UX/UI Engineer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX/UI Engineer Company: Ruby Labs Location: Remote (Any country within approximately ± 4 hours of CET) Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Frontend Development & UI/UX Design Date Posted: 2025-07-22 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a unique opportunity for a Frontend Engineer with a strong UI/UX sensibility to take complete ownership of user interface design and implementation for a Ruby Labs portfolio company.
• The role focuses on leveraging pre-built component libraries (NextUI, HeroUI, Tailwind) and structured design principles to create scalable, data-driven user experiences without reliance on a separate design team.
• Success in this role hinges on the ability to blend frontend development proficiency with a deep understanding of UI/UX best practices, ensuring consistency, usability, and accessibility.
• The ideal candidate thrives in an autonomous, results-driven environment, prioritizing efficiency and measurable outcomes in UI development and implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "UX/UI Engineer," the description strongly emphasizes frontend development skills and the ability to implement designs using existing components, suggesting a hybrid role focused more on the engineering side of UI/UX within a defined framework. The "no subjective design guesswork" aspect highlights a data-driven, systematic approach to UI creation.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• UI/UX Design and Implementation: Design web interfaces by strategically utilizing and composing pre-built components from libraries such as NextUI, HeroUI, and Tailwind CSS.
• User Experience Optimization: Ensure a high-quality, data-driven user experience by focusing on consistency, usability, and accessibility across all designed interfaces.
• Structured Design Creation: Develop wireframes, layouts, and user flows based on established structured design principles and existing component libraries.
• Frontend Development & Component Integration: Implement UI designs using NextUI, HeroUI, and Tailwind CSS within a Next.js and React framework, ensuring the creation of scalable, maintainable, and performant UI elements.
• Reusable Component Development: Build and maintain reusable UI components that adhere to coding standards and promote efficient development cycles.
• Cross-Browser and Responsiveness Assurance: Guarantee seamless cross-browser compatibility and optimal responsiveness of user interfaces across various devices and screen sizes.
• Product Requirement Translation: Collaborate closely with product managers to translate data-driven requirements and user feedback into effective UI solutions.
• Design-to-Development Ownership: Own the end-to-end process from UI structure definition to code implementation, ensuring efficient handoffs by integrating both design and development aspects.
• Coding Standards and Workflow Maintenance: Uphold high coding standards, implement efficient workflows, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the development process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a hands-on approach, blending design strategy with rigorous front-end implementation. The focus on "pre-built components" and "structured design principles" suggests a need for pragmatic creativity within defined constraints, rather than pure conceptual design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: No specific degree is mandated, but a strong foundation in computer science, design, or a related field would be beneficial. Experience: 2+ years of professional experience in frontend development, with a significant focus on UI/UX implementation and design within a structured environment.

Required Skills:

• Frontend Frameworks: Proven proficiency in Next.js, React, and TypeScript for building modern web applications.
• Styling & Component Libraries: Expertise in Tailwind CSS, NextUI, HeroUI, or similar component-based styling solutions.
• UI/UX Principles: A strong understanding of core UI/UX principles, including user-centered design, information architecture, usability, and accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
• Design Tool Familiarity: Ability to work effectively with design tools like Figma or Visily to understand, export, and implement design assets.
• HTML & CSS Proficiency: Deep knowledge of semantic HTML and modern CSS, with the ability to write clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Version Control: Proficiency with Git for collaborative development, including branching, merging, and pull requests.
• Portfolio Demonstration: Ability to showcase at least 5 projects where you were responsible for both the UI design and frontend implementation, demonstrating your end-to-end capabilities.
• Structured Design Systems: Experience or a strong aptitude for working within and contributing to design systems and component architectures.

Preferred Skills:

