Product Designer (2nd)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Reducto

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Enablement

Date Posted: October 31, 2025

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

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Shape the foundational user experience and visual language for Reducto's AI data ingestion platform, directly impacting how users interact with complex enterprise data.

• Drive end-to-end design ownership, from initial user research and UX flow definition to high-fidelity mockups and the establishment of a robust design system.

• Collaborate closely with the CEO, engineering, and customer-facing teams to translate customer needs and business objectives into intuitive and impactful product designs.

• Contribute to the development of new products and user workflows, focusing on complex data extraction and AI-driven solutions for engineers, researchers, and operations-heavy teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the emphasis on "engineers, researchers, or ops-heavy teams" and the company's focus on enterprise data extraction and AI workflows indicates a strong GTM (Go-To-Market) and operations enablement component to this role. The designer will be instrumental in making complex data solutions accessible and usable for technical and operational users, directly impacting the company's ability to acquire and retain enterprise clients.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the complete product design lifecycle for Reducto, from conceptualization and user research to final implementation, ensuring a cohesive and high-quality user experience.

• Conduct in-depth user research to understand the needs, pain points, and workflows of engineers, researchers, and operations professionals working with enterprise data.

• Design intuitive and efficient user interfaces and user experiences for core product features, including data ingestion, parsing, retrieval, and analysis workflows.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive design system, ensuring visual consistency, scalability, and adherence to brand guidelines across all product touchpoints.

• Create detailed wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups to effectively communicate design concepts and solutions to stakeholders.

• Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure accurate implementation of designs, providing clear specifications and assets.

• Contribute to defining Reducto's brand identity and visual language, ensuring it resonates with a technical and enterprise audience.

• Iterate on designs based on user feedback, A/B testing results, and performance metrics to continuously improve product usability and effectiveness.

• Champion a user-centric design culture within the organization, advocating for user needs and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility of "defining a world-class brand" alongside product experience and "shipping beautiful experiences that users love" suggests a dual focus on both functional design for technical users and aesthetic appeal that builds trust and credibility for an AI/ML enterprise product.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record of shipping complex digital products.

• Experience designing for technical audiences such as engineers, researchers, or operations teams is highly preferred.

Required Skills:

• User Research & UX Design: Proficiency in conducting user interviews, usability testing, and synthesizing research findings into actionable design insights. Strong understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies.

• Wireframing & Prototyping: Expertise in creating low-fidelity wireframes, detailed UX flows, and interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.

• High-Fidelity Design: Skill in developing polished, high-fidelity mockups and visual designs that align with brand identity and user needs.

• Design Systems: Experience in building, maintaining, or contributing to design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Problem-Solving & Ambiguity: Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, define structure where it doesn't exist, and proactively solve complex design challenges.

• Agility & Ownership: High degree of personal agency, a proactive approach to identifying and fixing problems, and a commitment to shipping high-quality work rapidly.

Preferred Skills:

• Brand Development: Experience in developing or evolving brand identity, visual language, and marketing collateral.

• ML/AI Product Design: Familiarity with designing interfaces for Machine Learning, AI, or data-intensive platforms.

• Early-Stage Startup Experience: Previous experience in a startup environment, understanding the pace and demands of rapid growth.

• Founding Experience: Prior experience founding a company or building products from inception.

• Technical Acumen: Basic understanding of AI concepts, data processing, or related technical domains to better inform design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "2+ years of experience shipping complex products, ideally for engineers, researchers, or ops-heavy teams" directly points to the need for a designer who understands the nuances of enterprise software and the specific needs of users who manage and leverage data operations. The emphasis on "high agency" and "not just voice problems but actively jumps in to fix them" highlights the expectation for a proactive, self-starter who can operate with minimal oversight.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating your product design process from problem identification and user research through to final solution and impact.

• User-Centered Design: Clearly articulate your user research methodologies, how user insights informed your design decisions, and how you validated those decisions.

• Problem Definition & Solutioning: Demonstrate your ability to understand complex problems (especially those involving data, engineering, or operations) and translate them into elegant, effective design solutions.

• Design System Contribution: Include examples of how you have built, maintained, or contributed to a design system, illustrating its impact on consistency and efficiency.

