Founding Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product Designer

Company: Aurelian

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: January 20, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-to-Senior Level (Implied: 2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (Remote OK, but implies office presence for collaboration)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the end-to-end product design experience for a mission-driven AI company revolutionizing emergency communications.

• Translate complex AI functionalities and critical public safety workflows into intuitive, human-centered user interfaces and experiences.

• Define and establish scalable design principles, patterns, and standards to guide future product development and team growth.

• Collaborate deeply with engineering, founders, and cross-functional stakeholders to influence product strategy and drive execution.

• Leverage user research, data analytics, and iterative design processes to continuously improve product quality and usability.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the responsibilities emphasize influencing product strategy and owning the experience end-to-end, positioning this as a foundational role with significant GTM (Go-To-Market) operations implications, particularly in translating complex technical solutions into market-ready user experiences. The "Founding" aspect implies a high degree of autonomy and strategic input.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design lifecycle, from conceptualization to final implementation, ensuring a cohesive and impactful user experience.

• Develop intuitive and elegant user interfaces and interaction models for complex AI-driven systems, making advanced technology accessible and usable for 9-1-1 center operators and administrators.

• Conduct user research, usability testing, and data analysis to gather insights and inform design decisions, ensuring products meet critical user needs and operational requirements.

• Create wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and high-fidelity mockups to effectively communicate design concepts and solutions to engineering and product teams.

• Establish and maintain a consistent design system and style guide, ensuring scalability and brand integrity as the product suite expands.

• Partner with engineering teams to ensure accurate and high-quality implementation of designs, advocating for user experience best practices throughout the development process.

• Contribute to product strategy discussions, providing design perspectives on market opportunities, user needs, and competitive landscapes.

• Champion a user-centric design philosophy throughout the organization, fostering a culture that prioritizes usability and customer impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "translating complex technical capabilities into intuitive, user-first experiences" and "influencing product strategy" suggests a role deeply integrated with GTM operations, requiring the designer to not only create interfaces but also understand the market fit and operational impact of the product.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Proven experience in product design, with a strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end design ownership and the ability to tackle complex technical challenges.

• Experience in early-stage startup environments or as the first/early designer on a team, demonstrating adaptability and the ability to build design functions from the ground up.

Required Skills:

• Holistic Product Design: Ability to design for the full end-to-end user journey, considering all touchpoints and interactions.

• User-Centered Design (UCD): Deep understanding and application of UCD principles to create intuitive and effective user experiences.

• Complex Problem Solving: Aptitude for understanding intricate workflows, mental models, and edge cases, and translating them into simple, elegant solutions.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) to create detailed user flows and interactive prototypes.

• User Research & Testing: Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative user research, usability testing, and synthesizing findings into actionable design improvements.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with engineers, product managers, founders, and other stakeholders.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to think in systems, understand interconnected components, and design scalable solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• AI/ML Product Design: Specific experience designing interfaces for AI-powered products or understanding AI/ML concepts.

• B2B/SaaS Design: Experience designing for enterprise software, business applications, or Software-as-a-Service platforms.

• Design Systems: Experience creating or contributing to design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Data Visualization: Ability to design effective data visualizations for complex datasets.

• Agile/Lean Methodologies: Familiarity with agile development processes and iterative design cycles.

• Cognitive Science/Psychology Background: Deeper understanding of human cognition and behavior to inform user interface design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "shaping undefined problem spaces" and "thriving in ambiguity" points to a need for a proactive and self-directed designer, common in early-stage startups where the product roadmap is still evolving. The mention of AI and technical products directly aligns with Aurelian's core offering.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: A portfolio showcasing 2-3 detailed case studies that illustrate your process from problem definition and user research through to final design solutions and impact.

• Complexity Demonstration: Case studies that clearly articulate how you tackled complex workflows, technical constraints, or ambiguous problem spaces, with a focus on simplifying intricate systems.

• User-Centricity: Evidence of user research, testing, and iteration within your case studies, demonstrating a commitment to user-centered design principles.

• Impact & Results: Quantifiable outcomes or qualitative feedback demonstrating the positive impact of your design solutions on user experience, business goals, or operational efficiency.

