Product Designer at fast-growing AI startup

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer Company: Jack & Jill (Recruiting for a fast-growing AI startup) Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / GTM Operations (AI/SaaS) Date Posted: January 02, 2026 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design process for innovative AI products, driving user-centric design solutions.
• Conduct comprehensive user research and translate findings into impactful wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
• Foster strong collaboration with product management and engineering teams to ensure seamless implementation of design strategies.
• Champion user-centered design principles across the entire product development lifecycle, ensuring exceptional user experiences.
• Contribute to shaping the product vision and user experience of cutting-edge AI solutions within a well-funded, high-growth startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core role is Product Design, its application within a fast-growing AI startup, particularly in B2B SaaS, places it within the broader GTM Operations ecosystem. The emphasis on user experience, product development lifecycle, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and product teams aligns with operational excellence goals. The "AI Products" and "B2B SaaS" focus suggests a need for understanding complex user workflows and driving adoption, key GTM operational considerations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Execute the full spectrum of the product design lifecycle, from initial user research and concept ideation through to detailed wireframing, interactive prototyping, and final high-fidelity visual design.
• Conduct in-depth user research, including interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to deeply understand user needs, pain points, and behaviors relevant to complex AI and B2B SaaS applications.
• Develop and maintain detailed user personas, journey maps, and user flows to articulate user needs and inform design decisions.
• Create comprehensive design documentation, including wireframes, mockups, interactive prototypes, and design system components, ensuring clarity and consistency.
• Collaborate effectively with Product Managers to define product requirements, prioritize features, and translate business objectives into intuitive user experiences.
• Partner closely with Engineering teams to ensure design feasibility, provide clear specifications, and support the implementation process, iterating based on technical constraints and feedback.
• Advocate for user-centered design principles, best practices, and emerging design trends, particularly within the AI and B2B SaaS domains, to continuously elevate product quality.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of the company's design system, ensuring scalable, consistent, and efficient design practices.
• Participate in iterative design reviews, providing and receiving constructive feedback to enhance design quality and alignment with product goals.
• Measure and analyze the impact of design decisions on user engagement, conversion rates, and overall product success metrics, feeding insights back into the design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for end-to-end ownership, common in early-stage startups. The emphasis on user research, prototyping, and collaboration with engineering and product management is standard for product designers but is critical for GTM success in a SaaS context, as it directly impacts user adoption, retention, and feedback loops.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for foundational understanding, though equivalent practical experience will be strongly considered.

Experience: Minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in Product Design, with a significant focus on designing complex AI or B2B SaaS products.

Required Skills:

• User Research: Proven ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative user research, synthesize findings, and translate insights into actionable design strategies.
• UX/UI Design: Mastery of core UX/UI design principles, including information architecture, interaction design, visual design, and usability heuristics.
• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in creating low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity, interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools.
• Design Tools: Expertise in design and prototyping software such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar, with a strong understanding of their capabilities for collaborative workflows.
• Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, capable of articulating design rationale, presenting concepts, and providing clear design specifications.
• Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to approach complex user problems with creative, user-centered solutions.
• User-Centered Design: Deep commitment to and practical application of user-centered design methodologies throughout the product development lifecycle.

Preferred Skills:

• AI Product Design: Specific experience designing user interfaces and experiences for Artificial Intelligence-powered products or platforms.
• B2B SaaS Product Design: Experience with the nuances of designing for business-to-business software-as-a-service applications, focusing on enterprise workflows and user adoption.
• Design Systems: Experience contributing to or managing design systems, including component libraries, style guides, and best practices for consistency and scalability.
• Agile/Scrum Methodologies: Familiarity with agile development processes and experience working within Scrum teams.
• Data Analysis: Basic understanding of how to interpret product analytics and user feedback data to inform design iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "AI Products" and "B2B SaaS" implies a need for designers who can handle complexity, understand business workflows, and design for user adoption and retention, which are critical operational aspects of a SaaS company. The "2-5 years" experience level suggests a mid-level role, requiring both execution skills and some strategic input.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: A curated selection of 2-4 in-depth case studies that clearly articulate the design process, challenges, user research methodologies, design decisions, and quantifiable outcomes for complex AI or B2B SaaS products.
• Problem-Solving Showcase: Demonstrations of how you approach and solve complex user problems, highlighting your analytical thinking and innovative design solutions.
• End-to-End Process: Evidence of your ability to manage the entire design lifecycle, from initial problem definition and user research to final UI implementation and iteration.
• Collaboration Evidence: Examples that illustrate your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (e.g., product managers, engineers), showcasing how you integrated feedback and aligned on design solutions.

