Lead Product Designer, Marketplace

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer, Marketplace

Company: Jobgether (Partner Company)

Location: Bulgaria

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / Marketplace Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-28

Experience Level: 5+ Years (Senior/Lead Level)

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Own the end-to-end design strategy and execution for a complex, AI-driven two-sided marketplace discovery experience.

• Drive the design of innovative AI-assisted prototyping and development workflows to accelerate product iteration.

• Shape product direction by balancing creator needs for visibility and trust with consumer needs for relevance and meaningful experiences.

• Collaborate closely with founder-led product and engineering teams to translate ambitious ideas into polished, shipped features.

• Mentor and elevate design quality across a globally distributed team, contributing through influence and best-practice sharing.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically for a Lead Product Designer focused on a marketplace platform, emphasizing AI integration in the discovery process. The "Marketplace Operations" category reflects the need for a deep understanding of two-sided platform dynamics, which heavily influences operational efficiency and user experience within the platform. The role requires significant autonomy and a proactive, 0-to-1 product development mindset.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End Marketplace Discovery Ownership: Conceptualize, design, prototype, and ship user experiences that connect creators with audiences, focusing on intuitive discovery and fostering consumer trust.

• AI-Driven Experience Design: Design AI-powered features including personalized recommendations, conversational interfaces, advanced search, curated journeys, and trust signals that enhance user engagement.

• Two-Sided Platform Strategy: Balance the needs of both creators (visibility, growth, trust) and consumers (relevance, confidence, meaningful experiences) within the marketplace ecosystem.

• Systems Thinking & Integration: Understand and design for the interconnectedness of community, creator, content, engagement, and marketplace dynamics to influence user discovery and decision-making.

• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration: Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, v0, Lovable) and advanced Figma skills to rapidly explore concepts, validate ideas, and bridge the gap between design and production.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with product managers and engineers, contributing to product strategy, making informed trade-offs, and ensuring technical feasibility and scalability.

• Design Quality & Consistency: Maintain and elevate design standards across the marketplace, ensuring a cohesive and high-quality user experience through strong interaction, visual, and systems design.

• Design Mentorship & Influence: Provide guidance and support to other designers, raising the overall design bar through expertise, feedback, and sharing of best practices, without direct people management.

• Ambiguity Navigation: Proactively identify opportunities, frame complex problems, and drive solutions through experimentation, iteration, and evidence, even with incomplete requirements.

• Proactive Communication: Maintain transparent and frequent communication with distributed teams, clearly articulating design rationale, surfacing decisions, and managing stakeholder alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on AI integration within the design process and the product itself, particularly for discovery and personalization. The "0→1 product development" requirement underscores the need for candidates experienced in building new features or products from inception. The focus on "balancing creator needs with consumer needs" is critical for marketplace success and requires a deep understanding of supply and demand dynamics.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong foundation in design principles, user experience, and human-computer interaction is expected, often gained through formal education or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 5+ years of product design experience, with a significant portion focused on complex multi-user experiences, two-sided platforms, or marketplace environments. Demonstrated experience in a senior or lead capacity is required, showcasing the ability to set design direction and drive outcomes autonomously.

Required Skills:

• Marketplace & Two-Sided Platform Design: Proven experience designing for platforms with distinct user groups (e.g., creators and consumers), understanding their unique needs and interactions.

• AI-Assisted Design & Development Fluency: Hands-on experience with AI prototyping tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, v0, Lovable, or similar technologies for rapid concept exploration and validation.

• Advanced Figma Proficiency: Expertise in creating high-fidelity designs, interactive prototypes, and design systems to facilitate efficient cross-functional collaboration.

• Product & Systems Thinking: Ability to connect individual user experiences to broader platform dynamics, business objectives, and long-term strategic goals.

• 0→1 Product Development: Demonstrated success in taking ambiguous opportunities from initial concept through to launch and iterative improvement.

• Discovery & Recommendation Systems: Understanding of search, ranking algorithms, personalization, and recommendation engines within a discovery context.

