Lead Product Designer

Opacity
Full-timeβ€’Copenhagen, Denmark

πŸ“ Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer

Company: Opacity

Location: NΓΈrregade 6, 2 tv, 1165 KΓΈbenhavn, DK

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-09-14

Experience Level: 8+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

πŸš€ Role Summary

  • Lead the product design vision and strategy for Opacity, a SaaS company focused on salary transparency and data-driven compensation solutions.

  • Drive the end-to-end design process, from initial concept and user flows to detailed UI and final implementation, for new and existing features.

  • Champion best practices in UX and UI design, ensuring high-quality, user-centric, and intuitive software experiences.

  • Foster a collaborative design environment, working closely with engineering teams to translate complex problems into elegant, functional solutions.

  • Maintain and evolve the company's design system to ensure consistency and scalability across the growing product suite.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: While the role is "Lead Product Designer," the description emphasizes a "hands-on" approach, indicating the need for a candidate who is not only strategic but also deeply involved in execution. The focus on salary transparency and regulatory compliance (upcoming directive) suggests a B2B SaaS context with a need for robust data handling and clear user interfaces for complex information.

πŸ“ˆ Primary Responsibilities

  • Define and execute the product design direction, translating business requirements and user needs into intuitive and effective design solutions.

  • Design new features from ideation and sketching through wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI, ensuring a cohesive user journey.

  • Identify and implement improvements for existing product areas, focusing on simplifying user workflows and enhancing overall usability.

  • Collaborate intimately with software developers throughout the development lifecycle to ensure design integrity and feasibility.

  • Make critical product and UX decisions, balancing strategic vision with granular design details to create a superior user experience.

  • Develop, maintain, and promote the use of the design system to ensure visual and interactive consistency across the platform.

  • Uphold and elevate the quality bar for all design outputs before they are released to customers.

  • Engage directly with customers and users to gather insights, understand pain points, and validate design solutions.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership and tactical execution, common in lead roles within smaller, ambitious teams. The emphasis on "understanding the problem" and "designing the right solution" over just aesthetics is a key indicator of a user-centered design philosophy.

πŸŽ“ Skills & Qualifications

Education: No specific educational requirements are listed; practical experience and a strong portfolio are prioritized.

Experience: Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in product design, with a significant focus on designing and shipping end-to-end SaaS products.

Required Skills:

  • Minimum 8 years of experience in product design.

  • Proven track record of designing and delivering end-to-end SaaS products (not just prototypes).

  • Strong proficiency in both User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design principles and practices.

  • Ability to articulate and showcase concrete examples of designed solutions and their impact.

  • Skill in conceptualizing and designing user flows, while also detailing individual screen designs.

  • Experience working closely and collaboratively with software development teams.

  • Demonstrated experience with design systems, including their creation and maintenance.

  • Comfort and experience in direct customer and user interaction for research and feedback.

  • Aptitude for taking ambiguous problems and driving them to clear, actionable solutions.

  • Fluency in both Danish and English, both written and spoken. Preferred Skills:

  • Experience with data visualization and presenting complex data in an understandable format, relevant to salary transparency.

  • Familiarity with regulatory compliance in the tech sector, particularly concerning data privacy and financial transparency.

  • A curious and proactive approach to understanding new technologies and their impact on design and development.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The requirement for 8+ years of experience and the emphasis on shipping real-world SaaS products suggest the company is looking for a senior individual contributor who can lead by example and mentor others, rather than a pure management role. The "hands-on" nature means deep technical understanding of design tools and workflows is essential.

πŸ“Š Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Showcase at least 1-2 significant products or major features that you have personally designed and brought to market.

  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of the problem space, the design process undertaken, and the rationale behind key design decisions.

  • Provide examples that illustrate your ability to handle complex problems and translate them into user-friendly solutions.

  • Highlight your UX and UI capabilities, showing a range of design artifacts from initial sketches and flows to final UI.

  • Include evidence of your work with design systems, if applicable, and explain your approach to maintaining consistency. Process Documentation:

  • Be prepared to walk through your design process for selected portfolio pieces, explaining the problem, your approach, considerations, and outcomes.

  • Focus on the "why" behind your design choices, rather than just presenting polished final screens.

  • Show how you collaborated with developers and other stakeholders to achieve the final product.

  • Quantify impact where possible, demonstrating how your designs solved user problems or met business objectives.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The application process explicitly states, "We are less interested in a polished portfolio presentation. We want to understand the problem, the different solutions you considered, the decisions you made, and why it ended up the way it did." This indicates a strong preference for process-oriented storytelling and critical thinking over purely aesthetic showcases.

πŸ’΅ Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

  • Base Salary: 65,000 DKK per month. Benefits:

  • Pension: 5% contribution.

  • Insurance: Comprehensive coverage through PFA.

  • Paid Lunch: Provided daily.

  • Office Amenities: Access to barista coffee and soft drinks.

  • Hardware: New MacBook Pro and Studio Display provided.

  • Paid Vacation: 6 weeks of paid annual leave.

  • Flexible Working Hours: Option for flexible scheduling.

  • Off-sites: Regular team off-site events (e.g., recent trip to Switzerland).