Process Documentation:

• User Research Documentation: Examples of user research plans, methodologies employed (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability tests), and synthesized findings that influenced design outcomes.
• Design System Contributions: If applicable, documentation or examples of contributions to design systems, style guides, or component libraries, demonstrating an understanding of scalability and consistency.
• Prototyping & Iteration: Clear presentation of prototypes at various fidelity levels, showing the evolution of design based on feedback and testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, especially in a startup, the portfolio is paramount. It's not just about aesthetics but the process and impact. Case studies demonstrating problem-solving, user-centricity, and collaboration are crucial. Quantifiable results (even if estimated) are highly valued to show an understanding of business impact, which is key for GTM operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a mid-level Product Designer (2-5 years experience) in Dubai/Abu Dhabi, a competitive salary range would typically fall between AED 180,000 - AED 280,000 per annum, depending on experience, specific skills, and the startup's funding/stage.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and potentially dependents.
• Stock Options/Equity: Opportunity to own a stake in the fast-growing AI startup, aligning employee success with company growth.
• Professional Development Budget: Funds allocated for conferences, workshops, online courses, and certifications to enhance design skills, particularly in AI and SaaS.
• Generous Paid Time Off: A competitive vacation policy, public holidays, and potential for sick leave.
• Performance Bonuses: Potential for bonuses tied to individual and company performance milestones.
• Relocation Assistance: If applicable, support for candidates relocating to Abu Dhabi.
• Modern Office Environment: Access to a well-equipped, collaborative workspace in a prime location.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week, with potential for some flexibility depending on project needs and team collaboration schedules. The startup environment may occasionally require dedication beyond standard hours to meet critical deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on market research for Product Designer roles in the UAE, considering the mid-level experience and the AI startup context. Stock options are a common and significant benefit in early-stage startups, offering substantial upside potential.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Software Development, B2B SaaS. This industry is characterized by rapid innovation, a strong emphasis on data, and a drive to solve complex business problems through technology. The AI sector, in particular, demands continuous learning and adaptation. Company Size: Fast-growing startup. This implies a dynamic, often agile environment where roles can be broad, and individuals have significant influence. It typically means fewer layers of management and more direct impact. Founded: The company is a startup, suggesting a relatively recent founding date, likely within the last 5-7 years, focused on establishing its market position and scaling its technology.

Team Structure:

• Operations: Likely a lean, cross-functional structure with close collaboration between Product, Engineering, and Design. The AI Recruiter (Jill) and AI Career Coach (Jack) are part of a unique recruitment operations layer.
• Reporting: The Product Designer will likely report to a Head of Product, VP of Product, or potentially a Lead Designer, with direct interaction with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.
• Collaboration: Highly collaborative, with frequent communication and feedback loops between design, product, and engineering teams to ensure alignment and rapid iteration.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using user data, analytics, and A/B testing to inform design and product development.
• Agile Product Development: Likely utilizing agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) to facilitate iterative development, rapid prototyping, and continuous delivery.
• User-Centricity: A core philosophy that places the user at the center of all product development and design decisions.

Company Website: https://www.jackandjill.ai (Note: This is the Jack & Jill platform website, not necessarily the AI startup's direct website, which may be anonymized in listings. However, the AI startup is described as "fast-growing AI startup" and is a client of Jack & Jill.)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's description as a "fast-growing AI startup" is key. This means a high-energy, evolving environment where design plays a critical role in product success and market differentiation. The unique recruitment process through Jack & Jill adds an interesting layer to the initial candidate experience. The "Abu Dhabi, UAE" location suggests a strategic presence in a growing tech hub.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer, typically requiring 2-5 years of dedicated experience. It involves leading design initiatives for specific product features or areas, requiring a blend of execution skills and strategic input. The designer is expected to operate with a degree of autonomy but within broader product and company objectives.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a senior leader within the product or design function, such as a Head of Product, Design Lead, or VP of Product. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on a day-to-day basis, forming a core product development triad.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's impact is critical to the company's Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy. By creating intuitive, user-friendly, and impactful AI products, the designer directly influences user acquisition, engagement, retention, and ultimately, revenue growth. Exceptional UX/UI design can be a significant competitive differentiator in the B2B SaaS market, reducing customer acquisition costs and increasing lifetime value.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design: Opportunity to grow into a Senior Product Designer role, taking on more complex projects, mentoring junior designers, and contributing more significantly to design strategy.
• Specialization in AI/SaaS: Deepen expertise in designing for cutting-edge AI applications and complex B2B SaaS platforms, becoming a subject matter expert in a high-demand field.
• Product Strategy Influence: As the company grows, the designer may have increasing opportunities to influence product vision, roadmap prioritization, and overall user experience strategy.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to transition into roles with broader product management responsibilities or even GTM strategy roles, leveraging their deep understanding of user needs and product capabilities.
• Team Building: In a growing startup, there's a possibility of being involved in hiring and building out the design team as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The AI startup context suggests rapid growth and evolving responsibilities. A mid-level designer here has the potential to significantly shape the product and gain specialized expertise in AI/SaaS design, which translates to strong career capital and future GTM operational influence.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job is listed as "On-site" in Abu Dhabi. This typically implies a modern office environment designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and efficient workflow for product development teams. Startups often opt for open-plan layouts with dedicated collaboration spaces.

