Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer

Company: Clera

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design & Brand Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-20

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (2-8 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (On-site by default, Remote OK for exceptional candidates)

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a foundational role for a Y Combinator-backed consumer wearable startup, Clera, focused on establishing its visual identity and user experience.

• The position requires end-to-end ownership of UI/UX design for the iOS application and leadership of visual design across the website, social media, marketing collateral, and customer communications.

• The ideal candidate will define and maintain a premium, cohesive consumer design language, directly impacting user perception and brand scalability.

• This role sits at the critical intersection of product development, marketing strategy, and brand identity, demanding a strong aesthetic sense and ability to work autonomously.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer," the responsibilities and required experience level suggest a mid-to-senior level individual contributor role. The emphasis on "foundational" and "owning" indicates a high degree of autonomy and impact, typical of early-stage startup hires. The "operations" aspect comes from the need to establish and maintain consistent design systems and brand guidelines across all touchpoints, ensuring operational efficiency in design execution and brand management.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End UI/UX Design: Lead the complete UI/UX design process for Clera's iOS application, from concept and wireframing to high-fidelity prototyping and user testing.

• Brand Visual Identity: Spearhead the visual design strategy across all digital marketing channels, including the company website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and launch collateral.

• Design System Development: Define, document, and implement a comprehensive and unified consumer design language and style guide to ensure brand consistency across all user touchpoints.

• Marketing & Launch Collateral: Design compelling event invitations, product launch materials, and other marketing assets that effectively communicate the brand's premium aesthetic and value proposition.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product managers, engineers, and marketing teams to translate business objectives and user needs into intuitive and visually appealing design solutions.

• User-Centric Design: Champion user needs and feedback throughout the design process, conducting user research and A/B testing where appropriate to optimize user experience and engagement.

• Aesthetic Leadership: Apply exceptional aesthetic judgment and a keen eye for detail to ensure all design outputs align with a premium hardware and consumer technology brand identity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for both strategic design thinking and hands-on execution. The emphasis on "owning" and "defining" implies that the candidate will be instrumental in shaping the company's visual direction, requiring strong initiative and decision-making capabilities. The "operations" component is inherent in the creation and maintenance of a design system and brand guidelines, which serve as operational blueprints for all future design and marketing efforts.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is preferred.

• Alternatively, a strong portfolio and equivalent practical experience from a top design program or a rigorous consumer company will be highly valued. Experience:

• 2–8 years of professional experience in UI/UX design and graphic design, with a proven track record in consumer-facing products or environments.

• Experience within a startup or fast-paced technology company is advantageous.

• Demonstrated experience in defining and maintaining brand consistency across multiple digital platforms. Required Skills:

• UI/UX Design Proficiency: Expertise in user interface design principles, user experience best practices, and interaction design for mobile applications (iOS).

• Graphic Design Excellence: Strong foundation in graphic design, including typography, color theory, layout, and visual hierarchy, with a portfolio showcasing exceptional aesthetic taste.

• Figma Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design, including component-based design systems.

• Brand Identity Development: Proven ability to define, articulate, and implement a cohesive brand identity and design language.

• Cross-Platform Design: Experience designing for a variety of digital touchpoints including mobile apps, websites, social media graphics, and marketing collateral.

• Independent Work Ethic: Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and deliver high-quality results with minimal direction.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in designing for hardware products or consumer wearables.

• Familiarity with user research methodologies and usability testing.

• Knowledge of motion design principles for enhancing user experience.

• Experience with A/B testing and data-driven design optimization.

• Background from a top design program or a well-regarded consumer company known for its tasteful product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience range (2-8 years) suggests flexibility for candidates with strong portfolios and foundational skills, as well as those with more extensive experience. The emphasis on "aesthetic sensibility suited to a premium hardware and consumer technology brand" indicates a need for a designer who understands and can execute a sophisticated, modern visual style.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated UI/UX Impact: Showcase case studies detailing your process for designing iOS applications, highlighting problem identification, user flows, wireframing, prototyping, and final UI designs, with a focus on user-centric problem-solving.

