Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Adapt.com

Location: San Francisco, CA

Job Type: Full-Time, Salaried

Category: Product Design (GTM Operations Adjacent)

Date Posted: August 27, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (4-7+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end product design, from initial concept and customer discovery through to final implementation and iteration, with a strong focus on user experience and product quality.

• Develop and maintain a robust, code-backed design system to ensure consistency and accelerate development across all product surfaces.

• Collaborate closely with a small, high-output product and engineering team to define and build Adapt's central agent platform.

• Leverage expertise in modern design tools and front-end development to ship high-quality product experiences efficiently.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a Product Designer, its emphasis on end-to-end ownership, shipping code, building foundational systems (design system), and working closely with engineering and product aligns closely with the operational rigor and cross-functional collaboration expected in GTM Operations, Sales Operations, and Revenue Operations roles. The "founding designer" aspect implies a significant impact on operational processes and product strategy from an early stage.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the entire product design lifecycle, encompassing user research, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation.

• Translate complex customer problems and business requirements into clear, intuitive, and high-quality user interfaces and experiences for both Slack and web platforms.

• Architect, build, and continuously evolve a scalable, code-backed design system that empowers the engineering team and ensures design consistency.

• Actively participate in customer discovery initiatives, directly engaging with early adopters to understand pain points and inform design decisions.

• Ship product updates and improvements frequently, ranging from core feature releases to smaller polish passes and copy enhancements.

• Collaborate daily with product and engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of design into the development process, potentially shipping code directly.

• Define and maintain the visual and interaction design standards for Adapt's core product surfaces, including setup, integrations, agent behavior, trust, and control features.

• Champion a culture of design excellence, focusing on taste, craft, and attention to detail across typography, color, motion, copy, and information density.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on approach to product development, emphasizing the "shipping" aspect and direct collaboration with engineering. This mirrors the operational focus on execution and process efficiency seen in operations roles. The emphasis on customer discovery and translating needs into shippable product is akin to understanding business requirements and implementing solutions in an ops context.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, demonstrated through experience and portfolio, is expected.

Experience: 4-7+ years of professional product design experience, with a preference for candidates with experience in AI, developer tools, infrastructure, enterprise software, or data products. Experience in early-stage startups (Seed, Series A, Series B) or a portfolio showcasing significant personal projects is highly valued.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in Figma: Advanced proficiency in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design.

• Modern Prototyping: Fluency in contemporary prototyping methodologies and tools.

• Front-end Development Fundamentals: Comfort and ability to write front-end code, specifically HTML/CSS and ideally Tailwind CSS and React, to facilitate direct shipping of work.

• End-to-End Design Ownership: Proven track record of taking product features from initial customer problem to shipped product.

• Design System Development: Experience in building and maintaining robust, code-backed design systems.

• Customer Discovery & Research: Ability to conduct user research and customer discovery to inform design decisions.

• Problem Decomposition: Skill in breaking down vague and ambiguous problems into concrete, actionable design solutions.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent communication skills for internal collaboration and direct customer interaction.

• AI Tool Familiarity: Strong interest and opinion on AI tools and their user experience.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI products, developer tools, or enterprise software.

• Direct experience shipping products in a startup environment.

• Proficiency in React and its ecosystem.

• Experience with data visualization and complex systems design.

• A keen eye for detail in typography, color, motion, and copy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for front-end coding and shipping directly to production is a significant differentiator for this design role, indicating a highly integrated and operational approach to product development, similar to how operations professionals bridge the gap between strategy and execution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Shipped Product Work: Demonstrate a history of successfully launched product features and experiences.

• Complex Systems Made Understandable: Showcase examples where you've simplified intricate systems or workflows through design.

• End-to-End Ownership: Clearly illustrate your involvement from understanding the customer problem through to implementation and post-launch iteration.

• Design System Contribution: Highlight your role in building or contributing to a design system, ideally with examples of its impact.

• Prototyping & Code Integration: Include examples of prototypes or even shipped code that demonstrate your technical capabilities.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Present case studies that detail how you identified design challenges, designed solutions, and optimized user workflows.

