Head of Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Design

Company: CASABOT

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design Leadership / Product Design

Date Posted: May 14, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Remote OK (with significant overlap to Gulf Standard Time)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and own the entire product design and user experience (UX) strategy across the CASABOT platform, encompassing HiveOS, BOTty interaction, mobile (iOS/Android), web, and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences.

• Establish and maintain the comprehensive CASABOT design system, including patterns, components, accessibility standards, and design tokens, ensuring a cohesive user interface (UI) and user experience.

• Drive brand stewardship by defining and enforcing the visual identity, motion language, and overall consistency of CASABOT's brand presence across all customer, partner, and public-facing touchpoints.

• Foster strong cross-functional partnerships with the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), mobile engineering leads, and the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to ensure seamless integration and optimal customer-facing surfaces.

• Build, mentor, and scale the design organization, hiring top talent and establishing design as a peer function to engineering and commercial teams as the company grows.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a critical leadership hire in a fast-paced startup environment. The description emphasizes hands-on contribution, strategic ownership, and team-building capabilities. The clear progression path to Chief Design Officer highlights the significant impact and growth potential for the right candidate, requiring a blend of strategic vision and execution prowess in product design and user experience.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end product design for all CASABOT surfaces, including the HiveOS in-home control interface, BOTty conversational AI, native iOS and Android mobile applications, web interfaces, and the immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experience.

• Develop, implement, and maintain a robust and scalable design system, ensuring adherence to accessibility standards, design tokens, and consistent UI/UX patterns across all product touchpoints.

• Act as the primary custodian of the CASABOT brand, defining and guiding the visual identity, motion design language, and ensuring consistent brand representation across all marketing, product, and communication channels.

• Collaborate closely with engineering leadership (CTO, mobile leads) and commercial leadership (CRO) to translate business objectives and user needs into intuitive and effective product designs.

• Recruit, manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing design team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, with full autonomy over hiring recommendations and team growth strategies.

• Drive user research initiatives to gather insights, validate design decisions, and ensure the product meets the evolving needs of customers and installers.

• Conduct design quality assurance (QA) to ensure final products meet established design standards and user experience expectations before release.

• Contribute directly to design tasks, including user flows, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design, especially during the initial critical phases of the role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate ownership across product surfaces, design systems, brand, and team leadership. The emphasis on "owning" and "stewardship" indicates a high degree of autonomy and accountability. The phased priorities for the first ninety days and year one provide a clear roadmap for impact, focusing initially on core user interfaces and then expanding to broader platform elements and team scaling.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent knowledge and experience in design principles, user-centered design methodologies, and product development is essential. A degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is advantageous.

Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant portion in senior leadership roles managing multi-platform consumer products, preferably within a startup or fast-paced technology environment.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in senior product design leadership, specifically for multi-platform consumer-facing products.

• Demonstrated success in shipping high-quality products on schedule within a startup or similarly demanding environment.

• Proven track record of successfully hiring, leading, mentoring, and developing design teams.

• Deep, hands-on proficiency with Figma and other modern prototyping tools for rapid iteration and high-fidelity mockups.

• Comprehensive understanding and practical application of end-to-end design processes, including user research, interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and design QA.

• Expertise in building, scaling, and maintaining design systems for complex product ecosystems.

• Strong ability to collaborate effectively with engineering, product management, and commercial teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in smart home technology, consumer hardware, connected devices, or premium hospitality technology sectors.

• Multi-surface design experience, including mobile, web, embedded systems, and at least one of: spatial computing, AR, or voice interfaces.

• Fluency in brand system development and management, with the capability to partner with or lead external agency support.

• Prior exposure to working within the Gulf region or experience scaling businesses into European markets.

• Familiarity with SaaS product design principles and user experience best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize practical, hands-on experience and a proven ability to deliver in a startup context. The distinction between required and preferred experience highlights the core competencies needed versus areas that would provide an immediate advantage. The explicit mention of "startup environment" and "shipping at quality and on schedule" underscores the need for a results-oriented, resilient candidate.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing leadership in end-to-end product design for multi-platform consumer products.

