Senior UX/UI Designer (m/w/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI Designer (m/w/d)
Company: SafeNow
Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: User Experience (UX) / User Interface (UI) Design
Date Posted: December 19, 2025
Experience Level: 5-10 Years
Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design and development of user-centric digital products, with a strong emphasis on understanding and addressing user needs and challenges in sensitive situations.
• Drive user research initiatives, including planning and conducting interviews, surveys, and usability tests to inform design decisions and ensure product-market fit.
• Translate complex requirements into intuitive user flows, information architectures, and wireframes, utilizing methods like storyboarding and user journeys.
• Craft high-fidelity UI designs and reusable components within an existing design system, ensuring adherence to accessibility standards (WCAG), responsiveness, and edge case handling.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core responsibilities are clearly defined, the emphasis on "sensitive situations" and "making the world safer" suggests a unique and potentially emotionally resonant user base. The Senior UX/UI Designer will need to demonstrate exceptional empathy and a nuanced approach to design to cater to these specific user needs effectively.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop human-centered digital products by deeply understanding user needs, pain points, and contexts, with a particular focus on safety and immediate assistance.
• Plan, execute, and analyze user research activities, including interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to gather actionable insights that directly influence design strategy and product evolution.
• Conceptualize and articulate user experiences through clear user flows, information architectures, wireframes, and prototypes, employing methods such as storyboards and user journey mapping to visualize and communicate design intent.
• Design and iterate on UI elements and components, contributing to and expanding the existing design system while rigorously ensuring accessibility (WCAG compliance), responsiveness across devices, and robust handling of edge cases.
• Create interactive prototypes, design micro-interactions, and conduct user testing to validate design solutions and identify areas for refinement.
• Present design concepts and rationales persuasively to stakeholders, facilitate workshops for requirements gathering and journey mapping, and effectively guide decision-making processes.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with product management and engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of design into the development lifecycle and maintain high design quality.
• Mentor and coach junior designers, providing constructive feedback and elevating the overall design quality and consistency within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility of "coaching junior designers" indicates a leadership component to this senior role, requiring not only individual design expertise but also the ability to guide and develop others. This suggests a need for strong interpersonal and mentorship skills in addition to technical UX/UI proficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field is often preferred for senior-level roles in UX/UI design. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.
Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in UX/UI design for digital products and applications, with a preference for experience within fast-growing startups or dynamic, fast-paced environments.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in UX/UI design principles and methodologies for digital products and apps.
• Demonstrated ability to understand user needs and empathize with users in sensitive situations to create intuitive and positive experiences.
• Strong analytical and data-driven approach to design, effectively integrating research, usage data, and user feedback.
• Excellent communication skills for presenting ideas clearly, arguing persuasively, and collaborating with stakeholders to find actionable solutions.
• Self-starter mentality with the ability to work independently, contribute original ideas, and actively participate in product development.
• Collaborative and open working style, valuing diversity and promoting respectful teamwork.
• Fluency in both German and English (written and spoken).

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with design systems and component-based design.
• Proficiency in accessibility standards (WCAG) and best practices.
• Experience conducting and analyzing various forms of user research (interviews, surveys, usability tests).
• Skill in creating interactive prototypes and testing micro-interactions.
• Experience facilitating workshops (e.g., requirements analysis, journey mapping).
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies.
• Ability to coach and mentor junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5+ years of experience, combined with the responsibility of coaching junior designers, clearly positions this as a senior individual contributor role with potential for informal leadership. Candidates should highlight instances where they have mentored others or taken ownership of significant design initiatives.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a range of digital products and applications designed, with a focus on demonstrating user-centered design processes from research to final UI.
• Highlight specific case studies that illustrate how user needs and sensitive situations were understood and addressed, detailing the design rationale and problem-solving approach.
• Include examples of user flows, information architecture diagrams, wireframes, and high-fidelity mockups, demonstrating proficiency in translating concepts into tangible designs.
• Present examples of contributions to or creation of design systems, illustrating an understanding of component-based design, reusability, and scalability.
• Demonstrate how you have incorporated user feedback, analytics, and usability testing results into design iterations and improvements.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to user research, including methodologies used, participant recruitment, and how insights were synthesized and applied to design decisions.
• Provide examples of your process for translating user needs and business requirements into wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes.
• Illustrate your UI design process, including the creation of visual designs, component libraries, and ensuring consistency and adherence to design principles.
• Explain how you collaborate with cross-functional teams (product management, engineering) throughout the design and development lifecycle, including your methods for communication and feedback exchange.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on a product designed for safety and the emphasis on user empathy, portfolios should strongly feature case studies that showcase a deep understanding of user psychology and the ability to design for critical, potentially stressful, user scenarios. Demonstrating how designs were tested and iterated upon based on real user feedback will be crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior UX/UI Designer with 5+ years of experience in Munich, Germany, the estimated annual salary range is typically between €65,000 and €85,000. This can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, the company's funding stage, and overall compensation strategy.

