Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer Company: Burai Location: Zagreb, Croatia Job Type: Full-time Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Date Posted: September 11, 2025 Experience Level: Senior (5+ years) Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the end-to-end design process for critical product features within Burai, a SaaS platform focused on task, document, and workflow management.
• Translate complex product strategies and user needs into intuitive, scalable, and user-centered experiences, leveraging a human-centered design approach.
• Drive user research initiatives, synthesize insights from data and user feedback, and champion design decisions that directly impact business outcomes and user satisfaction.
• Collaborate intimately with Product Management, Engineering, and key stakeholders to ensure the seamless integration of design into the product development lifecycle, focusing on technical feasibility and user delight.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is in Product Design, its impact on the Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy is significant. Burai's platform aims to streamline workflows and manage tasks, which directly affects sales, marketing, and customer success operations. A Senior Product Designer in this context will be instrumental in shaping the user experience of tools that internal teams and external customers will use for operational efficiency. This means understanding and contributing to the operational workflows themselves through design.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the design lifecycle for major product features, encompassing discovery, ideation, user research, wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and final execution.
• Translate abstract product strategies and identified user needs into tangible, elegant, and scalable user experiences that enhance productivity and manageability.
• Lead and execute comprehensive user research studies, rigorously synthesize findings, and translate insights into actionable design decisions that inform product direction.
• Develop detailed user flows, low-fidelity wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity user interfaces that clearly articulate design solutions.
• Foster deep partnerships with Product Management and Engineering teams to collaboratively define and deliver solutions that are both technically feasible and exceptionally delightful for users.
• Establish and uphold a high standard for product quality, accessibility, and usability, ensuring pixel-perfect execution and adherence to best practices.
• Actively contribute to the development, maintenance, and evolution of Burai's design system to ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability across the entire product.
• Provide design mentorship and constructive feedback to fellow designers, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented design team environment.
• Bring strategic design thinking to cross-functional initiatives and contribute to long-term product vision and planning discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities listed indicate a senior-level individual contributor role with significant strategic influence. The emphasis on "ownership," "leadership," and "mentorship" suggests that this role is expected to not only execute but also to help define design processes and best practices within a growing startup. This also implies a need for strong communication and stakeholder management skills, crucial for GTM alignment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred, but a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience and expertise is paramount.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in designing digital products, with a strong preference for candidates who have worked in fast-paced startup environments or companies focused on SaaS and product development.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in end-to-end product design, with a robust portfolio showcasing successful projects from initial concept to final implementation, demonstrating clear business impact and exceptional UX/UI craft.
• Proficiency in leading and executing human-centered design methodologies, effectively communicating design rationales informed by user research and data analytics.
• Advanced skills in design and prototyping tools, with a specific requirement for deep experience in Figma; a willingness to fully adopt and champion Figma as the primary design tool is essential.
• Strong understanding of and practical experience in creating, contributing to, and scaling design systems to ensure product consistency and design efficiency.
• Exceptional ability to translate product strategy and user needs into simple, elegant, and functional user experiences.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting user research, synthesizing insights, and converting findings into actionable design improvements.
• Commitment to high standards of quality, accessibility, and usability in all design outputs.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with cross-functional teams, including Product Management and Engineering.
• A curious, empathetic, and self-driven attitude, capable of leading initiatives independently while actively supporting and mentoring team members.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for productivity tools, workflow management software, or similar SaaS platforms that enhance operational efficiency.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and experience working within such frameworks.
• Understanding of front-end development principles and constraints, enabling more effective collaboration with engineers.
• Experience with AI-powered features or products, particularly those focused on task automation and workflow streamlining.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5+ years of experience and a strong portfolio indicates this is a significant role within the company. The emphasis on Figma and design systems points to a need for a designer who can contribute to establishing and scaling foundational design practices, which is critical for a growing SaaS company aiming for operational efficiency and product consistency. The preference for SaaS and workflow management experience directly aligns with Burai's product offering and suggests that candidates with this domain knowledge will have a distinct advantage.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio that clearly showcases end-to-end product design work, demonstrating a strong understanding of the entire design process from user research and problem definition to final UI execution and impact.
• Case studies should highlight specific business problems addressed, the user needs identified, the design solutions developed, and the measurable impact or business outcomes achieved.
• Demonstrate proficiency in translating product strategy and user insights into elegant, functional, and scalable user experiences.
• Include examples of contributions to or creation of design systems, illustrating how they promote consistency, efficiency, and scalability.
• Showcase a deep understanding of human-centered design principles and how they are applied in practice, supported by user research and data.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of creating and refining design processes, including user research methodologies, ideation techniques, and usability testing frameworks.
• Examples of how you have documented design decisions, user flows, and system components to ensure clarity and maintainability for the team.
• Demonstrate an ability to set and maintain high standards for design quality, accessibility, and usability, potentially through style guides or design system documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role, the portfolio is not just a showcase of visual skills but a demonstration of strategic thinking, process ownership, and impact. The expectation is to see how the candidate approaches complex problems, collaborates with teams, and drives tangible results. For a company like Burai, focusing on workflow and task management, showcasing how design improves operational efficiency for users will be key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Estimated Range: €45,000 - €70,000 per year (Gross)
• Methodology: This estimate is based on industry standards for Senior Product Designers in Zagreb, Croatia, considering the company's description as a SaaS startup and the provided benefits. Salary ranges can vary significantly based on the candidate's specific experience, skill set, and negotiation.
• 📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary is a gross estimate for Croatia. Net salary will depend on local tax regulations. The "Competitive salary and stock options" benefit suggests the total compensation package could be attractive, especially for a senior role in a growing company.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: A salary package designed to be attractive within the Croatian market.
• Stock Options: Opportunity to gain equity in the company, aligning personal success with business growth.
• Mentorship and Educational Budget: Support for career development, including mentorship programs and a budget for further education and skill enhancement in product and visual design.
• Paid Lunch: A daily paid lunch benefit when working from the office, enhancing the in-office experience.
• Subsidized Multisport Card: Contribution towards a multisport card for fitness and wellness activities.
• Top-of-the-Line Equipment: Provision of high-quality hardware and tools necessary for design work.