• Graphic Design Versatility: Include examples of diverse graphic design projects, such as branding, marketing collateral, website visuals, and social media assets, demonstrating a strong grasp of visual aesthetics and brand consistency.

• Figma Workflow: Provide evidence of your proficiency in Figma, illustrating your ability to create scalable design systems, reusable components, and interactive prototypes.

• Brand System Documentation: If possible, include examples of brand guidelines or design system documentation you have created or contributed to, showcasing your ability to operationalize design standards.

• Results-Oriented Projects: Highlight projects where your design contributions led to measurable improvements in user engagement, conversion rates, or brand perception, demonstrating your ability to drive business outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Design Thinking Methodology: Be prepared to articulate your design process, including how you approach problem definition, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

• System Implementation: Demonstrate an understanding of how to implement and maintain design systems and brand guidelines effectively across different platforms and teams to ensure operational consistency.

• Collaboration and Feedback: Explain how you incorporate feedback from stakeholders (product, engineering, marketing) into your design iterations and how you manage design reviews.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "founding" design role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to clearly articulate the candidate's design thinking process and demonstrate their ability to establish and manage design operations from the ground up. Emphasis should be placed on projects that show scalability and a clear understanding of brand consistency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• £75,000 GBP per annum (equivalent to approximately $150,000 USD). This is based on the provided information for the London office. Benefits:

• Equity: Up to 1-2% equity in Clera, offering significant potential upside as a founding team member.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance and wellness programs (details to be confirmed).

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, skill enhancement, and attendance at industry events.

• Flexible Work Arrangement: While the role is primarily on-site in London, remote work is possible for exceptional candidates, offering a degree of work-life balance flexibility.

• Visa Sponsorship: While direct sponsorship is not available, H-1B transfers are accepted for candidates already in the US.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are assumed to be approximately 40 hours per week.

• Given the startup environment and founding nature of the role, flexibility and dedication may be required, especially during critical launch phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary is provided in both USD and GBP, reflecting potential compensation structures for different office locations. The equity offering is a significant component, indicating the company's desire to attract individuals committed to its long-term success. For London-based candidates, the GBP figure is the primary benchmark.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Consumer Wearables / Health Technology / Y Combinator Startup

Company Size: Early-stage Startup (Specific size not provided, but YC backing implies a small, agile team)

Founded: Founded by experienced individuals with Y Combinator backing, indicating a focus on rapid growth and innovation.

Team Structure:

• Founding Team: You will be joining a core group of founders and early employees. This implies a highly collaborative, hands-on, and results-driven environment.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Expect close interaction with technical founders, product leads, and marketing specialists. The design function is integrated deeply into product development and go-to-market strategies.

• Agile Operations: As an early-stage startup, processes are likely lean and adaptable, with a strong emphasis on iteration and quick decision-making.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisions: While design-focused, expect decisions to be informed by user data, market analysis, and business objectives.

• Iterative Design & Development: The company likely employs agile methodologies, requiring designers to be comfortable with rapid prototyping and continuous feedback loops.

• User-Centric Approach: A strong focus on understanding and serving the target consumer's needs and preferences is core to the company's mission.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Clera is positioned as a Y Combinator-backed startup in the consumer wearable space. This context suggests a high-growth, innovative environment where design plays a pivotal role in shaping the product and brand perception from its inception. The "operations" aspect is in the company's drive for efficient execution and scalable systems from day one.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Founding Contributor / Lead Designer

• This role is positioned as a critical early hire, responsible for establishing the visual foundation of the company. It offers the opportunity to shape design strategy, build a design function, and have a direct impact on the company's trajectory. Reporting Structure:

• You will likely report directly to one of the company's co-founders, such as the CEO or Head of Product. This close reporting line offers direct access to leadership and strategic decision-making. Operations Impact:

• Your work will directly influence user acquisition, retention, and brand perception. A strong design language and intuitive user experience are critical for a consumer wearable startup to gain market traction and build trust. The "operations" of design – consistency, scalability, and efficiency – are key to the company's overall success. Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: As the company grows, there's a clear path to build and lead a design team, defining its structure, processes, and culture.

