Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer

Company: Clera

Location: San Francisco, California, United States (with option for London, UK)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design Operations / GTM Design Strategy

Date Posted: August 01, 2026

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

Remote Status: Hybrid (On-site or hybrid presence expected; fully remote considered case-by-case)

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a foundational design role responsible for the complete consumer-facing design stack, encompassing UI/UX for the iOS app and graphic design for all brand touchpoints.

• The position demands a strong aesthetic sensibility and the ability to translate brand identity into a cohesive, premium user experience across digital, hardware, and print.

• The role requires deep proficiency in design tools such as Figma and Adobe Creative Suite to produce high-fidelity UI and polished marketing assets.

• This is a unique opportunity to be the first design hire at a Y Combinator-backed company, with significant potential for growth into a design leadership position as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer," the responsibilities and requirements strongly suggest a role that bridges product design and brand marketing design. For operations professionals, this means understanding how design impacts user acquisition, customer retention, and brand perception, which are key GTM metrics. The emphasis on "consumer-facing" and "brand experience" highlights the need for design to align with business objectives.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end UI/UX design lifecycle for the company's iOS application, from initial concept development to final high-fidelity production assets.

• Design, develop, and maintain the consumer-facing website, ensuring a cohesive and premium brand experience that aligns with marketing and product strategies.

• Create all visual assets for social media campaigns, email marketing, and broader consumer communications, ensuring consistency across all digital touchpoints.

• Develop collateral for events, product launches, and marketing campaigns, including invitations, brochures, and promotional materials, maintaining brand integrity.

• Define, implement, and steward the company's visual brand language, ensuring its consistent application across all product touchpoints, including hardware, digital platforms, and print materials.

• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including product development, hardware engineering, and marketing, in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment to drive GTM success.

📝 Enhancement Note: These responsibilities indicate a need for strong project management and cross-functional communication skills, crucial for operations. The emphasis on "end-to-end ownership" and "defining the brand's visual language" suggests a strategic role that impacts user acquisition and retention, key areas for GTM operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree is expected, with a strong preference for degrees from top design institutions (e.g., Royal College of Art, RISD, or equivalent). Experience:

• 2-5 years of relevant experience in UI/UX design and graphic design, with a proven track record in consumer-facing products.

• Experience in an early-stage startup environment or a fast-paced, agile setting is highly valued. Required Skills:

• A standout portfolio showcasing comprehensive UI/UX design for consumer applications.

• Demonstrated ability in broader brand design, including website design, social media graphics, email campaigns, and event collateral.

• Strong graphic design fundamentals with exceptional aesthetic sensibility and a refined taste for premium brand experiences.

• Proficiency in Figma for UI/UX design and prototyping.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) for creating polished marketing assets and brand materials.

• Proven experience designing iOS applications in strict adherence to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines.

• Ability to translate and consistently apply a brand identity across all consumer-facing touchpoints.

• Self-starter mentality, comfortable operating with significant autonomy and driving initiatives in an early-stage startup.

• Legal eligibility to work in either London, UK, or San Francisco, USA, without requiring company visa sponsorship (visa transfers are acceptable). Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience working with a consumer company renowned for exceptional, taste-driven product design.

• Familiarity with hardware product design considerations and their integration with digital interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "standout portfolio" is paramount. For operations professionals, this means understanding how design impacts user adoption and conversion rates. The technical skills like Figma and Adobe Suite are critical for efficient GTM asset creation and brand consistency, which are operational concerns.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is the single most important factor for this hire, demonstrating end-to-end UI/UX design capabilities for consumer apps.

• Portfolio must clearly showcase broader brand design skills, including website design, social media graphics, email marketing assets, and event collateral.

• Evidence of strong graphic design fundamentals, exceptional aesthetic sensibility, and a refined taste for premium brand experiences.

• Examples of iOS app design adhering to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, illustrating user flow and interaction design.

• Demonstrations of how a brand identity was translated and consistently applied across various consumer touchpoints.

• Case studies or project examples that highlight the process from concept to high-fidelity production assets. Process Documentation:

• While not explicitly stated, applicants should be prepared to articulate their design process, including:

  • Workflow design and optimization for app features and marketing assets.

  • Implementation of design standards and automation methods for asset creation.

  • Measurement and performance analysis of design effectiveness (e.g., user engagement, conversion rates).

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Founding Designer" role, the portfolio acts as a de facto process and systems demonstration. Candidates must showcase not just the output, but the methodology behind achieving consistent, high-quality, and brand-aligned results, which directly relates to operational efficiency and brand consistency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• US-Based (San Francisco): Approximately $150,000 USD per year.

• UK-Based (London): Approximately £75,000 GBP per year.

Benefits:

• Equity: Up to 1-2% in meaningful founding-level ownership, reflecting the early-stage nature of the company.

• Seed Round Funding: The company has recently closed a seed round, providing a solid foundation for growth and development.

