Senior Product Designer and Builder

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer and Builder

Company: LearnLux

Location: United States - Remote

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design & Development

Date Posted: 2026-05-08T22:38:13

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a unique opportunity for a Senior Product Designer and Builder to own the entire product lifecycle from discovery to implementation within a mission-driven financial wellbeing company.

• You will leverage AI as a force multiplier to accelerate research, prototyping, and synthesis, bridging the gap between ideas and validated, shippable solutions.

• The role demands a builder mindset, with responsibilities extending beyond traditional design tasks to include roadmap advocacy, system thinking, and contributing to built-in-code prototypes.

• You will lead continuous discovery efforts, conducting lightweight, ongoing user research to ensure the product team is always building on fresh, evidence-based insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is explicitly positioned as an "autonomous IC" (Individual Contributor) who owns the entire product lifecycle, which is a significant differentiator from standard Product Designer roles. This implies a high degree of autonomy, strategic input, and hands-on execution. The emphasis on "built-in-code prototypes" and "shipping things beyond Figma files" indicates a strong expectation for practical development skills or a deep understanding of engineering processes, making it more than just a design role; it's a hybrid design-build position.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End Product Design Ownership: Lead the entire product design loop, from initial user research and conceptualization through to high-fidelity UI design, functional prototyping, and the creation of built-in-code prototypes that demonstrate feasibility.

• Continuous User Discovery & Research: Implement and manage a lightweight, ongoing user research cadence. This includes recruiting participants, conducting rapid testing sessions, synthesizing qualitative feedback, and translating user insights into actionable product decisions and strategic recommendations.

• AI-Powered Workflow Acceleration: Strategically utilize modern AI tools (e.g., for transcription, theme extraction, rapid prototyping, insight generation) to enhance efficiency and effectiveness across research, design, and synthesis processes, treating AI as a key leverage point.

• Product Roadmap Influence and Advocacy: Proactively advocate for user needs and product improvements based on evidence-based conclusions derived from research and testing. Influence product direction and ensure user-centric initiatives are prioritized and successfully implemented.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Co-Creation: Engage in close, hands-on collaboration with engineering teams, data analysts, product leads, and company co-founders, preferring live working sessions over asynchronous feedback loops to accelerate decision-making and problem-solving.

• Design System Evolution and Contribution: Actively contribute to and evolve the LearnLux design system by creating reusable patterns, components, and guidelines that promote speed, quality, and visual consistency across the product.

• Adaptive and Personalized UX Development: Drive the evolution of the product experience towards more personalized, intent-driven, and adaptive patterns, exploring how AI can fundamentally reshape user interactions within financial planning tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a "builder" mentality and an expectation to deliver tangible outputs beyond design mockups. The emphasis on "lead continuous discovery" and "shape the roadmap" indicates a strategic function, not just an execution role. The mention of AI tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex suggests a need for practical experience or a strong aptitude in leveraging these technologies for design and development acceleration.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, candidates are expected to possess a foundational understanding of design principles, user psychology, and product development methodologies, typically gained through a Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 5+ years of experience in product design, with a strong preference for candidates who have worked within the fintech or complex B2B SaaS industries.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Expertise: Proven ability to manage the entire product design lifecycle, from discovery and research to high-fidelity UI and functional prototypes.

• Builder Mindset & Execution: Demonstrated track record of shipping functional products and prototypes beyond static design files; experience with frontend code or AI-assisted prototyping tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, Codex) is essential.

• User Research Fluency: Strong capabilities in planning, conducting, and synthesizing rapid user testing and continuous discovery efforts to inform product decisions.

• AI Tool Proficiency: Comfort and experience experimenting with emerging AI tools to streamline research, prototyping, and data synthesis processes.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to understand and design complex systems, contributing to and evolving design systems for scalability and consistency.

• Roadmap Influence & Strategy: Capacity to use evidence-based insights to advocate for user needs and influence product strategy and roadmap development.

• Collaborative Workflow: Proven ability to work effectively in live, working sessions with engineering, product, and leadership teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Research Operations Tools: Experience with tools like Rally, User Interviews, or Dovetail for managing research initiatives.

• Specialized Knowledge: Background in behavioral economics, individualized psychology, or localization/globalization.

