Lead Product Designer - AirHelp Mobile App

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer - AirHelp Mobile App

Company: AirHelp

Location: Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-04-24

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days/week in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end product design lifecycle for a high-impact mobile application with nearly one million downloads, focusing on user engagement and proactive travel assistance.

• Drive a hypothesis-driven product development approach, translating user insights and data into innovative solutions for millions of travelers globally.

• Leverage AI tools and rapid prototyping to accelerate the design process, treating prototypes as the foundation for production-ready designs.

• Champion design excellence by promoting systems thinking, knowledge sharing, and mentoring within the design and product teams.

• Collaborate closely with product managers and engineers to define problems, build, test, and iterate on features that enhance the user travel experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned as a "Lead" position, indicating significant responsibility for strategic direction and team influence, beyond individual contribution. The focus on "end-to-end ownership" and "defining how the product works" suggests a strategic product design role rather than purely UI execution. The emphasis on AI tools and rapid prototyping highlights a modern, agile design methodology.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design process for the AirHelp mobile app, from initial problem definition and hypothesis formation through to shipped outcomes and iterative improvements.

• Develop and execute a product vision that transforms the mobile app into a proactive, intelligent travel assistant, anticipating user needs and providing real-time guidance.

• Design and optimize core app architecture and key user flows, specifically to increase engagement during the critical day-of-flight experience.

• Introduce high-value features for post-flight engagement, extending user relationships beyond a single trip and fostering long-term loyalty.

• Drive organic growth by designing inherently shareable app experiences that encourage users to become brand advocates.

• Enhance user re-engagement by building effective habits and triggers that encourage users to return for future trips.

• Translate validated concepts and user feedback into polished, production-ready designs with meticulous attention to detail, edge cases, and system consistency.

• Balance the need for rapid iteration and exploration with the delivery of high-quality, scalable design solutions.

• Contribute directly to product strategy by identifying new opportunities, leading initiatives from concept through execution, and aligning design efforts with business objectives.

• Elevate the design practice within the organization through robust design systems, knowledge sharing sessions, and active mentorship of junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: Responsibilities are framed around "driving," "owning," and "delivering," emphasizing proactive leadership and impact. The 12-month delivery goals provide specific, measurable objectives that candidates should prepare to address. This role requires a blend of strategic thinking, hands-on design execution, and team leadership.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Proven track record of designing and shipping successful native mobile applications (iOS and/or Android) from concept to launch and beyond.

• Minimum 5-10 years of experience in product design, UX/UI design, or a similar role, with a significant portion focused on mobile-first experiences.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Leadership: Ability to define product vision, strategy, and roadmap from a design perspective.

• Mobile UX/UI Expertise: Deep understanding of native mobile design patterns, usability best practices, and accessibility standards for iOS and Android.

• Prototyping & Interaction Design: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, with a focus on rapid iteration and user testing.

• Design Systems Thinking: Experience in building, maintaining, and scaling design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency across products.

• User Research & Validation: Ability to conduct user interviews, usability testing, and leverage data analytics to inform design decisions.

• Hypothesis-Driven Development: Experience framing problems as hypotheses and designing experiments to test and validate solutions.

• AI Tool Proficiency: Demonstrated experience utilizing AI tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude) to accelerate design ideation, prototyping, and workflow efficiency.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders in an agile environment.

• Communication & Storytelling: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to articulate design concepts, influence stakeholders, and build consensus.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the travel technology sector or with consumer-facing mobile applications.

• Familiarity with A/B testing methodologies and data analysis tools to measure design impact.

• Experience working with distributed or external engineering teams.

• Visual design skills with a strong aesthetic sense and attention to detail.

• Experience in mentoring and guiding junior design talent.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level is inferred from the "Lead" title and the emphasis on strategic ownership and mentorship. The specific mention of AI tools like Cursor and Claude suggests a forward-thinking approach to design workflow, which should be highlighted.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 3-5 comprehensive case studies detailing your involvement in the full product design lifecycle for mobile applications. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your design process, key decisions, challenges, and tangible outcomes.

• Mobile Product Focus: Prioritize projects that demonstrate expertise in native mobile (iOS/Android) design, highlighting complex user flows, engagement strategies, and user retention initiatives.