• Technical & AI Products: Examples of designing for technical products, B2B applications, or AI-driven features, if available.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your design process, including how you approach problem definition, user research methodologies, ideation techniques, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

• Demonstrate your ability to establish design principles, patterns, and standards that can scale with product and team growth.

• Showcase how you collaborate with engineering and product teams to translate complex requirements into functional and user-friendly designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Founding Product Designer," the portfolio is critical. It needs to demonstrate not just aesthetic skill but strategic thinking, problem-solving prowess for complex technical products, and the ability to build a design function. The emphasis on "making complex systems feel simple" is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $130,000 - $180,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance coverage.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), encouraging work-life balance.

• Work From Home (WFH) stipend to support home office setup.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. However, the role emphasizes moving fast and balancing craft with speed, suggesting a dynamic work environment common in startups. Flexibility may be offered, but a commitment to project deadlines and team collaboration is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a founding/early-stage product designer role in a major tech hub like Seattle. The benefits package is standard for a startup, with unlimited PTO and stipends being attractive perks. The "Remote OK" status with a Seattle location implies a hybrid model is preferred, with potential for remote work for candidates outside the immediate area, though in-office collaboration will likely be important for this foundational role.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Public Safety Technology / AI / Software. Aurelian operates at the intersection of AI, cloud computing, and critical public safety infrastructure, aiming to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency communications centers. This industry demands reliability, scalability, and a deep understanding of user needs under high-pressure situations.

Company Size: Early-Stage Startup (Size not explicitly stated, but implied by "Founding Product Designer" and "first designer"). This means a lean, agile team where individual contributions have a significant impact.

Founded: Not explicitly stated, but implied to be a relatively new company based on the "Founding" role and the description of scaling operations. This suggests a dynamic, growth-oriented environment.

Team Structure:

• Founders & Core Team: Close-knit group including founders, engineers, and potentially early sales/operations hires.

• Reporting Structure: The Founding Product Designer will likely report directly to a founder (CEO or CTO) or Head of Product, with significant autonomy.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Deep collaboration expected with engineering (to build the product) and founders (to shape strategy). Interaction with early customers or pilot programs will also be crucial.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: Likely employs agile or lean methodologies to facilitate rapid iteration and adaptation.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Emphasis on using research, user feedback, and data analytics to inform product development and design choices.

• AI-First Approach: Core to the company's offering, requiring a design approach that understands and leverages AI capabilities effectively.

• User-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and solving the critical pain points of 9-1-1 dispatchers and the public.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to improve 9-1-1 call handling by automating non-emergency calls is a significant social impact driver. This mission can be a strong motivator for candidates seeking purpose-driven work. The early-stage nature implies a fast-paced, hands-on environment with significant ownership opportunities.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Founding Product Designer" role, indicating it's a critical, early hire. It sits at a mid-to-senior individual contributor level but carries strategic weight due to its foundational nature. The role is expected to set the design direction for the entire company.

Reporting Structure: Likely reports directly to the CEO or CTO, or Head of Product if one exists. This offers high visibility and direct access to leadership.

Operations Impact: The product designer's impact is directly tied to the success of Aurelian's AI platform. By translating complex AI into usable interfaces, they will enable the product to be adopted by 9-1-1 centers, directly contributing to:

• Efficiency Gains: Reducing call wait times and freeing up human operators.

• Scalability: Enabling the company to serve more centers and handle a higher volume of calls.

• User Adoption: Ensuring the AI operator is intuitive and trusted by its users.

• Market Competitiveness: Differentiating Aurelian's offering through superior user experience.

Growth Opportunities:

• Build and Lead Design Function: Opportunity to build out the design team and processes as the company scales, potentially growing into a Head of Design or Design Lead role.

• Deep Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in AI product design and the critical domain of emergency communications.

• Strategic Influence: Significant influence on product strategy, roadmap, and company direction.

• Equity and Ownership: As a founding hire, there's a strong possibility of receiving significant equity, offering substantial financial upside if the company succeeds.

