Founding Product Designer | Unreal Labs

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product Designer

Company: Unreal Labs

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-07-28

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (Office-first, 3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the design of a groundbreaking AI-powered performance marketing product, transforming complex AI systems into intuitive, self-serve user experiences.

• Drive product strategy and user behavior analysis for AI-native interfaces, focusing on high-volume creative production rather than traditional dashboards.

• Define and iterate on product flows and user journeys for a novel B2B SaaS product, directly influencing product-market fit.

• Collaborate closely with founders, engineers, and creative teams to translate cutting-edge generative AI technology into a scalable, usable platform for high-volume advertising operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Founding Product Designer," implying a critical, early-stage contribution to product vision, strategy, and execution. The emphasis on "AI-native interfaces" and "high-volume creative production" suggests a need for deep understanding of generative AI capabilities and their application in automating complex workflows, aligning strongly with GTM operations and MarTech innovation.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Package a complex, multi-model AI system into a clear, usable, self-serve product for performance marketing teams.

• Design AI-native interfaces specifically for high-volume creative production, moving beyond conventional dashboards or CRUD applications.

• Define and refine product flows for diverse creative workflows, ensuring seamless user journeys for AI-assisted content generation.

• Collaborate directly with founders, engineers, and the creative team to guide product direction and ensure design feasibility.

• Transform chaotic, real-world production workflows into efficient, scalable user experiences that leverage AI automation.

• Conduct rapid prototyping, user testing, and iterative design cycles, prioritizing speed and accuracy to accelerate product development.

• Contribute to finding product-market fit through strategic design choices that address core customer needs in performance marketing and creative production.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of foundational product design, systems thinking, and strategic input, particularly in defining user experiences for generative AI applications within a B2B context. This role requires not just UI/UX skills but a deep engagement with the underlying technology and business objectives, crucial for GTM operations success.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience and understanding of complex product design principles is essential.

Experience: Proven experience building complex web products from scratch, ideally with AI-native or highly technical applications, is a core requirement.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience building complex web products from scratch, ideally AI-native or highly technical.

• Strong product and systems thinking, with the ability to understand complex workflows, technical limitations, and trade-offs.

• Strategic product thinking beyond UI, encompassing product strategy and user behavior analysis.

• Comfort working in uncertain environments with minimal established processes and no existing design templates.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with senior engineers and founders in a fast-paced startup.

• Deep curiosity and hands-on experience with generative AI tools and models.

• Determination to iterate relentlessly until a solution effectively meets user needs.

• Fluency in English and the ability to work in London, office-first, at least three days a week. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing AI-first or agent-based products.

• Background in B2B SaaS, internal tools, or workflow-heavy systems.

• Familiarity with performance marketing, creative production pipelines, or automation tools.

• Prior experience as a founding or first designer at a startup.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a rare combination of technical design acumen, strategic product thinking, and a hands-on understanding of generative AI. The preference for candidates with experience in B2B, internal tools, or workflow systems directly relates to the operational challenges this role aims to solve.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase of complex web products built from inception, demonstrating end-to-end design ownership.

• Examples of AI-native interfaces or highly technical product designs, highlighting innovative solutions to complex problems.

• Case studies detailing system thinking applied to workflow optimization and the translation of complex processes into user-friendly experiences.

• Demonstrations of rapid prototyping, user testing, and iterative design processes, emphasizing speed, accuracy, and impact.

• Evidence of contributions to product strategy and product-market fit, illustrating how design decisions influenced business outcomes. Process Documentation:

• Detailed case studies illustrating the process of defining and refining product flows for complex systems.

• Documentation of how user behavior was analyzed and incorporated into AI-native interface designs.

• Examples of transforming chaotic real-world workflows into efficient user experiences, with a focus on automation and AI integration.

• Prototypes and user testing methodologies employed to rapidly iterate on design solutions for novel products.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Founding Product Designer" role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to explicitly demonstrate the ability to build from scratch, think systemically about AI and workflows, and drive product strategy. The emphasis should be on impact and the process of creating rather than just polished final designs.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Founding Product Designer role with 5-10 years of experience in London, the estimated salary range is £75,000 - £100,000 per annum. This is influenced by the company's early-stage status, strong backing, and the critical nature of the role.

Benefits:

• Competitive pay

• Meaningful equity stake, reflecting the founding role and impact

• Direct access to experienced founders with previous successful exits

• Opportunity to shape a product from the ground up with significant creative freedom

• A chance to work on novel AI applications with established patterns

• Collaboration with a senior, intellectual team valuing taste, speed, and originality

• Exposure to cutting-edge AI technology and its real-world business applications

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours per week) with an expectation of flexibility and dedication commensurate with a founding role in a fast-paced startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research for senior/founding product design roles in London's tech scene, considering the significant responsibilities and early-stage nature of Unreal Labs. The equity component is crucial for a founding role and is explicitly mentioned as a key benefit.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Marketing Technology (MarTech), Software as a Service (SaaS), Performance Marketing.

