Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Akkio

Location: United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-24T12:23:49.226

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and own the end-to-end product experience for Akkio's AI infrastructure platform, focusing on agentic workflows within the media ecosystem.

• Collaborate closely with product, engineering, and go-to-market teams to translate complex user problems into intuitive and impactful designs for media agency partners.

• Innovate on user interface primitives and interaction patterns that support seamless collaboration between humans and AI agents in campaign planning, execution, and measurement.

• Leverage AI tools directly within the design process to enhance efficiency and explore novel design solutions for emerging AI-enabled workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as Senior Product Designer, but given the emphasis on "AI infrastructure platform," "agentic workflows," and "media ecosystem," it strongly aligns with GTM Operations and Product Operations by focusing on the operationalization of AI for business processes within a specific industry. The "Senior" title suggests a significant level of autonomy and impact on product strategy, which is characteristic of senior operations roles that bridge product development and market execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design lifecycle, from initial concept and user research to production-ready specifications, for features enabling AI-driven campaign management.

• Design intuitive interfaces for human-AI collaboration, focusing on handoffs, negotiation, and verification within agentic workflows for campaign strategy and execution.

• Partner with engineering teams in a fast-paced, agile environment, actively participating in real-time decision-making to ensure accurate user experience implementation.

• Elevate the visual and interaction design craft of Akkio's platform, ensuring high standards for pixels, copy, empty states, and error handling to build trust in AI-driven operations.

• Articulate design decisions and present work effectively to leadership, agency partners, and internal teams, facilitating purposeful and engaging review sessions.

• Conduct user research with agency partners to deeply understand their workflows, challenges, and needs in leveraging AI for media campaigns.

• Proactively identify and design solutions for novel interaction patterns required for AI agents executing complex tasks within the media ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic product design role with a strong emphasis on operationalizing AI within the media industry. The focus on "agentic workflows," "human-AI collaboration," and "production-ready specs" highlights the operational aspect of translating AI capabilities into usable business tools. This role requires deep collaboration with engineering and GTM, a hallmark of effective product operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

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

Experience: 5+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a proven track record of owning and delivering complex B2B or enterprise software solutions.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in end-to-end product design, encompassing user research, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design.

• Demonstrated ability to design for complex B2B or enterprise software environments, understanding the nuances of business workflows and user needs.

• Proficiency with AI-building tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor) and a strong understanding of how AI can be integrated as a creative partner in the design process.

• A portfolio showcasing a robust design process, including problem scoping, decision-making rationale, and a willingness to demonstrate iterative improvements rather than solely polished final outputs.

• Comfort and capability in handling ambiguity, designing for novel problem spaces where established patterns do not yet exist.

• Strong visual design skills with meticulous attention to detail across all UI elements, including copy, empty states, and error handling.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for AI-driven workflows, agentic systems, or platforms that involve human-AI collaboration.

• Familiarity with the media or advertising technology ecosystem and its operational challenges.

• Ability to prototype in code when necessary for rapid learning and iteration.

• Deep understanding of current LLM, agent, and foundation model technologies and their implications for product design.

• Experience working in a remote-first, fast-paced startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI-reflexivity, using AI tools in daily practice, and having opinions on how AI changes product design points to a forward-thinking designer crucial for an AI infrastructure company. The portfolio requirement specifically asks for process, speed vs. polish trade-offs, and learning, which is highly relevant for operations roles that must balance efficiency with quality.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio that visually articulates your design process, not just final polished screens.

• Case studies demonstrating how you scoped and tackled complex problems, particularly in B2B or enterprise software.

• Examples that illustrate your decision-making process, including where you prioritized speed and learning over perfection.

• Evidence of your ability to iterate on designs and incorporate feedback effectively.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you've documented design workflows, user flows, and interaction specifications for engineering teams.

• Include instances where you've defined and implemented new design patterns or components, potentially within a design system context.

• Provide evidence of user research methodologies employed, including how insights were translated into design decisions.

• Demonstrate your approach to collaborating with engineering and product management throughout the development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit request for a portfolio that shows process, speed vs. polish, and what the candidate would do differently is critical for operations-focused roles. It signals that the company values iterative development and learning, which are core tenets of operations optimization. This means candidates should prepare case studies that highlight their ability to deliver value quickly and adapt based on feedback, mirroring operational agility.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $160,000 - $200,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and substantial equity grants.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• 401(k) retirement savings plan.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) policy.

• Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

Working Hours: This is a full-time position. While specific daily hours are not defined, a standard 40-hour work week is expected, with flexibility to accommodate remote work and collaboration across time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Senior Product Designer role in the US tech industry, especially for a remote position at a well-funded startup. The inclusion of equity grants, comprehensive benefits, and professional development opportunities are standard but valuable for attracting senior talent in design and operations roles. The flexibility mentioned aligns with the remote-first nature of the company.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: AI Infrastructure, Media & Advertising Technology, Workflow Automation. Akkio operates at the intersection of cutting-edge AI and the media ecosystem, providing tools that automate and enhance campaign operations. This unique positioning requires a culture that embraces rapid innovation, data-driven decision-making, and strong cross-functional collaboration.

Company Size: Akkio is a fast-growing, well-funded startup. This implies a dynamic, agile, and potentially less hierarchical environment where individual contributions have a significant impact on product direction and company growth. For operations professionals, this means opportunities for broad exposure and influence.

Founded: While the founding date is not explicitly stated, Akkio is presented as a startup building the future of AI-enabled operations, suggesting a relatively young company with a strong growth trajectory.

Team Structure:

• The design team is described as small, indicating that each designer will have significant ownership and influence over the product's user experience.

• Collaboration is emphasized, with close partnerships expected between design, product, and engineering teams. This cross-functional synergy is crucial for efficient product development and operationalizing AI features.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design & Operations: The company's focus on AI and workflow automation implies a strong reliance on data to inform decisions, measure impact, and optimize processes.

• Agile Development & Iteration: The phrase "You ship to learn" and "Partner closely with engineering" points to an agile development methodology where rapid iteration, feedback loops, and continuous improvement are paramount.

• Innovation in AI Workflows: Akkio is actively redefining how humans and AI collaborate, suggesting a culture that encourages experimentation and the development of novel patterns for AI-enabled business operations.

Company Website: akkio.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on AI infrastructure for the media ecosystem suggests a need for designers who understand both technical capabilities and business operations. The startup environment implies a culture that values agility, ownership, and direct impact, which is highly attractive for operations professionals looking to shape processes and products.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Senior Product Designer," indicating a high level of individual contribution and responsibility. In an operations context, this translates to a role that not only designs user experiences but also helps define operational workflows, processes, and standards for AI-driven campaign management. The expectation is to influence product strategy and operational execution.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Senior Product Designer typically reports to a Head of Design, VP of Product, or a similar leadership role. In a small team, this provides direct access to leadership and significant visibility into strategic decision-making.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer will have a direct impact on how media professionals interact with and leverage AI for their daily operations. Successful designs will lead to increased efficiency, better decision-making, and improved campaign outcomes for Akkio's agency partners, directly contributing to the platform's adoption, customer satisfaction, and overall revenue growth. The role is instrumental in operationalizing AI technology into tangible business value.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in AI Product Design: Develop deep expertise in designing for agentic workflows and human-AI collaboration, a rapidly growing and highly sought-after field.

• Leadership in Design Operations: As the design team grows, there will be opportunities to mentor junior designers, establish design systems, and influence design operations processes.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Gain significant experience collaborating with product management, engineering, and GTM teams, potentially leading to roles with broader product strategy or operations oversight.

• Industry Expertise: Become a thought leader in applying AI to the media and advertising technology sectors, understanding the operational nuances of campaign management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" designation combined with the focus on operationalizing AI within a specific industry means this role offers substantial growth. Candidates can expect to not only advance their design craft but also develop expertise in product operations, GTM strategy, and the business application of AI, setting them up for leadership roles in tech and operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Akkio is a "remote-first company with no central office location." This signifies a fully distributed workforce, emphasizing asynchronous communication and digital collaboration tools.

Office Location(s): As a remote-first company, there are no specific office locations. The position is fully remote within the United States, requiring candidates to be authorized to work there. Occasional travel for face-to-face meetings with partners and the team may be required.

Workspace Context:

• Digital Collaboration Hub: The work environment relies heavily on digital tools for communication, project management, and design collaboration (e.g., Slack, Figma, Notion, etc.).

• Focus on Autonomy and Accountability: Remote-first environments foster a culture of self-direction and accountability, where individuals are trusted to manage their time and deliverables effectively.

• Asynchronous Communication: While real-time collaboration is valued, a significant portion of communication will likely be asynchronous to accommodate different time zones and working styles.

