Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Basis AI

Location: New York, NY, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / AI / SaaS

Date Posted: September 15, 2026

Experience Level: 4-8 Years (with consideration for extraordinary talent with fewer years)

Remote Status: On-site (NYC Flatiron office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design of novel user-agent interactions, bridging the gap between human creativity and AI capabilities in complex SaaS environments.

• Invent and prototype agent-ready UI primitives that agents can dynamically assemble, edit, and explain in real-time, enhancing the user experience of AI-driven workflows.

• Develop deep user empathy by immersing in accounting tasks and becoming a primary user of Basis's AI agents, ensuring designs meet the practical needs of professionals.

• Collaborate closely with founders and engineering teams to define and iterate on a long-term product vision, translating ambitious future states into actionable quarterly goals.

• Drive rapid learning and application of insights from new domains (like accounting) and emerging AI technologies to inform product design decisions and maintain a competitive edge.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned at the forefront of designing interfaces for "generally-intelligent software." The emphasis on "agent-native builder" and "user-agent interactions" signifies a pioneering approach to UX that moves beyond traditional chatbot interfaces, requiring a candidate comfortable with ambiguity and speculative design in the AI space.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and iterate on user-agent interactions across multiple digital surfaces, from initial conceptual sketches to fully polished, production-ready interfaces.

• Invent and implement agent-ready UI primitives that can be seamlessly assembled, edited, and explained by AI agents in real-time, enabling co-creation between humans and AI.

• Collaborate closely with product management and engineering to integrate AI agents seamlessly into both new and existing product features, ensuring a cohesive user experience.

• Conduct user research and perform accounting tasks directly within the Basis platform to gain deep empathy and practical understanding of user needs and workflows.

• Partner with founders and leadership to envision and define the future state of AI-driven productivity tools, translating strategic visions into concrete product roadmaps and design bets.

• Continuously learn and synthesize insights from emerging AI capabilities, UX best practices for intelligent software, and the specifics of the accounting domain to inform design strategy.

• Prototype and test design concepts rapidly, utilizing tools like Figma and other rapid prototyping methods to validate ideas with stakeholders and users.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "spend a portion of your time actually doing accounting work in Basis and becoming a user" is a critical differentiator. This goes beyond typical user research, suggesting a need for a designer who can deeply internalize the user's workflow and pain points to design truly impactful AI solutions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrable experience in designing complex SaaS or AI tooling are paramount.

Experience: 4–8 years of experience in product design, with a significant focus on complex SaaS applications or AI-powered tools. Candidates with at least one successful 0→1 product launch will be strongly considered. Extraordinary talent with fewer years of experience may also be considered.

Required Skills:

• Product Design: Proven ability to design end-to-end user experiences for complex software applications.

• UI/UX Design: Expertise in creating intuitive, efficient, and engaging user interfaces and workflows.

• SaaS & AI Tooling Design: Experience designing for sophisticated enterprise software and AI-driven products.

• Prototyping: Proficiency in rapid prototyping tools (e.g., Figma) and methodologies to quickly test and iterate on design concepts.

• User Empathy & Research: Ability to deeply understand user needs, conduct effective user research, and translate insights into design solutions.

• First-Principles Reasoning: Capacity to break down complex problems to their fundamental components and rebuild solutions without legacy bias.

• Agent-Native Design: Demonstrated understanding and experience with prototyping using LLMs, and an ability to articulate how AI fundamentally changes UX paradigms.

• High Learning Velocity: Aptitude for quickly grasping new domains (like accounting) and new technologies.

• Whiteboard to Figma Proficiency: Comfort with rapid, collaborative whiteboarding sessions and the ability to translate those concepts into polished digital designs.

• Autonomy & Ownership: Ability to make independent decisions and take full ownership of design problem spaces.

Preferred Skills:

• Accounting Principles: Practical knowledge or experience within the accounting domain.

• Product Ownership: Experience owning a product or significant feature set from conception to launch and iteration.

• Experience with LLM-powered applications: Hands-on experience designing interfaces that leverage large language models.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with engineering, product management, and founders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on being an "agent-native builder" and using AI extensively ("You should be using AI for your own work a ton") suggests that candidates who can demonstrate proactive engagement with AI tools in their personal and professional workflows will have a distinct advantage.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• 0→1 Product Launch Case Study: A detailed case study showcasing a product or feature launched from inception to market, highlighting design challenges, user research, iterative process, and final outcomes.

• Complex SaaS/AI Tooling Design: Examples demonstrating the ability to design intricate workflows, data visualizations, and interaction patterns for sophisticated enterprise software or AI applications.

• User-Agent Interaction Design: Prototypes or case studies illustrating innovative approaches to how users interact with AI agents, including concepts for co-creation, task delegation, and trust-building.

