Product Designer II at Careem

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer II

Company: Careem

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Visual Design, Product Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-12

Experience Level: 7-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office, 1 day remote; 30 days remote work from any country per year)

🎨 Role Summary

Shape and lead the visual design practice across all Careem verticals, including ride-hailing, food delivery, and fintech.
Craft a bold, modern visual identity that enhances customer interaction with delight and emotional depth.
Define and implement scalable visual language frameworks for product teams to ensure consistency and ease of adoption.
Explore and integrate cutting-edge AI-powered tools and workflows to maximize design impact and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Principal Visual Designer within a new design function, indicating a significant opportunity to define and establish visual design standards across a large, multi-faceted platform. The emphasis on AI tools suggests a forward-thinking approach to design processes at Careem. The "Product Designer II" title is slightly misaligned with the "Principal Visual Designer" description in the summary, suggesting a potential internal leveling variation where Product Designer II might encompass senior/principal visual design roles.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Lead the comprehensive creation and evolution of Careem’s visual language system, encompassing typography, iconography, motion design, and illustration.
Develop robust, scalable frameworks and guidelines that enable product design teams to seamlessly integrate and apply the defined visual language across diverse features and platforms.
Foster close collaboration with product managers, brand strategists, and marketing teams to ensure a cohesive, unified, and delightful cross-platform visual identity for the Everything App.
Research, evaluate, and integrate AI-powered design tools (such as Midjourney, Runway, and GPT-based workflows) into the design process to enhance creativity, accelerate iteration, and optimize design impact.
Actively mentor and guide a growing team of senior visual and motion designers, fostering their professional development and contributing to a high-performing design culture.
Champion design innovation by regularly conducting visual audits, proposing experimental design approaches, and continuously evolving the design language to maintain relevance and future-readiness in a dynamic market.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a leadership role focused on establishing and scaling a company-wide visual design system. The inclusion of AI tools as a key responsibility highlights Careem's commitment to leveraging emerging technologies in their design practice. The mentoring aspect is crucial for a senior-level role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Interaction Design, or a related field is typically expected for a role of this seniority. Equivalent professional experience demonstrating a strong foundation in design principles and practice is also highly valued.

Experience: 7–10 years of professional experience in visual design, with a minimum of 3 years specifically in a lead or principal visual design capacity. This experience should include a proven track record of successfully building, scaling, and maintaining comprehensive visual design systems across complex product ecosystems.

Required Skills:

Exceptional proficiency in visual design principles, including typography, color theory, layout, and composition.
Demonstrated ability to create and scale robust visual design systems across multiple platforms and product lines.
A compelling portfolio showcasing a high level of craft, attention to detail, and strategic thinking in system design.
Deep expertise in visual storytelling and the ability to convey brand identity and product value through visual elements.
Strong understanding of motion design principles and their application in enhancing user experience and visual appeal.
Proven experience ensuring cross-platform consistency in visual identity and user interface elements.

Preferred Skills:

Hands-on experience working with or alongside AI-powered design tools and workflows (e.g., Midjourney, Runway, GPT-based tools).
Experience mentoring or leading a team of visual and motion designers.
Comfort and effectiveness working in fast-paced, high-growth environments with distributed or cross-functional teams.
Experience collaborating closely with brand and marketing teams on visual identity alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required experience level and focus on building scalable visual systems align with the "Principal" aspect of the role description. The explicit mention of AI tools is a key differentiator and a required skill, suggesting candidates should highlight any relevant experience or interest in this area in their application and portfolio.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Your portfolio should be a striking demonstration of your finesse in visual craft and your ability to think strategically in systems.
Include detailed case studies showcasing your process for building and scaling visual design systems across diverse product ecosystems.
Highlight projects where you defined and implemented visual language elements such as typography hierarchies, iconography sets, and illustration styles.
Demonstrate your understanding and application of motion design principles within your projects.