• Impact & Metrics: Quantify the impact of your design work with specific metrics (e.g., increased engagement, conversion rates, user satisfaction scores, retention improvements). Demonstrate how your designs contributed to business objectives.

• Prototyping & Iteration: Include examples of rapid prototypes, user testing results, and how iteration based on feedback led to improved designs. Showcase the use of modern prototyping tools.

• Design System Contributions: If applicable, illustrate your experience with design systems, including contributions to component libraries, style guides, or pattern libraries that promote consistency and scalability.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate a structured approach to design problem-solving, including user research methodologies, ideation techniques, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing.

• Provide examples of how you have collaborated with engineering teams to ensure design feasibility and efficient implementation.

• Showcase your ability to translate validated ideas into detailed design specifications, including edge cases and interaction details.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for a Lead Product Designer. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating end-to-end ownership, mobile expertise, quantifiable impact, and modern workflow practices including AI tool utilization.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Lead Product Designers with 5-10 years of experience in Poland, the estimated salary range is PLN 18,000 - PLN 28,000 gross per month. This estimate considers the hybrid work model, the company's emphasis on growth, and the strategic importance of the role in a growing tech company.

• Methodology: This estimate is derived from analyzing comparable Lead Product Designer roles in major Polish tech hubs (Kraków, Warsaw, Gdańsk) using data from industry salary aggregators and recruitment platforms. The range accounts for variations in experience, specific skill sets, and the strategic impact of the role.

Benefits:

• Personal Development: Access to personal development plans, internal workshops, and mentorship programs to foster career growth.

• Learning Opportunities: Support for language classes to enhance communication and cultural understanding.

• Employee Well-being: Membership in team events and a choice of flexible benefits including gym passes, childcare subsidies, transport subsidies, or travel subsidies.

• Global Workstyle: Opportunity to work from anywhere for up to two weeks per year, promoting work-life balance and global perspective.

• Hybrid Work Model: Flexibility to work from home two days per week, with three days in the office for collaboration and team building.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, estimated at 40 hours per week. The company promotes a culture of autonomy, suggesting flexibility within these hours as long as work is delivered effectively and collaboration needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on Polish market rates for a Lead Product Designer role with the specified experience and responsibilities. The benefits are directly pulled from the provided text and highlighted for their value to a design professional.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Travel Technology / Consumer Software. AirHelp operates in the dynamic travel tech sector, focusing on leveraging technology to simplify air passenger rights and enhance the travel experience. This context implies a fast-paced, user-centric, and data-driven environment.

Company Size: AirHelp is a growing company with a global presence, likely falling into the mid-to-large size category (e.g., 200-500+ employees, though exact numbers aren't provided). This size typically offers a balance between established processes and the agility to implement new initiatives.

Founded: AirHelp was founded in 2015. This relatively young age suggests a company culture that is likely innovative, adaptable, and focused on rapid growth and disruption in its market.

Team Structure:

• The Lead Product Designer will work within a product and engineering "tribe," indicating an agile, cross-functional team structure.

• This role will likely report to a Head of Product, Director of Design, or a similar leadership position, with direct collaboration with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.

Methodology:

• Hypothesis-Driven Development: The team operates with a strong focus on formulating hypotheses and using data and user feedback to validate design directions.

• Agile & Iterative: The product development process is agile, emphasizing speed, testing, learning, and continuous improvement.

• AI-Enhanced Workflow: The team actively integrates AI tools to accelerate ideation, prototyping, and development cycles.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Inferences about company culture and team structure are based on the "tribe" terminology, the company's founding date, and the description of its product and market. The emphasis on innovation and user experience is typical for successful tech companies in the travel sector.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Lead Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor and potential people leader role. It signifies ownership of significant product areas, strategic influence, and the responsibility for elevating design standards. The role requires a blend of deep design craft, strategic product thinking, and leadership capabilities.

Reporting Structure: The role is likely within a product development "tribe" and would typically report to a Director of Product Design, Head of Product, or VP of Product. Direct collaboration with Product Managers and Engineering Leads is expected.

Operations Impact: The Lead Product Designer will have a direct and significant impact on the success of the AirHelp mobile app, which is a critical channel for user engagement and service delivery. Their work will influence user acquisition, retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, the company's revenue streams through successful claim processing and user loyalty.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to transition into a management role (e.g., Design Manager) or to become a Principal/Staff Designer, focusing on broader strategic initiatives and technical leadership.

