(Mid-Senior) Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: (Mid-Senior) Product Designer

Company: autarc

Location: Berlin, Germany

Job Type: Permanent employee

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-28

Experience Level: Mid-Senior (2-5+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end design process for autarc's core product, the OS for heat pump and solar panel installers, focusing on enhancing user experience and optimizing core functionalities.

• Develop and rapidly ship innovative prototypes, translating user feedback and customer interests into tangible product features to validate market fit and drive adoption.

• Collaborate closely with experienced Engineers and Product Managers to iterate on existing features and build new, next-generation product capabilities, including leveraging AI and NLP for an AI voice agent.

• Manage product operations within Linear, ensuring efficient triage, prioritization, and sprint hygiene to maintain development velocity and product quality.

• Actively participate in product discovery through direct customer engagement, user interviews, and represent autarc in customer calls and sales meetings to gather critical insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the responsibilities heavily overlap with GTM Operations and Product Operations, particularly in areas like managing product operations in Linear, facilitating planning sessions, and representing the company in customer-facing scenarios. This role requires a blend of design expertise and operational execution to drive product success in a fast-paced startup environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and optimize the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) for autarc's OS, targeting heat pump and solar panel installers.

• Build and iterate on prototypes based on user feedback and customer interests, ensuring rapid deployment to market for validation.

• Collaborate with experienced Engineers and Product Managers to enhance and optimize the company's primary revenue-generating product.

• Drive product discovery initiatives through direct customer engagement and user interviews to inform the product roadmap and feature development.

• Manage product operations using Linear, including task triage, prioritization, and maintaining sprint hygiene for engineering teams.

• Facilitate planning sessions with product teams and sprint preparation meetings with engineering leads to ensure alignment and efficient execution.

• Represent autarc in customer calls, sales meetings, and training sessions to gather insights and communicate product value.

• Work alongside Engineers to build and ship new features and product enhancements, ensuring high-quality delivery.

• Contribute to the development of next-generation products, including leveraging LLMs and NLP for an AI voice agent to increase operational efficiencies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities listed emphasize a hands-on, execution-oriented approach, common in early-stage startups. The dual focus on design (UX/UI, prototyping) and operational tasks (product operations, sprint management, customer engagement) suggests a role that bridges the gap between design and go-to-market strategy.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant design and product development skills is essential.

Experience: 2-5+ years of progressive experience in Product Design, with a significant portion focused on B2B SaaS environments.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in UX/UI design principles and methodologies.

• Deep proficiency with Figma, and experience with complementary tools such as Lovable and Cursor.

• Demonstrated ability to build and ship prototypes rapidly, from ideation to market.

• Experience conducting user interviews and product discovery activities.

• Familiarity with B2B SaaS product development cycles.

• Native-level German speaking proficiency is mandatory for effective communication with local users and stakeholders.

• A strong portfolio showcasing a range of product design projects, emphasizing problem-solving and user-centric solutions.

• AI-native mindset, with experience utilizing AI tools to enhance design and development workflows.

• Desire to work within an AI-first team and contribute to an AI-driven product strategy. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with product operations tools such as Linear for task management and workflow optimization.

• Exposure to working with LLMs and NLP technologies for AI-driven features.

• Familiarity with the energy sector, specifically heat pumps and solar panels, to understand industry nuances.

• Experience in a startup environment, particularly those that have gone through accelerators like Y Combinator.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "AI-native" and "AI-first team" suggests a strong preference for candidates who are comfortable and experienced with leveraging AI tools in their design process. Native German is a critical requirement, highlighting the importance of local market understanding and communication.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a strong foundation in UX/UI design with clear examples of problem identification, user research, ideation, and final design solutions.

• Include case studies demonstrating the process of building and shipping prototypes, highlighting the iterative feedback loop and market validation.

• Feature projects that illustrate the application of AI tools in the design process or the design of AI-powered features.

• Provide examples of how you have managed product operations tasks, such as triage, prioritization, or sprint hygiene, ideally within tools like Linear.

• Demonstrate experience in conducting user interviews and product discovery, detailing your methodology and how insights informed design decisions. Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your design process from conception to launch, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final UI implementation.

• Detail your approach to collaborating with engineering teams, including how you handoff designs, provide specifications, and support implementation.

• Illustrate your methods for managing product discovery and incorporating user feedback into the product roadmap and design iterations.

• Document your experience with Agile methodologies, sprint planning, and maintaining workflow efficiency within product development cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires a portfolio that not only demonstrates design craft but also operational execution and a forward-thinking approach to AI integration. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their processes for rapid prototyping, user discovery, and managing product workflows.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Mid-Senior Product Designer with 2-5+ years of experience in Berlin, Germany, the estimated annual salary range is between €60,000 and €80,000. This estimate is based on current market data for similar roles in Berlin, considering the company's startup stage and the specific skill set required, including AI proficiency and native German language skills.

Benefits:

• Freedom to choose your own equipment (within a budget), allowing for personalized workstation setup.

• 26 paid vacation days per year, providing ample time for rest and rejuvenation.

• An annual team retreat to foster team bonding and strategic alignment.

• Mobility options: Choice between "Dance" or "JobRad" for commuting and transportation.

• Fitness benefits: Choice between "Classpass" or "Urban Sports Club" for health and wellness activities.

• Regular team events, lunches, and activities designed to promote a positive and collaborative work environment.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work arrangement that allows for flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on publicly available data for Product Designer roles in Berlin, Germany, for candidates with 2-5 years of experience. The range reflects the mid-to-senior level and the specialized skills, including AI and native German. Benefits are detailed as provided to highlight the company's commitment to employee well-being and engagement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focusing on Renewable Energy and SaaS solutions for the energy transition. autarc is developing the leading operating system (OS) for heat pump installers, aiming to simplify and accelerate the adoption of renewable heating solutions.

Company Size: Approximately 75 people, indicating a dynamic startup environment with opportunities for significant impact. As part of Y Combinator's S24 batch, autarc is positioned for rapid growth and innovation.

Founded: Founded in Berlin, autarc is a relatively young company focused on addressing a critical environmental challenge: reducing CO2 emissions from building heating.

Team Structure:

• The Engineering & Product department currently comprises around 25 people, with plans for continued growth.

• The role involves close collaboration with experienced Engineers and dedicated Product Managers.

• The company structure is typical of a growing startup, likely with cross-functional teams and direct reporting lines to leadership. Methodology:

• The company emphasizes an "AI-first" approach, integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into its product strategy and development processes.

• A strong focus on user-centric design and product discovery through direct customer engagement is evident.

• Agile methodologies are likely employed, given the mention