• Case studies demonstrating the successful development, implementation, and evolution of design systems, highlighting their impact on consistency, efficiency, and user experience.

• Examples of leading design initiatives from initial research and concept development through to final product launch, including user testing and QA.

• Evidence of team leadership, including hiring, mentoring, and managing design talent, with clear articulation of leadership philosophy and impact.

• Demonstrations of proficiency with core design tools like Figma, including complex prototyping and interactive element creation.

• Projects that highlight strong collaboration with engineering and product teams, showcasing how design challenges were overcome through partnership.

Process Documentation:

• Ability to articulate and document design processes, from user research methodologies to design system governance.

• Clear explanation of how design decisions are made, validated, and iterated upon based on user feedback and business objectives.

• Documentation of how design quality is maintained throughout the product development lifecycle, including design QA protocols.

• Examples of establishing and managing design workflows that ensure efficient collaboration and timely delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are geared towards demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, and execution capability in a design context. Emphasis is placed on tangible results, process rigor, and the ability to articulate complex design challenges and their solutions. A strong emphasis on design systems and cross-functional collaboration is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While specific figures are not provided, compensation is described as competitive and calibrated to seniority and experience. For a Head of Design role with 10+ years of experience in a leadership position based in Dubai, UAE, a typical base salary range would likely fall between AED 450,000 - 700,000+ per annum (approximately USD 122,500 - 190,500+). This estimate considers the high cost of living in Dubai, the demand for senior design talent in technology startups, and the leadership scope of the role.

Benefits:

• Competitive Base Salary: Calibrated to the candidate's seniority and extensive experience.

• Stock Options: An integral part of the compensation package, offering meaningful participation in the company's equity program.

• Meaningful Equity: The Head of Design will receive a significant allocation of company stock options, aligning their success with the company's growth.

• Potential for Growth: The role offers a clear path to evolve into a Chief Design Officer position.

• Relocation Assistance: While not explicitly stated, for candidates relocating to Dubai, such support is often a negotiable benefit for senior roles.

Working Hours: While not explicitly defined, a 40-hour work week is standard. However, given the startup environment and the "work both smart and hard" requirement, flexibility and dedication to meeting deadlines are expected, potentially involving extended hours during critical project phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The compensation package is designed to be highly attractive, with a strong emphasis on equity. The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior design leadership roles in major Middle Eastern tech hubs like Dubai, considering the company's startup nature and the significant responsibilities. The stock options are presented as a key component, indicating a long-term incentive aligned with company performance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Smart Home / Consumer Hardware / Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). CASABOT operates at the intersection of smart home technology, IoT, and AI-driven user experiences, aiming to create intuitive and integrated living environments. The company's focus on a branded personality (BOTty interaction) suggests a strong emphasis on user engagement and emotional connection with technology.

Company Size: Startup. As a startup, CASABOT likely offers a dynamic, fast-paced, and agile work environment. This often translates to flatter hierarchies, direct access to leadership, and the opportunity to make a significant impact. The current design team size is small (two members), indicating the Head of Design will be instrumental in shaping its future.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the description implies CASABOT is in a growth phase, seeking to scale its product offerings and team. The emphasis on "shipping" and meeting deadlines suggests a culture that values execution and tangible results.

Team Structure:

• The Head of Design reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), indicating high-level visibility and strategic input.

• The design team currently consists of two individuals, implying a need for immediate leadership and expansion.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The role requires a strong foundation in user research and data analysis to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Agile Development: The startup environment and emphasis on meeting deadlines suggest an agile or iterative approach to product development and design.

• User-Centricity: A core tenet of the role is to ensure the design of the CASABOT platform is intuitive, effective, and delightful for customers and installers.

• Brand Integration: A key focus is on integrating brand identity and personality into the product experience, particularly through the BOTty interaction.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: CASABOT appears to be a forward-thinking tech startup focused on creating a strong brand identity and user experience within the smart home sector. The culture is described as direct, ambitious, and focused on shipping products, requiring resilience and a strong work ethic from its leaders. The reporting structure to the CEO highlights the strategic importance of this design leadership role.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a Senior Leadership position within the Design function, equivalent to a Director or VP level in larger organizations. It is a "hands-on leadership seat," meaning the individual will be expected to contribute directly to design work while also setting strategic direction and building a team. The immediate reporting line to the CEO signifies a high level of influence and strategic involvement.