Company Size: Small (startup phase, ~10-20 employees). This means high impact, direct influence, and a close-knit team environment.

Founded: Approximately 6 months ago, indicating a very early-stage, high-growth potential company.

Team Structure:

• Small, senior team comprised of experienced entrepreneurs and former leaders from major tech companies.

• Close collaboration between founders, engineers, and the founding designer.

• Flat hierarchy with direct access to decision-makers.

• Emphasis on intellectual curiosity, speed, and originality. Methodology:

• Data-driven product development, informed by user feedback and performance metrics.

• Agile and iterative approach to design and development, prioritizing rapid prototyping and testing.

• Focus on building AI-native products that solve complex business challenges at scale.

• Emphasis on finding product-market fit through continuous experimentation.

Company Website: http://unreallabs.ai

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is characterized by a lean, experienced founding team, a focus on innovation in AI and marketing tech, and a high-impact, agile environment typical of early-stage, venture-backed startups. The "office-first, 3 days a week" policy in London suggests a desire for strong in-person collaboration.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Founding level, implying a strategic, hands-on role with significant ownership and influence over product direction and design philosophy. This is beyond a typical senior individual contributor role.

Reporting Structure: Direct reporting to one or more of the company's founders, with close collaboration across engineering and potentially early marketing/sales leads.

Operations Impact: The designer's work will have a direct and immediate impact on the company's ability to achieve product-market fit, drive revenue through its automated marketing system, and establish its unique AI-native product offering in the market. Success is directly tied to the usability and effectiveness of the product.

Growth Opportunities:

• Shape the entire design vision and function of a venture-backed startup from its inception.

• Develop expertise in cutting-edge AI applications and their integration into B2B SaaS products.

• Potential to build and lead a design team as the company scales.

• Gain significant experience in product strategy, user acquisition, and market validation within the AI and MarTech sectors.

• Opportunity for substantial equity growth as the company achieves milestones and scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers unparalleled growth potential for an operations-minded designer, moving beyond execution to strategic definition and leadership within a high-potential startup. The impact on revenue generation through product design is a key aspect of this GTM-aligned role.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Likely a modern co-working space or a small, dedicated office in London, conducive to collaboration and innovation.

Office Location(s): London, England, United Kingdom. Specific details would be provided upon application.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment with a focus on AI, product development, and marketing technology.

• Access to modern tools and technologies essential for AI product design and prototyping.

• Frequent interaction with founders and a small, highly skilled engineering team.

• Emphasis on open communication and rapid feedback loops to drive product iteration.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, requiring presence in the London office at least three days a week. While core working hours will exist, the nature of a founding role implies flexibility and a dedication to achieving critical project milestones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "office-first, 3 days a week" policy in London is a key environmental factor, suggesting a preference for in-person collaboration for critical design and strategy sessions, vital for a founding team member.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of portfolio and resume to assess foundational skills, experience with complex products, and AI interest.

• Portfolio Deep Dive: A dedicated session to walk through key projects, focusing on design process, problem-solving, systems thinking, and impact. Expect questions on how you've translated complex requirements into user-friendly designs, especially for technical products.

• Founder/Team Interviews: Discussions on product strategy, vision for AI-native design, comfort with uncertainty, and cultural fit. This stage will assess your strategic thinking and collaborative potential.

• Design Challenge (Potential): A focused exercise to assess your approach to a specific design problem relevant to Unreal Labs' product, emphasizing rapid prototyping and strategic thinking over polish.

• Final Round: Discussions with founders regarding role expectations, equity, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight AI & Complexity: Showcase projects involving AI, complex technical systems, or novel workflow automation. Clearly articulate the challenges and your unique solutions.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Provide examples where you've designed not just interfaces but entire systems, considering user flows, data interactions, and technical constraints.

• Showcase Founding/Early-Stage Experience: If you have experience as a first or founding designer, highlight your ability to build from scratch, establish processes, and drive product direction.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your design decisions on user engagement, efficiency, or business outcomes.

• Explain Your Process: Clearly articulate your design methodology, from research and ideation to prototyping, testing, and iteration, especially in fast-paced, uncertain environments.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research common AI product design patterns and challenges, particularly in generative AI and workflow automation.

• Prepare to articulate your thought process for solving problems with limited information and rapid iteration.

• Be ready to discuss how you would approach defining product-market fit through design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a founding role will be rigorous, focusing heavily on strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to operate effectively in an ambiguous, early-stage environment. The portfolio is the primary tool for demonstrating these competencies.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (or similar industry-standard tools). Emphasis on rapid prototyping capabilities.

