Founding Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product Designer

Company: Solstice

Location: New York City, New York, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-06-07

Experience Level: Mid-Senior (Implied by "Founding" and "5-10 years" AI estimation)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Shape the user experience and interface design for Solstice's core commercial engine platform, focusing on AI-driven pharmaceutical marketing solutions.

• Drive the end-to-end product design lifecycle, from conceptualization and wireframing to visual design and user flow development, ensuring a user-centered approach.

• Collaborate intimately with founding team members, engineers, and business stakeholders to rapidly iterate on features and deliver high-impact solutions.

• Establish and maintain robust design systems and user-centered design processes to ensure consistency and scalability across the platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the context of "Founding," "commercial engine," and "pharmaceutical marketing" implies a significant overlap with GTM Operations and the need for a designer who understands business objectives, go-to-market strategies, and enterprise SaaS product adoption. The role requires not just aesthetic design but also strategic thinking about user workflows and business impact, akin to a GTM Operations focus on efficiency and adoption.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End Product Design Ownership: Conceptualize, wireframe, prototype, and execute visual designs for Solstice's core applications, translating complex business requirements into intuitive user experiences.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work hand-in-hand with founders, product managers, and engineering teams to rapidly iterate on features, ensuring design feasibility and alignment with technical constraints and business goals.

• User Insight Synthesis: Gather and synthesize customer feedback, market research, and business objectives to inform design decisions and create visually compelling, user-friendly solutions.

• Design System Development & Maintenance: Create, evolve, and enforce a comprehensive design system to ensure visual and interactive consistency across all product touchpoints.

• Product Narrative & Brand Advocacy: Contribute to defining the product narrative and champion best-in-class design principles within a fast-paced, experimental, and feedback-driven environment.

• Establish Design Processes: Partner with product and engineering to define and implement user-centered design methodologies and workflows from the ground up.

• Brand & UX Flexibility: Adapt and contribute across brand, marketing, and user experience design as needed to support business growth objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "founding" and "end-to-end ownership" suggests this role will be the primary design voice and implementer, requiring a high degree of autonomy and strategic input into product direction, functioning similarly to a critical GTM operations pillar responsible for user adoption and platform usability.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience is typically expected for senior design roles.

Experience: 5-10 years of proven experience in digital product design, with a strong track record of shipping products from conception to launch. Experience in a startup or fast-paced environment is crucial.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio: A strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design capabilities, including UX, UI, interaction, and visual design for digital products.

• Design Process Mastery: Proven success in designing digital products from early ideas to shipped applications, demonstrating a deep understanding of the product development lifecycle.

• Collaboration in Agile Environments: Experience working effectively within fast-moving, cross-functional startup teams, collaborating closely with engineering and product.

• Problem-Solving & Autonomy: Ability to operate independently, make sound decisions amidst ambiguity, and drive projects to completion with a strong bias for action.

• User-Centricity: Passion for solving complex problems with simple, elegant, and user-centered interface solutions.

• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, essential for articulating design rationale and collaborating with diverse stakeholders.

• Work Ethic: An exceptional work ethic and the motivation required to build ambitious products from scratch in a high-growth environment.

Preferred Skills:

• SaaS Design Expertise: Experience designing for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms.

• AI/ML Application Design: Familiarity or experience designing interfaces for AI, Machine Learning, or LLM-powered applications.

• Enterprise Platform Design: Experience designing complex enterprise software solutions.

• Healthcare/Life Sciences Domain: Bonus points for experience designing for the healthcare, life sciences, or biopharma industries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Founding" aspect implies the expectation of someone who can not only execute but also define the design strategy and processes, acting as a leader in this domain from the outset. The preferred skills in SaaS, AI, and Enterprise platforms are highly relevant given Solstice's business model.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing your process from problem identification to final solution, focusing on user needs, design challenges, and measurable outcomes.

• UX & UI Integration: Demonstrate a clear ability to bridge user experience strategy with compelling visual and interaction design execution.

• Prototyping & User Flows: Include examples of interactive prototypes and detailed user flow diagrams that illustrate complex user journeys.

• Design System Examples: Present examples of design systems or style guides you have developed or contributed to, highlighting consistency and scalability.

• Problem-Solving Showcase: Feature projects where you tackled ambiguous problems and delivered elegant, effective design solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Discovery & Research: Evidence of user research methodologies (interviews, surveys, usability testing) and how insights informed design decisions.

• Iteration & Feedback: Examples of how you incorporated feedback and iterated on designs based on user testing and stakeholder input.

• Cross-Functional Workflow: Demonstrate how you collaborated with engineering and product teams throughout the design process, including handoff procedures.

• Impact Measurement: If possible, showcase how your designs contributed to business objectives, such as increased adoption, improved user satisfaction, or efficiency gains.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Founding" role, the portfolio is critical for demonstrating not just design skill but also the ability to define and implement design processes and systems in a nascent organization. Expect questions on how you would build a design function from scratch.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Founding Product Designer role in New York City with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated salary range is $150,000 - $200,000 annually. This range accounts for the "founding" nature of the role, significant responsibility, and the high cost of living in NYC. It also assumes a substantial equity component as part of the overall compensation package.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Health, dental, and vision insurance plans to support employee well-being.

