Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Pogo Technologies

Location: Brooklyn, Ohio, USA

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: May 19, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (1-4 years)

Remote Status: On-site (with flexible work schedule)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design for a new consumer insights platform and a growing consumer app, impacting millions of users and major global brands.

• Drive the creative direction and establish the foundational design language, systems, and culture for Pogo Technologies.

• Collaborate closely with engineering and Go-To-Market (GTM) teams in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup environment.

• Focus on crafting polished, delightful, and trustworthy user interfaces that highlight the power of data and AI technology.

• Contribute to product roadmap definition and rapid iteration cycles, shipping high-quality work weekly.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a foundational Product Designer role within a startup, emphasizing both individual contribution and the strategic impact on design culture and systems. The "GTM Operations" integration is inferred from the explicit mention of "GTM" as a cross-functional collaborator and the nature of a consumer insights product requiring strong market understanding.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design core product experiences for a B2B platform and consumer app, covering the entire lifecycle from initial exploration to post-launch iteration.

• Develop visually appealing and intuitive interfaces that build user trust and clearly communicate the value of data and AI capabilities.

• Meticulously refine all aspects of the user interface, including layout, typography, spacing, color palettes, motion graphics, and micro-interactions.

• Play a key role in defining the product roadmap and establishing the company's design system, principles, and overall design ethos.

• Identify and implement creative solutions to deliver high-quality design outcomes in a dynamic and often undefined startup setting.

• Partner directly with engineering and Go-To-Market (GTM) teams, contributing to a cohesive product development strategy.

• Leverage user feedback and qualitative interviews to inform design decisions and tailor solutions for enterprise clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities have been expanded to reflect the strategic importance of this role as one of the first designers. Emphasis is placed on the end-to-end ownership and the foundational aspect of building design systems and culture, which are critical for early-stage companies.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrated understanding of design principles are paramount. Relevant fields include Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or related disciplines.

Experience: 1-4 years of professional experience in designing software products, with a preference for candidates who have experience in startup environments or designing AI-driven interactions and enterprise-grade products.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in end-to-end product design, from concept to launch and iteration.

• Advanced skills in Figma for rapid design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Strong understanding of UI/UX design principles and best practices.

• Experience designing for B2B platforms and/or enterprise-grade products.

• Familiarity with designing AI interactions and leveraging LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude) in design workflows.

• Ability to define and maintain design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability.

• Excellent visual design skills, with a keen eye for typography, layout, color, and motion.

• Strong product intuition and ability to prioritize simplicity and clarity in design.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with engineering and GTM teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with user research methodologies and incorporating user feedback into design.

• Knowledge of animation and motion design principles for enhancing user experience.

• Familiarity with design tools beyond Figma, such as Procreate or Adobe Creative Suite.

• Understanding of data visualization principles for consumer insights products.

• Experience in defining and evolving design culture within an organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level has been refined based on the "1-4 years" stated in the description and the "2-5" AI-derived range. The skills have been detailed to reflect the specific requirements mentioned, including the use of LLMs and the emphasis on rapid iteration and design systems.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end design projects that demonstrate problem-solving skills and a clear design process.

• Include case studies detailing your role, the challenges faced, your design decisions, and the impact of your work.

• Highlight projects related to B2B platforms, consumer apps, or AI-driven features.

• Demonstrate proficiency in Figma, including complex prototyping and design system components.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your design process, from initial research and ideation to prototyping, testing, and iteration.

• Provide examples of how you've incorporated user feedback and data to refine designs.

• Illustrate how you've collaborated with cross-functional teams (engineering, GTM) to bring designs to life.

• Detail your experience with design systems, including their creation, maintenance, and application.

• Showcase how you manage design tasks and prioritize work in a fast-paced environment, emphasizing "Calculated Speed" and weekly iteration.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is tailored to emphasize what a Product Designer candidate would need to showcase in their portfolio and how they would articulate their process, aligning with the startup environment and the need for rapid, high-quality output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the company's statement of offering "above-market salaries & equity" and the stated experience level of 1-4 years, the estimated salary range for a Product Designer in Brooklyn, Ohio, is approximately $90,000 - $130,000 annually. This estimation considers the cost of living in the region, industry benchmarks for mid-level product designers, and the startup's explicit intention to attract top talent.

Benefits:

• Equity: Significant stock options or equity grants, reflecting the startup's growth potential and early-stage investment.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO): Flexibility to take time off as needed, fostering work-life balance.

• Minimum 20 Days Vacation Policy: A guaranteed minimum period for rest and rejuvenation, ensuring employees utilize their PTO.

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Likely includes medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for learning and growth, potentially including conference attendance or training.

• Flexible Work Schedule: The company trusts employees to manage their time effectively to maximize productivity while accommodating personal needs.

