Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer Company: SQUIRE Location: United States Job Type: Full-Time Exempt Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Support Date Posted: 2025-09-24T00:00:00 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and deliver intuitive, engaging user experiences for SQUIRE's suite of barber management and booking products, focusing on simplifying complex workflows.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing, to ensure cohesive product development and user-centric solutions.
• Actively participate in user research and usability testing to gather direct feedback from barbers and their clients, translating insights into actionable design improvements.
• Contribute to the evolution and scalability of SQUIRE's internal design system, ensuring consistency and efficiency across all product touchpoints.
• Translate complex workflows and systems into clear, understandable diagrams to facilitate communication and decision-making among stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a Product Designer, its focus on business management systems for barbers implies a strong connection to Go-To-Market (GTM) operations. The designer will be instrumental in creating tools that directly impact the operational efficiency and revenue generation capabilities of SQUIRE's customers (barbers and shop owners). Therefore, understanding operational workflows and user business needs is critical.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and execute key product features from initial ideation through final delivery, ensuring user needs and business objectives are met.
• Serve as a strong advocate for the SQUIRE user, deeply understanding their context, pain points, and workflows to inform design decisions.
• Contribute to the maintenance, growth, and scalability of SQUIRE's internal design system, promoting best practices and ensuring design consistency.
• Actively participate in brainstorming sessions, design sprints, and discovery workshops to generate innovative solutions and gather crucial user insights.
• Partner with Product Managers and fellow designers to conduct both asynchronous and live usability testing, iterating on designs based on findings.
• Collaborate effectively with engineering teams to ensure the accurate and high-quality implementation of designed features, maintaining design integrity.
• Develop clear and concise workflow diagrams and system maps to support communication with stakeholders and aid in strategic decision-making.
• Provide design assets and support to teams involved in marketing and customer engagement, as needed, to ensure brand consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "Translate workflows and systems into clear diagrams" is a key indicator of the role's operational focus. This requires the designer to understand how users (barbers/shop owners) interact with the business management system, mirroring the analytical and process-oriented thinking common in operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 3–5 years of professional experience in product design, UI/UX design, or a similar role, with a demonstrated track record of shipping successful digital products.

Required Skills:

• Proven proficiency in Figma and other collaborative design tools (e.g., Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite).
• Expertise in interaction design principles, user-centered design methodologies, and information architecture.
• Strong experience with prototyping tools and techniques to create interactive user flows and test design concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct usability testing, analyze results, and translate findings into design improvements.
• Solid understanding of responsive design principles and best practices for both web and mobile applications.
• Familiarity with design systems, component libraries, and a keen interest in contributing to their ongoing development.
• Technical curiosity and the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with engineering teams on implementation details.
• Excellent visual design skills, with a strong sense of typography, color theory, and layout.

Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience contributing to or maintaining established design systems.
• Exposure to B2B SaaS product design, particularly in business management or productivity software.
• Skills in motion design or experience with tools like After Effects for creating engaging animations and micro-interactions.
• Demonstrated empathy for customers and colleagues, fostering a positive and collaborative team environment.
• Clear and effective communication skills, adept at presenting design work, articulating rationale, and soliciting constructive feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "Technical curiosity and ability to work effectively with engineers" and "Familiarity with design systems and interest in contributing to their growth" suggests a role that values collaborative problem-solving and adherence to scalable, efficient design processes, which are core tenets in operations. The preferred skill of "Empathy for customers and teammates, fostering a collaborative environment" highlights the importance of interpersonal skills crucial for GTM and operational success.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 end-to-end product design projects, highlighting your role, process, and impact.
• Projects should demonstrate expertise in mobile and responsive web application design, ideally within a SaaS or business management context.
• Include case studies that detail your process, from user research and problem definition to ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final UI design.
• Demonstrate your ability to translate complex business logic or user workflows into intuitive and efficient user interfaces.
• Clearly articulate the challenges faced, the solutions designed, and the measurable outcomes or impact of your work, with a focus on user adoption and task completion efficiency.

Process Documentation:

• For each project, provide insights into your design process, including how you conducted user research, synthesized findings, and iterated on designs.
• Document your approach to collaborating with Product Managers and Engineers, emphasizing communication and feedback loops.
• Detail your experience with design systems, including how you utilized existing components or contributed to their expansion.
• Showcase your ability to create and utilize user flow diagrams, wireframes, and interactive prototypes to communicate design intent and gather feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on end-to-end projects, user research, workflow translation, and measurable outcomes strongly aligns with the portfolio expectations for operations professionals, who are often tasked with documenting and improving processes. The request for demonstrating "how you conducted user research, synthesized findings, and iterated on designs" speaks to a data-driven and analytical approach common in operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $120,000 - $140,000 annually (Depending on Experience - DOE)

Benefits:

