Visual Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Visual Product Designer Company: Alex AI Location: San Francisco, California, United States Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Enablement Date Posted: December 04, 2025 Experience Level: 5-10 Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the visual excellence and user interface (UI) design for cutting-edge AI products, translating complex concepts into intuitive and polished interfaces that delight users.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Go-to-Market (GTM) teams, Customer Success, and Marketing to define product design requirements and solve critical user challenges.
• Champion and advance the product's visual and interaction design, meticulously maintaining and evolving the design system, style guides, and component libraries.
• Elevate the overall design quality and user experience of Alex AI's platform, ensuring a cohesive and high-craft aesthetic across all product touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core role is Visual Product Designer, the emphasis on collaboration with GTM, Customer Success, and Marketing indicates a strong need for understanding how design directly impacts user adoption, sales enablement, and customer retention. This suggests the role will also involve designing for operational efficiency within the user journey, a key component of GTM and Revenue Operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the visual and UI design for Alex AI's platform, transforming wireframes and concepts into high-fidelity, pixel-perfect interfaces that align with brand identity and user needs.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive design systems, including detailed specifications for typography, color palettes, iconography, spacing, and micro-interactions, ensuring consistency and scalability.
• Collaborate closely with product managers and engineers to translate user stories and technical requirements into elegant and user-friendly design solutions.
• Partner with GTM teams to ensure product interfaces effectively support sales enablement initiatives, customer onboarding, and user adoption strategies by providing clear, actionable design elements.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the design workflow and processes, advocating for best practices in visual design and system thinking.
• Present design concepts and solutions to internal stakeholders, including leadership, product, and engineering teams, articulating design rationale and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of collaboration with GTM, Customer Success, and Marketing suggests a need for the design to support operational workflows. Responsibilities should emphasize how design contributes to efficiency, clarity, and adoption within these functions, thereby impacting revenue and customer lifecycle management.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

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

Experience: 5+ years of dedicated experience in interface design for web or mobile products, with a strong emphasis on visual design and UI systems. Experience in early-stage or fast-moving product teams is highly preferred.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio of Excellence: A strong, compelling portfolio showcasing exceptional visual craft, UI design mastery, and experience with design system creation and management for web or mobile products.
• Figma Proficiency: Advanced mastery of Figma and other modern design tools, with demonstrated experience in working with design tokens, reusable components, and systematic design approaches.
• UI/Visual Design Expertise: Deep understanding of UI design principles, visual hierarchy, typography, color theory, layout, and micro-interactions.
• System Design Thinking: Proven ability to transform complex, configurable systems into elegant, intuitive interfaces, and experience in designing and documenting design systems and style guides.
• Collaboration & Communication: A team-first mindset with strong collaboration skills, capable of effectively communicating design decisions and rationale to both design and non-design audiences.
• UX Fundamentals: Solid understanding of core UX principles and the ability to work effectively from wireframes, user flows, or conceptual direction.
• Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to translate complex user problems and business requirements into elegant, effective design solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Animation & Motion Design: Skills in animation and/or motion design to enhance user experience and product engagement.
• Prototyping & User Testing: Experience in creating interactive prototypes and conducting user testing to validate design solutions and gather feedback.
• AI/SaaS Product Experience: Familiarity with designing for AI-powered platforms or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products, particularly within the HR Tech or Recruitment Tech space.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Experience working closely with GTM, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams to align product design with business objectives and user adoption strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5+ years of experience and a strong portfolio points to a mid-to-senior level role. The emphasis on "designing and documenting systems and style guides" and "design tokens, components, and systematic approaches" indicates a need for a designer who can build foundational design infrastructure. The preference for experience in "early-stage or fast-moving product teams" suggests a need for adaptability and a proactive approach to ambiguity.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Visual Craftsmanship: Showcase a diverse range of projects demonstrating meticulous attention to detail in typography, color, layout, and micro-interactions, with a clear emphasis on aesthetic quality.
• Design System Examples: Include case studies or detailed examples of design systems, style guides, or component libraries you have created or significantly contributed to, highlighting their structure, scalability, and impact.
• Complex System Transformation: Present projects where you successfully translated complex functionalities or configurable systems into simple, intuitive, and elegant user interfaces.
• User-Centric Problem Solving: Demonstrate through case studies how you identified user needs and business problems, and how your design solutions effectively addressed them, supported by user flows, wireframes, and final UI outputs.
• Tool Proficiency: Explicitly demonstrate your expertise with Figma, including examples of component creation, auto-layout usage, and design token implementation, if applicable.