Benefits:

• Purpose-Driven Work: Contribute to a mission that makes the world a safer place, providing a strong sense of fulfillment and impact.
• Employee Stock Option Plan (VSOP): Receive shares in the rapidly growing startup, offering the potential for significant financial gain as the company succeeds.
• Friendly Culture: Experience a high-performance culture built on friendship, collaboration, and mutual respect, celebrating authenticity and diversity.
• Maximum Flexibility & Trust: Benefit from a hybrid work model with flexible working hours and vacation time, empowering individuals to manage their schedules.
• Personal Development: Engage in a steep learning curve with significant autonomy and responsibility, allowing for extensive professional growth and skill development.
• Transparency: Participate in an open and transparent work environment with insights into all areas of the company, fostering shared success and learning from experiences.
• Unique Workations: Join inspiring team retreats in diverse locations (e.g., Austrian Alps, Mallorca, Chiemsee) for team building and creative collaboration.
• Modern Campus & Equipment: Enjoy a modern office environment with amenities like food trucks, outdoor pool, rooftop terrace with alpine views, eGYM Wellpass membership, and regular afterwork events.

Working Hours: The role is based on a standard 40-hour work week, with a hybrid work model offering flexibility in scheduling and location.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of stock options (VSOP) and the emphasis on a "purpose-driven" mission are significant differentiators. Candidates should consider how their personal career goals align with the potential financial upside and the social impact of SafeNow's product. The compensation estimate is based on current market data for similar senior-level design roles in Munich, Germany, considering the startup environment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Social Services, Mobile Applications. SafeNow operates at the intersection of technology and social impact, developing a mobile application focused on personal safety and immediate assistance. The company aims to provide free, accessible safety resources globally.
Company Size: 46 employees. This indicates a mid-sized startup environment, large enough to have established processes and diverse teams, yet small enough to maintain agility, direct impact, and a close-knit feel.
Founded: The founding date is not explicitly provided but is implied to be recent given the "startup" description. This suggests a dynamic, growth-oriented environment with a focus on innovation and rapid development.

Team Structure:

• The UX/UI team is likely integrated within a larger product department, collaborating closely with product management, engineering, and potentially marketing.
• As a Senior UX/UI Designer, you will report to a Head of Product or Design Lead, with direct interaction with the founding team and other department heads.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a cornerstone of SafeNow's culture, emphasizing open communication and shared responsibility across product development, engineering, and customer support.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using user research, analytics, and feedback to inform design decisions and measure impact.
• Agile Development: Likely employing agile methodologies for iterative product development, requiring close collaboration between design and engineering.
• Human-Centered Approach: A core philosophy focused on understanding and designing for real human needs, particularly in critical safety situations.

Company Website: http://safenow.app

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to provide free safety services globally is a strong cultural anchor. Candidates should be prepared to articulate how their design philosophy aligns with this altruistic mission and how they approach designing for potentially vulnerable or distressed user groups. The "46 employees" suggests a phase of significant growth and scaling.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior UX/UI Designer role, indicating a mid-to-senior career stage. It involves not only individual contribution but also mentorship and a significant influence on product strategy and design direction. The role requires a blend of deep design expertise and leadership potential.
Reporting Structure: You will likely report to a Product Lead or Head of Design. You will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Software Engineers, and potentially other designers. The senior nature of the role suggests you will be expected to take ownership of key product areas and contribute to strategic design discussions.
Operations Impact: As a Senior UX/UI Designer at SafeNow, your impact will be direct and profound. You will be instrumental in shaping the user experience of a product designed to provide critical safety services. Your designs will directly influence user adoption, engagement, and ultimately, the effectiveness of the safety net provided to users. Your work will contribute to the company's core mission and its growth trajectory.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to grow into a Lead UX/UI Designer or Head of Design role as the company scales, taking on greater strategic responsibility and team management.
• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of UX/UI, such as accessibility, user research for sensitive populations, or interaction design for critical applications.
• Product Strategy Influence: Play a key role in shaping the product roadmap and design vision, contributing to strategic business decisions based on user insights.
• Cross-functional Expertise: Gain valuable experience working across different business functions within a rapidly growing startup.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "steep learning curve, much independence, and responsibility" mentioned in the benefits directly points to rapid growth potential. Candidates should highlight how they've taken initiative in previous roles and how they proactively seek out learning opportunities. The possibility of "leading junior designers" suggests a potential path toward formal leadership roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company offers a modern campus environment with a hybrid work model. This suggests a blend of in-office collaboration and remote flexibility. The campus includes amenities that foster a positive and productive work atmosphere.
Office Location(s): Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The office is described as a modern campus with features like food trucks, an outdoor pool, and a rooftop terrace with alpine views, suggesting a well-equipped and appealing workspace designed for employee well-being and collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The campus likely offers various collaborative areas to facilitate teamwork and brainstorming, supporting the company's emphasis on "Miteinander" (togetherness).
• Tools & Technology: Expect access to modern design tools and technology necessary for UX/UI work, supporting the creation of digital products.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for informal interaction through amenities and scheduled events, alongside structured collaboration for product development.

