Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Outtake

Location: New York City, New York, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: September 14, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and develop user interfaces for an advanced agentic AI platform, focusing on threat investigation and autonomous agent management.

• Drive the visual design strategy and establish the aesthetic identity for a cutting-edge AI trust and safety product.

• Collaborate extensively with product and engineering teams to rapidly iterate on features and enhance user experience.

• Contribute to product strategy and UX decision-making, pushing beyond pure design execution.

• Evolve and maintain the company's design system, integrating AI into design workflows and prototyping.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a crucial early hire for the design function at Outtake, indicating a high degree of influence and ownership. The emphasis on "agentic AI," "threat investigation," and "trust layer of the modern internet" suggests a complex, technically driven product requiring deep domain understanding and robust UX solutions. The "full-stack" nature of the role implies a need for end-to-end design capabilities, from conceptualization to detailed UI execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design intuitive and effective user interfaces for complex workflow builders, enabling users to investigate threats, analyze campaign connections, and direct AI agents.

• Create compelling visual designs that establish and evolve Outtake's brand aesthetic and user experience across the entire product.

• Partner closely with product managers and engineers to translate user needs and business requirements into shipped product features, iterating rapidly based on feedback.

• Contribute to user research initiatives, directly engaging with customers to gather insights and validate design decisions.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive design system, ensuring consistency and scalability across the product.

• Explore and integrate AI-powered tools and methodologies into the design process to enhance efficiency and creativity.

• Proactively identify opportunities for UX improvements and contribute to the overall product strategy.

• Champion best practices in design, fostering a culture of quality and user-centricity within the product and engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of core product design tasks (interface design, visual design, design systems) with strategic contributions (product strategy, UX decisions) and a forward-thinking approach to AI integration in design. The direct customer engagement is a key aspect, emphasizing a user-centric and iterative design process.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience and skills in a relevant field (e.g., Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, Computer Science with a design focus) is expected.

Experience: 5+ years of product design experience, with a significant portion in early-stage or high-growth companies, demonstrating the ability to own outcomes end-to-end.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience designing technically complex products and making layered information clear and useful.

• Strong visual design instincts and a keen eye for aesthetic detail and craft.

• Deeply product-minded approach with a genuine user empathy and a desire to influence product strategy.

• Proficiency in end-to-end product design, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI design.

• Experience with collaborative design processes, including giving and receiving constructive feedback.

• A bias for action and iterative development, comfortable shipping V1s and improving them.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and take full ownership of design responsibilities with minimal supervision.

• Familiarity with design system principles and implementation. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for AI, automation, or agent-based systems.

• Background in cybersecurity, trust & safety, or risk-related products.

• Proficiency with prototyping tools beyond static mockups (e.g., Framer, Principle, interactive prototypes).

• Active use and experimentation with AI tools in the design workflow.

• Experience as an early design hire who has shaped design culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "early-stage or high-growth companies" and "owning outcomes end-to-end" suggests the company is looking for self-starters who can thrive in a dynamic environment. The "nice to have" skills are particularly relevant given Outtake's mission, indicating that candidates with domain experience or a strong interest in AI will have an advantage.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated selection of 3-5 end-to-end product design case studies that demonstrate your ability to tackle complex problems and drive impact.

• Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your role and process, design decisions, and measurable outcomes.

• Showcase a range of design skills, including user research, interaction design, visual design, and prototyping.

• Include examples of how you've worked with engineering and product teams to ship successful products.

• Highlight any experience with design systems or contributions to design culture. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail your design process, from initial research and ideation to iteration and final implementation.

• Demonstrate how you translate user needs and technical constraints into elegant design solutions.

• Illustrate your approach to problem-solving for technically complex or novel UX challenges.

• Provide evidence of iterative design, including user feedback integration and A/B testing where applicable.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on complex interfaces and AI, portfolios should emphasize problem-solving for intricate systems and the ability to make abstract concepts visually comprehensible. Case studies demonstrating impact on user adoption, efficiency, or clarity in technically challenging domains will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry standards for a Product Designer with 5-10 years of experience in New York City, a competitive salary range is estimated between $130,000 - $180,000 annually. This estimate accounts for the cost of living in NYC, the company's early-stage but well-funded status, and the critical nature of the role.

Benefits:

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees.

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy, trusting employees to manage their time and energy effectively.

• Regular in-person events and annual company retreats to foster team cohesion and culture.

• Opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art waterfront office in Brooklyn for New York-based employees.

Working Hours: While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, Outtake emphasizes flexibility and trusts its employees to manage their energy and deliver results. The on-site nature for NYC employees suggests a collaborative environment during core business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on market data for Product Designers in NYC with the specified experience level and the company's described funding and growth stage. Actual compensation may vary based on specific qualifications, interview performance, and final negotiation. The benefits package reflects a focus on employee well-being and team building, common in well-funded startups.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on AI-powered cybersecurity and trust & safety solutions. Outtake operates at the intersection of AI, security, and digital trust, a rapidly evolving and critical market segment.

Company Size: Early-stage, described as "lean, dense, exceptionally talented team." The role is for the third product designer, indicating a small but growing team.

Founded: Founded by ex-Palantir, ex-CTO/founders, and ex-Notion engineers, suggesting a foundation built on deep technical expertise and experience in scaling complex products.

Team Structure:

• The design team is currently very small, with this role being the third designer.

• Close collaboration is expected with product and engineering teams.

• The team is based in New York City, with an emphasis on in-person collaboration. Methodology:

• Emphasis on speed, velocity, and iteration ("ship fast and iterate," "bias toward moving fast").

• Autonomy and ownership are highly valued ("own outcomes end-to-end," "own your work fully without hand-holding").