• Visa Transfers: Visa transfers are welcome for candidates already possessing work authorization in the UK or US.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility often associated with hybrid and startup environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a founding designer role in these high-cost-of-living areas. The equity component is significant, aligning with the "founding" aspect of the title and emphasizing the company's growth-stage and potential. For operations, understanding the financial structure (seed funding, equity) is important for assessing company stability and growth trajectory.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Consumer Wearables, Hardware, Health & Human Emotion Technology.

Company Size: Early-stage startup, Y Combinator-backed. Exact employee count is not specified but implied to be small and growing.

Founded: The company is in its early stages, with prototypes on users' wrists and a launch film live, indicating significant progress from inception.

Team Structure:

• The founding team has a strong pedigree in consumer hardware, with ex-Apple experience, suggesting a focus on product quality and user experience.

• The designer will be the first dedicated design hire, working closely with the founding team.

• As the company scales, this role is expected to grow into a design leadership position, potentially building and managing a design team. Methodology:

• A fast-moving, early-stage environment characterized by rapid iteration and execution.

• A strong emphasis on aesthetics, taste, and a compelling brand experience as core to the company's value proposition.

• Data-driven decision-making is implied through the Y Combinator backing and the need for a cohesive consumer experience.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The "founding" aspect of this role is critical. It implies a high degree of autonomy, direct impact, and a need for individuals who thrive in ambiguity and can establish processes and standards from scratch. For operations, this means understanding that processes will need to be built, not just optimized.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a critical early hire, effectively a "Founding Designer." While the experience level is 2-5 years, the scope and impact place it at a senior individual contributor level with high growth potential. It's a stepping stone to design leadership.

Reporting Structure: The designer will report directly to the founding team, likely a CEO or CTO, given the company's early stage and hardware focus.

Operations Impact: The designer's work will directly influence user acquisition through compelling website and app design, customer retention via a positive user experience, and overall brand perception, all of which are key GTM operational metrics. The role bridges product development and marketing efforts.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: The explicit expectation is that this role will grow into a design leadership position, managing a team and shaping the company's design strategy as it scales.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in both UI/UX for mobile applications and broader brand/graphic design, potentially leading to specialization or a hybrid leadership role.

• Product Strategy Influence: As the first design hire, the individual will have significant input into product strategy and brand positioning, offering a unique opportunity to shape the company's direction.

• Industry Exposure: Working in a YC-backed hardware/health tech startup provides exposure to cutting-edge technology and business models.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth trajectory is significant. Operations professionals should recognize that this role is not just about execution but about building the design function from the ground up. This involves establishing workflows, setting standards, and potentially managing future hires, all key operational responsibilities within a design context.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company has a primary office in London, UK, and a base in San Francisco, USA. The role is described as "on-site or hybrid presence is expected," indicating a collaborative office environment is preferred. Fully remote candidates may be considered based on location, suggesting a flexible approach to hybrid work.

Office Location(s):

• London, United Kingdom

• San Francisco, California, United States Workspace Context:

• A fast-moving startup environment that fosters close collaboration between design, product, and hardware teams.

• Access to modern design tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) essential for the role.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with the founding team, providing mentorship and strategic insight.

• The environment is likely dynamic, with a focus on rapid prototyping and iteration.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours are expected, with potential for flexibility inherent in a startup culture. The hybrid nature of the work arrangement allows for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and the existence of two primary office locations suggest a need for strong remote collaboration skills, even if the role is hybrid. For operations, this means considering how to maintain team cohesion and efficient workflows across different locations and work arrangements.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely involves a review of the resume and, critically, a portfolio. A compelling portfolio is stated as the single most important factor.

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: Deeper dive into the candidate's portfolio, focusing on their design process, decision-making, and ability to translate brand identity. Expect to discuss specific projects and their impact.

• Skills Assessment: Practical exercises or discussions to evaluate proficiency in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and understanding of iOS Human Interface Guidelines.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with members of the product, hardware, or marketing teams to assess collaboration style and cultural fit within a fast-paced startup environment.

• Founding Team Interview: A final discussion with the founders to assess strategic thinking, autonomy, and alignment with the company's vision and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Breadth and Depth: Showcase a diverse range of work, from detailed UI/UX flows for consumer apps to impactful graphic design for marketing and brand collateral.

• Tell a Story: For each project, articulate the problem, your process, the solutions you designed, and the outcomes (quantifiable if possible, e.g., improved engagement, conversion).

• Emphasize Brand Cohesion: Clearly demonstrate how you've maintained a consistent visual language and brand identity across different touchpoints.

• Showcase Process: Include wireframes, user flows, mockups, and prototypes to illustrate your design methodology.

• Tailor to Clera: If possible, subtly incorporate elements that align with Clera's focus on hardware, health, and emotion, showcasing your understanding of their market.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss how you would approach establishing design processes and standards for a new company.

• Anticipate questions about translating a brand identity into a cohesive user experience for a hardware-product company.