• Early-Stage Startup Experience: Prior experience as the first design hire or working in a 0-to-1 product development environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "builder mindset" and "built-in-code prototypes" requirement strongly suggests that candidates with some level of coding proficiency (e.g., HTML/CSS/JavaScript, or familiarity with frameworks) will have a significant advantage, even if not explicitly stated as a coding role. The emphasis on AI tools also implies a need for candidates who are proactive in exploring and adopting new technologies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating ownership of the full product design loop. Each case study should detail your process from initial problem identification and user research through ideation, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation or shipped product.

• Demonstration of "Builder" Output: Include examples of tangible outputs beyond Figma files. This could be links to live products you've designed and contributed to building, functional prototypes built with code, or detailed descriptions of how you've leveraged AI tools to accelerate development.

• Research & Synthesis Artifacts: Present evidence of your user research capabilities, such as user interview summaries, synthesized insights, testing reports, and how these directly informed product decisions and design iterations.

• Design System Contribution: If applicable, include examples of your contributions to design systems, showcasing reusable components, patterns, and style guides you've developed or maintained.

• AI Tool Integration: Highlight instances where you've effectively used AI tools to enhance your design or research process, explaining the specific tools used and the impact on efficiency or outcome.

Process Documentation:

• Discovery & Research Methodology: Clearly articulate your approach to continuous discovery, including methods for user recruitment, interview techniques, and qualitative data synthesis.

• Prototyping & Iteration: Detail your process for creating functional prototypes, including the tools used (e.g., Figma, code, AI tools) and how you iterate based on feedback.

• Design System Development & Maintenance: Explain your approach to building, documenting, and maintaining design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Framework: Illustrate how you collaborate with engineering and product teams, emphasizing your preferred methods for working sessions, feedback exchange, and problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "builder" aspect and emphasis on shipping beyond Figma, a portfolio that includes code-based prototypes or contributions to live products will be highly advantageous. Candidates should explicitly call out their experience with AI tools and demonstrate how they've used them to achieve specific outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $115,000 - $175,000 USD per year. This range is determined based on the candidate's experience level, local cost of labor (for remote candidates across the US), and the specific demands of the role, which include significant ownership and a builder skillset.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan.

• Mental Wellbeing Support: Access to mental health resources, such as Talkspace.

• Financial Wellbeing Program: Utilization of LearnLux's own financial planning services.

• Paid Time Off: Generous paid vacation and sick leave policies.

• Long-Term Service Recognition: A paid sabbatical awarded after 5 years of service.

• Supportive Team Environment: A highly collaborative and inclusive team culture.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning and growth within a fast-paced startup environment, focusing on the intersection of financial wellness and technology.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work hours, typically around 40 hours per week. While remote, consistent availability during core US business hours is expected for effective collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is an estimate based on the explicit pay transparency information in the job description. The range is broad, reflecting the potential for candidates with varying levels of experience within the 5-10 year bracket, as well as the company's acknowledgment of "local cost of labor" for remote employees. The benefits package is comprehensive and includes unique offerings related to the company's core business (financial and mental wellbeing).

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (Fintech), specifically focusing on Workplace Financial Wellbeing. LearnLux operates at the intersection of financial services, technology, and employee benefits, aiming to democratize access to financial planning. The market is growing rapidly as employers recognize the impact of financial stress on employee productivity and retention.

Company Size: LearnLux is a venture-backed startup that has raised over $35M. While the exact current employee count isn't specified, its venture-backed status and rapid growth suggest a dynamic, agile organization that is likely scaling quickly, possibly in the range of 50-200 employees. This size implies a culture where individual contributions have a significant impact, and roles can be fluid.

Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the company's venture funding and growth-focused narrative suggest it is an established startup, likely founded within the last 5-10 years, with a clear vision and product-market fit.

Team Structure:

• Agile Product Team: This role is part of an agile product team, indicating a collaborative and iterative development process.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The Senior Product Designer & Builder will work closely with engineering, analytics, product leads, and co-founders, suggesting a flat or matrixed organizational structure where direct interaction across departments is common.

• Reporting Line: The role reports into the Head of Engineering, providing a direct line of communication and collaboration with technical leadership.

Methodology:

• Intentional & High-Quality Execution: The company emphasizes building with intention and maintaining a high bar for quality.