• Implementation & Automation: Showcase how your designs have been implemented, and if applicable, how they contribute to automation or efficiency gains.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Describe how you've measured the success of your designs post-launch, using data to inform future iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "shipping your own work to production," "code-backed system," and demonstrating "end-to-end ownership from the customer problem through implementation" strongly suggests a need for a portfolio that highlights tangible results and operational execution, not just conceptual design work. This is highly relevant for operations candidates who must demonstrate process improvement and impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $180,000 - $220,000 USD per year. This range is for the SF Bay Area, with actual compensation dependent on skills, experience, and location. Relocation assistance may be considered for exceptional candidates, but Bay Area applicants are preferred.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation Strategy: Includes significant equity grants for early hires, reflecting the company's growth stage.

• Comprehensive Healthcare: Robust medical, dental, and vision insurance packages.

• Top-Tier Equipment: Provision of the latest Apple silicon (Mac Studio/MacBook Pro), 5K displays, and any necessary peripherals.

• Frontier AI Access: Unlimited access to leading AI tools like Claude Code, OpenAI, Cursor, Codex, and Adapt itself for all engineers and designers.

• Daily Catered Lunch: Provided in the San Francisco office, alongside snacks and coffee.

• Founder-Dense Team: Direct access to leadership, including the CEO, CTO, and founding engineering/design team daily.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with the understanding that early-stage startups often require dedication and flexibility. The on-site nature suggests a structured workday within the office environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is for the San Francisco Bay Area, which has a high cost of living. The benefits package emphasizes cutting-edge technology and AI tools, which is highly relevant for a role at the forefront of AI development, and also appeals to operations professionals who value efficient tools and resources. The mention of "total comp also includes equity, benefits, and potential bonus or variable pay" suggests a comprehensive rewards structure.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on AI and enterprise software, aiming to build a central agent for companies. This is a fast-paced, innovative sector.

Company Size: Early-stage startup (Seed, Series A, Series B implied). This means a small, highly collaborative, and agile team where individual contributions have a significant impact.

Founded: Adapt.com is a relatively new company, with a founding team that is actively involved in daily operations and strategy. The emphasis is on building from the ground up.

Team Structure:

• Small, High-Output Product & Engineering Teams: Expect close-knit collaboration with engineers and product leadership.

• Founder-Dense Environment: Direct daily interaction with the CEO, CTO, and founding team members.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues in San Francisco.

Methodology:

• Bias Towards Shipping: The team prioritizes delivering functional, high-quality product experiences quickly and consistently.

• Data-Driven Iteration: Learning from real use and customer feedback is crucial for iterative improvement.

• Customer-Centric Design: Deep understanding of user needs and pain points informs all design and product decisions.

Company Website: https://www.adapt.com/ (Note: Actual company website may vary; this is an assumed URL for context)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is characterized by speed, direct impact, and close collaboration, mirroring the environment often found in operations teams focused on driving efficiency and rapid deployment. The "founder-dense" aspect suggests a flat hierarchy and direct access to decision-makers, which is common in early-stage GTM and Revenue Operations roles.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "founding designer" role, indicating a senior individual contributor position with significant influence on product direction and foundational systems. It's beyond a typical mid-level designer, offering opportunities to shape the design function as the company scales.

Reporting Structure: The designer will report directly to leadership, specifically mentioning "me, Dustin" (likely the hiring manager) and working closely with the CTO and co-founder Sean Smith, and the broader leadership team. This implies a direct line of communication and influence.

Operations Impact: The role is central to product development, directly influencing how companies build, run, and govern their central agent with Adapt. Success means customers love the product, and the designer will own and grow the design function, setting standards and processes that will scale.

Growth Opportunities:

• Shape the Design Function: As the founding designer, you have the unique opportunity to define and build the design practice, processes, and team at Adapt.

• Deep Technical & AI Exposure: Work with cutting-edge AI tools and technologies, deepening expertise in a rapidly evolving field.

• End-to-End Product Ownership: Gain comprehensive experience across the entire product development lifecycle, from initial concept to shipping and post-launch analysis.

• Leadership Potential: Opportunity to grow into a design leadership role as the company scales, mentoring future designers and defining design strategy.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance skills in collaboration with engineering, product, and leadership, learning how to drive product strategy in a startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "founding" aspect of this role means significant growth potential, not just in individual contribution but in shaping processes and potentially leading a team. This is analogous to early-stage operations roles where individuals build the operational framework for a growing company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site, in-person team environment located in the Presidio, San Francisco. This suggests a collaborative and focused workspace.