Work Schedule: The role offers flexible working hours and a hybrid model, allowing employees to balance in-office and remote work. This flexibility is designed to support productivity and work-life integration, aligning with the company's trust-based culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the campus amenities (pool, rooftop terrace, food trucks) suggests a company that invests in employee well-being and a positive physical work environment. This can be leveraged by candidates to infer a culture that values employee satisfaction and a comfortable workspace conducive to creative and collaborative work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with HR or a hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in SafeNow's mission.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: Presentation of your portfolio, with a focus on explaining your design process, decision-making, and impact. You may be given a small design exercise or case study to complete, either pre-interview or during a dedicated session, to assess your problem-solving skills and approach.
• Technical/Team Interview: A deeper dive into your UX/UI expertise, covering user research methodologies, design system contributions, accessibility knowledge, and collaboration skills. You will likely meet with other designers and product team members.
• Stakeholder/Leadership Interview: A conversation with senior leadership, potentially focusing on strategic thinking, leadership potential (mentoring junior designers), and alignment with SafeNow's vision and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select projects that best showcase your skills in user-centered design, particularly those involving complex problem-solving, user research insights, and clear articulation of impact. Prioritize projects that align with SafeNow's mission or involve sensitive user needs.
• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (research, ideation, design, testing), your key decisions, and the outcome/impact. Use visuals effectively to illustrate your journey.
• Highlight Process, Not Just Pixels: Emphasize your thought process, how you gathered insights, how you made trade-offs, and how you iterated based on feedback. This is crucial for a senior role.
• Demonstrate Mentorship: If possible, include a project where you guided or mentored a junior designer, or highlight instances where you provided constructive feedback to peers.
• Accessibility & Responsiveness: Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your understanding and application of accessibility (WCAG) and responsive design principles.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Mission: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach designing for safety and potentially vulnerable users. Research SafeNow's existing product and competitors.
• Focus on Process: If given a design challenge, focus on demonstrating your structured approach to problem-solving, user research, and iterative design, rather than just delivering a polished final output under time pressure.
• Articulate Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss design decisions and the trade-offs you made, justifying them with user needs and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "understanding user needs and challenges" and "designing for sensitive situations" suggests that the interview process will heavily scrutinize empathy and user-centricity. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their approach to designing for complex emotional contexts and to showcase projects that demonstrate this capability.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure RP. Candidates are expected to be proficient in at least one industry-standard design and prototyping tool, with Figma being a strong contemporary preference.
• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Hotjar, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms. Familiarity with tools for conducting remote and in-person user testing, surveys, and feedback collection is essential.
• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence. Proficiency in tools that facilitate team communication, project management, and workflow tracking is expected.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web/App Analytics: Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel. Understanding how to interpret user behavior data to inform design decisions.
• Data Visualization (Optional but beneficial): Tableau, Power BI, Looker Studio. Ability to create or interpret dashboards for tracking key UX metrics.