• Data-driven and user-centric approach ("ground your work in real problems," "engage directly with customers").

• Integration of AI into product and design processes.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Outtake's background (ex-Palantir, Notion) suggests a culture that values rigorous problem-solving, technical excellence, and building highly scalable, impactful products. The "agentic AI" focus points towards innovation in autonomous systems and their application to critical security challenges.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is for an experienced Product Designer, positioned as a key early hire. It offers significant potential for growth into a leadership role as the design team expands. The "full-stack" nature means developing expertise across the entire product lifecycle.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, as one of the earliest designers, this role likely reports to a Head of Product, CTO, or a founding team member. There's a clear path to influencing design direction and potentially managing future design hires.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer will directly shape the user experience of a novel AI platform designed to combat online fraud and impersonation. Their work will be critical in making complex security tools accessible and effective, directly contributing to Outtake's mission of establishing a "trust layer of the modern internet." This role has the potential to significantly impact user adoption, customer satisfaction, and the company's market positioning in a high-stakes domain.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a lead or principal designer role, shaping the design vision and mentoring junior designers as the team scales.

• Product Strategy Influence: Direct contribution to product strategy, UX decision-making, and the overall direction of a cutting-edge AI product.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in AI, cybersecurity, trust & safety, and agentic systems, becoming a specialist in a high-demand field.

• Process & Culture Building: Play a pivotal role in establishing and evolving the design culture and processes at an early-stage company.

• Skill Development: Opportunity to learn and apply AI tools within design workflows and gain experience in high-growth startup environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is framed for someone who wants to "do the best work of their careers" and has "ambitious goals." The growth opportunities lean heavily into leadership, strategic impact, and deep specialization in a cutting-edge field, appealing to ambitious, experienced designers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Outtake operates an in-person model for its New York City team, working out of a "stunning waterfront office in Brooklyn." This environment is designed to foster collaboration, speed, and clarity.

Office Location(s): Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Specific details about accessibility or amenities are not provided but the description implies a desirable and functional workspace.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The on-site model emphasizes daily interaction and co-creation among product, engineering, and design teams.

• Tools & Technology: Expect access to standard design software and potentially new AI tools integrated into the workflow. The company encourages experimentation with AI in design.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for direct interaction with colleagues, fostering a sense of shared mission and fast-paced problem-solving. The culture values "clarity, autonomy, and velocity."

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour week is implied by "FULL_TIME," the company promotes flexible PTO and trusts "adults to manage energy, not clock time." For the NYC office, the expectation is likely a consistent in-office presence during core working hours to facilitate collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a physical office space in Brooklyn, coupled with the 5-day-a-week expectation, signals a strong preference for in-person collaboration and team synergy, crucial for rapid iteration and problem-solving in an early-stage startup.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of application materials, focusing on portfolio and relevant experience.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A core part of the interview will involve presenting 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio. Be prepared to discuss your process, design decisions, challenges, and outcomes in detail. Expect deep dives into your problem-solving approach and how you handle technical complexity.

• Design Challenge (Potential): You might be given a small design exercise or asked to walk through how you'd approach a specific problem relevant to Outtake's domain.

• Team & Culture Fit: Interviews with product and engineering team members to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and alignment with Outtake's values (e.g., low ego, bias for action, curiosity).

• Founder/Leadership Interview: A final conversation to discuss strategic alignment, vision, and overall fit with the company's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business or user impact of your designs. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., increased conversion, reduced errors, improved efficiency).

• Show Your Process: Don't just show final screens. Explain why you made certain decisions, what research informed them, and how you iterated based on feedback.

• Highlight Complexity: Showcase projects that involved technically challenging domains or complex user flows, demonstrating your ability to simplify the intricate.

• Tailor to Outtake: If possible, subtly weave in how your skills and experience relate to AI, cybersecurity, or trust & safety challenges.

• Visual Polish: Ensure your portfolio is well-designed, easy to navigate, and visually appealing, reflecting your skills as a designer.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research agentic AI, cybersecurity threats, impersonation, and the concept of a "trust layer."

• Think Strategically: Be ready to discuss how design can solve high-level business problems, not just aesthetic ones.

• Practice Articulation: Clearly and concisely explain complex ideas and design rationale. Practice presenting your portfolio case studies.

• Embrace Ambiguity: Be prepared for questions that don't have a single right answer, and demonstrate your ability to think through problems systematically.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio presentation and discussion suggests that Outtake values candidates who can clearly articulate their design thinking and demonstrate tangible results. The potential for domain-specific challenges means preparation should include understanding the company's core problem space.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely, industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite. Tools beyond static mocks are preferred, suggesting interest in interactive prototyping tools like Framer, Principle, or similar.

• Design System Management: Tools for creating, maintaining, and documenting design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal documentation).

• Collaboration Tools: Slack, Jira, Asana, or similar for team communication and project management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly stated for designers, familiarity with product analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) is beneficial to understand user behavior and measure design impact.

• Understanding of how data informs design decisions and iterative improvements. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design role's primary tools, but awareness of how design integrates with customer-facing platforms and automated workflows is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mention of "AI into the way we explore, prototype, and build" and "active use of AI tools in your design workflow" is a critical differentiator. Candidates who can demonstrate experience or a strong interest in leveraging AI for design tasks (e.g., AI-assisted ideation, content generation, rapid prototyping) will be highly competitive.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Trust & Clarity: Core to Outtake's mission, these values likely translate into transparent communication, reliable systems, and a focus on building dependable products.

• Velocity & Iteration: A strong bias towards moving fast, shipping early, and iterating based on feedback is paramount in an early-stage startup.

• Autonomy & Ownership: Employees are expected to take initiative, own their work end-to-end, and operate with a high degree of independence.

• User Focus: A deep care for users and a commitment