• Ground-Floor Equity: Significant stock options or equity grants, reflecting the "founding" team member status and potential for high future growth.

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) to encourage rest and rejuvenation.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan for long-term financial planning.

• Visa Sponsorship: Support for eligible candidates requiring work authorization (O-1, H-1B, TN).

• Professional Development: A dedicated stipend for professional growth, including courses, conferences, or learning resources.

• Perks: Lunches and dinners covered, indicating a focus on team cohesion and convenience.

• Relocation Assistance: Support for candidates relocating to New York City.

• High-Impact Environment: Opportunity to work in a fast-paced, high-velocity setting with significant influence.

• Competitive NYC Compensation: Commensurate pay based on experience, seniority, and ownership responsibilities.

Working Hours: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, the "founding" and "unreal work ethic" requirements suggest a dynamic environment where flexibility and commitment beyond standard hours may be expected, especially during critical project phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical compensation for senior/founding design roles in competitive tech hubs like NYC, factoring in the company's stage (well-funded startup), industry (SaaS, AI, Life Sciences), and the critical nature of a founding design hire. Equity is a significant component of "founding" roles and should be thoroughly evaluated.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Life Sciences / Pharmaceutical Technology / SaaS. Solstice operates at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology and the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry, aiming to revolutionize commercialization strategies. This means a blend of innovation and compliance awareness.

Company Size: Early-stage startup, likely between 10-50 employees. This implies a highly collaborative, agile, and hands-on environment where every team member's contribution is visible and critical.

Founded: Founded recently (implied by "Founding Product Designer" and rapid growth narrative). This suggests a dynamic, evolving culture focused on rapid iteration, learning, and building from the ground up.

Team Structure:

• Founding Team Collaboration: You will work directly with the founders, who likely have expertise in business strategy, technology, and potentially the life sciences domain.

• Engineering Partnership: Close alignment with a lean engineering team responsible for building the platform.

• Cross-Functional Synergy: Expect to collaborate closely with all functions as the company scales, including sales, marketing, and customer success, to ensure product-market fit and user adoption.

Methodology:

• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration: A culture that embraces experimenting with new ideas, quickly building prototypes, and gathering feedback to refine solutions.

• Data-Driven Design: While design-focused, the expectation is likely for data to inform decisions, especially concerning user behavior and product adoption metrics.

• Agile Development: Working within an agile framework to deliver value incrementally and respond to market needs.

Company Website: https://www.solsticehealth.co/

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Founding" title suggests this role will be instrumental in shaping the company's design ethos and practices. The culture is likely driven by innovation, speed, and a shared mission to disrupt the life sciences industry.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Founding" level role, implying a senior individual contributor position with significant ownership and influence, akin to an early leader in the design function. It's a position to build the design practice.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report directly to one of the company founders (e.g., CEO, CTO, or Head of Product, if one exists). This offers high visibility and direct access to decision-makers.

Operations Impact: As the Founding Product Designer, your work will directly influence the usability, adoption, and perceived value of Solstice's commercial engine. This has a direct impact on Go-To-Market (GTM) success, customer acquisition, and retention, making it a critical operations function.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to build and lead the product design function as the company scales, potentially growing into a Head of Design or Design Director role.

• Strategic Influence: Direct input into product strategy, roadmap, and company direction based on user insights and design expertise.

• Skill Expansion: Develop expertise in AI/LLM applications, enterprise SaaS design, and the nuances of the life sciences/biopharma commercialization landscape.

• Impactful Product Development: Be instrumental in shaping products that are transforming a major industry, offering a unique and rewarding career path.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique opportunity for significant career acceleration and impact, far beyond a typical mid-level design position, due to its founding nature and direct line to executive leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site in New York City. This suggests a traditional office setting designed to foster collaboration and in-person communication.

Office Location(s): New York City, NY. A vibrant tech hub offering access to talent, networking opportunities, and a dynamic professional ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is likely designed to encourage spontaneous interactions, brainstorming sessions, and close teamwork between design, engineering, and founding teams.

• Tools & Technology: Expect access to standard design software (Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite), collaboration tools (Slack, Notion), and potentially specialized AI/ML platforms relevant to product development.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for direct interaction with founders and engineers, facilitating rapid feedback loops and shared problem-solving.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is the baseline, but the "founding" nature implies a culture where dedication and flexibility are valued, especially during critical development phases or product launches.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in NYC is typical for early-stage startups aiming to build strong team cohesion and facilitate rapid, in-person collaboration vital for product development and GTM strategy refinement.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A deep dive into your portfolio, where you'll present 1-2 key case studies. Expect to discuss your design process, decision-making, and impact. This is a critical step for a founding role.

• Design Challenge/Whiteboarding: You may be asked to participate in a design exercise or whiteboard session to assess your problem-solving skills and approach to ambiguous challenges.