• Visual Polish & Craft: Present high-fidelity mockups and prototypes that reflect a strong sense of visual design, attention to detail, and an understanding of usability best practices.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Illustrate your process for mapping out user flows and information architecture for complex applications.

• Iterative Design: Show evidence of design iterations based on feedback, testing, or evolving requirements, highlighting your ability to adapt and refine.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Detail how you have collaborated with engineers, product managers (or in this case, CEO/founders), and other stakeholders throughout the design process.

• Metrics & Impact: Where possible, quantify the impact of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user engagement, reduced task completion time, positive user feedback).

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the company's focus on data processing and AI, the portfolio should ideally showcase projects that involve complex data visualization, workflow automation, or tools used by technical/operations teams. Demonstrating an understanding of how design facilitates efficiency and accuracy in data-intensive tasks will be crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $300,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Unlimited PTO: Encourages a healthy work-life balance, allowing employees to take time off as needed to recharge.

• Daily Lunch Provided: A daily catered lunch at the office fosters team cohesion and convenience for on-site employees.

• Reimbursed Transportation: Covers commuting costs, reducing financial burdens for employees.

• Generous Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage to support employee well-being.

• Health and Wellness Budget: A monthly allowance ($150/mo) for gym memberships, fitness classes, or other wellness activities, promoting a proactive approach to health.

• Flexible Parental Leave: Customizable leave schedules to support new parents.

Working Hours:

• This is a full-time, on-site role. While specific daily hours are not detailed, the startup environment and emphasis on "working hard and moving quickly" suggest a dynamic and potentially demanding schedule, common in early-stage companies. Standard 40-hour work weeks are typical, but flexibility may be required.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is broad, reflecting the significant variance in compensation for Product Designers based on exact experience, demonstrated impact, and negotiation. For a 2nd designer role at a well-funded early-stage startup like Reducto, the higher end of this range is achievable for candidates with exceptional portfolios and relevant experience. The benefits package is robust, typical of well-funded tech startups aiming to attract top talent.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Extraction Technology, Enterprise Software. Reducto operates at the intersection of AI/ML and enterprise data solutions, addressing a critical bottleneck in how businesses process unstructured information.

Company Size: Early-stage startup (exact employee count not specified, but described as hiring their "2nd Product Designer" and having grown revenue significantly). This implies a small, agile, and highly impactful team.

Founded: Reducto was founded with the backing of prominent venture capital firms like A16z, Benchmark, and First Round Capital, indicating a strong foundation and ambitious growth trajectory.

Team Structure:

• Lean & Agile: As an early-stage company, the team is likely small, cross-functional, and highly collaborative.

• Direct Leadership: Product Designers will work directly with the CEO, suggesting a high level of influence and direct communication.

• Engineering Partnership: Close collaboration with engineers is essential for product development and implementation.

• Customer-Centric: Direct interaction with customers is key for user research and product validation.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: The company's core business is built on data, so expect a strong emphasis on data analysis, metrics, and evidence-based decision-making in all aspects of the business, including product design.

• Agile & Iterative Design: The fast-paced startup environment necessitates rapid iteration, a willingness to experiment, and a focus on shipping value quickly.

• User-Focused Innovation: The company aims to solve real-world problems for enterprise clients, so a deep understanding of user needs and workflows is paramount.

Company Website: https://reducto.ai/

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture is described as fast-paced, high-agency, and demanding a high bar for quality. This means candidates should be comfortable with ambiguity, proactive problem-solving, and a strong work ethic. The emphasis on "working hard and moving quickly" is a direct indicator of startup culture.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-Level Product Designer with significant growth potential into a Senior or Lead Designer role. As the second designer, this individual will have a foundational impact and the opportunity to shape the design function as the company scales.

Reporting Structure: Likely reports directly to the CEO or potentially a Head of Product/Engineering if one exists, given the absence of Product Managers. This provides direct access to leadership and strategic decision-making.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on the company's success by making complex AI data solutions accessible and user-friendly. Strong design directly drives customer adoption, retention, and satisfaction, which are critical for SaaS growth and enterprise sales (GTM). The designer will enable sales and customer success teams by providing a product that is easy to understand, use, and evangelize.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to become the lead designer as the company grows, building and mentoring a design team.

• Product Strategy Influence: Direct involvement with the CEO and founders means influencing product strategy and roadmap.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI/ML, enterprise data, and complex workflows.