Working Hours:

• The job description implies a standard full-time work week, likely around 40 hours, with a hybrid work arrangement. Specific daily hours may offer some flexibility, common in startup environments, but the focus is on delivering results and collaborating effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package, particularly stock options and an educational budget, indicates a focus on long-term employee investment and professional growth, which is attractive for senior talent. The daily paid lunch and multisport card are strong perks that contribute to a positive work environment and work-life balance, especially for those working from the office.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software as a Service (SaaS), Productivity Software, Workflow Management, AI-Powered Automation. Burai operates in a competitive but growing market focused on enhancing business efficiency through technology.

Company Size: Small but growing. As a startup, Burai likely offers a dynamic environment where individual contributions have a significant and visible impact. This size typically fosters close-knit teams and direct access to leadership.

Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the description suggests a company that has progressed beyond the initial seed stage and is actively scaling its product and team, evidenced by the hiring of a Senior Product Designer and mentioning partnerships with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365.

Team Structure:

• The design team is described as "small but growing," indicating potential for close collaboration and influence over team direction.
• The Senior Product Designer will report into a design lead or head of product, with direct collaboration across Product Management and Engineering departments.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a key aspect, with designers working closely with Product and Engineering to shape solutions, implying a strong, integrated product development culture.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: A strong emphasis on user research and data to inform design decisions, aligning with modern product development practices.
• Workflow Planning and Optimization: The core product is about streamlining workflows, suggesting that internal processes and design approaches will also prioritize efficiency and optimization.
• Automation and Efficiency Practices: Given the AI-powered features, there's an inherent focus on automation and making work "smarter, not harder," which likely extends to how the team operates.

Company Website: https://burai.com/ (Deduced from domain_derived)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture described is typical of a tech startup: focused on ownership, collaboration, transparency, and growth. The small, growing design team suggests an environment where individuals can make a significant mark and help shape processes, which is a strong draw for senior talent seeking impact. The focus on AI and workflow management indicates a forward-thinking approach to technology and business solutions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating an individual contributor position with significant responsibility and a focus on leading design initiatives for key product areas. It suggests a level of autonomy and influence over product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Head of Product or a Design Lead, working closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads. This structure facilitates strong cross-functional collaboration and direct input into product development.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is directly tied to the user experience of Burai's SaaS platform, which aims to manage tasks, documents, and workflows. By creating intuitive and efficient interfaces, the designer directly influences:

• Customer Adoption & Retention: A seamless user experience drives higher adoption rates and reduces churn.
• Internal Team Efficiency: If Burai is also used internally for operations, the design directly impacts how efficiently sales, marketing, and support teams manage their tasks.
• Product Differentiation: Superior UX design can be a key differentiator in the competitive SaaS market.
• GTM Strategy: By making the product easy to use and understand, the design supports sales enablement and marketing messaging.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: As a senior member of a growing team, there's an opportunity to take on more leadership responsibilities, mentor junior designers, and influence the overall design strategy and team growth.
• Specialization: The role offers exposure to AI-powered features and workflow management, allowing for specialization in these high-demand areas.
• Product Strategy Influence: The emphasis on contributing to product strategy and long-term planning provides direct influence over the company's direction and product roadmap.
• Career Progression: Potential to move into Lead Designer, Design Manager, or Product Management roles as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "ownership" and "mentorship" aspects are key indicators of growth potential. A senior designer is expected to not only excel in their craft but also to contribute to the team's overall capability and strategic direction. The startup environment often provides faster opportunities for advancement compared to larger, more established organizations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Zagreb or Varaždin, Croatia, with an "office-centric hybrid schedule." This implies a structured approach to hybrid work, likely requiring regular in-office days for collaboration and team building.