Reporting Structure: The Head of Design reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This provides direct access to executive decision-making and strategic company direction. The role will also involve close collaboration with other C-suite executives, including the CTO and CRO, fostering a highly integrated GTM and product development environment.

Operations Impact: The Head of Design will have a profound impact on the entire CASABOT ecosystem. Their work will directly influence customer acquisition and retention through product usability and brand perception, shape the company's technological direction through the design system and platform integration, and directly contribute to revenue growth by ensuring a compelling and competitive user experience across all customer-facing surfaces. Building the design team is also a crucial part of their long-term impact.

Growth Opportunities:

• Chief Design Officer (CDO) Trajectory: Strong performance in this role positions the Head of Design to evolve into a Chief Design Officer, expanding their strategic purview to encompass all design-related functions and further influence company-wide strategy.

• Team Expansion and Leadership: The opportunity to build and scale a design organization from a small team to a robust department, developing leadership and management skills.

• Strategic Influence: Direct access to the CEO and executive team provides opportunities to influence product strategy, company vision, and business growth.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Deep involvement in partnerships with engineering and commercial teams will broaden understanding of business operations and GTM strategies.

• Industry Exposure: Working with cutting-edge technologies like AR and conversational AI, and potentially within the smart home or premium hospitality sectors, offers unique industry experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a significant step up in leadership and strategic responsibility. The growth potential is clearly defined, with a direct path to a C-suite position and opportunities to build a function from the ground up. The emphasis on hands-on contribution alongside leadership suggests a role for an individual who thrives in both strategic planning and tactical execution.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The preferred work arrangement is based in the United Arab Emirates, suggesting an on-site or hybrid model in Dubai. However, remote candidates with substantial overlap to the Gulf Standard Time (GST) business day will be considered. This indicates flexibility, but a preference for proximity to the company's operational hub.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Travel will be required, implying potential visits to other company locations, partner sites, or industry events.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: As a startup, expect a highly collaborative workspace where direct interaction with leadership and cross-functional teams is common. The small existing design team means early collaboration will be intense and direct.

• Resource Availability: While specific tools are listed (Figma), the environment likely provides access to necessary software and hardware to support design and prototyping needs. The role involves defining and managing the design system, which will become a core resource.

• Dynamic Pace: The startup culture means a fast-paced, often demanding environment where quick decision-making and adaptation are key. The emphasis on "shipping" suggests a focus on productive work and tangible outputs.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are likely around 40 hours per week, but the "work both smart and hard" and "pressure is constant" statements suggest a need for flexibility and willingness to put in extra hours when deadlines demand. This is typical for leadership roles in growth-stage startups.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment is characterized by its startup nature: fast-paced, collaborative, and demanding, with a clear preference for candidates based in or closely aligned with the UAE business hours. While remote work is an option, proximity and timezone alignment are key considerations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Direct Applications Only: The company explicitly states they are not engaging recruitment agencies, so candidates must apply directly.

• Executive Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will meet with senior leadership, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the acting Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and other senior members of the leadership team. This indicates a rigorous selection process focused on strategic fit and leadership capabilities.

• Portfolio Review: Expect a deep dive into your portfolio, focusing on your experience with multi-platform consumer products, design systems, team leadership, and your ability to deliver under pressure. Be prepared to discuss specific projects, your role, the challenges faced, and the outcomes.

• Hands-On Contribution Assessment: Given the "hands-on leadership seat" description, interviews may include discussions about how you would approach specific design challenges on the CASABOT platform, or potentially a small design exercise.

• Cultural Fit Assessment: The interview process will likely assess your temperament, resilience, and ability to thrive in a direct, ambitious, and high-pressure startup environment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Leadership & Strategy: Showcase your experience in leading design initiatives, setting strategic direction, and building/managing teams.

• Emphasize Design Systems: Detail your experience with creating, scaling, and maintaining design systems, demonstrating their impact on product consistency and efficiency.