• Foundational Impact: Shape the design DNA and user experience of a rapidly scaling tech company.

• Industry Exposure: Gain deep insights into the AI and enterprise data sectors, working with leading AI teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "2nd Product Designer" title is a significant indicator of growth potential. This is not just an execution role; it's a chance to be a strategic partner in building the product and the design function from the ground up, offering a steeper learning curve and faster career progression than in larger, more established organizations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly stated as an "in person role at our office in SF." This indicates a physical office environment designed for collaboration.

Office Location(s): San Francisco, California. Specific office address details would typically be provided during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: Given the emphasis on daily lunches and team interaction, the office likely serves as a central hub for collaboration, brainstorming, and team building.

• Tools & Technology: Expect a modern tech stack suitable for design and development, with access to necessary software and hardware.

• Startup Energy: The environment will likely be dynamic, fast-paced, and characterized by a strong sense of shared mission and urgency.

• Direct Interaction: Opportunities for frequent, informal interactions with leadership, engineering, and potentially sales/customer success teams.

Work Schedule: While standard full-time hours are expected, the startup environment may necessitate flexibility. The company's focus on rapid iteration and "moving quickly" suggests that dedication and adaptability are key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "in person" requirement is a strong signal that Reducto values face-to-face collaboration, spontaneous problem-solving, and the cultural benefits of a shared physical workspace, especially for a small, early-stage team.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with role requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A deep dive into selected case studies, focusing on your design process, problem-solving approach, and impact. Expect to discuss your rationale, user research, and design decisions in detail.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: Potentially a take-home assignment or a live design exercise to assess your skills in a specific scenario relevant to Reducto's product. This may involve defining a new feature, improving an existing workflow, or addressing a specific user pain point.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with the CEO, engineers, and potentially other key team members to assess cultural fit, collaboration style, and ability to work within a fast-paced startup environment.

• Final Round: Likely a discussion with the CEO to finalize the offer and discuss the strategic importance of the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: Clearly articulate your thought process, research, and decision-making at each stage. Explain why you made certain choices.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., user adoption rates, efficiency gains, customer satisfaction improvements).

• Tailor to Reducto: Highlight projects that demonstrate experience with complex data, technical users, or enterprise workflows. Show how you've tackled ambiguity.

• Showcase Ownership: Emphasize instances where you took initiative, drove projects forward, and solved problems independently.

• Be Concise and Clear: Present your work in a structured, easy-to-follow manner. Use storytelling to make your case studies engaging.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem Space: Research Reducto's product, target audience (AI teams, enterprise data users), and the challenges of unstructured data extraction.

• Emphasize User-Centricity: Frame your solutions around user needs and workflows.

• Showcase Rapid Iteration: Demonstrate how you can quickly generate ideas, prototype, and receive feedback.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss design trade-offs and justify your decisions based on business goals, technical constraints, and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role at an early-stage startup like Reducto, the interview process will heavily scrutinize not just design skills but also cultural fit, autonomy, and the ability to thrive in a high-pressure, fast-moving environment. A portfolio that demonstrates proactive problem-solving and a "get it done" attitude will be paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Highly probable as the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration, given its industry prevalence.

• Sketch: A strong alternative or complementary tool for UI design.

• Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop): Useful for brand asset creation, icon design, and image manipulation.

• Prototyping Tools: InVision, Marvel, or built-in Figma/Sketch prototyping capabilities.

User Research & Collaboration Tools:

• User Interview/Testing Platforms: Tools like UserTesting.com, Lookback, or even simple video conferencing with screen sharing.

• Whiteboarding & Ideation Tools: Miro, Mural, or similar for collaborative brainstorming and workflow mapping.

• Project Management/Task Tracking: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar, used in conjunction with engineering teams.

Data & Analytics (Indirectly Relevant):

• Analytics Platforms: While not directly used for design, understanding how user data is tracked (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) can inform design decisions and provide data for A/B testing.

CRM & Automation (Indirectly Relevant):

• CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): Understanding how customer data is managed can provide context for designing interfaces that integrate with or support CRM processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, Figma is almost certainly a core requirement for modern product design roles. The emphasis on collaboration and rapid iteration means tools that facilitate seamless handoffs to engineering and efficient team communication will be critical.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• High Bar for Quality & Craft: A commitment to excellence, where "90% is not good enough." This drives a culture of meticulous attention to detail and a drive to achieve perfection.