Office Location(s): Zagreb, Croatia. The specific office address is not provided, but it’s a major business hub in Croatia.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The emphasis on a "small but growing design team" and close collaboration with Product and Engineering suggests an environment that values teamwork and open communication.
• Tools & Technology: The company provides "top of the line equipment" and uses Figma as its primary design tool, indicating a commitment to providing designers with the best resources for their work.
• Team Interaction: The hybrid model and focus on collaboration mean ample opportunities for direct interaction with designers, product managers, engineers, and potentially other stakeholders, fostering a connected and productive workspace.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule is implied, with a hybrid arrangement. This typically means a mix of remote and in-office work, providing flexibility while ensuring team cohesion and focused work sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "office-centric hybrid schedule" suggests that while flexibility is offered, the company likely prioritizes in-person collaboration for key design activities and team synergy. This is common for startups aiming to build a strong culture and facilitate rapid iteration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application & Portfolio Review: The first step involves submitting a CV and a strong portfolio. The hiring team will assess your experience, design craft, and alignment with the role's requirements.
• Screening Call: A preliminary call, likely with HR or a hiring manager, to discuss your background, motivations, and basic qualifications.
• Design Exercise/Case Study Presentation: Candidates may be asked to complete a design challenge or present a case study from their portfolio in detail. This is crucial for evaluating your thought process, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate design decisions and their impact.
• Team Interviews: Interviews with key team members, including Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers. This assesses your collaboration style, technical understanding, and cultural fit.
• Final Interview: Likely with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product, CEO) to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Deliberately: Select 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase end-to-end design thinking, problem-solving, and demonstrable impact. Prioritize projects that align with SaaS, workflow management, or productivity tools.
• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you overcame, your design solutions, and the measurable outcomes. Use visuals effectively to guide the narrative.
• Highlight Impact: Quantify the business impact of your designs whenever possible (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved task completion time, reduced support tickets, user satisfaction scores).
• Showcase Figma & Design Systems: If you have strong Figma skills or experience with design systems, make sure these are evident in your portfolio or presentation.
• Be Ready to Discuss: Prepare to talk through your design choices, rationale, and trade-offs in detail, especially regarding user research, collaboration, and iteration.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Burai's Product: Research Burai's platform, its target audience, and its competitive landscape. Understand the problems it aims to solve.
• Focus on Process: If given a design challenge, focus on demonstrating your design process, not just the final UI. Show how you would approach research, ideation, and iteration.
• Think Strategically: Consider how your design solutions align with business goals and user needs. For Burai, think about how designs can improve workflow efficiency and task management.
• Practice Presentation: Rehearse your presentation to ensure clarity, conciseness, and confidence, especially when discussing complex design decisions or metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only design skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration abilities, and cultural fit. A strong portfolio presentation is paramount. For this role, demonstrating an understanding of how design contributes to business operations and efficiency will be a key differentiator.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly stated as the primary design tool; deep expertise is required. This includes proficiency in its collaborative features, prototyping capabilities, and design system management.
• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, Adobe XD) can be beneficial.
• User Research Tools: Experience with tools for usability testing, surveys, and user interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Lookback).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or similar to understand user behavior and product usage.
• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret data presented in dashboards or reports to inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding how CRM systems (like Salesforce) and workflow automation tools function can provide valuable context for designing productivity software that integrates with or complements these systems. Familiarity with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 integration is also a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The strong emphasis on Figma indicates that proficiency in this specific tool is non-negotiable. Knowledge of product analytics is crucial for a data-informed design approach, enabling the designer to measure the impact of their work and iterate effectively. Understanding the broader ecosystem of business tools (CRM, Office Suites) helps in designing integrated and contextually relevant solutions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for features from start to finish, driving them to successful completion.
• Collaboration: Working closely with Product and Engineering, valuing teamwork and shared problem-solving.
• Transparency: Open communication regarding design decisions, feedback, and team processes.
• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs through research and empathetic design.
• Efficiency: A focus on streamlining workflows and making work "smarter, not harder," both for users and within the team's processes.
• Growth Mindset: Encouraging continuous learning, feedback, and skill development for all team members.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to be integrated members of product teams, working hand-in-hand with PMs and Engineers.
• Feedback Culture: An environment that encourages constructive feedback, both giving and receiving, to improve designs and processes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Practices that promote sharing learnings, best practices, and design system updates within the design team and across departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a proactive, collaborative, and user-focused approach. For a Senior Product Designer, demonstrating an ability to live these values, particularly in mentoring others and contributing to process improvement, will be important for success and advancement.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Processes: As a growing startup, a key challenge will be to help establish and scale robust design processes, tools, and the design system to support rapid product development.
• Balancing Innovation and Consistency: Ensuring that new features are innovative while maintaining consistency with the existing product and design system.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively communicating design vision and rationale to stakeholders with diverse technical backgrounds and priorities.
• Rapid Iteration: Working in a fast-paced startup environment requires the ability to iterate quickly and adapt to changing requirements or feedback.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to significantly influence and lead the evolution of Burai's design system.
• AI & Workflow Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-driven features and complex workflow management tools.
• Mentorship & Team Building: Contribute to building and mentoring a design team, developing leadership and management skills.
• Product Strategy Input: Gain exposure to and influence over high-level product strategy and company direction.
• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences or pursue certifications relevant to product design, UX, and AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical of a senior role in a growing startup, offering significant opportunities for professional development and impact. Successfully navigating these challenges will be key to career growth within Burai.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you took full ownership of a major product feature. What was the outcome, and what did you learn?"
  • Preparation: Prepare a STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answer focusing on a complex feature you led end-to-end. Highlight your process, decision-making, and the impact of your design.
• "How do you approach translating complex product strategy and user needs into simple, elegant user experiences?"
  • Preparation: Discuss your process for synthesis, ideation, and simplification. Use an example from your portfolio to illustrate how you’ve handled complexity. Mention methods like user journey mapping, flow diagrams, and iterative prototyping.
• "Walk us through a user research project you led. How did you synthesize the insights, and how did they influence your design decisions?"
  • Preparation: Choose a project where user research was critical. Detail the methodology used, the key findings, and how those findings directly led to specific design changes and improved outcomes.
• "How do you contribute to or build a scalable design system? What are the key components and principles?"
  • Preparation: Be ready to discuss your experience with design systems, the benefits they provide (consistency, efficiency), and your approach to creating or maintaining them. Mention principles like modularity, accessibility, and clear documentation.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Burai and our mission to transform task, document, and workflow management?"
  • Preparation: Research Burai's product, its partnerships, and its vision. Connect your passion for design and efficiency to their mission.
• "How do you approach collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers? Describe a time you had to navigate conflicting priorities or technical constraints."
  • Preparation: Emphasize your collaborative approach, communication skills, and ability to find solutions that balance user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Presentation: Begin with a brief overview of your experience and the projects you'll present. For each project, follow a clear narrative: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Outcome/Impact.
• Focus on "Why:" For every design decision, be prepared to explain the "why" – why this approach, why this solution, why these metrics matter. Connect your choices back to user needs and business objectives.
• Showcase Process Artifacts: Include examples of wireframes, user flows, research summaries, and prototypes to illustrate your process.
• Highlight Figma Expertise: If you're presenting a Figma-heavy project, point out specific features or workflows you utilized that demonstrate advanced proficiency.
• Practice Timing: Ensure you can cover your key projects within the allotted time, leaving room for questions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on demonstrating both design craft and strategic thinking. Candidates should prepare to showcase their ability to not only design beautiful and usable interfaces but also to understand the business context and drive measurable results through their work. The emphasis on ownership and collaboration is critical for a senior role in a startup.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Burai's careers page.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and highlights your most relevant end-to-end design projects, clearly showcasing your process, problem-solving skills, and impact, particularly in SaaS or workflow-focused environments.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 5+ years of experience, specific skills in Figma, design systems, user research, and any experience with productivity or workflow management tools. Quantify achievements whenever possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on articulating your design rationale, collaboration process, and the business impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your approach to user research and your experience with Figma.
• Company Research: Thoroughly review Burai's website, product, and any available news or information to understand their mission, values, and market position. Be prepared to articulate why you are a good fit for their culture and goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions based on the provided information. All details, especially regarding salary estimates and specific company processes, should be verified directly with Burai during the application and interview process.