Working Hours: Flexible working hours are offered, indicating a focus on output and autonomy rather than strict adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule. The standard full-time week is assumed to be approximately 40 hours.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The stated base salary of 65,000 DKK monthly translates to 780,000 DKK annually. For Copenhagen, Denmark, this is a competitive salary for a Lead Product Designer with 8+ years of experience, especially within a smaller, high-growth tech company. This salary is positioned at the upper end for experienced designers in the Danish market. The benefits package is generous, reflecting a high quality of life and employee well-being focus typical in Nordic tech companies.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏒 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Software (SaaS) with a focus on FinTech/HRTech, specifically addressing salary transparency and compensation management. The company is building software to comply with upcoming salary transparency directives and enable data-driven salary decisions.

Company Size: Small team with high ambitions. The exact number of employees is not specified but implied to be lean and agile, allowing for significant individual impact.

Founded: The company was co-founded by Lucas and Mathias, indicating a startup environment with strong leadership involvement. The exact founding year is not provided but the context suggests a relatively young, growth-stage company.

Team Structure:

  • A small, ambitious team where individuals have significant influence on the product.

  • Close collaboration is expected between design, development, and leadership.

  • The Lead Product Designer will work directly with co-founders and engineers. Methodology:

  • Data-driven approach to product development and decision-making.

  • Focus on understanding customer problems deeply to design effective solutions.

  • Emphasis on high-quality design details, including edge cases and empty states.

  • Agile development practices are implied by the close collaboration between design and development.

Company Website: https://careers.opacity.hr

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be fast-paced, collaborative, and results-oriented, typical of a startup. The direct involvement of co-founders in interviews suggests a flat hierarchy and an opportunity for significant influence. The emphasis on data-driven design and solving complex problems for businesses aligns with B2B SaaS operations.

πŸ“ˆ Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a "Lead" position, signifying a senior individual contributor role with significant autonomy and responsibility. It involves setting design direction, mentoring, and driving product strategy from a design perspective. It is not a people management role but one of technical and strategic leadership within the design function.

Reporting Structure: The Lead Product Designer will likely report directly to one of the co-founders (Lucas or Mathias) or a Head of Product/Engineering, given the small team size. Direct collaboration with engineers is a key aspect.

Operations Impact: The Lead Product Designer will have a substantial impact on Opacity's core product, directly influencing user experience, product adoption, and customer satisfaction. Their work is critical to achieving the company's mission of enabling salary transparency and data-driven compensation.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Product Strategy Influence: Opportunity to shape the future direction and design philosophy of a growing SaaS product.

  • Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in UX/UI for complex B2B SaaS, data visualization, and design systems within a regulatory context.

  • Leadership by Example: Grow into a more senior or specialized design leadership role as the company scales, potentially mentoring future designers.

  • Entrepreneurial Experience: Gain valuable experience in a startup environment, working closely with founders and contributing to business growth.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title in a small company implies a high level of ownership and the potential for rapid growth. The focus is on expanding the product's capabilities and user base, making this role crucial for Opacity's success.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is on-site in Copenhagen, Denmark, at NΓΈrregade 6, 2 tv. The office is described as having "good settings centrally in Copenhagen."

Office Location(s): Central Copenhagen, Denmark. This location offers good access to public transport and city amenities.

Workspace Context:

  • A collaborative environment within a small, ambitious team.

  • Access to modern design tools and hardware (MacBook Pro, Studio Display).

  • A supportive atmosphere with amenities like barista coffee and paid lunches.

  • Potential for focused individual work and spontaneous cross-functional ideation.

Work Schedule: Flexible working hours are provided, allowing for autonomy in managing one's workday while ensuring core business needs and team collaboration are met. This flexibility supports a focus on productivity and work-life balance.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests a preference for in-person collaboration and team synergy, which is often valued in early-stage startups for rapid iteration and communication. The central Copenhagen location is a significant perk for attracting talent.

πŸ“„ Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • 1. Application: Submit portfolio (or links to products) and answer four short questions. Focus on actual contributions, not just polished presentations.

  • 2. First Interview (60 min): Meet co-founders Lucas and Mathias. The first 30 minutes are dedicated to you showcasing 1-2 products/features, explaining the problem, design process, decisions, and outcomes. The remaining 30 minutes are for getting to know each other and discussing Opacity.

  • 3. Second Interview (60 min): Follow-up conversation with a co-founder and an opportunity to meet the rest of the team.

  • 4. Offer: If both parties agree it's a good match.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Focus on Process, Not Perfection: Be ready to discuss the problem, your thought process, alternative solutions considered, trade-offs made, and the impact of your final designs. Quantify results where possible.

  • Show Real-World Impact: Prioritize examples of products that have been launched and used by real customers, demonstrating your ability to deliver end-to-end solutions.

  • Tell a Story: Structure your presentation around a narrative: the challenge, your role, the design journey, the solutions, and the outcomes.

  • Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect detailed questions about your decisions, technical constraints, and collaborations with developers.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Design Problem Solving: Be ready to discuss how you would approach a vague or complex problem within the salary transparency or compensation management domain.