• Skill Expansion: Opportunity to broaden skills beyond pure UI/UX into product strategy, GTM considerations, and potentially even user research leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is ideal for a designer who wants to have a significant impact, shape a product from its early stages, and grow with a mission-driven company. The "founding" aspect suggests potential for significant long-term rewards, both professionally and financially.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. While "Remote OK" is mentioned, the role is in Seattle, WA, and the "Founding" nature suggests that in-office collaboration will be important for deep work, brainstorming, and building team cohesion. Expect a blend of focused individual work and collaborative sessions.

Office Location(s): Seattle, Washington, United States. This places the designer in a major tech hub with access to talent and resources.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect an open, dynamic workspace conducive to frequent interaction with engineering, product, and leadership.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern design tools and potentially AI-assisted design technologies. The company is focused on AI, so expect a tech-forward environment.

• Team Interaction: High level of interaction with a small, dedicated team. This fosters a strong sense of camaraderie and shared purpose.

• Startup Culture: Fast-paced, results-oriented, and adaptable. The environment will likely encourage initiative and ownership.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, but the startup environment often requires flexibility. The emphasis on "moving fast without compromising quality" suggests that efficient work habits and dedication to project timelines are valued. The unlimited PTO benefit indicates a focus on results over strict hours, but maintaining team alignment and project momentum will be key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature, combined with the "Founding" title, suggests the ideal candidate is comfortable with both independent, remote work and in-person, collaborative sessions. Proximity to Seattle might be a strong preference for maximizing team synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation & Deep Dive: A significant portion of the interview process will involve presenting your portfolio. Expect to walk through 1-2 key case studies in detail, explaining your process, design decisions, challenges, and outcomes.

• Technical & Strategic Discussions: Interviews with engineers and founders to discuss your approach to complex problems, your understanding of AI, your systems thinking, and your ability to influence product strategy.

• Design Challenges: Potentially a take-home design exercise or a live design critique/problem-solving session focused on a relevant challenge Aurelian faces.

• Culture Fit & Values Alignment: Discussions to ensure alignment with Aurelian's mission and startup culture.

• Final Round: Likely with senior leadership/founders to finalize the decision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives. Clearly define the problem, your role, the process you followed, the constraints you worked within, your solutions, and the results achieved.

• Focus on Process: Emphasize how you arrived at your solutions. Detail your research methods, ideation techniques, and iterative steps. For Aurelian, highlight how you handled complexity and ambiguity.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of your designs. For this role, focus on improvements in usability, efficiency, or adoption.

• Showcase Technical Understanding: If you have experience with AI, complex data, or B2B tools, make sure these examples are highlighted. Explain how you approached designing for these specific challenges.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design philosophy, how you handle feedback, your experience with early-stage startups, and your thoughts on Aurelian's mission.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Aurelian's product, the challenges faced by 9-1-1 centers, and the role of AI in public safety.

• Practice Problem Decomposition: Be ready to break down a complex problem into smaller, manageable parts.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Demonstrate awareness of design trade-offs (e.g., speed vs. polish, feature breadth vs. depth) and how you make decisions.

• Focus on User Needs: Always anchor your solutions in user needs and business objectives.

• Present Clearly: Practice presenting your thoughts concisely and persuasively, as you would in a portfolio review.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Founding Product Designer," the interview process will heavily scrutinize strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities for complex technical domains, and the capacity to build and scale a design function. The portfolio is the primary tool for demonstrating these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, industry standard), Sketch, Adobe XD. Proficiency in at least one is essential.

• User Research & Testing: Tools like UserTesting.com, Maze, Optimal Workshop, or internal methods for qualitative and quantitative feedback.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, Slack, Notion for team communication and task tracking.

• Design Systems: Tools for creating and managing design systems (e.g., Storybook, Figma's component features).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or Pendo to track user behavior and product performance.

• Data Visualization: Potentially tools like Tableau, Looker, or custom dashboards to analyze user data and report on design impact.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and automation platforms integrate with user-facing products can be beneficial for context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Aurelian is an AI company, so the designer should be adaptable and open to exploring new tools, including AI-powered design assistants or features within existing software that leverage AI to enhance the design process. Familiarity with data analysis tools will be crucial for demonstrating impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to improving public safety and making a tangible positive impact on society through technology.