Process Documentation:

For case studies, clearly articulate your design process from initial concept and research through iteration and final implementation.
Show how you approached the challenge of creating scalable visual frameworks.
Explain your rationale behind key visual design decisions and how they align with product goals and brand identity.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this senior visual design role, the portfolio is paramount. Candidates must not only showcase high-quality visual output but also demonstrate their strategic thinking and ability to build scalable systems. Case studies should emphasize the "how" and "why" behind their design decisions, particularly concerning system design and cross-platform application.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While the specific salary is not provided, based on industry benchmarks for a Principal Visual Designer role in Dubai, UAE, with 7-10 years of experience at a large tech company like Careem, the estimated annual salary range is likely between AED 300,000 and AED 500,000 (approximately USD 82,000 to USD 136,000). This estimate considers the high cost of living in Dubai, the seniority of the role, the specialized skill set required (including AI tools), and typical compensation packages for lead design roles in the MENA region's tech sector.

Benefits:

Access to comprehensive healthcare benefits.
Fitness reimbursements for health activities, including gym memberships, health clubs, and training classes, supporting a healthy lifestyle.
Unlimited vacation days per year, providing significant flexibility for work-life balance.
Opportunity to work remotely from any country in the world for 30 days annually.
For individual contributors in tech roles (which may apply here), the work arrangement is 2 days in office and 3 days working from home.

Working Hours: This is a full-time position. While specific daily hours are not detailed, the expectation is generally around 40 hours per week, with flexibility inherent in an unlimited vacation policy and hybrid work model. The hybrid model for individual contributors in tech is stated as 2 office days and 3 work-from-home days, which may differ slightly from the general company policy of 4 office days mentioned earlier; clarification during the interview process is recommended.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is an estimate based on external market data for similar roles in Dubai. Candidates should use this as a general guide and discuss compensation expectations during the interview process. The benefits package, particularly unlimited vacation and global remote work options, is attractive and indicates a focus on employee well-being and flexibility.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Technology (Everything App platform encompassing ride-hailing, food delivery, fintech, and more). Careem operates within the dynamic and rapidly evolving tech and logistics sector across the greater Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (MENAP) region. This context implies a fast-paced environment with significant market potential and diverse user needs.

Company Size: Large (1,001-5,000 employees based on LinkedIn data, company states over 6,000 employees). Working in a large organization means collaborating with multiple teams and stakeholders, requiring strong communication and coordination skills from the design team.

Founded: 2012. Founded in Dubai, Careem has grown significantly to become a major player in the regional tech landscape, recently welcoming global technology investor e& as a partner in the Everything App. This history suggests a mature but still innovative company culture.

Team Structure:

The role is within a "new design function," suggesting a potential restructuring or expansion of the design team, offering the opportunity to shape practices and culture.
The Principal Visual Designer will lead and mentor a growing team of senior visual and motion designers, indicating a hierarchical structure with leadership responsibilities.
Close collaboration with product, brand, and marketing teams is explicitly mentioned, highlighting a cross-functional approach to product development.

Methodology:

While not explicitly stated, a large tech company like Careem likely employs agile or lean methodologies for product development.
Design processes would likely involve user research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, and iterative refinement.
The focus on building scalable visual systems suggests a strong emphasis on design operations and maintaining a centralized source of truth for visual elements.

Company Website: http://www.careem.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the role within a "new design function" at a large, established tech company is a critical piece of context. It suggests that the Principal Visual Designer will play a foundational role in defining and scaling the visual design practice, offering a significant opportunity for impact and leadership. The cross-functional collaboration is typical for product design roles in such organizations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is positioned at a Principal level within the visual design discipline. This signifies a senior individual contributor or potentially a lead role responsible for setting the strategic direction and raising the craft standard for visual design across the organization. The scope of responsibility is significant, impacting the visual identity of the entire Careem platform.

Reporting Structure: The role involves mentoring a growing team of senior visual and motion designers, suggesting it reports to a design leader (e.g., Head of Design or Design Director) and has direct reports or mentorship responsibilities for other designers.

Design Impact: The Principal Visual Designer will have a direct and significant impact on how millions of users perceive and interact with the Careem Everything App. By crafting a bold, modern visual identity, this role influences user engagement, brand perception, and emotional connection with the product.