Office Location(s): Presidio, San Francisco. This location offers a unique and scenic work environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office is designed for close collaboration, with daily interaction with leadership and founding team members.

• High-Performance Tools: Access to top-tier equipment, including the latest Apple silicon, 5K displays, and advanced AI tools, facilitating efficient and cutting-edge work.

• Innovation Focus: Being in a founder-dense, in-person team environment in a beautiful location fosters a culture of innovation and shared purpose.

Work Schedule: While standard full-time hours are implied, the startup environment may necessitate flexibility. The on-site requirement promotes structured workdays and spontaneous collaboration, which can be beneficial for complex design and development tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on an in-person, collaborative environment is crucial. For operations roles, this often translates to more efficient problem-solving and faster iteration cycles due to immediate feedback loops and shared understanding built through direct interaction.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a review of your resume and portfolio to assess foundational skills and experience.

• Portfolio Presentation: A key stage will involve presenting your portfolio, focusing on case studies that demonstrate end-to-end ownership, problem-solving, and shipped work. Be prepared to discuss your design process, rationale, and impact.

• Technical/Design Challenge: Expect a design exercise or a discussion around how you'd approach specific product challenges, potentially involving Figma and prototyping.

• Coding & Shipping Discussion: Be ready to discuss your experience with front-end code (HTML, CSS, React, Tailwind) and how you've shipped work to production.

• Customer Discovery & Collaboration: Interviews will likely assess your ability to engage with customers, understand their needs, and collaborate effectively with product and engineering teams.

• Leadership & Culture Fit: Discussions will focus on your alignment with Adapt's values, your ability to set high standards, and your comfort working in a fast-paced startup environment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight End-to-End Ownership: For each project, clearly articulate the initial problem, your process, the decisions you made, the solutions you designed, and the impact of the shipped product.

• Showcase Shipping Experience: Emphasize projects where you were directly involved in shipping to production, detailing your role and the technologies used.

• Demonstrate Design System Contributions: If you've built or significantly contributed to a design system, showcase its components, documentation, and impact on development speed and consistency.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improvements in conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction).

• Code Fluency: Be prepared to discuss your coding capabilities and how they enabled you to ship your work or collaborate more effectively with engineers.

Challenge Preparation:

• Focus on Process: Understand how to break down a vague problem, ideate solutions, and articulate your design rationale clearly.

• Prototyping Skills: Be ready to demonstrate your ability to create interactive prototypes in Figma quickly.

• Code Integration: Consider how you might approach implementing design elements using HTML, CSS, and React/Tailwind.

• Customer-Centricity: Prepare to discuss how you would approach understanding user needs for a hypothetical product feature.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "shipping your own work to production," "code-backed design system," and demonstrating "end-to-end ownership from the customer problem through implementation" strongly suggests a need for a portfolio that highlights tangible results and operational execution, not just conceptual design work. This is highly relevant for operations candidates who must demonstrate process improvement and impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for design, wireframing, and prototyping. Mastery is essential.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in modern prototyping methods within Figma or other relevant tools.

• Design System Tools: Experience with tools and processes for building and maintaining design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, expect to work with product analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) to understand user behavior and measure design impact.

• Proficiency in interpreting data to inform design decisions is crucial. CRM & Automation:

• Front-end Development Languages: HTML, CSS, and ideally Tailwind CSS for styling.

• JavaScript Frameworks: React is highly preferred for front-end development and shipping code.

• AI Tools: Access to and experience with various AI tools, including Claude Code, OpenAI, Cursor, and Codex.

• Adapt Platform: Intimate knowledge and use of Adapt's own product.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of front-end coding skills (HTML, CSS, React, Tailwind) and the mention of specific AI tools are critical. This indicates a highly technical and integrated design role, where the designer is expected to be a hands-on contributor to the product's codebase and leverage AI technologies directly. This technical depth is often a valuable asset in operations roles as well.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Taste & Craft: A deep appreciation for quality, detail, and aesthetic excellence in product design.

