptability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Berlin is a significant factor. Candidates should consider the commute, local amenities, and the collaborative nature of the office environment. For a startup, the physical workspace often fosters a strong sense of community and shared mission.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess overall fit, experience, and interest.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A deep dive into your portfolio, discussing your process, impact, and problem-solving skills. This may be followed by a take-home design challenge or a live design exercise focused on a relevant problem.

• Technical/Product Discussion: Conversations with product and engineering leads to assess your understanding of technical constraints, AI concepts, and your ability to collaborate effectively.

• Founder/Leadership Interview: A final interview with the company founders to discuss vision, culture, and long-term alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Clearly articulate the problem you solved, your design process, the rationale behind your decisions, and the impact of your work. Use case studies to guide the interviewer through your thinking.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify your achievements whenever possible. How did your designs improve user engagement, conversion rates, operational efficiency, or business metrics?

• Showcase Process: Demonstrate your ability to move from ambiguity to clarity, including user research, ideation, prototyping, and iteration. Highlight how you incorporated feedback.

• AI & B2B Relevance: Emphasize projects that align with AI-native applications and B2B SaaS workflows. If you have specific experience designing for sales, customer service, or operations, highlight it.

• Technical Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you partnered with engineers and the trade-offs you made.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem: Thoroughly analyze the prompt for any design challenge. Ask clarifying questions.

• Focus on Process: Even if you don't complete every aspect, demonstrate a sound design process.

• Consider AI Integration: Think about how AI could enhance the proposed solution.

• Pragmatic Solutions: Aim for realistic and implementable solutions, acknowledging technical constraints.

• Presentation Clarity: Be ready to present your work concisely and effectively, justifying your decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Founding Product Designer" role will likely involve a more rigorous portfolio review and potentially a more involved design challenge. The company will be looking for someone who can not only execute but also strategize and lay the groundwork for future design efforts. Demonstrating an understanding of how design impacts operational efficiency and revenue generation will be a strong advantage.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable), Lovable, V0, Figma Make. Proficiency in at least one is mandatory, with Figma being the industry standard.

• User Research & Feedback: Tools like UserTesting.com, Maze, or internal feedback mechanisms.

• Collaboration: Slack, Notion, Jira, Confluence (common in startups for communication and project management).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary design tool, understanding how to interpret data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) to inform design decisions is beneficial.

• Familiarity with dashboarding tools for understanding product usage and performance. CRM & Automation:

• Awareness of how design impacts user journeys within CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and automation platforms that B2B clients might use is advantageous. The designs will likely integrate with or influence these workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific mention of "Lovable, V0, or Figma Make" alongside Figma indicates a potential interest in AI-powered design tools or rapid prototyping capabilities. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these or similar cutting-edge tools. Understanding how designs translate into operational workflows within client systems is a plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & AI-Centricity: A core value likely revolves around pushing the boundaries of AI in B2B solutions and embracing new technologies.

• Customer Obsession: Deep commitment to understanding and serving customer needs, particularly in optimizing their operational workflows.

• Agility & Iteration: A culture that embraces rapid development, learning from feedback, and continuous improvement.

• Collaboration & Ownership: Fostering a team environment where individuals take ownership of their work and collaborate effectively across functions.

• Pragmatism: Balancing ambitious design goals with practical implementation realities, ensuring timely delivery of value.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly cross-functional, with design working hand-in-hand with product and engineering from concept to launch.

• Open communication channels and a culture of constructive feedback.

• Emphasis on shared problem-solving and collective ownership of product success.

• Likely a lean and fast-paced approach, requiring proactive communication and alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: As the first product designer, you will play a significant role in shaping these values and the collaborative culture. Demonstrating an alignment with these principles, particularly around innovation, customer focus, and pragmatic execution, will be crucial.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Design Function: As the first designer, you'll be building the design process, standards, and potentially a design system from the ground up.

• Designing for AI Ambiguity: Creating intuitive user experiences for AI-powered features, which may not always have clear-cut UI patterns.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: Working in an early-stage startup requires rapid iteration, which can sometimes conflict with achieving perfect design polish.

• Defining Operational Workflows: Understanding and designing for diverse and complex B2B operational workflows across customer service, sales, and other GTM functions.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent understanding and execution of design vision across product and engineering teams.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Expertise: Becoming a specialist in designing user-centric AI applications.

• Product Strategy Involvement: Gaining deep experience in shaping product roadmaps and business strategy.

• Founding Team Experience: Learning the intricacies of building and scaling a startup from its inception.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from experienced founders and engineers, and later to mentor new team members.

• Industry Exposure: Staying at the forefront of B2B SaaS and AI technology trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but also offer immense growth potential. Candidates should view these challenges as opportunities to showcase their problem-solving skills, adaptability, and leadership capabilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing an AI assistant for customer service agents that needs to proactively suggest solutions?" (Focus on user research, AI interaction patterns, and workflow integration.)

• "Describe a time you had to make a significant trade-off between design perfection and development speed. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Assess pragmatism and collaboration skills.)

• "How would you validate the usability and effectiveness of a new AI feature before a full product launch?" (Focus on prototyping, user testing, and feedback mechanisms.)

• "What are the key considerations when designing for complex B2B operational workflows, especially those involving AI?" (Assess understanding of business context and user needs in operational settings.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Clera's mission and the opportunity to be the founding product designer?" (Gauge enthusiasm and alignment with company vision.)

• "How do you stay updated on AI trends and their application in product design?" (Assess continuous learning and industry awareness.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration dynamic with product managers and engineers." (Evaluate fit with a cross-functional, startup environment.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your portfolio presentation as a story for each project, starting with the problem, your approach, key decisions, and the resulting impact.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics (e.g., improved conversion, reduced task time, increased user satisfaction) to demonstrate the business value of your design work.

• Showcase Process, Not Just Pixels: Clearly articulate your thought process, research methodologies, and how you iterated based on feedback.

• Highlight AI/B2B Relevance: Select projects that best showcase your experience with complex workflows, B2B SaaS, and ideally, AI-related concepts.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, trade-offs, and challenges faced in your portfolio projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily emphasize the candidate's ability to think strategically, solve complex problems, and collaborate effectively within a fast-paced startup environment. Demonstrating an understanding of operational workflows and how AI can enhance them will be a significant advantage.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent product design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in B2B SaaS, early-stage startups, product design (end-to-end process), customer discovery, AI/LLM familiarity, and proficiency with design tools like Figma. Use keywords such as "workflow design," "user interface," "prototyping," and "cross-functional collaboration."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your skills relevant to this role. Focus on projects with clear problem statements, detailed processes, tangible impact (quantified if possible), and ideally, B2B or AI experience.

• Craft a Compelling Cover Letter (if applicable): Express your enthusiasm for Clera's mission, highlight your unique qualifications as a founding designer, and articulate how your skills align with designing AI-powered operational workflows.

• Prepare for the Interview: Research Clera, its market, and its potential clients. Be ready to discuss your portfolio in detail, articulate your design process, and answer strategy and behavioral questions with specific examples. Practice presenting your case studies.

⚠️ 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.