Growth Opportunities:

Opportunity to define and lead the visual design practice for a major technology platform in a high-growth region.
Potential for advancement into higher-level design leadership roles as the design team and function continue to grow.
Opportunities to specialize further in areas like motion design, illustration systems, or AI-driven design workflows.
Mentorship and leadership experience gained will be valuable for future career progression.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Principal title and the responsibility for establishing a new design function indicate a high-impact role with significant growth potential, particularly in design leadership and strategic influence within the organization. The opportunity to work with emerging AI tools also presents a unique growth avenue.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Hybrid work model with a combination of in-office and remote work. The primary office is located in Dubai, UAE. The work environment is likely collaborative and fast-paced, typical of a large tech company. The hybrid model allows for both in-person collaboration and focused remote work.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Careem also has offices in other locations across the MENAP region and Berlin, indicating a potentially distributed team environment.

Design Workspace Context:

The hybrid model suggests well-equipped office spaces designed for collaboration, meetings, and focused work.
Remote work days and the 30-day global remote policy indicate the availability of tools and infrastructure to support effective remote collaboration.
Working within a large organization in Dubai likely means a diverse and international work environment.

Work Schedule: Full-time. The hybrid model for tech individual contributors is specified as 2 days in the office and 3 days working from home. There is also an unlimited vacation policy and the option to work remotely from any country for 30 days per year, offering substantial flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work model with significant remote flexibility (including the global option) is a key aspect of the work environment. Candidates should be comfortable working both independently and collaboratively across potentially distributed teams. The office location in Dubai is a major hub, suggesting access to a vibrant design community.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial screening call to assess basic qualifications and fit.
Portfolio review and discussion where you will present your most relevant case studies, particularly those demonstrating system design and visual language creation. Be prepared to articulate your process and rationale in detail.
Technical interview focusing on your visual design skills, knowledge of design principles, and potentially a discussion around your experience with AI design tools.
Design challenge or whiteboard session to assess your problem-solving skills and ability to apply your visual design expertise to a specific problem.
Interviews with cross-functional partners (Product, Engineering, Marketing, Brand) to assess collaboration skills and ability to align visual design with broader business goals.
Cultural fit interview to determine alignment with Careem's values and team dynamics.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Curate your portfolio to specifically highlight projects where you built or significantly contributed to visual design systems.
Structure your case studies to clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process (especially system thinking), key visual decisions, and the impact of your work.
Showcase your proficiency in various visual design elements (typography, iconography, color, motion, illustration) and how they work together within a system.
If you have experience with AI design tools, include examples of how you've integrated them into your workflow and the results.

Challenge Preparation:

Familiarize yourself with Careem's brand and product ecosystem.
Practice articulating your visual design decisions and process clearly and concisely.
If a design challenge is provided, allocate sufficient time to understand the requirements and develop a thoughtful solution that demonstrates your system-level thinking and visual craft.

ATS Keywords: Visual Design, Design Systems, Typography, Iconography, Motion Design, Illustration, Visual Language, Brand Identity, Cross-Platform Consistency, AI Tools, Midjourney, Runway, GPT, Mentoring, Leadership, Product Design, UI Design, UX Design (contextual), Design Strategy, Design Operations, Style Guide, Component Library, Figma (likely), Sketch (potentially), Adobe Creative Suite, Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Fast-Paced, High-Growth, MENA Region, Tech Industry, Everything App, Fintech, Ride-hailing, Food Delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Principal role will be rigorous and comprehensive, assessing not only visual craft but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and collaboration skills. Emphasizing system design and AI tool experience in the portfolio and interview discussions will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Figma: Highly likely as the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and design system management in a modern tech company. Expect to demonstrate advanced proficiency in component creation, variants, auto layout, and collaborative features.
Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects): Essential for creating and refining visual assets, illustrations, and motion graphics that would be part of the visual system.
Sketch: While Figma is dominant, some legacy projects or specific workflows might still utilize Sketch.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Figma (for collaboration and developer handoff): Its built-in features facilitate real-time collaboration and provide specifications for engineering teams.
Zeplin or Abstract (potentially): May be used for more structured handoff and version control in addition to Figma.
Confluence or similar documentation platforms: Likely used for documenting design system guidelines and principles.