• Trust & Conversion Dynamics: Experience designing features that build user trust and optimize conversion funnels within a marketplace.

• Strong Communication & Articulation: Ability to clearly explain design decisions, constructively challenge assumptions, and build consensus across diverse teams.

• Proactive & Autonomous Work Style: Demonstrated ability to work independently, take ownership, and drive projects forward in a remote, asynchronous environment.

• Professional English Fluency: Equivalent to CEFR C2 / ILR 5, ensuring effective communication in a global team.

Preferred Skills:

• Conversational Interface Design: Experience designing natural language interfaces for search, interaction, or customer support.

• Curation & Content Discovery Design: Expertise in designing user flows for discovering and engaging with content or experiences.

• Community Building & Engagement Design: Understanding of how to foster community and drive engagement within a platform.

• Data Analysis & Interpretation: Ability to leverage user data and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Experience in the Creator Economy: Familiarity with the tools, platforms, and dynamics of the creator ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of traditional product design skills with cutting-edge AI tool proficiency and deep marketplace expertise. The "0→1 product development" requirement is crucial, indicating a need for candidates who thrive in ambiguity and can build from scratch. The professional fluency in English is a key requirement for effective collaboration in a globally distributed team.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Shipped Products: Showcase at least 2-3 significant products or features launched, with clear articulation of your role and impact.

• Complex Multi-User Experiences: Demonstrate designs for platforms involving distinct user types or interactions between multiple user groups.

• Marketplace Dynamics: Include case studies that highlight your understanding of two-sided marketplace challenges, such as balancing supply and demand, building trust, or optimizing discovery.

• AI Integration Examples: Feature projects where AI was leveraged in the design process (e.g., AI-assisted prototyping, AI-driven personalization) or as a core feature of the product.

• 0→1 Product Development Case Study: Present a project that clearly illustrates your ability to take an ambiguous idea from conception to a launched product.

Process Documentation:

• Problem Framing & Opportunity Identification: Show how you identify user needs and business opportunities, and how you frame these into actionable design problems.

• Design Strategy & Decision-Making: Detail your process for defining design direction, making strategic trade-offs, and justifying your choices with evidence and rationale.

• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration: Illustrate your workflow for rapid prototyping, user testing, and iterative refinement, especially using AI-assisted tools.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication: Provide examples of how you collaborate with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders, including how you communicate design rationale and manage feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should not only showcase visual design and interaction skills but also demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and a deep understanding of marketplace mechanics. A strong emphasis on AI tool usage and 0-to-1 product development is essential. The ability to articulate the "why" behind design decisions and demonstrate impact through metrics will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: USD $140,000 – $170,000 annually. This range is benchmarked against U.S. standards for senior/lead product design roles, reflecting the global competitiveness of the compensation package. The final salary will depend on the candidate's experience level and alignment with the Lead or Senior role requirements.

Benefits:

• Equity Participation: Stock options and ongoing refresh grants, offering ownership and long-term financial upside.

• Generous Paid Time Off: 35 days of paid time off annually, promoting work-life balance and employee well-being.

• Fully Remote Working Environment: Complete flexibility to work from anywhere, fostering autonomy and a global talent pool.

• Twice-Yearly Company Retreats: Opportunities for in-person team building and collaboration in diverse international locations.

• Health, Wellbeing, and Professional Development Support: Comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, personal growth, and continuous learning.

• High-Autonomy Culture: Emphasis on ownership, trust, and results over hours worked, enabling flexible work practices.

• Global & Diverse Team: Opportunity to collaborate with a diverse, international team across 30+ countries.

• Significant Growth Opportunities: Potential to shape a critical marketplace product area and influence overall product direction.