• Showcase Multi-Platform Expertise: Provide clear examples of designing for diverse platforms (mobile, web, AR, embedded) and how you ensure a cohesive user experience across them.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your design work, such as improvements in user engagement, conversion rates, or task completion times.

• Startup Resilience: Include case studies that highlight your ability to deliver under tight deadlines and imperfect information, demonstrating problem-solving skills in challenging environments.

• Brand Stewardship: Showcase examples of how you've managed brand identity and visual language across product touchpoints.

• Prepare for Direct Questions: Be ready for direct and probing questions about your decision-making process, leadership style, and ability to handle pressure.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand CASABOT's Product: Thoroughly research CASABOT's current offerings (HiveOS, BOTty, mobile apps, AR) and target market.

• Identify Potential Design Challenges: Think about the unique challenges of designing for smart homes, conversational AI, and AR experiences.

• Prepare to Discuss Priorities: Be ready to articulate your approach to prioritizing the "First ninety days" tasks (HiveOS UI, Mobile, BOTty interaction).

• Articulate Your Leadership Philosophy: Prepare to discuss how you build, mentor, and lead design teams, especially in a startup context.

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Be ready to walk through a complex design problem you've solved, detailing your process, the trade-offs you made, and the results.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process is direct and emphasizes executive-level engagement. Candidates should prepare a portfolio that strongly emphasizes leadership, strategic execution, and resilience in a startup context. The interview process will likely be rigorous, involving direct interaction with the CEO and CTO, and will focus heavily on assessing the candidate's ability to lead, build, and deliver under pressure.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly required and a core tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency should extend to advanced features like component libraries, auto-layout, and collaborative workflows.

• Prototyping Tools: Modern prototyping tools beyond Figma, potentially including tools for interactive mockups, user flow mapping, and potentially animation previews.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and analyzing qualitative/quantitative user data. (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).

• Design System Management Tools: While Figma is central, other tools or methodologies for managing design tokens, style guides, and component documentation might be relevant.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Tools: Experience with platforms like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior, feature adoption, and identify pain points.

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools for creating dashboards and reports to communicate design impact and user insights to leadership (e.g., Tableau, Looker, Power BI).

• A/B Testing Platforms: Understanding of how to design and interpret A/B tests to validate design hypotheses and optimize user flows.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not directly a design tool, understanding how design impacts CRM data and customer journeys (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) is beneficial for cross-functional alignment.

• Project Management Tools: Proficiency with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design sprints, tracking tasks, and collaborating with engineering timelines.

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or similar for day-to-day team communication and cross-functional interaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technical requirement is mastery of Figma and modern prototyping. Beyond that, the role requires a broad understanding of tools that support the entire product design lifecycle, from user research and system management to analytics and cross-functional collaboration. The ability to leverage data to inform design and demonstrate impact is critical.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Directness & Ambition: CASABOT values clear, honest communication and a drive to achieve ambitious goals. Operations professionals are expected to be straightforward in their feedback and motivated by significant achievements.

• Execution & Shipping: A core value is the ability to deliver results and ship products reliably and on schedule. This implies a focus on efficiency, pragmatism, and a bias for action.

• Resilience Under Pressure: The company expects leaders to perform effectively even when facing constant pressure and tight timelines, making sound decisions with imperfect information.

• Quality & Ownership: A commitment to maintaining high standards of quality in design and taking full ownership of their domain, from concept to execution.

• Collaboration: While direct, the culture also necessitates strong cross-functional teamwork, particularly with engineering and commercial departments, to achieve unified product goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Peer Function: Design is expected to be a peer function to engineering and commercial, meaning seamless integration and equal strategic weight.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Collaboration will be direct and frequent with CTO, engineering leads, and CRO. This requires proactive communication and a shared understanding of business objectives.

• Process-Oriented Feedback: Expect a culture where processes are reviewed and refined, and feedback is shared openly to improve efficiency and outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of design knowledge, best practices, and insights across teams to foster collective growth and innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at CASABOT is clearly defined as demanding, results-oriented, and built for speed. Candidates must be comfortable with direct feedback, high pressure, and a strong emphasis on execution. The value placed on design as a "peer function" highlights the expectation of strategic partnership and influence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Startup Pace & Pressure: The constant pressure to meet deadlines and ship products in a fast-paced startup environment is a significant challenge requiring resilience and effective time management.