• Agent-Ready UI Primitives: Designs that showcase the conceptualization and potential implementation of modular UI components that AI agents can dynamically assemble and manipulate.

• Problem-Solving & Iteration: Evidence of a rigorous design process, including user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iterative refinement based on feedback and data.

Process Documentation:

• Design Process Walkthrough: Clearly articulate your design methodology, from initial problem definition and user research through to final design handoff and post-launch analysis.

• Prototyping & Testing Methods: Detail the tools and techniques used for prototyping (e.g., Figma, interactive prototypes) and how user testing was incorporated to validate design decisions.

• Collaboration & Handoff: Illustrate how you collaborate with engineering and product teams, including documentation, design system contributions, and handoff processes.

• Impact Measurement: Demonstrate how you measure the success of your designs, using metrics and qualitative feedback to show impact on user behavior and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on pioneering AI interfaces and the "0→1 launch" requirement, a portfolio that clearly articulates the why behind design decisions, the iterative process, and the measurable impact will be crucial. Demonstrating comfort with ambiguity and the ability to define new interaction paradigms is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $100,000 - $250,000 USD per year. (This range is provided based on the input data. For a role of this seniority and in a high-cost-of-living area like New York City, this range is competitive for a Product Designer with significant experience in complex SaaS and AI tooling, especially within a well-funded startup environment.)

Benefits:

• Health & Wellness: Premium Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage; Life Insurance.

• Mental Health Support: 6 coaching sessions and 6 therapy sessions through Spring Health.

• Wellness Platform: Full Wellhub Gold membership, providing access to gyms (Lifetime, SoulCycle, NYSC, etc.) and wellness apps (Strava, Headspace).

• Paid Time Off: Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) plus 12 paid company holidays.

• In-Office Perks: Daily meal stipends, a fully stocked kitchen, and a $300 stipend for custom desk setup.

• Financial Security: Pre-tax commuter benefits and a 401(k) retirement plan.

• Team Engagement: Monthly office activities and frequent optional team happy hours.

• Family Support: Parental Leave.

Working Hours: Full-time, generally expected to be around 40 hours per week, with an emphasis on high productivity and impact within an intense startup culture. The role requires a full-time commitment to the NYC office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of a Wellhub Gold membership and a generous desk setup stipend are notable benefits that support employee well-being and productivity, reflecting a modern startup approach to employee support. The unlimited PTO is standard for many tech companies, but the explicit mention of 12 paid holidays is a good detail.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), Enterprise Software, Accounting Technology. Basis AI is at the cutting edge of deploying advanced Machine Learning models for real-world economic tasks, specifically within the accounting sector.

Company Size: Recently raised $100M at a >$1B valuation, indicating a growth-stage startup environment that is rapidly scaling. The team is likely composed of highly motivated individuals from top tech backgrounds.

Founded: Basis AI is a relatively new company, focused on pushing the boundaries of AI agents at production scale. This implies a culture of innovation, rapid iteration, and a strong drive to achieve ambitious goals.

Team Structure:

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes close partnership with founders, product design, and engineering teams, suggesting a highly collaborative and integrated work environment.

• Founder-Led Vision: Designers will work directly with founders to shape the strategic direction and future vision of the product, indicating direct access to leadership and significant influence.

• Specialized Expertise: The company attracts top talent, implying a team with deep expertise in AI, ML, software engineering, and design, fostering a high-performance culture.

Methodology:

• Applied ML at Production Scale: A core focus on deploying sophisticated AI models into real-world, economically valuable applications, requiring robust engineering and design practices.

• First-Principles Approach: Emphasis on breaking down complex problems to their fundamental elements to develop innovative solutions, particularly relevant in designing for novel AI capabilities.

• User-Centric AI Design: Deep user empathy is a cornerstone, with designers expected to become users themselves to ensure AI solutions genuinely address professional needs.

Company Website: https://www.getbasis.ai/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "real agents that do real work in the real economy" and their investor base (including prominent operators and technical leaders) suggests a culture that values practical application, high performance, and ambitious problem-solving.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is for a senior Product Designer, likely considered a Lead or Principal Designer depending on the exact team structure. It's a "0→1" role, meaning the designer will be instrumental in defining and building new product paradigms from the ground up.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report into a Head of Product, VP of Design/Product, or directly to one of the founders, given the startup's stage and the emphasis on close collaboration with leadership.

Operations Impact: The designer will have a direct and profound impact on the company's core product offering and its ability to onboard and retain users in demanding professional fields like accounting. Their work will define how users perceive and interact with advanced AI agents, directly influencing user adoption, satisfaction, and the company's market position.

Growth Opportunities:

• Product Visionary Role: Opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven productivity tools and define new interaction paradigms for "generally-intelligent software."

• Technical & Domain Expertise: Deep dive into applied ML, LLMs, and the intricacies of the accounting domain, building unique expertise at the intersection of these fields.