• Speed & Agility: They operate quickly, value ownership, and encourage individuals who are energized by solving new problems and taking accountability.

• Data-Driven & Evidence-Based: Decisions are influenced by evidence from user research and product metrics.

• AI Integration: Proactive experimentation and integration of AI tools into workflows are encouraged.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The description emphasizes a "fast-growing startup" environment, which means roles and processes are likely to evolve. Candidates should expect a high degree of change and be comfortable with ambiguity. The "remote-first" structure also implies a strong reliance on asynchronous communication and digital collaboration tools.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Senior" with explicit emphasis on "autonomous IC" status. It's a critical individual contributor role that bridges strategic product thinking with hands-on execution. The scope includes owning significant parts of the product lifecycle, influencing roadmap direction, and acting as a key builder within the product team. This level is suitable for experienced professionals looking for high impact and broad ownership rather than a management track.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer and Builder reports directly to the Head of Engineering. This structure suggests a close working relationship with technical leadership, facilitating seamless collaboration between design and development, and ensuring design decisions are well-integrated with technical feasibility and roadmap priorities.

Operations Impact: The design and development decisions made by this role will directly impact millions of users' financial wellbeing. The role is crucial in defining how users experience the LearnLux platform, influencing their ability to navigate complex financial decisions, and ultimately contributing to improved financial literacy, reduced stress, and better financial outcomes. This has a direct impact on the company's mission and its ability to demonstrate value to its partners (employers).

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Product Ownership: Gain extensive experience in owning the full product lifecycle, from ideation to shipped code, within a growing fintech startup.

• AI & Emerging Tech Mastery: Become proficient in leveraging cutting-edge AI tools to enhance design and development workflows, becoming a leader in this space within the company.

• Strategic Influence: Develop skills in roadmap advocacy and influencing product strategy based on user insights and market trends.

• Design System Development: Contribute significantly to the growth and evolution of a scalable design system.

• Industry Expertise: Deepen knowledge in financial wellbeing, fintech, and B2B SaaS product development.

• Potential for Future Leadership: While not a management role initially, success in this role could open doors to lead design initiatives, mentor junior team members, or transition into product leadership roles as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned as highly impactful, with significant autonomy and a direct line to senior leadership. The growth opportunities lean heavily into expanding expertise in AI-driven design, product strategy, and contributing to a scaling tech company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: LearnLux operates as a "Remote-first" company. This means that remote work is the primary mode of operation, with a strong emphasis on digital collaboration and asynchronous communication to support a distributed team.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the job description mentions "This role is based in Denver, Colorado. Remote candidates will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis." This suggests that while remote is preferred, there might be a preference or potential for candidates local to Denver, or perhaps the company has a physical presence there. However, the primary work arrangement is remote.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration Focus: Expect a work environment heavily reliant on digital tools for communication, project management, and design collaboration (e.g., Slack, Figma, Jira, video conferencing).

• Agile & Iterative Environment: The team works in an agile manner, implying frequent communication, quick iteration cycles, and a dynamic pace.

• Hands-on & Direct Interaction: The culture values "hashing things out in a live working session" rather than relying solely on asynchronous comments, suggesting a preference for real-time problem-solving and collaboration.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern design and development tools, including AI-assisted prototyping tools, is central to the workflow.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time work schedule, approximately 40 hours per week. Given the remote nature, there's likely flexibility in daily hours, but consistent availability during core US business hours is crucial for effective collaboration with the distributed team and leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "remote-first" nature means that proactive communication, clear documentation, and a high degree of self-discipline are essential for success. Candidates should be comfortable working independently and managing their time effectively without constant direct supervision.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by the recruiting team to assess alignment with the core requirements, especially the "builder mindset" and "AI tool" experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the Head of Engineering to discuss your experience, approach to product design and development, and understanding of the LearnLux mission. This stage will likely delve into your portfolio and specific examples of your work.

• Design & Collaboration Exercise: Potentially a working session or a take-home challenge designed to assess your design skills, problem-solving abilities, and how you collaborate with others. This might involve a prompt related to financial wellbeing or a specific product challenge.

• Team/Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with other members of the product and engineering teams to evaluate cultural fit, collaboration style, and how you interact with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Founder/Co-Founder Interview: A final conversation to assess strategic alignment, cultural fit, and long-term potential within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the challenges you faced, the solutions you designed, and the impact of your work (quantified where possible).