Office Location(s): Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This location offers access to a growing tech ecosystem and a strategic base for regional operations. Specific details about the office's accessibility and amenities would be provided during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The workspace is likely designed to encourage interaction between designers, product managers, and engineers, facilitating quick problem-solving and ideation sessions.
• Technology & Tools: Access to up-to-date design software, hardware, and potentially VR/AR equipment if relevant to AI product development. Essential tools for prototyping, user testing, and collaboration will be provided.
• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for direct interaction with the core product development team, fostering a strong sense of shared purpose and collective ownership.

Work Schedule: While the standard is 40 hours per week, the startup environment often values flexibility and output over strict adherence to hours. This means while the role is on-site, there might be an understanding for occasional remote work or adjusted hours to accommodate specific needs, provided core collaboration and availability are maintained. The focus will be on delivering high-quality design outcomes efficiently.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "On-site" requirement in Abu Dhabi suggests a commitment to in-person collaboration, which is often beneficial for dynamic product development cycles in startups. This environment is designed to be conducive to rapid iteration and strong team cohesion.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening (Jack): A preliminary conversation with "Jack" (the AI career coach) to understand your background, career aspirations, and suitability for the role and company. This is a unique initial filter.
• AI Recruiter Screening (Jill): If Jack identifies a strong match, Jill (the AI Recruiter for the client company) will assess your profile against the specific requirements of the AI startup.
• Hiring Manager / Team Interview: A series of interviews with the hiring manager (e.g., Head of Product, Design Lead) and potentially key team members (Product Managers, Engineers) to assess your design skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A dedicated session to present your portfolio, discuss your process, and potentially complete a design challenge. This might involve a take-home exercise or an in-person/virtual whiteboarding session focusing on a realistic problem.
• Final Round: Potentially an interview with senior leadership or founders to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit for the company's trajectory.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process: Clearly articulate your design thinking, research methodologies, and how you arrived at your solutions. Don't just show the final UI.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics or quantifiable outcomes that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user engagement, reduced task completion time).
• Tailor to AI/SaaS: Highlight projects that showcase your experience with complex systems, B2B workflows, or AI-driven features.
• Showcase Collaboration: Include examples or discussions of how you worked with engineers and product managers, demonstrating your ability to integrate feedback and drive consensus.
• Storytelling: Present your case studies as narratives, explaining the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the results.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, thoroughly understand the problem statement, the target user, and the business goals.
• Think Aloud: If it's a live challenge, articulate your thought process clearly. Explain your assumptions, the trade-offs you're considering, and your design rationale.
• Focus on Core Principles: Demonstrate your understanding of user-centered design, usability, and effective problem-solving, even if you can't complete every detail.
• Prioritize: In a timed challenge, focus on the most critical aspects of the problem and design the core user flow effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The unique "Jack & Jill" initial screening process is a key differentiator. For the portfolio review, emphasizing the impact and process for AI/SaaS products is crucial to stand out. The interview process will likely be rigorous, testing both design acumen and cultural fit within a fast-paced startup.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends and collaborative features), Sketch, Adobe XD. Proficiency in at least one is essential.
• User Research Tools: Tools like UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, or internal survey platforms for gathering user feedback and conducting usability tests.
• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar for tracking design tasks and progress within agile development cycles.
• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams for real-time team communication and collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or similar to understand user behavior and product usage patterns.
• Data Visualization: While not a primary tool for designers, understanding how data is visualized in dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) can help in interpreting performance metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Awareness of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) are used in B2B SaaS environments, as product design often needs to align with sales and marketing processes.
• Automation Tools: Understanding of workflow automation principles, especially as they relate to user onboarding, feature adoption, or in-app communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools like Figma is almost a given. The ability to leverage user research and product analytics tools to inform design decisions is increasingly important for designers in product-led growth environments, directly impacting GTM operational efficiency.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Boldness: A culture that encourages pushing boundaries, experimenting with new AI technologies, and developing groundbreaking product features.
• User-Centricity: A deep-seated commitment to understanding and serving user needs, ensuring that products are not just technologically advanced but also highly valuable and usable.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, cross-functional teamwork, and a willingness to share ideas and feedback openly across all levels.