  • Collaboration Scenarios: Prepare to talk about how you work with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to ensure successful product delivery.

  • Design System Thinking: Be able to articulate your understanding of design systems, their benefits, and how you've contributed to them.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. The emphasis on discussing the "why" and showing real-world impact rather than just polished visuals is crucial for candidates to understand.

πŸ›  Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Design Software: Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools is essential. While specific tools aren't named, Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (XD, Illustrator), and prototyping tools like InVision or Principle are common.

  • Design Systems: Experience with building, maintaining, and utilizing design systems. This implies familiarity with component libraries, style guides, and version control for design assets.

Analytics & Reporting:

  • While not explicitly listed as a requirement for the designer, understanding how to interpret product analytics (e.g., from tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) to inform design decisions is beneficial. CRM & Automation:

  • Not directly applicable to the designer's daily tool stack, but an understanding of how the SaaS product integrates with or functions within a business context is valuable.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The company provides a "New MacBook Pro and Studio Display," indicating a commitment to providing high-quality tools for their design team. The specific design software is not mentioned, suggesting flexibility, but a strong command of a leading tool like Figma is generally expected in modern design roles.

πŸ‘₯ Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Data-Driven Decisions: Using data and user insights to inform design choices and product strategy.

  • User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and solving customer problems effectively.

  • Quality & Detail: Maintaining high standards for design, paying attention to nuances like edge cases and empty states.

  • Collaboration: Working closely and effectively with development teams and other stakeholders.

  • Ambition & Impact: A drive to build impactful products and contribute significantly to the company's growth.

  • Curiosity: A keen interest in technology and how it shapes the future of design and software.

Collaboration Style:

  • Close-knit teamwork within a small, agile team structure.

  • Direct and open communication is encouraged.

  • Design and development work in tandem to create cohesive solutions.

  • Customer interaction is a shared responsibility, fostering a unified understanding of user needs.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "high ambitions" and "great influence" suggests a culture where individuals are empowered and expected to take initiative. The direct interaction with customers indicates a team that values market feedback at all levels.

⚑ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Defining Design for a Nascent Market: Shaping the design for a product in the relatively new and evolving space of salary transparency and compliance.

  • Balancing Complexity and Simplicity: Designing intuitive interfaces for complex data and regulatory requirements.

  • Scaling Design Systems: Ensuring the design system remains robust and adaptable as the product and team grow.

  • Driving End-to-End Ownership: Taking full ownership of design from concept to launch in a fast-paced startup environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Strategic Design Leadership: Developing skills in product strategy, design vision, and leading design initiatives.

  • SaaS Design Expertise: Deepening knowledge in B2B SaaS design, particularly in financial compliance and data management.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Enhancing ability to work effectively with engineering and business stakeholders.

  • Startup Environment Experience: Gaining invaluable experience in a high-growth tech startup, contributing directly to its success.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a lead role in a growing SaaS company, offering significant opportunities for professional development and impact.

πŸ’‘ Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • Product Vision: "How would you approach defining the product design strategy for a company focused on salary transparency and compliance?" (Be ready to discuss user needs, market trends, and competitive landscape.)

  • Problem Solving: "Describe a complex SaaS product problem you've solved. What was the problem, your process, the trade-offs you made, and the outcome?" (Focus on your thought process and decision-making.)

  • Collaboration: "How do you ensure effective collaboration with developers to translate designs into high-quality products?" (Highlight your communication style, understanding of technical constraints, and iterative process.)

Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What interests you about Opacity's mission of salary transparency and data-driven compensation?" (Research the upcoming EU directive and its implications.)

  • "How do you approach working in a small, ambitious team where individual impact is high?" (Discuss your preference for autonomy, initiative, and collaborative problem-solving.)

  • "What is your experience with design systems, and how would you contribute to Opacity's?" (Be ready to discuss principles of design systems and your past contributions.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Focus on Narrative: Select 1-2 projects that best tell a story of problem-solving and impact.

  • Detail Your Process: Clearly articulate the problem, your research, ideation, design decisions, iterations, and the final solution.

  • Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success or learnings from your designs.

  • Be Honest About Trade-offs: Discuss challenges, constraints, and why certain decisions were made.

  • Showcase Technical Acumen: Demonstrate your understanding of how designs are implemented and your collaboration with engineering.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical application of design skills and strategic thinking. Candidates should prepare to discuss their process in detail and demonstrate a deep understanding of user-centered design within a B2B SaaS context.

πŸ“Œ Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the provided link on careers.opacity.hr.

  • Prepare to answer four short questions as part of the initial application.

  • Curate your portfolio to highlight 1-2 significant end-to-end SaaS product designs that showcase your problem-solving process and impact.

  • Be ready to articulate your design decisions, user research, and collaboration with developers during the first interview.

  • Research Opacity's mission, the upcoming salary transparency directive, and the B2B SaaS landscape to inform your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.

Application Requirements

The ideal candidate has at least 8 years of experience designing end-to-end SaaS products and possesses strong skills in both UX and UI. You must be comfortable working directly with customers, driving solutions for complex problems, and collaborating effectively with technical teams.