Process Documentation:

• Design Workflow: Detail your typical design process from concept to final handoff, including how you collaborate with cross-functional teams (Engineering, GTM, etc.) at each stage.
• System Maintenance & Evolution: Explain your approach to maintaining and evolving design systems over time, including how you gather feedback, implement updates, and ensure consistency across product updates.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate how you have worked with non-design teams (e.g., GTM, Sales, Marketing) to translate their needs into effective design solutions and ensure product alignment with business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role emphasizing design systems and visual craft, the portfolio should not just show final screens but also the underlying structure, process, and rationale. Demonstrating how design supports operational efficiency for GTM and CS teams will be a significant differentiator.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $110,000 - $170,000 USD per year

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance: Providing robust coverage for medical needs.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Supporting long-term financial planning.
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO): Offering flexibility and work-life balance.
• Team Lunches: Fostering team cohesion and informal collaboration.
• Great Company Events: Promoting team bonding and a positive work environment.
• Competitive Equity: Offering ownership stake in a rapidly growing startup.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, likely aligning with Pacific Standard Time (PST) given the San Francisco location and in-office requirement. The role requires dedication to delivering high-quality work, which may involve occasional extended hours to meet project deadlines or support critical launches.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a Visual Product Designer with 5-10 years of experience in a high-cost-of-living area like San Francisco. The benefits package is standard for a well-funded tech startup. The "Unlimited PTO" is a common perk but often implies an expectation of high performance and responsible time management.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Resources Technology (HR Tech), Recruitment Technology (RecTech). Alex AI operates at the intersection of AI and HR, providing an autonomous interviewing platform. Company Size: Early-stage startup, rapidly growing. Mention of a $17m Series A funding round indicates significant investment and growth potential. This implies a dynamic, fast-paced, and often less structured environment than larger, more established companies. Founded: Recently founded, part of a YC batch, suggesting innovation, agility, and a focus on rapid product development and market fit.

Team Structure:

• Reporting to the Founding Designer, indicating a lean and hands-on design leadership structure.
• Close collaboration with Engineering, GTM, Customer Success, and Marketing teams, suggesting a highly integrated and cross-functional operational model.
• The team is likely small, agile, and composed of highly motivated individuals focused on scaling the company and its product.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: Leveraging AI and user data to inform product iterations and improvements.
• Agile Development: Likely employing agile methodologies for rapid iteration and deployment of new features.
• User-Centric Design: A strong focus on understanding and solving user problems through design.
• Emphasis on Craft and Quality: As evidenced by the role's focus, there's a high value placed on the aesthetic and functional quality of the product.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on AI and HR Tech, combined with its startup status, suggests a culture that values innovation, speed, and impact. The "in-office five days a week" policy indicates a preference for in-person collaboration and a strong team-building ethos.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Visual Product Designer, a critical individual contributor role responsible for defining and executing the visual strategy of the product. It's a role that requires significant autonomy and influence over the product's aesthetic and user experience.

Reporting Structure: The designer will report directly to the Founding Designer, providing a clear line of mentorship and strategic direction. This close relationship with the founding team offers direct exposure to high-level decision-making.

Operations Impact: While not a direct "Operations" role, the Visual Product Designer's work has a significant impact on GTM and Revenue Operations by:

• Enhancing User Adoption: Intuitive and visually appealing interfaces make the product easier to learn and use, driving higher adoption rates.
• Supporting Sales Enablement: Clear, well-designed product interfaces can be leveraged in sales demos and marketing materials, making it easier for the sales team to communicate value.
• Improving Customer Success: A user-friendly product reduces support load and enhances customer satisfaction by simplifying complex tasks.
• Strengthening Brand Perception: High-quality design contributes to a professional and trustworthy brand image, essential for customer acquisition and retention.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a lead designer role or even a Design Manager position as the team expands.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in AI product design, design systems, or motion design within a rapidly evolving field.
• Strategic Influence: Direct involvement with founding members provides opportunities to influence product strategy and company direction.
• Skill Expansion: Exposure to product management, engineering workflows, and GTM strategies can broaden understanding of the full product lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for growth within a growing startup, from individual contributor to potential leadership, with opportunities to shape the product and company's design trajectory. The impact on GTM and revenue is indirect but substantial, requiring the designer to think strategically about how design supports business objectives.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: In-office, five days a week, based in San Francisco. This suggests a collaborative, team-oriented environment where in-person interaction is valued for brainstorming, feedback, and team building. Office Location(s): San Francisco, California, United States. This typically means access to a vibrant tech ecosystem, networking opportunities, and a professional workspace.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office is likely designed to foster collaboration, with open spaces, meeting rooms, and potentially dedicated design studios.
• Tooling and Technology: Access to modern design software (Figma will be primary), hardware, and potentially other collaborative tools that support the design process.
• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities to interact with designers, engineers, product managers, and GTM stakeholders, facilitating rapid feedback loops and integrated workflows.

Work Schedule: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week, with an expectation of flexibility to meet project demands. The close-knit team and startup environment often foster a culture where individuals are dedicated to collective success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mandatory in-office presence emphasizes the company's commitment to in-person collaboration, which can be beneficial for design roles requiring spontaneous brainstorming and detailed feedback. It also suggests a structured environment where work-life balance is managed through efficient on-site presence.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and, most importantly, your portfolio to assess visual craft, design system experience, and relevant project work.
• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: Expect to present your portfolio to the Founding Designer and potentially other key team members. This will likely include a deep dive into specific projects, your design process, and how you approach problem-solving. A design challenge or exercise may also be given, focusing on UI/visual design for a specific product aspect.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with members of Engineering, Product, and GTM teams to assess collaboration skills, communication style, and understanding of how design integrates with other business functions.
• Final Discussion: A conversation with leadership, potentially the CEO or CTO, to discuss overall fit, strategic thinking, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Visual Craft: Ensure your portfolio prominently displays your best visual design work, with high-quality mockups and attention to detail.
• Showcase Design Systems: Dedicate sections to design systems you've built or contributed to, detailing your role, the system's components, and its impact.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your process, your specific contributions, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes or lessons learned. Use wireframes, user flows, and final UI screens to illustrate your journey.
• Demonstrate Figma Mastery: Be prepared to discuss your Figma workflow, including component libraries, auto-layout, and any systematic approaches you employ.
• Address GTM/Operational Impact: If possible, frame projects in terms of how your designs facilitated user adoption, improved clarity for sales, or supported customer success initiatives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Alex AI: Research Alex AI's product, target audience, and competitive landscape. Understand the core value proposition of an AI interviewer.
• Focus on UI/Visuals: If a design challenge is given, focus on applying your visual design skills and design system thinking to create polished, user-friendly interfaces.
• Articulate Rationale: Be ready to explain your design decisions clearly and concisely, linking them back to user needs and business objectives.
• Consider AI Context: Think about how visual design can enhance trust and clarity in an AI-driven product.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a strong portfolio and visual craft indicates that this stage is crucial. The cross-functional interviews highlight the need for designers who can communicate effectively with non-designers and understand the broader business context, particularly GTM and customer success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for UI design, prototyping, and design system management. Mastery is essential.
• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator): For asset creation, image editing, and potentially vector graphics.
• Prototyping Tools (e.g., Figma's built-in, potentially Principle, After Effects): For creating interactive prototypes and motion design.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude, Google Analytics): While not directly used for design creation, understanding how users interact with the product is crucial for informed design decisions. Designers may be expected to interpret or request data insights.
• Data Visualization Tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker): Less likely to be a primary tool for the designer, but awareness of how data is visualized can inform dashboard design or reporting interfaces.