• Product Strategy Influence: Your insights into user experience and visual design will contribute significantly to product roadmap decisions and overall company strategy.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of UI/UX, brand strategy, or product design within the rapidly evolving wearable technology sector.

• Equity Growth: Significant potential for personal wealth creation through equity, tied to the company's success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "founding" nature of this role implies significant autonomy and the potential to define the future of design at Clera. Growth opportunities are tied to the company's expansion and the candidate's ability to scale their impact and leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Likely a modern, collaborative startup office space in London, designed to foster creativity and teamwork. Alternatively, the company is open to remote arrangements for exceptional candidates.

Office Location(s):

• Primary: London, United Kingdom

• Potential: San Francisco, United States (though the role is advertised for London) Workspace Context:

• Collaborative & Agile: Expect an environment that encourages open communication, brainstorming, and rapid iteration. Teamwork will be essential.

• Tool-Rich Environment: Access to industry-standard design tools like Figma will be readily available. The company will likely support the acquisition of necessary software and hardware.

• Direct Impact: Your work will be highly visible and directly contribute to the company's product and brand development.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (approx. 40/week) are expected.

• Flexibility may be required to meet project deadlines, especially during key product launches or fundraising rounds, which is common in startup environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role (on-site default, remote OK) provides flexibility. For London-based candidates, the expectation is likely to be in the office to foster team cohesion and collaboration, typical of early-stage startups.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess fundamental skills, aesthetic sensibility, and relevant experience.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A deep dive into your portfolio, where you'll be asked to walk through specific case studies, explain your design process, and articulate the impact of your work. Expect questions about your approach to UI/UX for iOS, graphic design principles, and brand building.

• Design Challenge (Potential): You may be given a small design exercise or asked to critique an existing design to assess your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to apply your aesthetic judgment to specific problems.

• Team/Founder Interviews: Meetings with key team members and founders to assess cultural fit, ability to work independently, and alignment with the company's vision and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Your Best Work: Select 3-5 strong projects that best showcase your UI/UX and graphic design skills relevant to a consumer tech brand.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, your process, the challenges you faced, your solutions, and the measurable outcomes. Focus on why you made certain design decisions.

• Highlight Figma Proficiency: Demonstrate your ability to create robust design systems, interactive prototypes, and efficient workflows within Figma.

• Showcase Aesthetic Judgment: Ensure your portfolio visually communicates a premium, modern aesthetic aligned with Clera's target market.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics or evidence of how your designs positively impacted user behavior or business goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product: Familiarize yourself with Clera's mission, target audience, and existing (if any) visual identity.

• iOS Design Conventions: Be prepared to discuss iOS design patterns and best practices.

• Brand Consistency: Think about how to maintain a consistent brand voice and visual style across different mediums.

• Startup Mindset: Be ready to discuss how you would operate in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "standout portfolio" and "exceptional aesthetic taste" means that the portfolio review will be a critical gate. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their design rationale and demonstrate a deep understanding of user-centered design and brand building in the consumer tech space.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative design system development. Proficiency is a core requirement.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Likely beneficial for graphic design tasks, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and potentially After Effects for motion graphics or animated assets.

Prototyping & Collaboration:

• Figma Prototyping: For creating interactive user flows and testing design concepts.

• Miro/FigJam: For brainstorming, wireframing, and user flow mapping.

Product & Project Management (Familiarity Beneficial):

• Jira/Asana/Trello: Understanding how design integrates into agile development workflows.

• Slack: For team communication and collaboration.