• D2C Product Development: Prior experience in developing Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) products, understanding their unique user acquisition and retention dynamics.
• Performance Marketing Integration: Familiarity with performance marketing principles and how UI/UX can impact conversion rates and campaign effectiveness.
• Accessibility & Usability Optimization: Demonstrated experience in actively optimizing applications for enhanced accessibility and overall user usability.
• Experience with Design Systems: Hands-on experience in building, maintaining, or contributing to established design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio with both design and implementation work is critical. Candidates should prepare to articulate their decision-making process for UI structure and component usage, linking it to user needs and business objectives. The "2+ years" suggests a need for practical, demonstrable experience rather than purely theoretical knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Project Showcase: Demonstrate at least five distinct projects where you were solely responsible for both the UI design (wireframing, layout) and the subsequent frontend implementation using React/Next.js and component libraries.
• Component Library Utilization: Clearly highlight how you leveraged pre-built component libraries (e.g., NextUI, HeroUI) to achieve design goals efficiently.
• Data-Driven Design Rationale: For each project, articulate the rationale behind your UI/UX decisions, referencing user data, A/B testing insights, or structured design principles that guided your work.
• Code Quality and Reusability: Provide examples or descriptions of how you ensured code quality, maintainability, and the creation of reusable components within your projects.
• Responsiveness and Cross-Browser Consistency: Showcase examples of responsive design implementation and confirmation of cross-browser compatibility in your portfolio projects.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design and Optimization: Be prepared to discuss your personal workflow for taking a concept from initial requirements to a fully implemented and tested UI.
• Implementation and Automation Methods: Explain how you approach implementing complex UI features, any custom component development, and how you ensure efficient integration with backend services.
• Measurement and Performance Analysis: Describe how you would measure the success of your UI implementations, potentially referencing metrics like user engagement, task completion rates, or conversion improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is paramount for this role, acting as the primary evidence of the candidate's ability to execute both design and development. It should not just show what was built, but how and why, with a clear emphasis on the structured approach and component-based development.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As this is a remote, independent contractor role based in Eastern Europe, and no specific salary was provided, a competitive range for a mid-level Frontend Engineer with UI/UX responsibilities in this region, working remotely for a tech company, would typically fall between $30,000 - $55,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Remote Work Environment: Full autonomy to work from any location, promoting flexibility and work-life balance.
• Unlimited PTO: Generous paid time off policy, allowing employees to take time off as needed without strict day limits, encouraging well-being.
• Paid National Holidays: Compensation for national holidays observed in the employee's country of residence.
• Company-Provided MacBook: Access to a high-performance MacBook to facilitate productivity and seamless workflow.
• Flexible Independent Contractor Agreement: This offers significant flexibility, potential tax advantages, networking, and entrepreneurial freedom, as detailed in the provided document.

Working Hours: While the role is remote and flexible, Ruby Labs operates within the CET (Central European Time) zone. Candidates are expected to be available and collaborate across a working day that aligns with approximately ± 4 hours of CET, ensuring effective communication and project alignment. This suggests a typical 40-hour work week, managed flexibly within the specified time zone overlap.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market rates for remote frontend developers in Eastern Europe with 2-5 years of experience, adjusted for the hybrid UI/UX component. The independent contractor model is a key differentiator and should be thoroughly understood by applicants.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Consumer Products (Health, Education, Entertainment). Ruby Labs operates across diverse consumer-led product sectors, indicating a dynamic and potentially fast-paced environment focused on innovation and user engagement. Company Size: Not explicitly stated, but the mention of "portfolio companies" and "fast-growing team" suggests a venture-backed or growth-stage organization with multiple product lines and a need for agile operations. Founded: Not specified, but the emphasis on "driving the future" and "innovative consumer products" implies a forward-thinking company culture focused on technology and market disruption.

Team Structure:

• Portfolio Company Focus: The role is within one of Ruby Labs' portfolio companies, meaning you'll be part of a dedicated product team, likely small and agile, with direct impact.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You will work closely with Product Managers, leveraging their data-driven insights to inform UI/UX decisions. Collaboration with other engineers, and potentially marketing teams, is also implied.
• Autonomous Work Environment: The role is designed for someone who can take ownership and work independently, bridging the gap between design and development.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: UI/UX design and implementation are expected to be guided by data, user feedback, and structured design principles rather than subjective preferences.
• Component-Based Architecture: A strong emphasis on utilizing and composing pre-built component libraries for efficient and consistent UI development.
• Agile and Iterative Development: The nature of consumer product development suggests an iterative approach, where feedback and data lead to continuous improvements.