CRM & Automation: While not directly a designer's primary tool, an understanding of how design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and automation platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo) can be beneficial for GTM-related product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't explicitly list tools, Figma is the de facto industry standard for collaborative UI/UX design. Proficiency in a robust prototyping tool like Figma or InVision is critical. The mention of "design systems" implies a need for tools that support component libraries and design system management.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Purpose-Driven: A strong commitment to the company's mission of making the world safer, influencing daily work and design decisions.
• Friendship & Collaboration: A culture that prioritizes teamwork, mutual respect, and a supportive atmosphere where individuals feel comfortable being authentic.
• Flexibility & Trust: Empowering employees with autonomy over their work and schedules, based on a foundation of trust and accountability.
• Transparency: Open communication and sharing of information across all levels and departments, fostering a sense of collective ownership and shared learning.
• Performance & Growth: A focus on achieving results while encouraging continuous learning, personal development, and taking on new challenges.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Close partnerships with Product Management and Engineering to ensure design is integrated seamlessly into the product development lifecycle.
• Open Feedback Culture: An environment where constructive feedback is encouraged and valued, both for personal growth and for improving product quality.
• Shared Ownership: A collective approach to product development, where all team members contribute to the vision and success of SafeNow.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "friendship and collaboration" alongside a "performance culture" suggests a dynamic where high achievement is expected, but within a supportive and people-centric framework. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they balance individual contribution with team-oriented collaboration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Sensitivity: Effectively designing for users who may be in distress, fear, or urgent need requires a high degree of empathy, ethical consideration, and careful user experience design.
• Balancing Mission and Scalability: Ensuring the product remains user-friendly, accessible, and effective as it scales globally and serves a diverse user base.
• Startup Pace: Adapting to the rapid pace of a growing startup, which may involve frequent pivots, evolving priorities, and demanding deadlines.
• Evolving Design System: Continuously contributing to and refining the design system to support new features and maintain design consistency across a growing product.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mastering UX for Sensitive Contexts: Gaining specialized knowledge in designing for high-stakes, emotionally charged situations.
• Contributing to a Growing Design System: Deepening expertise in scalable design systems and component-based architecture.
• Leadership Mentorship: Developing leadership skills through coaching junior designers and influencing product strategy.
• Industry Exposure: Participating in workations and potentially industry events to stay abreast of design trends and network with peers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge will be navigating the ethical and emotional complexities of designing for personal safety. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their strategies for user research, design, and testing in such sensitive contexts, demonstrating a thoughtful and responsible approach.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach user research for a product designed to help people in emergency situations? What ethical considerations are paramount?" (Focus on demonstrating empathy, research methodology, and ethical awareness.)
• "Describe a time you had to advocate for a user-centered design decision that was met with resistance. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Highlight your communication, persuasion, and stakeholder management skills.)
• "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive, especially for users with diverse needs or in stressful situations?" (Showcase your knowledge of WCAG and inclusive design principles.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about SafeNow's mission to provide safety solutions?" (Connect your personal values and career aspirations to the company's purpose.)
• "How do you contribute to a collaborative and supportive team environment, especially in a fast-paced startup?" (Provide examples of teamwork, feedback sharing, and positive contributions.)
• "How do you balance the need for a strong design system with the flexibility required for rapid product development?" (Demonstrate your understanding of design systems and agile workflows.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem statement, your specific role and contributions, the design process you employed (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), key design decisions with rationale, and measurable outcomes or impact.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, user flows, mockups, prototypes) to illustrate your design journey and solutions.
• Focus on Impact: Quantify the impact of your designs whenever possible (e.g., increased user engagement, reduced error rates, improved task completion). If direct metrics are unavailable, articulate the intended positive impact and how it aligns with user needs.
• Highlight Mentorship: If applicable, discuss instances where you guided junior designers, provided constructive feedback, or contributed to team skill development.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss their approach to designing for "sensitive situations" and "safety" in detail, as this is a core differentiator for SafeNow. Demonstrating empathy, ethical awareness, and a robust user research methodology will be critical.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX/UI Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on join.com.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of UX/UI design experience, specifically mentioning work in fast-paced environments or startups. Emphasize skills in user research, prototyping, design systems, and accessibility. Use keywords from the job description.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end UX/UI process, user-centered approach, and ability to design for complex user needs. Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases wireframes, user flows, high-fidelity designs, and any relevant user research findings or impact metrics. Be ready to walk through your process for these projects.
• Prepare for the Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: Anticipate a discussion about your portfolio and potentially a small design exercise. Practice articulating your design decisions, rationale, and the impact of your work, especially in relation to SafeNow's mission.
• Research SafeNow: Familiarize yourself with SafeNow's mission, product (if available), and company values. Understand their focus on safety and how your design skills can contribute to this goal.

⚠️ 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.

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