• High Agency & Proactivity: A culture where individuals are empowered and expected to take initiative, identify problems, and implement solutions independently.

• Speed & Agility: The ability to move fast and ship quickly is essential for competing and iterating in the startup landscape.

• Customer Obsession: A deep understanding and focus on solving customer problems, particularly for enterprise AI teams.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Despite the emphasis on individual agency, a strong sense of teamwork is vital for a small, growing company.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Transparent: Working directly with the CEO and engineers implies frequent, open communication.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers will need to work closely with engineering, and potentially with sales or customer success, to gather insights and ensure successful product launches.

• Feedback-Oriented: A culture that values constructive feedback for continuous improvement of both the product and individual performance.

• Mission-Driven: A shared commitment to Reducto's mission of revolutionizing enterprise data ingestion.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core values of "high bar for quality," "high agency," and "shipping fast" define the operational ethos. Candidates should demonstrate these traits in their approach to work and their portfolio. This isn't a place for passive contributors; it's for those who want to actively build and shape a product and company.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining Design from Scratch: As the second designer, you'll be instrumental in building the design function, establishing processes, and defining the visual identity for a growing company.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Early-stage startups inherently involve a high degree of uncertainty. You'll need to be comfortable defining structure and making decisions with incomplete information.

• Balancing Speed and Polish: The need to ship fast can sometimes conflict with the desire for perfect polish. Finding the right balance will be an ongoing challenge.

• Designing for Complex Domains: Working with AI and enterprise data extraction requires a deep understanding of technical concepts and user workflows, which can be challenging to grasp.

• High Expectations: The "2nd designer" role comes with significant expectations for impact and ownership, requiring a high level of performance.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Hands-on Impact: Directly influence product strategy and user experience at a critical growth stage.

• Mentorship from Leadership: Direct access to the CEO and founding team provides invaluable learning opportunities.

• Broad Skill Development: Gain experience across the full design spectrum, from research and UX to UI, brand, and design systems.

• Industry Expertise: Become an expert in the rapidly evolving AI and enterprise data sectors.

• Potential for Leadership: Grow into a senior or lead design role as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but are directly tied to the growth opportunities. This role is ideal for someone who thrives on building, learning, and having a tangible impact on a company's trajectory.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Tell me about a time you had to design for a highly technical audience. What were the unique challenges, and how did you address them?" (Focus on understanding user needs, translating complex concepts, and the importance of accuracy/efficiency.)

• "Describe a situation where you had to navigate significant ambiguity in a design project. How did you create structure and move forward?" (Highlight your problem-solving process, ability to define requirements, and proactive approach.)

• "How do you balance the need for speed in a startup environment with maintaining a high standard of design quality and polish?" (Discuss your approach to iterative design, prioritization, and managing trade-offs.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Reducto's mission and the problem we're solving with enterprise data extraction?" (Research their website thoroughly, understand the pain points of unstructured data.)

• "How do you see yourself contributing to a fast-paced, early-stage startup culture?" (Emphasize your proactivity, ownership, and ability to adapt.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the outcome/impact.

• Highlight Your Process: Show the how and why behind your design decisions. Include user research, wireframes, iterations, and final designs.

• Quantify Results: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of your designs whenever possible.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your choices, challenges, and learnings.

• Showcase Brand and Polish: Ensure your presentation itself reflects attention to detail and good design principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview will likely test for more than just design skills. Expect questions that probe your adaptability, problem-solving under pressure, and your understanding of the business impact of design in a high-growth tech environment. Demonstrating an understanding of the AI/data space and the specific challenges of enterprise software will be a significant advantage.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience with complex products, technical audiences, and startup environments. Emphasize achievements related to user research, UX/UI design, and design systems.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 compelling case studies that showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and impact. Prioritize projects involving complex data, technical users, or enterprise workflows. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates your research, ideation, design rationale, and any quantifiable results.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design philosophy, your approach to ambiguity, and how you contribute to a fast-paced, collaborative team. Practice presenting your portfolio case studies concisely and effectively.

• Research Reducto: Understand their mission, technology, target market, and recent growth. Be prepared to discuss why you are specifically interested in Reducto and this role.

⚠️ 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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