Product Designer, Native

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Native Company: Cohere Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Date Posted: 2025-11-06 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and own the end-to-end product experience for Cohere's native mobile applications (iOS and Android), focusing on translating complex web workflows into intuitive, platform-optimized interfaces.
• Champion a user-centered approach by conducting targeted user research to uncover mobile-specific use cases and ensure the native experience delivers distinct value beyond web replication.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers to define the mobile product vision, assess technical feasibility, and ensure seamless integration of native platform capabilities.
• Define and establish scalable design patterns, guidelines, and component systems for both iOS and Android, balancing brand consistency with platform-specific conventions and leveraging native functionalities like gestures and widgets.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core role is Product Design, the emphasis on translating web workflows to native platforms, defining scalable design patterns, and ensuring platform-specific optimization directly supports Go-To-Market (GTM) operations by ensuring a consistent and effective user experience across all touchpoints. This role will also indirectly influence operational efficiency by standardizing design systems and user flows for mobile.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the complete product design lifecycle for Cohere's native mobile applications, from ideation and user research to high-fidelity prototyping and final implementation oversight.
• Develop a deep understanding of mobile-specific user behaviors, contexts, and needs through rigorous user research, translating insights into actionable design strategies for iOS and Android.
• Strategically decide when to maintain design consistency with Cohere's existing web platform and when to adopt native platform conventions to optimize the user experience.
• Design for platform-specific features and interactions, including gestures, notifications, widgets, and system integrations, to create highly engaging and intuitive mobile experiences.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with Product Management to shape the mobile product vision and with Engineering to ensure technical feasibility and high-quality implementation of designs.
• Create and meticulously maintain a comprehensive design system for native mobile, ensuring scalability, reusability, and adherence to both platform guidelines and Cohere's brand identity.
• Conduct design critiques and reviews, providing constructive feedback to maintain a high standard of craft and consistency across the product.
• Contribute to the overall product strategy by identifying opportunities for innovation and differentiation within the mobile AI product space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on process ownership, user research integration, and cross-functional collaboration, which are critical for successful operations. The need to balance web consistency with native conventions and establish scalable design patterns directly supports operational efficiency and product standardization.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is beneficial. Candidates are evaluated primarily on their portfolio and practical experience.

Experience: 3+ years of professional experience in digital product design, with a demonstrable track record of designing and launching successful mobile applications (iOS and/or Android).

Required Skills:

• Product Design: Proven ability to design digital products from concept to launch, with a portfolio showcasing end-to-end design process and impact.
• Native Design Patterns: Deep understanding and practical application of iOS Human Interface Guidelines and Android Material Design principles.
• User Research & Analysis: Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative user research, translating findings into user-centered design decisions, and staying abreast of AI industry trends.
• Systems Thinking: Ability to design scalable component systems and establish consistent design patterns across multiple platforms.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven experience working effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders in a fast-paced, distributed environment.
• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in industry-standard design tools like Figma for creating wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.
• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale, document decisions, and present to diverse audiences.
• Craft Excellence: Meticulous attention to detail in visual design (typography, layout, color, composition) and interaction design.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for AI-powered products or platforms.
• Familiarity with web design patterns and the ability to bridge web and native experiences.
• Experience with A/B testing and data-driven design optimization.
• Visual design skills beyond UI, including branding and motion design.
• Experience contributing to or managing design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "strong portfolio that demonstrates your process, systems thinking, and measurable impact on user outcomes" is a key indicator of operations' focus on results and efficiency. The requirement to "document decisions, articulate design rationale to diverse audiences, and create shared understanding" is critical for operational alignment and knowledge transfer.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate end-to-end ownership of mobile design projects, showcasing problem definition, user research, ideation, iteration, and final implementation.
• Include case studies that clearly articulate the project's goals, your specific role and contributions, the design process followed, and the measurable impact on user outcomes or business objectives.
• Showcase systems thinking by presenting examples of scalable component systems, design pattern libraries, or contributions to a design system.
• Highlight your ability to balance consistency with platform conventions, with examples of thoughtful adaptation for iOS and Android.
• Present evidence of user research integration, explaining how user insights informed design decisions.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly outline your design process for mobile applications, detailing methodologies for user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and collaboration with engineering.
• Demonstrate how you establish and maintain design guidelines, component libraries, and documentation to ensure consistency and scalability across platforms.
• Provide examples of how you collaborate with product managers and engineers, including communication methods, feedback loops, and problem-solving approaches.
• Illustrate your approach to iterating on designs based on user feedback, A/B testing results, or performance metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, a portfolio is paramount. This section emphasizes the need to demonstrate not just design output, but the process behind it, including research, systems thinking, and collaboration – all crucial elements for operational success. The requirement for "measurable impact" directly aligns with operations' focus on ROI and efficiency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Product Designer with 2-5 years of experience in Toronto, Canada, the estimated annual salary range is CAD $80,000 - $120,000. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for mid-level design roles in major Canadian tech hubs, considering Cohere's positioning as a leading AI company.