Research & Testing:

While this is a visual design role, familiarity with tools used by the UX research team (e.g., user testing platforms, survey tools) would be beneficial for understanding how visual design impacts user perception and behavior.
Analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Google Analytics - potentially): Understanding how visual design choices can be measured for impact on user engagement metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: While not explicitly listed, Figma is the industry standard for this type of role in a tech company and can be inferred as a primary tool. Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite is essential for visual asset creation. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these tools and how they leverage them in their design process, particularly in the context of building scalable systems.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

Craftsmanship and attention to detail in visual execution to create a bold and modern identity.
System thinking and scalability in design solutions to ensure consistency across a complex product ecosystem.
Innovation, particularly in exploring and integrating new tools and workflows like AI.
User-centered approach, ensuring the visual design adds delight and emotional depth to the customer experience.

Collaboration Style:

Close collaboration with product, brand, and marketing teams to ensure alignment and a unified visual identity.
Mentorship and knowledge sharing within the design team to foster growth and raise the overall craft level.
Likely involves regular design critiques and feedback sessions to iterate and refine visual solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "crafting a bold, modern visual identity" and integrating AI tools suggests a culture that values both high-quality execution and innovation. The mention of mentoring indicates a focus on team growth and knowledge sharing.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Establishing and scaling a new visual design function and system across a large, multi-vertical platform with diverse user needs and expectations.
Ensuring visual consistency and a unified brand identity across different product lines (ride-hailing, food, fintech) while allowing for necessary variations.
Integrating emerging AI tools into the design workflow effectively and responsibly to enhance creativity and efficiency.
Mentoring and leading a team of senior designers while also maintaining a hands-on role in defining the visual language.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Significant opportunity to shape the visual design direction of a major regional tech company.
Gain expertise in integrating AI into the design process.
Develop leadership and mentorship skills by guiding a team of senior designers.
Work on a diverse range of product verticals, expanding your portfolio and experience.
Potential to contribute to the broader design community through sharing insights on building systems and using AI in design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the complexity and scale of the role, particularly the task of building a new function and system within an established company. The growth opportunities are significant, offering the chance to make a substantial impact and develop expertise in cutting-edge areas like AI in design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Be prepared to walk through your process for building a visual design system from scratch or significantly evolving an existing one. Use specific examples from your portfolio.
Discuss how you approach defining and documenting visual language elements like typography scales, color palettes, and iconography guidelines.
Explain how you ensure consistency and scalability when applying visual design across different platforms (web, iOS, Android) and product features.
Describe your experience with motion design and how you use it to enhance user experience and visual storytelling.

Company Culture Questions:

Research Careem's brand identity and values. Be prepared to discuss how your visual design philosophy aligns with their mission to simplify and improve lives.
Ask questions about the new design function, the team structure, and the level of autonomy and influence the visual design team has.
Inquire about their approach to design critique and feedback.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Start with a brief overview of your experience and what you believe makes you a strong fit for a Principal Visual Designer role at Careem.
Focus your presentation on 2-3 key case studies that best demonstrate your ability to build and scale visual design systems.
For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, your design process, key visual decisions and rationale, and the impact of your work.
If you have experience with AI tools, dedicate a section to showcasing how you've used them and the benefits they brought to your projects.
Be prepared for detailed questions about your design choices and technical execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should heavily focus on showcasing experience with visual design systems and potentially AI tools. Candidates should be ready to articulate their strategic thinking and the impact of their visual design decisions. Researching Careem's brand and product is essential.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application, including your resume and a link to your online portfolio, through this link.
Tailor your resume to highlight your experience in visual design, system building, leadership/mentorship, and any experience with AI design tools, using relevant ATS keywords.
Ensure your online portfolio is up-to-date and clearly showcases your strongest visual design system projects and case studies.
Prepare to discuss your portfolio in detail, focusing on your process, strategic thinking, and the impact of your work.
Research Careem's products, brand, and the regional market to demonstrate your understanding and interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and design industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Product Designer II