• New Hire Stock Grant: Opportunity to own a piece of SQUIRE's growth and success.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents, ensuring a focus on well-being.
• Retirement Savings: 401K plan with a company contribution, supporting long-term financial planning.
• Work-Life Balance: Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and robust Parental Leave policies, promoting a healthy integration of personal and professional life.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week, with potential for flexibility based on project needs and team collaboration, common in dynamic tech environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a mid-level Product Designer in the US tech market. The comprehensive benefits package, particularly the 100% employer-paid insurance for dependents and stock grant, indicates a company that invests significantly in its employees' well-being and long-term commitment, which is attractive to professionals seeking stability and growth.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software / Technology (SaaS, Business Management Software for Barbers) Company Size: [Company Size information not provided in input. Assuming a growth-stage startup or mid-size company based on offerings and funding potential.] Founded: 2015, indicating a company with established product-market fit and a history of growth.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely operates within a Product department, reporting to a Director of Product Design.
• Designers will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Software Engineers, and potentially Marketing/Customer Success teams.
• The structure likely fosters a cross-functional, agile environment where collaboration is key to delivering product value.

Methodology:

• SQUIRE appears to utilize agile development methodologies, with an emphasis on iterative design and continuous improvement based on user feedback.
• Design processes likely involve user research, prototyping, usability testing, and close collaboration with engineering for efficient implementation.
• A focus on data-driven decision-making, informed by user behavior and business metrics, is expected.

Company Website: http://getsquire.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on serving barbers and shop owners suggests a culture that values craftsmanship, community, and empowering small businesses. This likely translates into a design philosophy that prioritizes usability, efficiency, and tangible business impact for its users. The company's founding in 2015 and global reach indicate a scalable operational model.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-Level Product Designer. This role is pivotal in translating business needs into user-friendly interfaces that drive operational efficiency for SQUIRE's customers. It sits at the intersection of user experience and business enablement.

Reporting Structure: Reports to the Director, Product Design, providing direct mentorship and guidance. This structure allows for clear career pathing and skill development within the design function.

Operations Impact: The designs created by this role directly impact the operational efficiency and revenue streams of thousands of barber shops. By simplifying booking, management, and customer retention, the Product Designer contributes significantly to the success of SQUIRE's customer base, thereby driving customer acquisition and retention for SQUIRE itself.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as interaction design, user research methodologies, or design system development.
• Leadership Potential: As the company grows, there may be opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives for specific product areas, or transition into a Senior Product Designer role.
• Cross-Functional Exposure: Collaboration with Product Management and Engineering offers exposure to product strategy and technical implementation, broadening the designer's understanding of the product lifecycle.
• Industry Insight: Gaining deep knowledge of the barbershop industry and business operations provides a unique niche expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities are framed within a product development context but have strong operational implications. For instance, deepening expertise in user research directly supports the operational goal of understanding customer needs for business process improvement. Leadership potential can extend to leading design efforts that streamline operational workflows for SQUIRE's clients.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Assumed to be a modern office environment designed for collaboration and creativity, typical of tech companies. The "On-site" designation suggests a physical workspace is integral to the role.

Office Location(s): United States. Specific city/state not provided, but the company operates globally, suggesting a potentially diverse and international employee base even within the US.

Workspace Context:

• A collaborative workspace designed to foster interaction between designers, product managers, and engineers, encouraging the rapid exchange of ideas and feedback.
• Access to industry-standard design and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma) is expected, facilitating efficient workflows.
• Opportunities for team members to connect and share knowledge, promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement in design practices.