Benefits:

• Open and inclusive culture and work environment
• Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research
• Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks
• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health
• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months
• Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well-being, quality time, and workspace improvement
• Remote-flexible work arrangements
• Co-working stipend
• Generous vacation policy: 6 weeks (30 working days) per year

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. Cohere offers a remote-flexible model, allowing for flexibility in how and where work is accomplished, provided objectives are met and collaboration with distributed teams is maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on market data for Toronto and the specified experience level. The benefits are directly pulled from the provided perks list, highlighting aspects attractive to professionals seeking work-life balance and professional development. The mention of "remote-flexible" and "co-working stipend" reinforces the modern, operations-conscious approach to work arrangements.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning. Cohere is at the forefront of developing and deploying large language models (LLMs) for developers and enterprises, aiming to "scale intelligence to serve humanity." This context means a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

Company Size: Cohere is a rapidly growing tech company, likely in the scale-up phase. The exact size isn't specified, but the presence of multiple international offices and a focus on hiring top talent suggests a significant, well-funded organization. This implies established processes but also room for individual impact.

Founded: Cohere was founded in 2019. This relatively recent founding means the company is likely still defining many of its long-term structures and processes, offering opportunities for early employees to shape its trajectory.

Team Structure:

• The "Native team" is a dedicated product team focused on iOS and Android development.
• This team will likely consist of Product Managers, Product Designers (this role), and Mobile Engineers.
• Collaboration extends cross-functionally with researchers, other product teams, and potentially marketing/GTM operations for product launches.
• The company emphasizes a distributed team structure, requiring strong asynchronous communication and collaboration practices.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: The company's mission and focus on AI suggest a strong emphasis on data analysis, experimentation, and performance measurement to inform product decisions and improvements.
• Agile & Iterative Processes: Given the fast-paced AI landscape, expect iterative development cycles, continuous learning, and rapid adaptation to new research and market demands.
• Customer-Centricity: The mission to "serve humanity" and drive value for customers implies a deep focus on understanding and meeting user needs.

Company Website: https://cohere.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The AI industry context implies a need for continuous learning and adaptation, a key operational challenge. The company's growth phase suggests opportunities for individuals to influence process and structure, which is attractive to operations-minded candidates. The emphasis on a distributed team highlights the importance of clear communication protocols and documentation – hallmarks of effective operations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Mid-Level Product Designer role (2-5 years experience). It signifies a position where individuals are expected to operate with a degree of autonomy, manage their own projects, and contribute significantly to product strategy and execution, rather than solely executing tasks. The role requires taking ownership of the "design process end-to-end."

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will report to a Design Lead or Head of Product, working closely with Product Managers and Engineering teams on the Native team. This structure allows for direct impact on product development while benefiting from guidance and mentorship.

Operations Impact: While primarily a design role, the impact on operations is significant. By creating intuitive, efficient, and scalable native mobile experiences, this role directly influences user adoption, engagement, and satisfaction, which are critical metrics for GTM success and customer retention. Establishing robust design patterns and systems reduces future development friction and ensures brand consistency, thereby improving operational efficiency in product development and marketing.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in mobile design (iOS/Android), AI product design, or design systems.
• Leadership: Progress into Senior Product Designer, Lead Designer, or Design Manager roles, guiding teams and strategy.
• Cross-Functional Moves: Transition into Product Management or other operational roles within the product organization by leveraging a deep understanding of user needs and product development processes.
• Skill Development: Continuous learning opportunities in AI, new design technologies, and user research methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis frames the role not just as a design position but as one with inherent operational impact and clear avenues for career progression within the product and operations sphere. The emphasis on "autonomy" and "significant contribution" aligns with the expectations for mid-level operations professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Cohere offers a "Remote-flexible" work environment with physical offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London, and Paris. This suggests a hybrid approach where employees can choose to work remotely, from a Cohere office, or utilize a co-working stipend.