• Highlight the "Builder" Aspect: Explicitly showcase projects where you went beyond Figma. This could include links to live products, interactive prototypes you built, or detailed explanations of how you collaborated with engineers to bring designs to life.

• Demonstrate AI Integration: Dedicate space to explain how you've used AI tools in your workflow. Detail the specific tools, the tasks they helped with (e.g., research synthesis, rapid prototyping), and the benefits gained (e.g., time saved, deeper insights).

• Focus on Impact and Outcomes: Emphasize the results of your work. How did your designs or built features improve user experience, solve a specific problem, or contribute to business goals (e.g., increased engagement, reduced financial stress)?

• Structure for Clarity: Organize your portfolio logically. Use clear headings, concise descriptions, and visually appealing layouts. Ensure navigation is intuitive.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand LearnLux's Mission: Research LearnLux's product, target audience, and its position in the financial wellbeing space. Be prepared to discuss how design and development can best serve this mission.

• Practice Articulating Your Process: Be ready to walk through your design and development process for specific projects, explaining your rationale at each step.

• Prepare for AI-Related Questions: Anticipate questions about your experience with AI tools, your thoughts on their future in design, and how you approach ethical considerations.

• Think About Financial Wellbeing: Consider common financial challenges individuals face and how a digital platform can effectively guide them.

• Be Ready to Collaborate: If there's a live working session, demonstrate your ability to think on your feet, communicate ideas clearly, and incorporate feedback constructively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only design skills but also a proactive, problem-solving approach, a builder mentality, and the ability to leverage new technologies like AI. The portfolio is critical for demonstrating these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (standard for UI/UX design and collaboration), potentially other prototyping tools depending on specific project needs.

• AI-Assisted Design & Development: Experience or willingness to use tools like Cursor (AI-enhanced code editor), Claude Code (AI coding assistant), OpenAI Codex (API for code generation), or similar AI platforms to accelerate research, prototyping, and synthesis.

• Design System Management: Tools and methodologies for creating and maintaining reusable design components and patterns.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools for tracking user behavior, feature adoption, and engagement (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics).

• Data Visualization: Tools to create dashboards and reports for communicating insights to stakeholders (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or built-in product analytics dashboards).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly a CRM role, understanding how product design impacts CRM data and user journeys is beneficial.

• Project Management & Collaboration: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing product backlogs and workflows.

• Communication: Slack for real-time team communication and collaboration.

Research Operations:

• User Interview Platforms: Tools like User Interviews or Rally for recruiting research participants.

• Research Synthesis Tools: Platforms like Dovetail for organizing and analyzing qualitative research data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of AI tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex is a key differentiator. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these or similar AI-powered development and design assistants. Proficiency with Figma is expected, but the emphasis is on extending beyond it with code or AI-driven outputs.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking full responsibility for one's work from conception to completion, seeing problems as opportunities to drive solutions forward.

• Speed & Urgency: Operating with a sense of urgency, moving quickly to make decisions and implement solutions, recognizing pace as a competitive advantage.

• High Standards & Continuous Improvement: Consistently aiming for high quality in all aspects of work and actively seeking ways to improve processes and outcomes.

• Data-Driven & Evidence-Based Decision Making: Relying on user research, testing, and analytics to inform product direction and design choices.

• Collaboration & Clear Communication: Valuing open, frequent, and clear communication, especially within a remote-first environment, and preferring direct working sessions for problem-solving.

• Adaptability & Comfort with Ambiguity: Thriving in fast-moving environments where roles and priorities may evolve, and being willing to make decisions with imperfect information.

Collaboration Style:

• Hands-On & Iterative: Preference for collaborative working sessions to "hash things out" in real-time, rather than solely relying on asynchronous feedback.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless integration with engineering, product, and analytics teams, fostering a shared understanding and collective ownership of product development.

• Feedback-Driven: Open to giving and receiving constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement in design, process, and product outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging an environment where learnings are shared across the team to elevate collective understanding and capability, particularly around new technologies like AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is strongly oriented towards proactive individuals who can drive initiatives, embrace change, and work collaboratively in a fast-paced, remote-first environment. The emphasis on "ownership" and "building" is paramount.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity in a Fast-Growing Startup: Roles, priorities, and processes are dynamic. The challenge is to provide structure and clarity while adapting to continuous change.