Working Hours: While the company expects individuals to contribute more than standard 9-to-5 hours ("raw hours make an impact at our current stage"), they emphasize a flexible work schedule that allows for personal productivity and accommodation of priorities outside of work. The AI-derived 40 hours is a baseline, but the culture suggests a results-oriented approach that may involve more focused bursts of work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range and benefits have been detailed based on the explicit mention of "above-market salaries & equity" and "unlimited PTO" with a minimum vacation policy. Regional salary research for Brooklyn, Ohio, for a mid-level Product Designer was conducted to provide a realistic estimate.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Data & Analytics / Consumer Insights. Pogo Technologies operates at the intersection of technology, data analytics, and consumer insights, providing brands and retailers with a platform to connect with purchase-verified consumers. This market is characterized by rapid innovation, data privacy concerns, and a strong demand for actionable insights.

Company Size: Small (estimated 10-50 employees based on the "second Product Designer" and "1 of 2 designers (for now)" mentions). This size indicates a lean, agile team where individual contributions have a significant impact, and employees wear multiple hats.

Founded: The company is likely a relatively young startup, given the emphasis on building foundational design systems and culture from the ground up, and the "up-and-coming" nature of their product. The mention of "one of our co-founder’s first dream jobs was to be a furniture designer" suggests a founder with a strong appreciation for design.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team: Currently very small, with this Product Designer being one of only two designers. They will work closely with a Lead Product Designer.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: High degree of collaboration expected with engineering and GTM (Go-To-Market) teams. This suggests a flat hierarchy and integrated product development process.

• Reporting: The Product Designer will likely report to the Lead Product Designer or a Head of Product/CTO, given the early stage of the company.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using user data and qualitative interviews to inform product decisions and iterate on designs.

• Calculated Speed: A core value emphasizing rapid iteration and shipping weekly, balancing speed with quality.

• Product Thinking Obsession: The entire team, including engineers and customer support, is expected to have a strong product mindset.

• Experimentation Culture: Willingness to pivot based on data and user feedback.

Company Website: joinpogo.com (inferred from the job source domain)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture description is built around the explicit mentions of startup environment, team size, and core values like "Calculated Speed" and "Product Thinking Obsession." The inferred website is based on common job board practices.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents an early-to-mid-stage Product Designer position within a startup. It offers significant opportunities for individual contribution and foundational work, including shaping design systems and culture. It’s a step beyond junior roles, requiring autonomy and strategic thinking.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will report to a Lead Product Designer or a senior product leader. They will work very closely with engineering and GTM teams, indicating a highly collaborative and integrated workflow rather than a rigid hierarchy.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer will have a direct and significant impact on the success of Pogo Technologies' core products. Their work will influence user acquisition and retention for the consumer app, and adoption and satisfaction for the enterprise platform, directly contributing to revenue growth and market positioning.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a senior or lead design role as the company scales, taking on more strategic responsibilities and potentially managing junior designers.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in areas like AI interaction design, enterprise UX, or design systems, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Product Strategy: Involvement in product roadmap discussions and strategic planning, developing a broader understanding of business objectives and market dynamics.

• Entrepreneurial Experience: Gaining invaluable experience in a high-growth startup environment, learning to navigate ambiguity and drive product innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section focuses on the career trajectory and impact within a startup context, highlighting how this role can be a stepping stone for future growth in design and product leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is described as "On-site" with "flexible work schedule." This likely means a physical office presence is expected, but with a degree of autonomy in managing working hours. The company culture implies a collaborative and energetic workspace.

Office Location(s): Brooklyn, Ohio. This location is specified in the job posting.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic workspace where close collaboration with engineers, GTM teams, and fellow designers is the norm.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools, particularly Figma, and potentially other software required for rapid prototyping and iteration.

• Startup Pace: The environment will be fast-paced, with quick feedback loops and a focus on weekly shipping cycles. This requires adaptability and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Work Schedule: While the company emphasizes contributing more than standard hours at this stage, they offer a flexible work schedule. This allows individuals to manage their time effectively, balancing demanding project timelines with personal commitments, and ensuring peak productivity.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section clarifies the "On-site" nature with the added nuance of flexible scheduling and emphasizes the collaborative and fast-paced aspects typical of a startup.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation: A session where you will walk through selected case studies from your portfolio, explaining your design process, decision-making, and the impact of your work. Be prepared to discuss your experience with Figma, AI interactions, and enterprise/B2B design.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with engineering and GTM team members to evaluate collaboration style, communication skills, and understanding of product development cycles.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: Potentially a short, focused design exercise or a discussion around a hypothetical problem to assess your problem-solving approach and ability to think on your feet, especially within the context of "Calculated Speed."

• Founder/Leadership Interview: A final discussion with a co-founder or senior leader to assess alignment with company vision, values, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Process, Not Just Pixels: Clearly articulate your problem-solving approach, the constraints you worked within, and how you arrived at your solutions.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, improved conversion rates, user satisfaction scores).

• Highlight Collaboration: Include examples of how you've worked effectively with engineers and product managers.

• Demonstrate Figma Mastery: Showcase complex prototypes, component libraries, and your understanding of design system principles.

• Tailor to Pogo: Select projects that best align with Pogo's focus on consumer insights, B2B platforms, and AI technology. Emphasize your ability to design for both consumer and enterprise audiences.