Company Website: https://rubylabs.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value autonomy, results, and innovation within structured frameworks. The portfolio company structure means direct impact and potentially a more intimate team environment compared to a large, monolithic organization.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level UX/UI Engineer, requiring 2+ years of experience. It offers a unique blend of design and development responsibilities, providing a strong foundation for specialization in either area or a continued hybrid career path. Reporting Structure: The role reports to product management within a specific portfolio company. While direct reporting lines for operations or engineering leadership aren't detailed, the emphasis on autonomy suggests a lean management structure. Operations Impact: The UX/UI Engineer directly influences the user experience and perceived quality of consumer products, which is critical for user acquisition, retention, and overall business success in the consumer-led product space. Success in this role directly impacts conversion rates and user satisfaction metrics.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepen UI/UX Expertise: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in design systems, component-based architecture, and data-driven UI optimization.
• Expand Frontend Skillset: Potential to deepen expertise in Next.js, React, TypeScript, and associated frontend technologies.
• Product Ownership: Grow into a more senior role with greater product ownership, potentially leading UI/UX initiatives for new features or products.
• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Gain exposure to product management, performance marketing, and potentially other areas within the Ruby Labs ecosystem.
• Leadership Potential: For individuals who excel, there could be opportunities to mentor junior engineers or lead UI/UX efforts within a portfolio company.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a distinct opportunity to develop a dual-skilled profile in UI/UX and frontend engineering, which is highly valuable in the tech industry. The growth trajectory is likely tied to performance within the portfolio company and the broader success of Ruby Labs' ventures.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully remote, with no requirement for physical office presence. Office Location(s): Not applicable due to the remote nature. The primary constraint is the time zone alignment (within ± 4 hours of CET).

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Remote Culture: While remote, the expectation is active collaboration with product managers and other team members, facilitated through digital communication tools.
• Tooling and Technology: Access to a company-provided MacBook and the expectation to use standard development tools (IDE, Git, design tools) for efficient work.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for interaction will be primarily through scheduled meetings (recruiter screening, technical interviews, final interviews) and ongoing project discussions via communication platforms.

Work Schedule: Flexible, as long as core working hours overlap with the CET time zone (approximately ± 4 hours). This allows for a typical 40-hour work week but with flexibility in daily start and end times.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first, flexible approach is a key selling point. Candidates should be self-motivated and adept at remote collaboration and time management. The CET time zone requirement is critical for ensuring effective team synchronization.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Review (3-5 days): Initial screening of applications, focusing on experience, skills, and portfolio relevance.
• Recruiter Screening (40 minutes): An initial conversation to assess cultural fit, communication skills, and high-level understanding of the role and your experience. Be prepared to discuss your career path and motivations.
• Technical Interview (60 minutes): A deep dive into your technical skills, including frontend development (React, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS), UI/UX principles, and problem-solving abilities. Expect coding challenges or discussions around past projects.
• Final Interview (60 minutes): This is likely with a hiring manager or senior team member to assess your strategic thinking, ability to work autonomously, and how you approach the unique blend of design and development required for this role. It may also cover your understanding of data-driven design and design systems.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end UI design and frontend implementation capabilities, specifically highlighting work with component libraries and structured design.
• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, prepare to walk through:
  • The problem or objective.
  • Your role and responsibilities (emphasizing design and implementation ownership).
  • The design process (wireframing, layout, component selection).
  • The technical implementation (frameworks, libraries, custom code).
  • Challenges encountered and solutions.
  • The outcome and impact (quantifiable if possible).
• Highlight Data-Driven Approach: Clearly explain how data or structured principles informed your design choices.
• Showcase Code Quality: Be ready to discuss your approach to writing clean, maintainable, and reusable code, and how you ensure responsiveness and cross-browser compatibility.
• Focus on "No Guesswork": Emphasize how you approach UI design systematically, using existing components and established principles to minimize subjective decision-making.

Challenge Preparation:

• Live Coding/Problem Solving: Be prepared for a technical challenge that might involve implementing a small UI component, refactoring existing code, or solving a UI-related problem using React/Next.js and Tailwind CSS.
• Design System Application: You might be asked to demonstrate how you would use a given set of components to build a specific feature or layout.
• Scenario-Based Questions: Expect questions about how you would handle conflicting requirements, prioritize tasks, or collaborate with product managers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to evaluate both technical proficiency and the candidate's ability to operate autonomously within Ruby Labs' product development framework. The portfolio review is a critical component, so thorough preparation is essential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Frontend Frameworks: Next.js, React, TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS, NextUI, HeroUI (and similar component libraries)
• Version Control: Git

Analytics & Reporting:

• Design Tools: Figma, Visily (for working with design assets, wireframing)
• Collaboration/Communication: Slack, Zoom, or similar platforms (implied for remote work)