• Product Strategy Influence: Deepen involvement in product strategy, contributing to long-term roadmaps and identifying new market opportunities for the app.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to specialize further in areas like AI-driven design, complex system design, or user engagement strategy.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Develop deeper understanding and collaboration skills with engineering and product management, potentially leading to broader product roles.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to shaping the future of travel technology and redefine user expectations for mobile travel companions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Career analysis focuses on the "Lead" aspect of the title, implying a progression path beyond individual contribution. The impact is tied directly to the mobile app's strategic importance for AirHelp.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: AirHelp operates a hybrid work model, requiring 2 days per week in the office. This suggests a modern office environment designed to foster collaboration, team building, and knowledge sharing, while also acknowledging the benefits of remote work flexibility.

Office Location(s): The role is based in one of AirHelp's offices in Barcelona, Berlin, Kraków, Warszawa, or Gdańsk. The specific Kraków office would offer a local community of professionals and access to the city's tech ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices are likely equipped with meeting rooms, project spaces, and common areas conducive to team collaboration and brainstorming sessions.

• Modern Technology: Access to standard office technology, high-speed internet, and the necessary software and hardware for design and development work.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model encourages intentional in-person interaction for activities best suited for face-to-face collaboration, such as strategic planning, design critiques, and team-building events.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time (estimated 40 hours/week) with a hybrid arrangement. While core hours may exist for collaboration, the company culture emphasizes autonomy, suggesting a degree of flexibility in managing personal work schedules to meet project deadlines and team needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment description is derived from the hybrid work model and the company's global office presence. The focus is on how this setup supports collaboration for a design team.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio for initial fit. Be prepared to articulate your experience and highlight relevant projects.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: You will likely be asked to present a selection of your best work from your portfolio, explaining your process, rationale, and impact. This may be followed by a design challenge, either take-home or live, focused on a specific product problem.

• Team Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially other designers to assess technical skills, collaborative approach, and cultural fit.

• Leadership Interview: A final interview with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product, VP) to discuss strategic thinking, leadership potential, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 projects that best showcase your end-to-end mobile design experience, problem-solving skills, and impact. Tailor your selection to the job description's requirements.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your unique contribution, the design process (including research, ideation, prototyping, testing), key decisions, and measurable outcomes. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight AI & Prototyping: Explicitly discuss how you used AI tools and rapid prototyping to accelerate your workflow and validate ideas. Show, don't just tell.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics wherever possible to demonstrate the business value and user impact of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges faced, how you handle feedback, and how you collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product: Thoroughly research the AirHelp app, its users, and its market position. Identify potential areas for improvement or innovation.

• Think Strategically: Frame your approach around problem definition, user needs, business goals, and measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate a clear, logical design process. Explain your rationale at each step.

• Consider AI Integration: Think about how AI could be leveraged to solve the challenge posed.

• Time Management: If it's a timed challenge, practice managing your time effectively to deliver a well-reasoned solution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to assess a Lead Designer's ability to think strategically, execute effectively, and collaborate within a product team. Portfolio advice is tailored to the specific requirements of this role, emphasizing mobile, AI, and impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency in creating and managing design systems within Figma is expected.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other rapid prototyping tools may be beneficial, especially for quick validation.

• AI Design Tools: Explicitly mentioned are Cursor and Claude, indicating their integration into the design workflow for ideation, code generation assistance, or content creation.

• Design System Management Tools: Tools or processes for managing and versioning design system components.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Mobile Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Firebase Analytics to understand user behavior, track engagement, and measure the impact of design changes.

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools that can help interpret and present data insights to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how CRM data (e.g., from Salesforce or similar) might inform user segmentation or personalization efforts could be beneficial.

• Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for tracking design tasks and progress within agile sprints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is directly derived from the job description, with an emphasis on Figma and the explicitly mentioned AI tools. Understanding how design integrates with analytics and project management tools is also crucial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Autonomy & Ownership: A culture that empowers individuals to take initiative, make decisions, and drive projects forward without constant supervision.

• Speed & Agility: A value placed on moving quickly, testing ideas, and iterating based on feedback, reflecting a startup or growth-stage company mentality.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A commitment to using data and user insights as the foundation for product development and design choices.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and close teamwork across product, engineering, and design disciplines.