• Founder/Team Interviews: Meetings with founders and key team members to evaluate your strategic thinking, collaboration style, and alignment with company values.

• Cultural Fit & Vision Discussion: Conversations focused on your vision for design at Solstice and how you see yourself contributing to the company's long-term success.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives, clearly outlining the problem, your process, your specific contributions, the challenges faced, and the outcomes achieved.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify your impact whenever possible. Highlight how your designs drove user adoption, improved efficiency, or contributed to business goals.

• Showcase Process: Detail your thought process, research methods, iteration cycles, and how you collaborated with stakeholders.

• Visual Polish: Ensure your portfolio is visually clean, well-organized, and easy to navigate.

• Tailor to Solstice: Emphasize projects that demonstrate experience with SaaS, enterprise platforms, AI, or complex B2B workflows.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Solstice's business, target market (biopharma commercialization), and the problems they are solving with AI.

• Practice Problem-Solving: Be ready to tackle hypothetical design problems related to enterprise SaaS, AI interfaces, or workflow optimization.

• Articulate Your Thinking: Clearly explain your approach, assumptions, and trade-offs during any design exercises.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a founding role, the interview process will heavily scrutinize your ability to not only design but also to strategize, build processes, and operate with autonomy in a high-stakes environment. Your portfolio is your primary tool for demonstrating this.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable as industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

• Collaboration & Documentation: Slack, Notion, Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides).

• Project Management: Tools like Jira or Asana might be used by engineering, with which design needs to integrate.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for understanding user behavior and product usage.

• User Feedback Platforms: Tools for collecting and analyzing user feedback.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's tool, understanding the CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms Solstice's clients use can provide valuable context for designing effective GTM tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern design tools like Figma is essential. Familiarity with analytics platforms will be beneficial for understanding user data and measuring design impact, aligning with GTM operations principles of data-driven decision-making.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Experimentation: A culture that encourages pushing boundaries, exploring new technologies (AI/LLMs), and iterating rapidly based on feedback.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and solving user problems with elegant, intuitive design solutions.

• Speed & Agility: The ability to move quickly, make decisions with incomplete information, and adapt to changing market demands.

• Grit & Ownership: A strong sense of responsibility, dedication, and a proactive approach to tackling challenges and driving outcomes.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and close teamwork across functions to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Iterative: Expect frequent, direct communication and collaborative sessions with founders and engineers, involving rapid feedback loops.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: A culture of working closely with sales, marketing, and customer success to ensure the product meets market needs and drives commercial success.

• Process-Oriented Growth: As a founding member, you'll help establish and refine processes for design, development, and product management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values are heavily geared towards building a high-performance startup. As a founding designer, you will be instrumental in embodying and propagating these values within the design function and beyond.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Ambiguity and Rapid Change: Navigating a startup environment where priorities can shift quickly and processes are still being defined.

• Balancing Innovation with Usability: Designing for cutting-edge AI and complex enterprise workflows while ensuring ease of use and adoption for biopharma marketers.

• Building from Scratch: Establishing design systems, processes, and a design culture from the ground up.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring design vision aligns with engineering capabilities, business goals, and market demands.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the life sciences and pharmaceutical commercialization landscape.

• AI/LLM Design Specialization: Becoming an expert in designing for advanced AI-driven applications.

• Strategic Product Leadership: Developing strategic thinking and influencing product roadmap and company direction.

• Building a Design Function: Gaining invaluable experience in founding and scaling a design team and practice.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to founding roles in startups, offering significant opportunities for personal and professional growth for those who thrive in dynamic, high-impact environments.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a design system from scratch for a new enterprise SaaS product?"

• "Describe a time you had to make significant design trade-offs based on technical constraints or business priorities. What was your process?"

• "How would you balance the need for rapid iteration with the requirement for robust, user-centered design in a fast-growing startup?"

• "What are the key considerations when designing AI-powered applications for enterprise users?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Solstice's mission and the life sciences industry?"

• "How do you define and foster a strong design culture within a growing company?"

• "Describe your ideal working relationship with founders and engineers."

• "How do you measure the success of your design work beyond aesthetics?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Process & Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, the design process you followed, the rationale behind key decisions, and the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Ambiguity Navigation: Showcase projects where you dealt with unclear requirements or ambiguous problems and how you brought clarity and solutions.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you partnered with engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders throughout the design lifecycle.

• Visual Storytelling: Use high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and clear user flows to visually communicate your design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to articulate not just your design skills but also your strategic thinking, leadership potential, and ability to thrive in a founding team environment. Be ready to discuss how your design expertise directly supports Go-To-Market effectiveness and user adoption.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this founding Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Customize Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to enterprise SaaS, AI design, fast-paced startup environments, and end-to-end product design ownership. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best demonstrate your ability to tackle complex problems, your design process, and your impact. Ensure it's easily accessible and visually polished.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your motivations for joining a founding team, your vision for design at Solstice, and how your skills align with the company's mission and growth objectives.

• Research Solstice: Understand their product, target market (biopharma commercialization), and recent news to demonstrate genuine interest and informed perspective.

⚠️ 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.

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