Working Hours: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied for full-time employment, the company emphasizes high autonomy and outcomes over hours. This suggests flexibility in scheduling, provided work is completed effectively and asynchronous communication is managed well for a globally distributed team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The compensation is U.S.-benchmarked, which is a significant advantage for candidates in regions with lower cost of living. The extensive PTO and focus on autonomy are key differentiators. The "fully remote" nature combined with company retreats fosters a unique work culture that blends flexibility with intentional in-person connection.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on building a "discovery marketplace" connecting creators with audiences for meaningful experiences. This falls under the broader tech and creator economy sectors.

Company Size: Not explicitly stated, but the mention of a "talented, globally distributed team" and "collaborating with talented professionals across 30+ countries" suggests a growing, international organization, likely beyond the startup phase but not yet a large enterprise.

Founded: Not specified, but the mention of "founder-led product team" implies a relatively early-stage or growth-focused company where founders remain actively involved in product direction.

Team Structure:

• Product Team: Founder-led, indicating a close relationship between product, design, and executive leadership.

• Design Team: Globally distributed, with a focus on mentorship and influence rather than formal people management for this lead role. Collaboration is likely asynchronous.

• Engineering Team: Experienced and collaborative, working closely with product and design to bring ideas to fruition.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: High emphasis on working with product and engineering, with proactive communication being key due to the remote, distributed nature.

Methodology:

• AI-Centric Approach: AI is central to the discovery experience and is also integrated into the design and development process (AI-assisted prototyping).

• Data-Driven & Iterative: Emphasis on experimentation, iteration, feedback, and evidence to build conviction and drive product direction.

• High-Ownership & Autonomy: Culture promotes individuals taking ownership of their work, making decisions, and driving outcomes independently.

• Bias Towards Action: Comfort operating in ambiguity and a bias toward action and learning over waiting for complete specifications.

Company Website: https://jobgether.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture appears to be geared towards highly independent, proactive, and collaborative individuals who thrive in a remote, globally distributed environment. The focus on AI and rapid iteration suggests a forward-thinking, innovative company. The "founder-led" aspect often means a fast-paced environment with direct access to decision-makers.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as Lead Product Designer, indicating a senior individual contributor role with significant influence. It requires a strategic mindset, ownership of a critical product area, and the ability to mentor and elevate others. It's a step beyond a senior individual contributor, often involving setting design vision and strategy for a specific domain.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into a "founder-led product team." This implies direct access to leadership and significant influence on product strategy, with the design lead likely reporting to a Head of Product, CPO, or even one of the founders directly.

Operations Impact: The Lead Product Designer's impact is directly tied to the success of the marketplace discovery engine. This includes driving user acquisition (consumers), creator engagement and retention, and overall platform transaction volume. By improving discovery, trust, and user experience, the role directly influences revenue generation and platform growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Product Strategy Influence: Opportunity to significantly shape the strategic direction of a core marketplace product area, influencing the company's roadmap.

• AI Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing with and for AI technologies, a rapidly growing and in-demand skill set.

• Leadership Through Influence: Develop mentorship and leadership skills by guiding and elevating other designers, potentially paving the way for future formal leadership roles.

• 0→1 Product Innovation: Gain extensive experience in launching new products and features from inception in a dynamic environment.

• Global Collaboration & Networking: Build a strong network by working with a diverse, international team and participating in company-wide retreats.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers substantial growth potential for designers looking to operate at a strategic level within a product-led organization. The emphasis on AI and marketplace dynamics provides a strong specialization opportunity. The "lead" title, even as an IC, signifies a pathway to greater strategic responsibility and potential future management roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully remote, with no requirement for a physical office space. This allows for maximum flexibility in location.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Bulgaria, but the "fully remote" nature means the individual can work from anywhere within their chosen location (Bulgaria). The company has a global team spanning over 30 countries.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: While remote, the company fosters collaboration through asynchronous communication tools, regular check-ins, and twice-yearly company retreats for in-person interaction.

• Technology & Tools: Access to modern design and development tools, including advanced Figma capabilities and AI-assisted prototyping software, is expected and provided.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for interaction occur through Slack, video calls, design reviews, and dedicated collaboration sessions. The remote nature requires proactive engagement and clear communication.