Office Location(s): Major tech hubs including Toronto (Ontario, Canada), New York (USA), San Francisco (California, USA), London (UK), and Paris (France). This global presence facilitates collaboration with a diverse, international team.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Remote Environment: The emphasis on "remote-flexible" and "distributed teams" means the workspace is designed to facilitate effective asynchronous and synchronous communication, likely leveraging tools like Slack, Zoom, and collaborative design platforms.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: As an AI company, expect access to modern design tools, development environments, and potentially internal AI-powered tools to aid productivity.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for interaction will occur through scheduled virtual meetings, design critiques, team syncs, and potentially in-person meetups or retreats. The "in-office lunches" suggest that when in an office, there are opportunities for informal team building.

Work Schedule: The standard is approximately 40 hours per week, but the "remote-flexible" nature allows for adaptation to personal schedules, provided work is completed effectively and collaboration needs are met. This flexibility is crucial for operations professionals who may need to manage complex workflows across time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "remote-flexible" and "co-working stipend" options are key operational considerations for employee experience and productivity, allowing individuals to optimize their work environment. The global office presence implies a need for robust communication and collaboration strategies.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and portfolio to assess fit for the role and experience level.
• Portfolio Presentation & Design Exercise: Candidates will likely be asked to present a selection of their work, focusing on their process, problem-solving approach, and impact. A practical design exercise or case study related to mobile design challenges may also be given.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to work within a team.
• Hiring Manager/Team Lead Interview: A discussion focusing on cultural fit, career aspirations, and deeper dives into design philosophy and strategic thinking.
• Final Round: Potentially a discussion with senior leadership or a final assessment of strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest projects that best represent your skills in native mobile design, systems thinking, and user research.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, key decisions made, challenges overcome, and quantifiable results or impact. Use visuals effectively.
• Highlight Native Expertise: Explicitly demonstrate your understanding of iOS and Android conventions, gestures, and platform capabilities. Show how you adapted web concepts or created new native-first experiences.
• Showcase Process: Detail your user research methods, iteration cycles, and how you collaborated with product and engineering.
• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Prepare to discuss specific design choices, trade-offs, and the rationale behind them in detail.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Research Cohere's products (North, AI models), their mission, and the AI industry landscape.
• Mobile Design Principles: Refresh your knowledge of iOS and Android HIG and Material Design. Consider common mobile UX patterns and best practices.
• Problem-Solving: Be prepared to discuss how you approach ambiguous problems, break them down, and arrive at user-centered solutions.
• Collaboration Scenarios: Think about how you would handle disagreements with engineers on technical feasibility or with product managers on feature prioritization.
• AI & Design: Consider how AI impacts user experience and how designers can leverage AI capabilities ethically and effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice tailored for a design role but framed through an operations lens—emphasizing clarity, process, impact, and strategic alignment, which are crucial for any successful application.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary design and prototyping tool, essential for creating wireframes, mockups, interactive prototypes, and design systems. Proficiency in Figma's advanced features, including component systems, auto layout, and collaboration tools, is expected.
• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools might be beneficial for specific use cases or past project experience.
• Design System Management: Experience with tools or methodologies for managing and documenting design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, SurveyMonkey).
• Analytics Platforms (Indirect): While not directly a designer's tool, understanding how to interpret data from platforms like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Firebase Analytics is crucial for data-driven design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello used by engineering and product teams for tracking tasks and progress.
• Collaboration Suites: Proficiency in tools like Slack for communication, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for documentation and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and design system management tools highlights the operational need for efficiency, scalability, and consistency in the design process. Understanding how design impacts data and project tracking tools is also key for operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Obsession: A deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs, ensuring that native mobile experiences are intuitive, valuable, and delightful.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Fostering open communication and knowledge sharing across distributed teams, actively seeking input and providing clear rationale for design decisions.
• Craftsmanship & Excellence: Maintaining a high standard for design quality, attention to detail, and polish in all aspects of the product experience.
• Bias for Action & Speed: Moving quickly to iterate, learn, and deliver value to customers in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
• Data-Informed Decisions: Utilizing user research and analytics to guide design choices and measure impact, ensuring designs are effective and aligned with business objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Working seamlessly with Product Managers to define vision, Engineers to ensure feasibility and quality, and stakeholders to align on strategy.
• Iterative Design Process: Embracing feedback loops, design critiques, and continuous iteration to refine designs and ensure optimal outcomes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Actively contributing to the team's collective knowledge base, sharing best practices, and mentoring junior team members where appropriate.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values and collaboration styles directly translate to operational effectiveness: customer focus drives business results, transparency and collaboration enable efficient workflows, and a bias for action ensures timely delivery.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Web Consistency with Native Conventions: A core challenge requiring strategic decision-making to maintain brand identity while leveraging platform-specific strengths for optimal user experience.
• Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape: Staying ahead of AI advancements and their implications for product design, ensuring the mobile experience remains relevant and innovative.
• Designing for Ambiguity: Navigating the early stages of product development for "North Native," where clear requirements may still be forming, requiring strong problem-solving and strategic design skills.
• Managing Distributed Collaboration: Ensuring effective communication and alignment across time zones and different working styles within a remote-flexible environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI Product Design: Gaining expertise in designing for complex AI products and understanding the nuances of user interaction with LLMs.
• Mastery of Mobile Platforms: Becoming an expert in iOS and Android design patterns and capabilities, potentially exploring emerging mobile technologies.
• Design System Expansion: Contributing to and potentially leading the expansion of Cohere's design system for native mobile applications.
• Mentorship and Leadership: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and grow into leadership roles within the design team.