• Bridging Design and Development: Effectively translating complex design concepts into shippable code, especially when leveraging AI tools that are still evolving.

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Ensuring that user-centric design decisions align with the company's growth objectives and technical constraints.

• Maintaining Design Quality at Speed: Delivering high-quality, consistent design experiences while operating at the rapid pace expected of a startup.

• Remote Collaboration Effectiveness: Ensuring seamless communication and collaboration across a distributed team, overcoming potential challenges of asynchronous work.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Tool Mastery: Deepen expertise in leveraging AI for design and development, becoming a go-to person for AI integration within the product team.

• Fintech & Financial Wellbeing Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in the financial technology sector and the nuances of financial wellbeing products.

• Product Strategy & Roadmap Influence: Develop strategic thinking and leadership skills by actively contributing to product direction and roadmap advocacy.

• Design System Scalability: Contribute to building robust design systems that support rapid product expansion.

• Startup Growth Experience: Gain invaluable experience navigating the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly scaling venture-backed company.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance collaboration and communication skills by working closely with engineering, product, and leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary growth opportunities stem from the inherent challenges of a startup environment: high ownership, rapid evolution, and the chance to shape processes and products from early stages. The focus on AI is a significant area for skill development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you owned a product feature or component from initial concept through to a shipped product. What was your process, what challenges did you face, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on end-to-end ownership, builder mindset, and impact.)

• "How have you used AI tools in your design or research workflow? Can you provide a specific example of how AI helped you accelerate a process or achieve a better outcome?" (Assess AI maturity and practical application.)

• "Imagine we're developing a new feature to help users save for a down payment on a home. How would you approach the discovery and design process for this feature, considering user needs and LearnLux's mission?" (Evaluate discovery process, user-centricity, and strategic thinking.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What attracts you to LearnLux and our mission of financial wellbeing?" (Gauge alignment with company mission and values.)

• "How do you approach working in a fast-paced, potentially ambiguous startup environment? What strategies do you use to maintain productivity and clarity?" (Assess adaptability and comfort with change.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration style with engineering and product teams. How do you ensure alignment and effective communication?" (Evaluate collaboration and communication skills.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your role and the core problem you solved in each case study.

• Highlight the "Builder" Contribution: Clearly articulate what you built or directly contributed to building, beyond just the design files. Use visual aids or demos if possible.

• Showcase AI's Role: Dedicate a section or clear call-out to how AI tools were integrated into your process, detailing the tools and their specific benefits.

• Quantify Outcomes: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the impact of your work (e.g., user engagement increase, task completion rate improvement, time saved).

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Prepare to answer detailed questions about your design decisions, research methodologies, and technical challenges encountered.

• Connect to LearnLux: Where possible, draw parallels between your experience and LearnLux's mission or challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Practice Design Critique: Be prepared to discuss your thoughts on existing financial wellbeing tools or specific LearnLux features.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate hypothetical product challenges and outline your step-by-step approach to solving them, focusing on user-centered design and iterative development.

• Prototype Walkthrough: If given a design challenge, be ready to present your solution, explaining your rationale for design choices, user flows, and any technical considerations or AI integrations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills but also a proactive, autonomous, and technically-minded approach. Candidates should be ready to speak extensively about their experience with AI tools and their ability to "build" beyond traditional design outputs.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer and Builder position:

• Submit your application through the LearnLux job portal (Greenhouse).

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your 5+ years of product design experience, emphasizing your "builder mindset," experience with AI tools (mentioning specific ones if possible), and any relevant fintech or B2B SaaS exposure. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your end-to-end product design ownership, your ability to "ship beyond Figma," and your experience with AI tools. Ensure clear descriptions of your process, challenges, solutions, and measurable impact. Include specific examples of built prototypes or code contributions.

• Prepare Your "Why LearnLux" Narrative: Research LearnLux's mission, product, and company culture. Be ready to articulate why you are excited about this specific role and how your skills and values align with the company's objectives.

• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and highlighting your contributions as a builder and your use of AI. Be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your process and decisions.

⚠️ 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.