Work Schedule: The role is fully remote, with an emphasis on autonomy and outcomes. While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, flexibility in scheduling is likely permitted, provided work is completed effectively and communication with distributed teams across time zones is managed. This flexibility is crucial for managing tasks related to process optimization and data analysis which might require focused, uninterrupted time.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature is a key aspect of the work environment, demanding strong self-discipline and communication skills. The company attempts to mitigate the isolation of remote work through retreats and intentional collaboration practices. The flexibility in work schedule is beneficial for operations-focused tasks that require deep concentration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• AI-Powered Screening: Initial application review by Jobgether's AI to ensure core requirements are met, followed by handover to the partner company.

• Company Screening: The hiring company's internal team will review shortlisted candidates. This may involve an initial call with a recruiter or hiring manager.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A significant part of the process will likely involve a deep dive into your portfolio. This could include a presentation of case studies, a take-home design challenge, or a live design critique. Expect to discuss your process, rationale, and the impact of your work.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with product managers and engineers to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to contribute to product strategy.

• Founder/Leadership Interview: A final interview with founders or senior leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic alignment, and overall suitability for the lead role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase 0→1 & Marketplace Expertise: Clearly highlight projects demonstrating your ability to build from ambiguity and your experience with two-sided marketplaces.

• Detail Your Process: For each case study, explain your problem-solving approach, research methods, design iterations, and the rationale behind key decisions.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics and data to demonstrate the business and user impact of your designs (e.g., conversion rates, engagement metrics, user satisfaction).

• Highlight AI Tool Usage: Explicitly mention and showcase how you've used AI-assisted design and development tools to accelerate your workflow or enhance product outcomes.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives that convey the challenge, your approach, your contributions, and the results.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Marketplace Dynamics: Be ready to discuss the unique challenges of designing for a two-sided marketplace, including creator enablement, consumer trust, and discovery optimization.

• AI Integration Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how AI can be leveraged to solve specific user problems or improve the marketplace experience.

• Systems Thinking: Practice articulating how your designs fit into the larger ecosystem of the platform and how they impact various user segments and business goals.

• Remote Collaboration: Be ready to discuss how you manage communication, collaboration, and feedback in a remote, asynchronous environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess both design craft and strategic thinking, with a strong emphasis on practical application and collaboration skills. The portfolio is critical and must clearly demonstrate the specific requirements of this role, especially AI proficiency and marketplace experience.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency is a core requirement for design, prototyping, and system building. Expect to create high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes.

• AI-Assisted Prototyping Tools: Genuine fluency with tools like Cursor, Claude Code, v0, Lovable, or comparable technologies is essential for rapid exploration and development.

• Collaboration Platforms: Slack (or similar) for day-to-day communication, video conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet) for meetings.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics for tracking user behavior, feature adoption, and conversion funnels.

• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools that can help interpret and present data insights, potentially Tableau, Looker, or similar, although specific tools are not listed.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): While not directly a design tool, understanding how user data flows from design into CRM and sales/marketing automation systems is beneficial for a holistic product view.

• Project Management Tools: Familiarity with tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello for managing design tasks and project workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and AI-assisted tools is paramount. While direct CRM/automation tool experience isn't a primary requirement for a designer, an understanding of how their designs impact these systems and the data they generate is valuable for a product-focused role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• High Ownership: Taking full responsibility for outcomes and driving projects to completion with minimal oversight.

• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Working effectively with a diverse, global team, valuing different perspectives, and fostering an inclusive environment.

• Outcomes Over Hours: Focusing on delivering impactful results rather than simply logging time.

• Craft & Continuous Improvement: A commitment to high-quality design execution and a drive for ongoing learning and refinement.

• Experimentation & Iteration: A willingness to test ideas, learn from failures, and continuously improve through iterative processes.

• Proactive Communication: Valuing transparency, clear articulation of thoughts, and timely updates, especially in a remote setting.