• Leadership & Mentorship: As the company scales, there will be opportunities to mentor junior designers, build out design processes, and potentially lead design teams.

• Startup Equity: High-upside equity potential, aligning personal financial growth with the company's success.

• Rapid Skill Development: The high-intensity, fast-paced environment fosters rapid learning and skill advancement across design, AI, and business strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "18 months out" design horizon and the "0→1 launch" expectation signify a role with significant strategic input and the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on a potentially category-defining product. The emphasis on "learning velocity" suggests a culture that rewards quick adaptation and continuous self-improvement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly on-site in Basis AI's NYC Flatiron office, emphasizing a preference for in-person collaboration and team energy.

Office Location(s): New York City, Flatiron district. This is a prime Manhattan location, offering excellent access to public transportation and a vibrant urban environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Five days a week in the office facilitates spontaneous whiteboarding sessions, quick feedback loops, and strong team cohesion among designers, engineers, accountants, and founders.

• Tools & Technology: While specific tools aren't detailed beyond Figma, expect a modern tech stack common in AI startups, likely including cloud-based collaboration tools, robust development environments, and potentially specialized AI/ML platforms.

• Team Interaction: The culture promotes frequent interaction through daily work, monthly activities, and optional happy hours, fostering a close-knit team dynamic.

Work Schedule: A full-time commitment is expected, aligning with the high-intensity, fast-paced nature of a well-funded, ambitious startup. While specific hours aren't rigidly defined, the emphasis is on impact and productivity within the office setting.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "five days a week on whiteboards with engineers, accountants, and founders" paints a clear picture of the desired work environment: highly interactive, collaborative, and hands-on, prioritizing in-person synergy for rapid innovation.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of application materials, focusing on portfolio relevance, experience (especially 0→1 launches), and demonstrated AI fluency.

• Design Exercise/Case Study Presentation: Likely a deep dive into a portfolio case study, or a take-home design challenge, focusing on problem-solving, user-centricity, and innovative AI interaction design. Expect to present your thought process and rationale.

• Founder/Team Interviews: Discussions focused on strategic thinking, first-principles reasoning, learning velocity, and cultural fit within a high-intensity startup. Expect to discuss your approach to designing for ambiguity and future-state products.

• Whiteboarding Session: A practical session, possibly with engineers or founders, to sketch out ideas and demonstrate your ability to think on your feet and collaborate visually.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight 0→1 Success: Clearly showcase at least one project where you led design from concept to launch. Detail the problem, your approach, the challenges, and the outcomes.

• Demonstrate AI Interaction Design: Include examples of how you've designed for AI, even if experimental. Explain your hypotheses about user-agent interaction and how you'd prototype or test them.

• Showcase Process & Rationale: Don't just show pretty screens. Explain your decision-making process, user research insights, and how you iterated based on feedback.

• Emphasize First-Principles Thinking: Articulate how you break down complex problems and arrive at fundamental solutions, especially relevant for designing novel AI experiences.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased user adoption, efficiency gains, improved satisfaction).

• Tailor to Basis AI: Research Basis AI's mission, investors, and the accounting domain. Show how your skills and portfolio align with their specific challenges and vision.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Basis AI's Mission: Deeply research what Basis AI does, their target users (accountants), and their unique approach to AI agents.

• Practice AI Interaction Design: Think about how humans and AI can collaborate. Consider scenarios for task delegation, explanation, trust, and error handling.

• Prepare Accounting Domain Insights: If you don't have accounting experience, spend time understanding basic accounting workflows and pain points.

• Be Ready for "What If" Scenarios: Anticipate questions about future AI capabilities and how you would design for them.

• Articulate Your Process: Be ready to explain your design decisions and thought process clearly and concisely, especially during whiteboarding sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "agent-native builder" and "first-principles reasoner" means interviewers will be looking for candidates who can think critically about AI's unique capabilities and limitations, rather than simply applying traditional UX patterns to AI products.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned for "Whiteboard-to-Figma range," indicating it's a core tool for design and prototyping.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, expect other rapid prototyping tools or the ability to create interactive prototypes to test user-agent interactions.

• Whiteboarding Tools: For collaborative sketching and ideation, likely digital tools (e.g., Miro, FigJam) complementing in-person whiteboarding.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly mentioned for the designer role, expect to work with data that informs design decisions. This could involve using analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) to understand user behavior within the AI agent workflows.

• Designers may also be involved in defining key metrics for user engagement and task success within the AI-driven product. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the designer's core tools, but understanding how the product integrates with or automates workflows for accounting professionals is essential. The designer's work will directly impact the efficiency and usability of these automated processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mention of "prototyping with LLMs" suggests that the designer might be expected to experiment with or leverage AI tools directly in their design workflow, potentially using LLM-based prototyping aids or testing AI-generated UI elements.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• First-Principles Reasoning: A core value driving innovation and problem-solving, encouraging designers to question assumptions and build from fundamental truths.