• User-Centricity: A deep focus on understanding and solving user problems to deliver exceptional value and experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Design is deeply integrated with product management and engineering, working collaboratively to define problems and solutions.

• Hypothesis-Driven Exploration: Teams engage in iterative cycles of hypothesis generation, design, testing, and learning.

• Feedback Exchange: An open environment for giving and receiving constructive feedback on design work and product direction.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing best practices, learnings, and insights across teams to foster collective growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: Values and collaboration styles are inferred from the company's description, its emphasis on autonomy, speed, and data-driven approaches, and the "tribe" structure.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling a Growing Product: Ensuring design quality and consistency as the user base and feature set of the mobile app continue to expand rapidly.

• Balancing Speed and Craft: Maintaining high design standards while operating in a fast-paced, hypothesis-driven environment that prioritizes quick iteration.

• Defining Proactive Experiences: Moving beyond reactive features to truly anticipate user needs in the complex and often unpredictable travel domain.

• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Effectively leveraging AI tools to enhance user experience and design workflow without compromising usability or delight.

• Cross-Distributed Teams: Collaborating effectively with engineering and product teams that may be geographically distributed or work in different time zones.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Mobile Design: Deepen expertise in sophisticated mobile UX patterns, engagement loops, and long-term user retention strategies.

• Product Strategy & Vision: Gain significant experience in shaping product strategy, identifying market opportunities, and driving innovation from a design leadership perspective.

• AI in Design: Become a pioneer in applying AI tools and methodologies within the product design lifecycle.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop strong leadership skills through close collaboration with product and engineering, potentially leading to broader product ownership.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of trends in travel tech, mobile app development, and user experience design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are identified based on the role's scope (leading a popular mobile app), the company's growth stage, and the explicit mention of modern technologies like AI. Growth opportunities are framed around advancing in design leadership and product strategy.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you took a product from concept to launch. What was your role, what were the key challenges, and how did you measure success?" (Focus on end-to-end ownership, problem-solving, and impact)

• "How do you approach defining a product strategy from a design perspective? Can you give an example of how you’ve influenced product direction?" (Highlight strategic thinking, user advocacy, and business acumen)

• "Imagine our app needs to become more proactive. What are your initial thoughts on how design could achieve this? What would be your first steps?" (Demonstrate forward-thinking, hypothesis generation, and user-centric problem-solving)

• "How do you balance the need for speed and rapid iteration with maintaining high design quality and consistency?" (Address your workflow, understanding of trade-offs, and approach to design systems)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about AirHelp and our mission to simplify air passenger rights and improve travel experiences?" (Research the company's mission, values, and recent news)

• "How do you approach working with product managers and engineers in an agile environment?" (Emphasize collaboration, communication, and shared ownership)

• "Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders who disagreed with your design recommendations." (Focus on communication, data-driven arguments, and negotiation skills)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, start with a clear problem statement, your role and contribution, the key phases of your process (research, ideation, design, testing), your specific design decisions and rationale, and finally, the measurable outcomes and learnings.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively – mockups, prototypes, user flows, sketches, and data visualizations. Explain why you made certain design choices.

• Highlight Your Leadership & Process: For this Lead role, emphasize strategic contributions, mentorship, and your systematic approach to problem-solving. Clearly articulate how you used AI and rapid prototyping.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Expect questions about specific design elements, user research findings, technical constraints, and how you handled trade-offs.

• Connect to AirHelp: Where possible, draw parallels between your experience and the challenges and opportunities at AirHelp.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation focuses on demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, and a modern design process, including AI integration, tailored to the specific role and company.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 3-5 mobile-focused case studies that demonstrate end-to-end ownership, AI tool usage, rapid prototyping, and measurable impact. Tailor your case study selection to highlight experience relevant to travel or complex consumer apps.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your experience in product design leadership, mobile UX, AI-assisted design workflows, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords such as "Product Design," "Mobile UX," "Figma," "AI Tools," "Prototyping," and "Design Systems." Quantify achievements with metrics.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, strategic thinking, and leadership approach. Prepare to present your portfolio and discuss how you would tackle specific design challenges relevant to the AirHelp mobile app.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research AirHelp's mission, its current mobile app, its competitors, and its company culture. Understand the travel tech landscape and the unique challenges of designing for travelers.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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