• Emphasis on Impact: In a remote setting, the focus shifts from presenteeism to tangible outcomes and contributions to team and company goals.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with an expectation of approximately 40 hours per week. The remote-first nature allows for flexibility in daily scheduling, provided that collaboration with team members across different time zones is managed effectively. This flexibility is beneficial for deep work sessions required for complex design and operational problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: A remote-first environment for a Senior Product Designer role is highly conducive to operations-focused work, as it necessitates strong documentation, clear communication protocols, and a reliance on digital systems for workflow management. This setup demands a high degree of organizational skill and self-discipline, which are transferable to operations excellence.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and alignment with the role's requirements, particularly focusing on B2B/enterprise experience and AI integration.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion to delve deeper into your experience, design philosophy, and fit with Akkio's culture. Expect questions about your approach to product strategy and human-AI collaboration.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A more in-depth session where you'll present your portfolio to the design team. This will likely involve discussing specific case studies, your process, problem-solving approach, and how you've handled ambiguity and trade-offs. Be prepared to discuss your experience with AI tools and how they influence your design process.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product and Engineering to assess your ability to collaborate effectively and understand their perspectives.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a company founder or senior leadership to discuss your vision for the role and long-term impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Process Over Polish: Emphasize your problem-solving methodology, user research insights, iterative design process, and the rationale behind your decisions. Use diagrams, user flows, and wireframes to illustrate your journey.

• Showcase AI Integration: Clearly articulate how you've used AI tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor) in your workflow and how they've enhanced your design capabilities or outcomes.

• Demonstrate Ownership & Impact: Present case studies where you took ownership of complex problems and illustrate the impact of your designs, ideally with quantifiable results or learnings.

• Address Ambiguity: Select projects that demonstrate your ability to navigate uncertain requirements and design for new problem spaces, as this is a key aspect of the Akkio role.

• Be Concise and Focused: Tailor your presentation to the specific requirements of this role, focusing on B2B/enterprise software and AI-driven workflows.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Akkio's Mission: Research Akkio's AI infrastructure platform, its target market (media ecosystem), and its unique value proposition in agentic workflows.

• Prepare for AI-Specific Questions: Be ready to discuss your thoughts on the future of AI in product design, your experience with relevant tools, and how you envision human-AI collaboration evolving.

• Practice Presenting Your Portfolio: Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough to ensure a smooth, engaging, and informative presentation that effectively communicates your process and impact.

• Anticipate Workflow Design Questions: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach designing workflows for scenarios like a strategist briefing an agent or an analyst auditing agent work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes portfolio review and assessing the candidate's process and ability to handle ambiguity. This is typical for roles that require significant problem-solving and operational thinking. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just design skills but also strategic thinking and an understanding of how design impacts business operations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Figma (highly probable given industry standards), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite. The candidate is expected to be proficient in industry-standard design tools for wireframing, UI design, and prototyping.

• AI Design Assistants: Claude Code, Cursor, and similar AI tools are explicitly mentioned as part of the candidate's daily practice. Proficiency in leveraging these tools for code generation, brainstorming, and efficiency is a key requirement.

• Collaboration Platforms: Slack (for real-time communication), Notion or similar (for documentation, knowledge sharing, and process definition).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly required by the designer, but an understanding of how the product integrates with or supports CRM and automation workflows within the media industry would be advantageous for context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor is a significant indicator of Akkio's forward-thinking approach to design and development. Proficiency in these tools, alongside standard design software, is crucial. This highlights the role's intersection with operations by emphasizing the efficiency and leverage AI brings to the design and development process.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Bias for Execution & Learning: A core value is shipping to learn, prioritizing rapid iteration and gathering feedback over achieving perfection upfront. This operational mindset ensures continuous improvement and agility.

• Questioning Foundations: Encourages a culture of innovation where existing UI primitives and workflows are challenged to create new patterns native to AI collaboration. This drives operational evolution.

• AI Integration as Leverage: Values designers who see AI as a powerful tool to expand their capabilities and integrate directly into their design and problem-solving processes.

• Craftsmanship and Detail: Despite the emphasis on speed, there's a strong commitment to high-quality execution across all aspects of the UI (pixels, copy, states, errors), ensuring a polished and trustworthy user experience.

• Proactive Tracking of Technology: Fosters a culture of continuous learning and staying ahead of advancements in AI, designing for future possibilities rather than just current capabilities.