Collaboration Style:

• Asynchronous First: Designed for a remote, global team, relying heavily on clear written communication and well-documented decisions.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Strong emphasis on close collaboration with product and engineering to ensure alignment and effective execution.

• Influence-Based Leadership: Design contributions and quality are expected to influence decisions and raise standards across the team.

• Feedback-Oriented: A culture that encourages constructive feedback exchange to drive improvements in both product and process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is clearly built around the tenets of remote work, autonomy, and a results-driven approach. Designers who are self-starters, excellent communicators, and can thrive in a less structured, more autonomous environment will be a good fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity: Navigating a 0→1 product space with evolving requirements and a need to define strategy through experimentation.

• Balancing Two-Sided Marketplace Needs: Effectively designing for two distinct user groups with potentially conflicting needs and motivations.

• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Creating AI-driven experiences that feel intuitive, trustworthy, and truly enhance the user's journey, rather than being a gimmick.

• Maintaining Design Quality in a Remote, Distributed Team: Ensuring consistency and high standards across a globally dispersed team without direct oversight.

• Rapid Iteration Cycles: Keeping pace with ambitious product goals and frequent iteration demands, especially with AI-assisted tools.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI in Design: Gain extensive hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI tools and their application in product design and development workflows.

• Marketplace Strategy Expertise: Develop a sophisticated understanding of marketplace dynamics, growth levers, and operational considerations.

• Strategic Product Leadership: Hone skills in shaping product strategy, influencing roadmaps, and driving business outcomes as a lead individual contributor.

• Mentorship & Design Leadership: Build experience in guiding and elevating other designers, developing leadership presence and influence.

• Global Team Collaboration: Enhance skills in working effectively across cultures and time zones, a critical competency in today's workforce.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but directly tied to high-impact growth opportunities. This role is ideal for a designer who seeks complex problems and wants to push the boundaries of AI-driven design within a marketplace context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Marketplace Design Strategy: "Describe how you would approach designing a new recommendation engine for our marketplace, considering both creator visibility and consumer personalization. What metrics would you track?"

• AI Design Process: "Walk us through a project where you used AI-assisted tools in your design workflow. What were the benefits, challenges, and how did it impact your output?"

• 0→1 Product Development: "Tell us about a time you took an ambiguous idea from concept to launch. What was your process, and how did you navigate uncertainty?"

• Balancing User Needs: "How do you ensure that designs for a two-sided marketplace effectively serve both the supply (creators) and demand (consumers) sides?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• Remote Work Philosophy: "How do you maintain productivity, collaboration, and a sense of connection in a fully remote, asynchronous environment?"

• Design Influence: "How do you influence product direction and raise the design bar within a cross-functional team, especially when not in a formal management role?"

• Handling Ambiguity: "Describe a situation where you had to make critical design decisions with incomplete information. What was your approach?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific contributions, your design process (especially AI tool usage), and the measurable outcomes.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Explain how your designs fit into the broader marketplace ecosystem and impact multiple user journeys.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss the strategic decisions and trade-offs you made during the design process.

• Showcase AI Tool Proficiency: Verbally and visually demonstrate your comfort and expertise with the AI-assisted tools mentioned in the requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, a deep understanding of marketplace mechanics, and practical experience with AI-driven design. The ability to articulate process, impact, and collaboration in a remote setting will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.lever.co.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to prominently feature your experience with marketplace design, AI-assisted tools, and 0-to-1 product development. Select 2-3 strongest case studies that directly align with the job requirements.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume highlights your 5+ years of product design experience, specific marketplace or two-sided platform work, and any experience with AI-driven features or tools. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare for Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your chosen case studies, focusing on your process, rationale, impact, and how you leveraged AI tools. Be ready to discuss your contributions clearly and concisely.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Jobgether's mission and the partner company's product (if available). Understand their focus on creator-audience connection and AI-driven discovery.

⚠️ 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.