• Think about how you would collaborate with engineering and product teams in an early-stage environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on the portfolio cannot be overstated. This is where candidates must demonstrate their ability to execute on the operational needs of the role – creating consistent, high-quality assets that drive business objectives. The interview process will likely assess not just design skill but also the candidate's ability to operate autonomously and contribute to building the company.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency in creating high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes is expected.

• Adobe Creative Suite:

  • Illustrator: For vector graphics, logos, icons, and detailed illustrations.
  • Photoshop: For image editing, creating marketing assets, and detailed visual design.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, an understanding of how design impacts user analytics (e.g., engagement rates, conversion funnels, user retention) is crucial. Proficiency with analytics tools may be a plus. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design role, but an understanding of how marketing automation tools (e.g., for email campaigns) might utilize design assets would be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specified tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) are industry standards for UI/UX and graphic design. For operations, understanding how these tools integrate into a broader GTM technology stack (e.g., how design assets are used in marketing automation or CRM campaigns) is valuable.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Aesthetics and Taste: A core value, reflecting the company's commitment to a premium and emotionally resonant brand experience.

• User-Centricity: Designing with the end-user's needs and emotions at the forefront, especially relevant for a wearable health product.

• Collaboration: Working closely with product, hardware, and marketing teams to ensure design aligns with business objectives and technical capabilities.

• Autonomy and Ownership: Expectation of self-starters who can take initiative and drive projects forward with minimal supervision.

• Speed and Agility: Operating effectively in a fast-paced startup environment, iterating quickly and adapting to change.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional integration is key, requiring open communication and a willingness to work alongside engineering and marketing.

• A feedback-driven culture is implied, where design decisions are informed by insights from various teams.

• Knowledge sharing is essential in an early-stage company to ensure alignment and efficient execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "aesthetics and taste" is unusual for a typical operations role but is central to Clera's brand. For operations professionals, understanding how to support and operationalize a brand that prioritizes design excellence is key. This involves ensuring processes are in place to maintain quality and consistency.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Design Processes: As the first design hire, a significant challenge will be defining and implementing design workflows, standards, and best practices from scratch.

• Balancing Design Vision with Startup Constraints: Navigating the balance between maintaining a high-end aesthetic and working within the rapid iteration cycles and resource constraints of an early-stage startup.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring design decisions are well-communicated and integrated with product and hardware development, which can be complex in a fast-paced environment.

• Brand Consistency Across Touchpoints: Maintaining a unified brand identity across diverse platforms (iOS app, website, social media, hardware) requires meticulous attention to detail.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Leadership Development: The role offers a direct path to design leadership, providing experience in team building, strategy development, and mentorship.

• Hardware-Software Integration Design: Gaining experience at the intersection of hardware and software design for consumer wearables.

• Brand Building from the Ground Up: Contributing significantly to the formation and evolution of a new consumer brand.

• Startup Operations Acumen: Developing a deep understanding of the operational dynamics of a fast-growing, venture-backed startup.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to a founding role in a startup. Operations professionals should view these not as obstacles but as opportunities to build and refine processes, which is a core aspect of operations. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a steep learning curve and significant career advancement potential.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach establishing a design system and brand guidelines for a new consumer wearable company?" (Assesses process creation and brand strategy)

• "Describe a time you had to balance ambitious design goals with tight project deadlines or technical constraints. What was your approach and the outcome?" (Assesses problem-solving and adaptability)

• "How do you ensure consistency in brand identity across different platforms, such as a mobile app, website, and marketing collateral?" (Assesses operational execution of brand strategy) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Clera's mission and product? How does your design philosophy align with our focus on health and human emotion?" (Assesses cultural fit and strategic thinking)

• "Given your experience, how would you envision collaborating with our product and hardware teams to ensure a seamless user experience?" (Assesses cross-functional collaboration skills)

• "How do you measure the success of your design work, particularly in relation to user engagement and brand perception?" (Assesses data-driven approach and impact measurement) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio by project type (e.g., App UI/UX, Website Design, Brand Identity) or by case study. For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the results.

• Storytelling: Focus on the narrative of each project. Explain your design decisions and how they addressed user needs and business goals.

• Demonstrate Process: Show wireframes, user flows, mood boards, and iterations to illustrate your design thinking.

• Highlight Key Skills: Ensure your work explicitly demonstrates proficiency in Figma, Adobe Suite, and adherence to HIG.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data to show the positive impact of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction scores).

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation for this role requires a dual focus: showcasing exceptional design talent and demonstrating operational readiness. Candidates need to articulate their processes, their understanding of business impact, and their ability to build and scale design functions.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that demonstrate end-to-end UI/UX for consumer apps and broad brand design capabilities. Emphasize your experience with iOS design and your aesthetic sensibilities.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and your ability to translate brand identity across multiple touchpoints. Quantify achievements where possible, focusing on impact on user engagement or brand perception.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and the outcomes of your work. Prepare to discuss how you would establish design standards and collaborate in a fast-paced startup.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Clera, their mission, their product (consumer wearables focused on health and emotion), and their Y Combinator background. Understand their target audience and brand positioning.

⚠️ 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.