• Collaboration: Slack, Notion, Miro (or similar tools for team communication, documentation, and whiteboarding).

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello (or similar for managing workflows and tasks).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, familiarity with product analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) is beneficial for understanding user behavior and product performance. CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of how design integrates with CRM and marketing automation workflows is a plus, especially in the context of performance marketing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are standard for product design, but the emphasis for this role will be on proficiency in rapid prototyping and collaborative tools that facilitate fast iteration with engineering and founders.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Speed: A culture that encourages pushing boundaries with AI and moving quickly to capture market opportunities.

• User-Centricity: Deep understanding of user needs and workflows, translating them into effective product experiences.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Using data and user feedback to inform design choices and product strategy.

• Collaboration & Ownership: A strong sense of shared responsibility and teamwork, with individuals taking ownership of their domains.

• Intellectual Curiosity: A drive to learn, explore new technologies (especially GenAI), and solve complex problems.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, with direct and frequent communication between design, engineering, and founders.

• Emphasis on open feedback, constructive criticism, and collective problem-solving.

• Cross-functional teams working together to achieve product-market fit and drive business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values and collaboration style emphasize a fast-paced, innovative, and highly collaborative environment where individuals are empowered to take ownership and drive product success, aligning with the demands of a founding team member.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining a New Product Category: Designing for a novel AI-native product without established patterns or precedents.

• Balancing Complexity and Usability: Packaging sophisticated AI capabilities into an intuitive, self-serve product.

• Rapid Iteration and Uncertainty: Operating in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving requirements and limited resources.

• Driving Product-Market Fit: Ensuring design choices directly contribute to user adoption and business success in a competitive market.

• Integrating AI Workflows: Translating abstract AI capabilities into tangible, efficient user workflows for creative production.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep expertise in Generative AI and its application in B2B products.

• Hands-on experience in defining product strategy and leading design for a venture-backed startup.

• Opportunity to build and potentially lead a design team.

• Exposure to top-tier venture capital firms and experienced tech leaders.

• Development of skills in performance marketing and MarTech automation from a design perspective.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a founding role in a cutting-edge tech startup, offering significant growth opportunities for ambitious individuals willing to embrace ambiguity and drive innovation.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing an AI-native interface for generating marketing creatives at scale, considering the limitations and strengths of current generative AI models?" (Focus on process, AI understanding, and user needs).

• "Describe a time you had to build a complex product from scratch with minimal guidelines. What was your process, and what were the key challenges?" (Focus on early-stage experience, systems thinking, and resilience).

• "How would you balance the need for rapid iteration and speed with ensuring the product's core AI workflows are robust and user-friendly for performance marketing teams?" (Focus on trade-offs, prioritization, and understanding of operational needs). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Unreal Labs' mission and the potential of generative AI in marketing?" (Demonstrate research and genuine interest).

• "How do you approach collaboration with founders and engineers in a startup environment, especially when design direction might be debated?" (Highlight communication, negotiation, and teamwork skills).

• "How would you measure the success of your design contributions to a product that aims to replace performance marketing teams?" (Focus on impact, ROI, and key metrics). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your portfolio presentation around the problem, your process, your solution, and the impact. For AI products, clearly explain the AI's role and how you designed around it.

• Highlight Systemic Design: Emphasize how your designs address entire workflows and systems, not just isolated screens. Use diagrams where helpful.

• Showcase Iteration: Present early concepts, user feedback, and how you iterated. This demonstrates adaptability and a learning mindset.

• Quantify Outcomes: Wherever possible, use data or specific examples to show the tangible results of your design work (e.g., increased efficiency, faster production cycles).

• Connect to Unreal Labs: Tailor your presentation to show how your skills and experience directly address the challenges and opportunities at Unreal Labs, particularly in AI and performance marketing.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, a deep understanding of AI's practical applications, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup environment. Articulating a clear, impactful design process is critical.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this founding product designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link, ensuring your resume and portfolio are up-to-date.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects demonstrating experience with complex web products, AI-native interfaces, workflow optimization, and early-stage product development. Highlight case studies that showcase your systems thinking and ability to drive product-market fit.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience in building products from scratch, your proficiency with generative AI tools, and your strategic product thinking. Use keywords relevant to AI, product design, B2B SaaS, and performance marketing.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, problem-solving approach, and strategic thinking, especially concerning AI applications. Prepare to discuss your portfolio in detail and answer hypothetical questions about designing for Unreal Labs' specific challenges.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Unreal Labs, its mission, its founders, and the competitive landscape of AI in marketing technology. Understand their current stage and the significance of a founding designer role.

⚠️ 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.