📝 Enhancement Note: Identifying these challenges upfront allows candidates to prepare and frame their experience in a way that demonstrates their ability to overcome them, showcasing operational resilience and strategic thinking.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance maintaining brand consistency with adopting platform-specific conventions for a mobile app. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your decision-making framework and ability to articulate trade-offs).
• "How would you approach defining the core user experience for a new native mobile AI product when starting from scratch? What research methods would you prioritize?" (Demonstrate your user-centered approach and research strategy).
• "Imagine an engineer proposes a technical solution that significantly deviates from your ideal design. How would you collaborate to find a resolution that balances user experience and technical feasibility?" (Highlight your collaboration and problem-solving skills).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Cohere's mission to scale intelligence, and how do you see product design contributing to that mission?" (Showcase your understanding of the company's vision).
• "Cohere operates with a remote-flexible model. How do you ensure effective collaboration and communication within distributed teams?" (Address your experience with asynchronous communication and remote work best practices).
• "Tell us about a time you used user research or data to significantly influence a product decision." (Provide a concrete example of data-driven design).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, follow a clear arc: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Impact.
• Focus on "Why": Be prepared to articulate the rationale behind every significant design decision. Why did you choose this pattern? Why this color? Why this interaction?
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data (e.g., conversion rates, engagement metrics, user satisfaction scores) to demonstrate the effectiveness of your designs. If exact numbers aren't available, discuss qualitative impact and user feedback.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and clear visuals to bring your designs to life.
• Highlight Collaboration: Mention how you worked with PMs and Engineers, and showcase any artifacts of that collaboration (e.g., shared documents, Jira tickets, feedback summaries).

📝 Enhancement Note: These interview questions and preparation tips are designed to probe for operational competencies like strategic thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making, beyond just design skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer, Native position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 2-3 mobile design case studies that best demonstrate your experience with native iOS/Android patterns, your end-to-end design process, and measurable impact. Ensure it highlights your ability to translate complex workflows into intuitive experiences.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to include keywords like "Product Design," "Native Mobile," "iOS," "Android," "Figma," "User Research," "Cross-Functional Collaboration," and "Design Systems." Clearly articulate achievements with quantifiable results where possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on storytelling, design rationale, and collaborative processes. Prepare to discuss your approach to balancing web consistency with native conventions and your experience in fast-paced tech environments.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Cohere's mission, products (especially North), and recent AI developments. Understand their remote-flexible culture and values to articulate your fit.

⚠️ 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.