Work Schedule: The standard 40-hour work week allows for focused design work, collaboration sessions, and participation in user research activities. Flexibility may be offered to accommodate project deadlines and team synchronization needs, aligning with agile operational cadences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "On-site" work arrangement implies a preference for in-person collaboration, which can accelerate design iteration and problem-solving, especially for complex operational workflows within the barber industry. This also suggests a structured work environment conducive to focused design tasks and team alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Typically a brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role and company.
• Portfolio Review & Design Exercise: A deeper dive into the candidate's portfolio, often accompanied by a take-home design challenge or a live design critique session focused on problem-solving and design thinking. This stage will assess your ability to handle operational complexity through design.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineers to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to integrate designs into development workflows.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the Director, Product Design, to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with team goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Process: Clearly articulate your design process for each project, emphasizing user research, problem definition, and iteration. Focus on how you translated user needs and business requirements into design solutions.
• Showcase Impact: Quantify the impact of your designs whenever possible (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced task completion time, increased user satisfaction). This demonstrates your understanding of business objectives and operational efficiency.
• Demonstrate Collaboration: Include examples of how you worked with cross-functional teams, managed feedback, and resolved design challenges through collaboration.
• Tailor to SQUIRE: Research SQUIRE's products and target audience. Be prepared to discuss how your design philosophy and experience align with their mission to empower barbers.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the User: Familiarize yourself with the challenges faced by barbers and small business owners. Consider how technology can simplify their daily operations.
• Think Systemically: Be prepared to design for complex systems and workflows, not just isolated screens. Consider the end-to-end user journey.
• Focus on Clarity and Efficiency: Practice articulating how your design solutions improve clarity, reduce cognitive load, and enhance operational efficiency for the user.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes a strong portfolio and a design exercise that likely tests problem-solving skills relevant to business operations. Candidates should prepare to discuss how their design choices lead to tangible improvements in user efficiency and business outcomes, mirroring the metrics-driven approach of operations professionals.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.
• Collaborative Design Tools: Experience with tools for design system management, user feedback collection, and version control within design workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to understand user behavior and product usage patterns, which informs design decisions.
• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, experience with tools like InVision or Principle for creating high-fidelity interactive prototypes.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding how CRM systems (like Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms (like Marketo, Mailchimp) integrate with user-facing products can provide valuable context for designing seamless customer experiences. SQUIRE's own platform acts as a CRM and operational management tool for its users.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is explicitly stated as a requirement. Understanding user analytics platforms is crucial for a designer focused on operational impact, as it allows for data-driven iteration and optimization of user workflows, a core function in operations. Familiarity with how their users manage customer relationships (CRM) and automate processes is also a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of barbers and shop owners, translating into designs that are intuitive, efficient, and valuable for their business operations.
• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork across product, engineering, and other departments to achieve shared goals and deliver cohesive product experiences.
• Innovation: A drive to find creative solutions to complex problems, constantly seeking ways to improve the product and the user's experience.
• Efficiency: A focus on designing streamlined workflows and processes that save users time and effort, directly contributing to their business success.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing user research, analytics, and feedback to inform design choices and measure the impact of implemented features.

Collaboration Style:

• Expect a highly collaborative environment where designers work closely with Product Managers to define requirements and with Engineers to ensure feasibility and quality of implementation.
• Open communication and constructive feedback are encouraged to foster continuous improvement and shared ownership of the product.
• Designers are expected to be proactive in seeking input and providing design rationale to stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of "User-Centricity," "Efficiency," and "Data-Driven Decision Making" directly align with the core principles of operations professionals. A designer embodying these values will naturally contribute to the operational success of SQUIRE's customers.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Simplifying Complexity: The primary challenge will be translating the multifaceted business operations of a barber shop into a simple, intuitive digital experience. This requires a deep understanding of user workflows and pain points.
• Balancing User Needs and Business Goals: Ensuring designs meet the needs of barbers while also supporting SQUIRE's business objectives and technical constraints.
• Evolving Design System: Contributing to a growing design system requires careful attention to consistency, scalability, and documentation, which can be demanding.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Maintaining a consistent and high-quality user experience across different platforms (web, mobile) presents ongoing design challenges.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Industry Immersion: Gaining expertise in the specific operational needs and market dynamics of the barbershop industry.
• Design System Mastery: Opportunities to become a subject matter expert in design systems, contributing to their architecture and governance.
• Mentorship: Learning from experienced Product Designers and leaders within the company.
• Exposure to Product Strategy: Involvement in product strategy discussions provides insights into how design impacts business growth and operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for product roles supporting business operations, requiring analytical thinking and process optimization skills. The learning opportunities offer a chance to develop specialized knowledge in both design and a specific industry's operational landscape.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to simplify a complex workflow through design. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, user research, and quantifiable results.)
• "How do you ensure consistency and scalability when contributing to a design system?" (Highlight your understanding of design system principles and collaborative practices.)
• "Walk me through a project where you collaborated closely with engineers. How did you ensure successful implementation of your designs?" (Emphasize communication, problem-solving, and understanding technical constraints.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about SQUIRE's mission and the barbershop industry?" (Research SQUIRE's values and market position.)
• "How do you incorporate user feedback into your design process, especially when dealing with diverse user needs?" (Showcase your user research and iteration skills.)
• "How do you prioritize design tasks when faced with multiple competing demands?" (Demonstrate your organizational and time management skills, relevant to operational efficiency.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: Organize your presentation logically, ideally following a case study format: Problem > Research > Solution > Impact.
• Tell a Story: Engage your audience by narrating your design journey, highlighting your thought process and decision-making at each stage.
• Focus on Impact: Quantify the success of your designs with metrics related to user efficiency, task completion, or business outcomes.
• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges, and how you would approach similar problems at SQUIRE.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a structured, user-centric, and data-informed design process that leads to tangible improvements in user efficiency and business outcomes, mirroring the expectations for operations roles.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever link.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases your experience with mobile and responsive web app design, highlighting end-to-end projects with a focus on workflow simplification and user efficiency.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your 3-5 years of relevant experience, proficiency in Figma, and skills in user research, prototyping, and interaction design. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design process and decision-making rationale clearly, ready to present specific examples of how your designs have solved problems and delivered value.
• Company Research: Understand SQUIRE's mission, target audience, and product offerings. Consider how your design approach can directly contribute to the operational success of barbers and their businesses.

⚠️ 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.