• Shipping & Execution: A strong bias towards delivering functional, high-quality products and iterating quickly.

• Customer-Centricity: A genuine care for users and a commitment to solving their problems effectively.

• End-to-End Ownership: Taking responsibility for the entire product lifecycle, from concept to shipped pixel and beyond.

• Collaboration: Working closely and effectively with engineering, product, and leadership to achieve shared goals.

• Independence & Agency: Comfort in making decisions, taking initiative, and driving work forward with minimal direction.

Collaboration Style:

• Shoulder-to-Shoulder: The team works closely together in person, fostering a highly collaborative and integrated workflow.

• Direct Communication: Open and frequent communication with customers, engineers, and leadership is expected.

• Shipping Together: A collective focus on delivering value to customers as a unified team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of "shipping," "end-to-end ownership," and "collaboration" directly translate to the core principles of effective operations teams, which are built around process efficiency, accountability, and cross-functional synergy.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining Foundational Systems: Building a robust design system from the ground up for a new AI product requires strategic thinking and meticulous execution.

• Navigating Ambiguity: As a founding designer in an early-stage startup, you'll face many ambiguous problems that require independent problem-solving.

• Balancing Craft and Speed: The need to ship frequently while maintaining high standards of design quality and taste presents a continuous challenge.

• Integrating AI into UX: Designing intuitive and effective user experiences for cutting-edge AI functionalities requires innovation and deep understanding.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Shaping the Design Function: Opportunity to establish design processes, best practices, and potentially build a design team from scratch.

• Deep AI Product Experience: Gain extensive experience in designing for AI products and leveraging advanced AI tools.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Further develop front-end coding skills (HTML, CSS, React, Tailwind) and experience shipping code to production.

• Startup Leadership Skills: Develop strategic thinking, product vision, and leadership capabilities within a high-growth startup environment.

• Mentorship: Work closely with experienced founders and leadership, receiving direct guidance and mentorship.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly related to building foundational processes and systems, which is a hallmark of growth in operations roles. The learning opportunities emphasize building new functions and enhancing technical and leadership skills, aligning with career progression in operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you took a vague problem and turned it into a shippable product. What was your process?" (Focus on problem decomposition, ideation, and execution.)

• "How would you approach building a design system for a new AI product? What are the key considerations?" (Highlight your understanding of code-backed systems, scalability, and adoption.)

• "Tell us about a complex system you designed. How did you make it understandable for users?" (Showcase your ability to simplify complexity and your user-centric approach.)

• "How do you balance the need for high-quality design craft with the fast-paced demands of a startup shipping frequently?" (Demonstrate your understanding of prioritization and execution.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What are your thoughts on the current landscape of AI products and their user experiences?" (Show your interest in AI and your critical perspective.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration with engineers and product managers." (Emphasize your ability to work closely and effectively in a cross-functional team.)

• "How do you ensure your designs are customer-centric? Can you share an example?" (Provide evidence of your user research and empathy.)

• "What does 'taste' mean to you in the context of product design, and how do you cultivate it?" (Articulate your appreciation for design quality and detail.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each project as a narrative, clearly outlining the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the outcome.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively to showcase your designs, prototypes, and any shipped work.

• Highlight Code Contribution: Be prepared to discuss your front-end coding experience and how it directly contributed to shipping your designs.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success and ROI of your design efforts.

• Focus on End-to-End Ownership: Clearly articulate your involvement from initial discovery through to implementation and iteration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation emphasizes demonstrating ownership, process, technical skills (coding), and impact – all critical elements for operations professionals. The focus on "shipping" and "end-to-end ownership" is particularly relevant.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on Rlipping.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating end-to-end ownership, shipping experience, design system contributions, and your front-end coding capabilities.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 4-7+ years of relevant experience, proficiency in Figma and front-end technologies, and any experience in AI or startup environments. Use keywords like "product design," "Figma," "React," "HTML/CSS," "design systems," and "customer discovery."

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on your design process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work, especially emphasizing your ability to ship code.

• Company Research: Understand Adapt.com's mission, its focus on AI, and its early-stage startup environment. Prepare to discuss your interest in AI products and how your design philosophy aligns with their goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with Adapt.com during the application process.