• Balancing Hands-On vs. Leadership: Effectively balancing direct design contributions with the strategic responsibilities of building and leading a team, especially as the company scales.

• Defining and Scaling the Design System: Establishing a robust, scalable design system from its early stages and ensuring its adoption and evolution across multiple product surfaces.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring seamless collaboration and alignment between design, engineering, and commercial teams, especially with limited resources in a startup.

• Brand Personality Integration: Translating the CASABOT brand and BOTty personality into an intuitive and engaging user experience across diverse platforms.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Development: The direct reporting line to the CEO and the potential to become CDO offers unparalleled opportunities for strategic leadership development and executive-level decision-making.

• Building a Function: The experience of building a design team and function from the ground up, including hiring, process definition, and culture shaping.

• Cutting-Edge Technology: Exposure to and hands-on experience with emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and advanced conversational AI (BOTty).

• Industry Specialization: Deep dive into the smart home, consumer hardware, or connected devices market, gaining specialized industry knowledge.

• Mentorship & Skill Expansion: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and expand personal expertise in areas like brand strategy, spatial design, or advanced UX research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to a high-growth startup environment and leadership roles. The growth opportunities are substantial, particularly the clear path to Chief Design Officer and the experience of building a department, making it an attractive role for ambitious design leaders.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach establishing design priorities for HiveOS, Mobile, and BOTty interaction in your first 90 days, given their stated importance?" (Focus on your prioritization framework, user research approach, and initial collaboration strategy.)

• "Describe your philosophy on building and scaling a design system. What are the key components, governance considerations, and how would you ensure its adoption across multiple platforms like mobile, web, and AR?" (Prepare to discuss your experience with design tokens, component libraries, and cross-functional buy-in.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about CASABOT's mission and product space, particularly our focus on brand personality and conversational AI?" (Research the company thoroughly and articulate a genuine connection to their vision.)

• "How would you foster a design culture that is both innovative and highly collaborative with engineering and commercial teams, aligning with our 'peer function' expectation?" (Discuss your leadership style, communication strategies, and methods for building cross-functional relationships.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio presentations to tell a compelling story for each case study, emphasizing the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the measurable impact.

• Lead with Leadership: For leadership roles, ensure your presentations clearly articulate your strategic contributions, team management, and influence, not just individual design execution.

• Showcase Design Systems: Dedicate specific slides or sections to your experience with design systems, detailing their architecture, benefits, and your role in their creation or maintenance.

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your design work. Prepare to discuss how you measured impact and what the ROI was.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, tools, and decision-making for each project. Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and alternative approaches.

• Tailor to CASABOT: Highlight projects that demonstrate experience relevant to CASABOT's product space (smart home, AR, mobile, conversational interfaces) or their startup culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership capability, and a proven ability to deliver results in a high-pressure, startup environment. The portfolio presentation needs to be meticulously crafted to showcase these qualities, with a strong emphasis on design systems, cross-functional collaboration, and quantifiable impact.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Head of Design position:

• Submit your application directly through the provided link on the CASABOT careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is tailored to highlight your experience in multi-platform consumer product design, design system development, and team leadership, with specific examples relevant to smart home technology, AR, or conversational AI if possible.

• Resume Optimization: Craft your resume to emphasize your 10+ years of experience, focusing on leadership achievements, startup experience, and quantifiable results in shipping products and building teams. Use keywords like "Product Design," "User Experience," "Design Systems," "Figma," and "Team Leadership."

• Prepare for Executive Interviews: Anticipate in-depth discussions with the CEO and CTO. Practice articulating your design philosophy, leadership approach, and strategic vision, using specific examples from your career. Be ready to discuss your approach to the first 90 days' priorities.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research CASABOT's products, mission, and market position. Understand their brand identity and the unique aspects of their technology (HiveOS, BOTty, AR). Prepare questions that demonstrate your engagement and strategic thinking about their business.

⚠️ 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.