• Learning Velocity: A commitment to rapid learning and adaptation in a fast-evolving field like AI and specialized domains like accounting.

• Autonomy & Ownership: Empowering individuals to take initiative, make decisions, and own their areas of responsibility end-to-end.

• All-In Mindset: A culture of dedication, high intensity, and commitment to achieving ambitious goals, aligned with the high-upside potential of a startup.

• User Empathy: A deep understanding and focus on the user's needs, with designers expected to become users themselves.

Collaboration Style:

• In-Person Synergy: Strong emphasis on face-to-face collaboration, whiteboarding, and daily interaction with engineers, founders, and users.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are integral to the product development process, working hand-in-hand with product management and engineering.

• Direct Feedback Loops: The environment likely supports open communication and frequent feedback, essential for rapid iteration in a startup setting.

• Visionary Partnership: Designers will collaborate directly with founders to shape the product's future, indicating a partnership in strategic ideation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "All-in mindset" and "high-intensity culture" suggest a demanding but potentially very rewarding environment for individuals who thrive on challenging work and direct impact.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity: Defining new interaction paradigms for AI agents where established UX patterns may not apply.

• Rapidly Evolving Technology: Keeping pace with the fast advancements in LLMs and AI capabilities, and translating them into usable product features.

• Domain Complexity: Deeply understanding the intricacies of accounting workflows and regulations to design effective AI solutions.

• Balancing Vision and Execution: Translating long-term product visions (e.g., "Basis 2027") into actionable, deliverable designs in the short term.

• High-Intensity Culture: Adapting to and thriving in a fast-paced, demanding startup environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge AI UX: Gaining expertise in designing for "generally-intelligent software" and novel user-agent interactions.

• Applied ML & LLM Expertise: Deep immersion in the technical and practical aspects of deploying AI at scale.

• Accounting Domain Mastery: Developing specialized knowledge in a critical professional sector.

• Product Strategy & Vision: Directly contributing to and influencing the strategic direction of a rapidly growing AI company.

• Leadership Potential: Opportunities to grow into design leadership roles as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge will be navigating the uncharted territory of designing for advanced AI agents. Success will require a blend of deep empathy, strong foundational design skills, and a willingness to experiment and learn at an accelerated pace.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you design the primary interface for an AI agent that performs end-to-end accounting tasks, allowing users to co-create and delegate work?"

• "Describe your process for designing a new UI primitive that an AI agent could dynamically assemble and explain to a user. What are the key considerations?"

• "Given Basis AI's mission to build 'real agents that do real work,' how would you approach building user trust in these agents, especially within a sensitive domain like accounting?"

• "Imagine Basis AI 18 months from now. What key interaction patterns or features would you prioritize designing first to move towards that vision?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in designing for AI agents specifically, and what excites you about Basis AI's approach?"

• "Describe a time you had to learn a completely new domain or technology quickly. How did you approach it?"

• "How do you approach autonomy and ownership in your work? Describe a situation where you made a significant decision without a committee."

• "How do you feel about working in a high-intensity, fast-paced startup environment? What are your expectations?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each relevant project, clearly outline the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), the solutions, and the impact.

• Emphasize 0→1 Experience: Dedicate significant time to detailing your most impactful 0→1 launch, highlighting the challenges and your contributions.

• Showcase AI Interaction Concepts: Even if experimental, present any work that demonstrates your thinking about user-agent interactions or novel AI interfaces. Explain your hypotheses.

• Articulate Your "Why": Be prepared to explain the rationale behind every design decision, connecting it back to user needs, business goals, or first-principles thinking.

• Be Ready for Whiteboarding: Practice sketching flows and concepts rapidly in response to hypothetical problems related to AI and accounting.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect questions that probe your ability to think conceptually about AI's future impact on UX, your comfort with ambiguity, and your capacity to translate abstract ideas into concrete design solutions.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Customize Your Resume & Portfolio: Tailor your resume to highlight experience in complex SaaS, AI tooling, 0→1 launches, and any relevant AI prototyping. Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies that demonstrate your design process, problem-solving skills, and impact, with a strong emphasis on any AI-related work or your approach to novel interactions.

• Prepare Your "Why": Be ready to articulate clearly why you are passionate about designing for AI agents, why Basis AI's mission resonates with you, and how your specific skills and experience align with the role's unique demands.

• Research Basis AI Deeply: Understand their product, their investors, their target market (accounting firms), and the broader landscape of AI agents. This will inform your application and interview responses.

• Practice Your Portfolio Presentation: Rehearse walking through your key case studies, focusing on explaining your thought process, design decisions, and the impact of your work, especially as it relates to the challenges outlined in the job description.

⚠️ 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.