Analytics & User Feedback (Familiarity Beneficial):

• Mixpanel/Amplitude: Understanding how to interpret user behavior data to inform design decisions.

• UserTesting.com/Maze: Familiarity with platforms for gathering user feedback and conducting usability testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a required skill. While other tools are not specified, a candidate with a strong foundation in the broader design tool ecosystem will be well-positioned. The focus is on tools that enable efficient creation, iteration, and collaboration in a product development context.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Design Excellence: A commitment to creating beautiful, intuitive, and high-quality user experiences and visual assets.

• User-Centricity: Placing the needs and experiences of the end-user at the forefront of all design decisions.

• Autonomy & Ownership: Taking initiative, driving projects forward independently, and owning the outcome of design work.

• Collaboration & Communication: Working effectively with cross-functional teams, providing and receiving constructive feedback, and communicating design rationale clearly.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Embracing new ideas, technologies, and approaches to solve design challenges in a rapidly evolving startup environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Design: Design is not siloed but deeply integrated into product development and marketing efforts.

• Open Feedback: A culture that encourages candid feedback to drive continuous improvement.

• Shared Vision: A collective drive towards building a successful consumer brand and product.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a founding member, the candidate will significantly influence the team's culture. The values emphasize a blend of creative excellence, user focus, and the pragmatic execution required in a startup setting.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New Brand Identity: Creating a unique and compelling visual language for a brand from scratch in a competitive market.

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Ensuring design decisions align with both user desirability and business objectives in a resource-constrained environment.

• Rapid Iteration & Scalability: Designing for a product that will evolve quickly, requiring scalable design systems and adaptable workflows.

• Defining Design Operations: As the first dedicated designer, you will be instrumental in setting up design processes, tools, and best practices.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Direct Impact on Product & Brand: The ability to see your designs directly influence the success of a growing company.

• Entrepreneurial Experience: Gaining invaluable experience in a high-growth startup environment, working closely with founders.

• Leadership Potential: Opportunities to grow into a design leadership role as the company scales.

• Industry Exposure: Deep dive into the wearable technology and consumer hardware space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical of a founding role in a startup, offering significant opportunities for personal and professional growth. The ability to navigate ambiguity and drive results will be key.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining Clera's core brand aesthetic and design language for a premium consumer wearable?"

• "Describe your process for designing a new feature for an iOS application, from initial concept to final handoff."

• "How do you balance user experience best practices with business objectives and technical constraints in a startup environment?"

• "Given your experience, what are the key considerations for creating a scalable design system for a growing consumer brand?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Clera's mission and the wearable technology space?"

• "How do you approach collaboration with engineers and product managers?"

• "Describe a time you had to work with limited resources or under tight deadlines. How did you manage it?"

• "How do you stay updated on design trends and best practices, particularly in the consumer tech and hardware space?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Process: Clearly articulate your thought process, decision-making, and problem-solving for each project.

• Highlight Brand Alignment: Emphasize how your design choices align with creating a premium, cohesive consumer brand.

• Showcase Figma Skills: Be ready to demonstrate your Figma workflow, component usage, and prototyping capabilities.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrates the success of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design rationale, trade-offs, and how you would adapt your approach to Clera's specific needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely probe your ability to think strategically about brand, understand user needs, execute technically, and operate effectively within a startup context. Your portfolio presentation is your primary opportunity to demonstrate these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned design position:

• Submit your application through the provided Ashby link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your UI/UX and graphic design skills, focusing on consumer-facing products and brand building. Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases your Figma proficiency and aesthetic judgment.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in UI/UX design, graphic design, brand development, and working within fast-paced environments. Emphasize achievements and quantifiable results where possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design process, your understanding of Clera's mission, and why you are the ideal candidate to establish their visual identity. Practice presenting your portfolio projects concisely and effectively.

• Research Clera: Understand their Y Combinator background, target market, and any existing brand presence to demonstrate your genuine interest and strategic thinking.

⚠️ 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.