• Impact & Ownership: A focus on driving tangible results, taking initiative, and owning projects from conception to successful implementation, with a clear understanding of how design contributes to business success.
• Continuous Learning: An environment that supports ongoing skill development, staying abreast of the latest advancements in AI, design, and B2B SaaS trends.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Synergy: Expect strong partnerships with Product Management and Engineering, forming integrated "squads" or "pods" focused on specific product areas.
• Iterative Feedback Loops: Regular design reviews, sprint demos, and informal check-ins to ensure continuous alignment and rapid iteration based on stakeholder input.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that values sharing best practices, design patterns, and lessons learned through internal workshops, documentation, or informal discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of an AI startup often revolve around innovation, speed, and impact. For a designer, this means being adaptable, proactive, and skilled at collaborating within fast-paced, cross-functional teams to deliver solutions that drive business outcomes.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape: Keeping pace with the fast-changing advancements in AI technology and understanding how to best integrate them into user-friendly products.
• Balancing Innovation with Usability: Designing cutting-edge AI features while ensuring they remain intuitive and accessible to a broad range of users, avoiding overly complex or "black box" experiences.
• Startup Pace & Ambiguity: Navigating the dynamic and sometimes ambiguous nature of a startup environment, where priorities can shift and requirements may evolve quickly.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent understanding and alignment on design vision and user needs across diverse teams (engineering, product, sales, marketing) with potentially different priorities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized AI Design Training: Opportunities to learn about AI-specific design challenges, ethical considerations in AI, and best practices for human-AI interaction.
• Industry Conferences & Workshops: Access to events focused on AI, UX design, B2B SaaS, and product development to stay ahead of trends and network with peers.
• Mentorship: Potential to be mentored by experienced product leaders or founders, gaining insights into product strategy, business growth, and leadership.
• Design System Development: A chance to contribute significantly to or even lead the development of a scalable design system, a valuable skill for future roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to working with cutting-edge AI technology and in a startup setting. The growth opportunities are significant, offering deep specialization and potential for leadership within a high-demand field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you designed an AI-powered feature. What were the unique challenges, and how did you address them?" (Focus on your process, user research for AI, and how you handled complexity.)
• "How do you approach designing for B2B SaaS users compared to B2C? What are the key differences in user needs and workflow considerations?" (Highlight your understanding of enterprise contexts, efficiency, and integration needs.)
• "Walk us through your process for a complex design challenge from your portfolio. How did you define the problem, conduct research, iterate on solutions, and measure success?" (Emphasize your structured approach, user advocacy, and ability to demonstrate impact.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about working with AI products, and what are your concerns or ethical considerations?" (Show genuine interest and a thoughtful perspective on AI's societal impact.)
• "How do you typically collaborate with product managers and engineers? Describe a time you had a disagreement and how you resolved it." (Demonstrate your teamwork, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.)
• "What do you know about our company's mission and the problems we're solving with AI?" (Research the company thoroughly and articulate why their mission resonates with you.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, present a clear problem statement, your role, the research and discovery phase, ideation and design iterations, the final solution, and the measured outcomes or impact.
• Highlight Process Over Polish: While visual quality is important, focus on demonstrating your thought process, problem-solving skills, and how you used data and user feedback to drive decisions.
• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, trade-offs you made, and how you would iterate or improve the design further.
• Quantify Results: Use metrics (even if estimated) to show the business impact of your work. For example, "This feature led to a 15% increase in user engagement" or "Reduced task completion time by 20%."
• Showcase Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you worked with other team members, incorporating their feedback and aligning on project goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the AI focus, interviewers will likely probe your understanding of AI-specific design challenges and ethical considerations. Your portfolio presentation should explicitly showcase your problem-solving methodology and quantifiable impact, aligning with the operational goals of driving user adoption and business value.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Follow the link provided by Jack & Jill to initiate the process.
• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate 2-4 strong case studies that highlight your end-to-end design process, focusing on complex AI or B2B SaaS products. Ensure these demonstrate your user research, problem-solving, collaboration, and quantifiable impact.
• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to emphasize relevant experience in UX/UI design, AI product design, B2B SaaS, user research, prototyping, and collaboration. Use keywords from the job description naturally.
• Connect with Jack: Be ready to have a candid conversation with "Jack" (the AI career coach) to share your experience and career ambitions. This initial step is crucial for the AI-driven matching process.
• Research the Company: Understand the AI startup's mission, its target market, and the problems it aims to solve. Prepare to articulate why you are excited about this specific opportunity and how your skills align with their goals.

⚠️ 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.