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly mentioned as primary tools for this role, but understanding how UI integrates with user data or marketing automation platforms could be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tech stack is modern and focused on efficient frontend development using established libraries and frameworks. Proficiency in these specific tools is non-negotiable.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation: A drive to create and operate innovative consumer products that push technological boundaries.
• Data-Driven: A commitment to making decisions and designing solutions based on data, user feedback, and measurable outcomes.
• Efficiency & Autonomy: Valuing individuals who can work independently, manage their time effectively, and drive results without constant oversight.
• Quality & Consistency: A focus on delivering high-quality, consistent, and user-friendly interfaces through structured design and development practices.
• Results-Oriented: Emphasis on achieving tangible business objectives and contributing to the success of consumer products.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Close collaboration with product managers to translate data-driven requirements into actionable UI solutions.
• Independent Contribution: While collaboration is key, the role emphasizes individual ownership and the ability to drive tasks forward autonomously.
• Feedback Exchange: A culture that encourages sharing feedback, both for improving processes and for refining UI/UX implementations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of innovative exploration within consumer tech and a pragmatic, data-driven approach to execution. Autonomy is a key cultural pillar for this role.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Bridging Design and Development: The primary challenge is effectively owning both the UI design and frontend implementation, requiring a strong dual skillset and the ability to switch contexts seamlessly.
• Working within Constraints: Designing effectively using pre-built component libraries and structured design principles requires creativity and problem-solving within defined parameters, rather than complete creative freedom.
• Data Interpretation: Translating data-driven requirements from product managers into intuitive and effective UI can be challenging, requiring strong analytical and communication skills.
• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining effective communication and collaboration in a fully remote setting, especially across different time zones, requires proactive effort.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mastery of Design Systems: Deepen expertise in utilizing and potentially contributing to design systems and component libraries.
• Advanced Frontend Techniques: Enhance skills in React, Next.js, TypeScript, and modern CSS practices.
• Data-Driven UX: Gain practical experience in applying user data and performance metrics to refine UI/UX designs.
• Product Development Lifecycle: Understand the full lifecycle of consumer product development from concept through iteration.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents a unique challenge of integrating two distinct disciplines, offering significant learning opportunities for those who thrive on such integration and can manage autonomous work.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Operations Strategy & Methodology: "How do you approach designing a user interface for a new feature when you're given a set of pre-built components and data-driven user requirements?" Prepare to discuss your process for component selection, layout structuring, and ensuring usability.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: "Describe a time you had to work closely with a product manager to translate complex, data-driven requirements into a user interface. What were the challenges, and how did you ensure alignment?" Focus on communication, feedback loops, and iterative refinement.
• Problem-Solving & Efficiency: "Imagine you need to implement a responsive pricing table using Tailwind CSS and NextUI components. Walk me through your process, highlighting how you ensure efficiency and maintainability." Be ready to discuss component composition, responsive design techniques, and best coding practices.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Company Operations Culture: "Based on what you know about Ruby Labs and the role, how do you see your approach to UI/UX development aligning with our data-driven and results-oriented culture?" Research Ruby Labs' portfolio and mission to tailor your answer.
• Operations Team Dynamics: "How do you prefer to collaborate with product managers and other engineers in a remote setting, especially when you're responsible for both design and implementation?" Discuss your communication preferences and how you build rapport remotely.
• Operations Impact Measurement: "How would you measure the success of a new user interface you've designed and implemented? What metrics would you track, and how would you report on them?" Focus on user engagement, conversion, usability, and accessibility.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Concise Storytelling: For each portfolio piece, aim for a 2-3 minute narrative covering the problem, your solution (design & implementation), and the outcome.
• Highlight Ownership: Clearly articulate your individual contribution to both the design structure and the code implementation for each project.
• Demonstrate Component Usage: Be ready to show specific examples of how you leveraged NextUI, HeroUI, or Tailwind CSS effectively.
• Interactive Walkthrough: If possible, have live examples or a well-organized presentation deck ready to showcase your work dynamically.
• Focus on Rationale: For every design decision, be prepared to explain the "why" – linking it back to user needs, data, or structured design principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate not just their technical skills but also their strategic thinking, problem-solving approach, and how they operate independently to deliver results, especially in the context of structured design and component-based development.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX/UI Engineer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Ashby link.
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 3-5 projects that best showcase your end-to-end UI design and frontend implementation experience, emphasizing work with component libraries and structured design principles.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your proficiency in Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and your experience in UI/UX design and implementation. Use keywords from the job description and quantify your achievements where possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your portfolio projects, focusing on your design rationale, implementation process, and the impact of your work. Prepare answers to common technical and behavioral questions, particularly those relating to autonomous work and data-driven design.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Ruby Labs, its portfolio companies, and its mission to understand the company culture and demonstrate your genuine interest. Pay attention to their emphasis on innovation and consumer-led products.

⚠️ 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.