Collaboration Style:

• Close Partnership: Design operates in tight collaboration with Product and Engineering teams, working alongside them as decisions are made rather than in silos.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: Encourages regular feedback from agency partners and internal stakeholders to refine designs and ensure they meet real-world operational needs.

• Shared Ownership: The small team size suggests a culture where individuals share ownership of product success and contribute to a collective vision.

• Open Communication: Essential for a remote-first environment, with an emphasis on clear, transparent, and often asynchronous communication to keep everyone aligned on goals and progress.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize agility, innovation, and a data-driven approach to design, all of which are critical for operations roles. The collaboration style highlights a need for strong communication and teamwork, essential for integrating design effectively into the broader product and business operations.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Novelty: Creating user experiences for agentic workflows and human-AI collaboration where established patterns and best practices are still emerging. This requires significant creative problem-solving and comfort with ambiguity.

• Balancing Speed and Craft: Maintaining high design quality and attention to detail while operating within a fast-paced, iterative development cycle ("ship to learn").

• Integrating AI Effectively: Ensuring AI is a true collaborator and enabler, rather than a superficial addition, and designing interfaces that intuitively support intelligent automation.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Effectively communicating and aligning design vision and operational requirements with engineering, product, and GTM teams, especially in a remote setting.

• Defining Future Interaction Paradigms: Shaping how users will interact with AI in a professional context, influencing the future of work in the media ecosystem.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Expertise in AI Product Design: Become a leader in designing for AI-driven workflows and agentic systems, a highly valuable and evolving skill set.

• Influence on Product Strategy: Contribute directly to shaping the direction of an innovative AI infrastructure platform, gaining strategic product development experience.

• Mentorship and Team Growth: As the design team scales, opportunities to guide and mentor junior designers and establish design operations best practices will arise.

• Industry Immersion: Gain deep insights into the media and advertising technology sectors and the operational challenges that AI can solve.

• Professional Development: Access to resources for continuous learning, potentially including conferences, workshops, and certifications related to AI, product design, and GTM strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for innovative roles that push boundaries, requiring adaptability and a proactive approach to learning and problem-solving, which are hallmarks of successful operations professionals. The growth opportunities highlight a clear path for career advancement and skill development in a high-demand field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a problem space with no existing patterns. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, research methods, and how you handled ambiguity.)

• "How do you leverage AI tools like Claude Code or Cursor in your design process? Provide a specific example of how AI accelerated your work or led to a novel solution." (Be ready to showcase your AI-reflexivity and practical application.)

• "Akkio is building agentic workflows. How would you design the interface for a media strategist to brief an AI agent on a campaign, and what considerations would you have for the agent's output?" (Prepare to think through human-AI interaction design and operational execution.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Akkio's mission and its role in the media ecosystem?" (Show you've researched the company and understand its market position.)

• "How do you see AI fundamentally changing product design, and what are the implications for user experience?" (Demonstrate your forward-thinking perspective on AI's impact.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration style with product managers and engineers, especially in a remote-first environment." (Highlight your teamwork and communication skills.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, iteration), the solution, and the outcome/learnings.

• Emphasize Process and Decision-Making: Use visuals to show your journey – sketches, wireframes, user flows, prototypes. Explain why you made certain decisions, especially trade-offs between speed and polish.

• Highlight AI Tool Usage: If applicable, point out where AI tools assisted in your process or design exploration.

• Quantify Impact When Possible: If you have metrics on user engagement, task completion, or efficiency gains resulting from your designs, present them clearly.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design choices, technical constraints, and how you validated your solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on assessing a candidate's ability to handle ambiguity, leverage AI, design for novel workflows, and balance speed with quality. This directly aligns with the operational demands of a fast-paced, innovative tech company. Candidates should prepare specific examples that demonstrate these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Akkio's careers page.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience with B2B/enterprise software, complex product design ownership, and any experience with AI tools or AI-driven product development. Use keywords such as "product design," "agentic workflows," "AI integration," and "user research."

• Curate your portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies that showcase your design process, problem-solving skills, ability to handle ambiguity, and experience with AI tools. Prioritize projects demonstrating iterative development and learning.

• Prepare your portfolio presentation: Practice walking through your selected case studies, focusing on your thought process, decision-making rationale, and any quantifiable impact. Be ready to discuss your experience with AI and its role in your workflow.

• Research Akkio: Understand their mission, the media ecosystem they serve, their product offerings, and their remote-first culture. Prepare thoughtful questions about the role, team, and company direction.

⚠️ 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.