CRM & Automation:

• ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems): Alex AI integrates with ATS systems, suggesting the designer may need to understand interface requirements for recruitment workflows.
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): Awareness of CRM interfaces and data flows can be beneficial when designing features that interact with customer data or support sales/CS processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and modern design tools, along with the need for design systems, indicates a modern tech stack. The company's product also integrates with ATS, suggesting that an understanding of workflow design within HR/recruitment software is a plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craft & Excellence: A strong commitment to high-quality design, meticulous attention to detail, and pushing creative boundaries.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: A "team-first" mindset, valuing open communication and constructive feedback across departments.
• Impact & Ownership: Taking ownership of projects and understanding how design contributes directly to the company's growth and success.
• Innovation & Agility: Embracing new ideas, pushing creative risks, and adapting quickly in a fast-paced startup environment.
• User-Centricity: A deep focus on understanding user needs and translating them into intuitive and delightful product experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers work hand-in-hand with Engineering, Product, GTM, Customer Success, and Marketing to ensure cohesive product development and market strategy.
• Open Feedback Loops: An environment where constructive critique is welcomed and used to refine designs and processes.
• Shared Vision: Working towards a common goal of building a leading AI product, with design playing a pivotal role in achieving this vision.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "craft," "pushing creative boundaries," and "team-first mindset" suggests a culture that values both individual skill and collaborative synergy. The direct reporting to the Founding Designer implies a hands-on, collaborative approach to design leadership.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Craft and Speed: In a fast-paced startup, maintaining high design quality while meeting rapid development timelines can be challenging.
• Designing for AI Complexity: Translating the intricacies of AI functionality into simple, understandable, and trustworthy user interfaces requires innovative design thinking.
• Scaling a Design System: As the product and company grow, evolving and scaling the design system to accommodate new features and user needs will be an ongoing challenge.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent understanding and execution of design principles across diverse teams (Engineering, GTM, etc.) requires strong communication and advocacy.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI Product Design: Gain hands-on experience designing for cutting-edge AI applications, a rapidly growing field.
• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to build, maintain, and lead the evolution of a critical design system for a high-growth product.
• Strategic Product Involvement: Direct collaboration with founders and leadership provides exposure to product strategy and business decision-making.
• Mentorship from Founding Designer: Learn from an experienced designer at the forefront of the company's product vision.
• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Exposure to GTM, sales, and customer success operations can broaden understanding of how design supports the entire business lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a role in a high-growth startup, offering significant opportunities for professional development and skill expansion in areas like AI product design and design system leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for an AI interviewer that needs to convey complex feedback to a job candidate in a clear and reassuring manner?" (Focus: Problem-solving, AI context, user empathy)
• "Describe a time you had to advocate for a design decision that was met with resistance. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus: Communication, collaboration, influence)
• "Walk us through your process for creating or maintaining a design system. What are the key components, and how do you ensure its adoption and evolution?" (Focus: Design systems, process, scalability)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Alex AI's mission and our product? How do you see visual design playing a role in our success?" (Focus: Company alignment, passion, strategic thinking)
• "How do you approach collaboration with non-designers, such as engineers or GTM teams? Can you give an example?" (Focus: Cross-functional collaboration, communication)
• "How do you measure the success of your designs, especially in terms of user experience and business impact?" (Focus: Metrics, impact, data-driven approach)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role and process, key design decisions, and the outcome. Use storytelling to make your work engaging.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and visual examples of your design system components.
• Highlight Design System Contributions: Clearly articulate your work on design systems, including component design, documentation, and any impact on efficiency or consistency.
• Connect Design to Business Goals: Where possible, frame your work in terms of how it supported user adoption, improved clarity for GTM teams, or contributed to overall product success.
• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your Figma workflow, tool usage, and how you leverage its features for efficiency and system building.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely probe your ability to combine strong visual design skills with an understanding of user experience, AI, and the operational needs of a growing startup, particularly concerning GTM and customer success.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Visual Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating exceptional visual craft, design system experience, and complex system transformation. Ensure it clearly showcases your Figma proficiency and any relevant work with AI or SaaS products.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5+ years of experience in UI/visual design, specifically mentioning your expertise in design systems, Figma, and cross-functional collaboration. Quantify achievements where possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on storytelling, design rationale, and the impact of your work. Prepare specific examples for questions related to collaboration, problem-solving, and design systems.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Alex AI's product, mission, and recent funding. Understand their target market (especially HR Tech/RecTech) and how their AI interviewer functions. Consider how visual design can enhance trust and user experience in this context.

⚠️ 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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