• User-Centricity: A deep dedication to understanding and solving the real-world problems of 9-1-1 operators and the public.

• Innovation & AI Forward: Embracing cutting-edge AI technology to create novel solutions and push the boundaries of what's possible.

• Agility & Speed: The ability to move quickly, iterate rapidly, and adapt to changing needs in an early-stage startup environment.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: While speed is important, there's an emphasis on not compromising the quality and usability of the product.

• Collaboration & Ownership: A culture where individuals take responsibility for their work and collaborate effectively across teams.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Open Communication: Expect transparent and frequent communication, especially with founders and engineers.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Designers will work very closely with engineering and product leadership, acting as a true partner in shaping the product.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: A culture that embraces continuous feedback and iterative improvement from all team members.

• Shared Ownership: A sense that everyone is working towards the same mission and shares responsibility for the company's success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to improve public safety is a powerful cultural anchor. Candidates should be able to articulate how their design work contributes to this mission and demonstrate alignment with values like innovation, user focus, and collaborative ownership.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for High-Stakes Environments: Creating user experiences for critical public safety infrastructure where errors can have severe consequences requires meticulous attention to detail and robust error prevention.

• Translating Complex AI: Effectively communicating the capabilities and limitations of AI in a way that is understandable and trustworthy for end-users.

• Ambiguity in Early Stages: Navigating undefined problem spaces and shaping product direction with evolving requirements.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: Delivering high-quality designs rapidly in a fast-paced startup environment.

• Building Design Systems from Scratch: Establishing scalable design patterns and a comprehensive system for a growing product.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Product Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-powered applications, a rapidly growing field.

• Domain Expertise: Become an expert in the public safety communications sector and its unique operational needs.

• Leadership Potential: Opportunity to build and lead a design team as the company grows, taking on management responsibilities.

• Strategic Product Influence: Gain experience in influencing product strategy and roadmap at a foundational level.

• Startup Growth Experience: Develop valuable experience in scaling a company and product from its inception.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but come with substantial growth potential. Candidates who thrive in complex, mission-critical environments and are eager to build and innovate will find this role highly rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing an AI operator interface that needs to handle both routine administrative calls and potentially urgent, though non-emergency, situations, ensuring clarity and trust for the 9-1-1 operator?"

• "Describe your process for translating a complex technical capability (e.g., natural language processing for call triage) into a simple, intuitive user experience. What steps would you take?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Aurelian's mission to automate non-emergency calls for 9-1-1 centers?"

• "How do you approach working in an early-stage startup environment where requirements can be ambiguous and priorities can shift?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on the "Why": Clearly articulate the business problem and user needs for each case study.

• Showcase Your Process: Walk through your research, ideation, iteration, and testing phases. For AI products, explain how you considered user trust and understanding.

• Highlight Complexity & Simplicity: Demonstrate how you took something complex and made it simple to use. This is key for Aurelian.

• Quantify Results: Present metrics that show the impact of your design decisions.

• Be Ready for Design Challenges: Practice solving design problems on the spot, focusing on your thought process and how you'd approach them.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect interviewers to probe deeply into your problem-solving methodology, your ability to handle ambiguity, and your strategic thinking. The "Founding" aspect means they'll be looking for someone who can not only design but also help build the design function and culture.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 1-2 of your strongest case studies that best demonstrate your experience with complex technical products, end-to-end design ownership, and your ability to simplify intricate systems. Prioritize examples that align with AI or B2B/SaaS design.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to early-stage startups, AI products, user-centered design, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description such as "Product Design," "User Experience," "AI," "Complex Workflows," and "Systems Thinking."

• Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your chosen case studies, focusing on your process, decision-making, and the impact of your work. Be ready to articulate how your experience aligns with Aurelian's mission and challenges.

• Research Aurelian: Thoroughly understand Aurelian's product, their mission, and the problem they are solving in the public safety sector. Be prepared to discuss your insights and ideas.

⚠️ 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.

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