Challenge Preparation:

• Focus on Speed & Iteration: Be prepared for exercises that test your ability to deliver a solution quickly and show how you’d iterate based on feedback.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Understand that in a startup, immediate solutions are often necessary. Be ready to explain why you made certain design choices and how you'd improve them later.

• Think Holistically: Consider the business impact, user needs, and technical feasibility when approaching any design challenge.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and portfolio tips are tailored to a startup environment that values speed, collaboration, and demonstrable impact, with specific guidance on how to present work relevant to Pogo's product.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect advanced usage for creating design systems, complex workflows, and interactive prototypes.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, proficiency in tools like ProtoPie or similar for more advanced animations and interactions may be beneficial.

• Design System Management: Experience with tools or methodologies for building and maintaining scalable design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to understand user behavior and inform design decisions.

• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret data presented through dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or internal tools) to guide design iterations.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): Understanding how product design impacts CRM data and workflows for B2B clients.

• Collaboration Tools: Proficiency in tools like Slack for real-time communication and project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) for workflow tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is focused on the core design tools expected for a Product Designer, with specific emphasis on Figma and the broader ecosystem of tools used in product development and analytics within a tech startup.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Calculated Speed: A commitment to rapid iteration and shipping weekly, balancing speed with thoughtful execution. This value drives a culture of agility and continuous improvement.

• Product Thinking Obsession: A shared belief that everyone on the team, regardless of role, should possess and apply strong product intuition and strategic thinking.

• Design as a Core Pillar: A deep appreciation for best-in-class design, with founders and team members who actively value and champion design's role in product success.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A reliance on user data, qualitative feedback, and experimentation to guide product development and design choices.

• Collaboration & Transparency: An open environment where cross-functional teams work closely together, fostering clear communication and shared understanding.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Expect to work in small, cross-functional pods where designers, engineers, and GTM professionals are tightly integrated.

• Feedback-Rich Environment: A culture that encourages open feedback and constructive critique to drive continuous improvement in both product and processes.

• Agile & Iterative: Workflows are designed around rapid cycles of development, testing, and iteration, requiring a flexible and adaptable approach to collaboration.

• Shared Ownership: A sense that everyone contributes to the product's success, fostering a team-oriented rather than siloed approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture and values are directly extracted and elaborated upon from the "Why you might be excited" and "Why you might not be excited" sections, focusing on how these translate into daily work and collaboration for a Product Designer.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Working in a startup means tackling problems without clear-cut answers. This requires strong problem-solving skills, comfort with uncertainty, and the ability to define solutions.

• Rapid Iteration Demands: The "Calculated Speed" value means designs need to be produced and iterated upon very quickly, requiring efficient workflows and the ability to make quick, informed decisions.

• Limited Design Resources: Being one of two designers means taking on a broad scope of work and potentially lacking specialized support (e.g., dedicated user researchers), requiring a "full-stack" design capability.

• Balancing Vision with Trade-offs: Maintaining a high bar for design quality while making necessary near-term compromises to ship quickly is a continuous challenge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Shape Design Systems & Culture: Play a pivotal role in defining Pogo's design language, processes, and team culture from the ground up.

• Deepen Enterprise & AI Design Expertise: Gain specialized experience designing complex B2B products and leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies.

• Broad Product Exposure: Work across both a B2B platform and a consumer app, developing a versatile skill set and understanding of different user needs.

• Mentorship from Lead Designer: Learn from an experienced Lead Product Designer with a strong background in established tech companies.

• Entrepreneurial Skill Development: Acquire skills in product strategy, rapid experimentation, and cross-functional leadership within a high-growth startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section synthesizes potential challenges and growth avenues, framing them as opportunities for learning and development, consistent with a startup environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to make significant design trade-offs to meet a tight deadline. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Assesses "Calculated Speed" and decision-making.)

• "How would you approach defining the initial design system for a product that needs to serve both enterprise clients and millions of consumers?" (Tests foundational design system thinking.)

• "Walk us through a project where you used LLMs or AI in your design workflow. What were the benefits and limitations?" (Evaluates AI integration experience.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Pogo's mission and the opportunity to design a consumer insights product?" (Assesses alignment with company vision.)

• "How do you foster a culture of 'Product Thinking' within a design team, especially when working closely with engineers and GTM?" (Evaluates understanding of collaborative culture.)

• "Describe your ideal work environment in a fast-paced startup. How do you handle ambiguity?" (Assesses cultural fit and adaptability.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling is Key: Frame each case study as a narrative: the problem, your approach, your solutions, and the results.

• Focus on Figma & AI: Be ready to demonstrate your Figma skills and discuss how you've integrated AI tools into your process.

• Highlight "Calculated Speed": Show examples where you iterated quickly and shipped effectively, explaining any trade-offs made.

• Showcase B2B & Consumer Experience: Present projects that reflect your ability to design for different user types and business needs.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate follow-up questions about your design decisions, challenges faced, and how you'd apply learnings to Pogo's context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions and preparation tips are crafted to align with Pogo's stated values, the role's responsibilities, and the specific skills required, with a strong emphasis on design process, AI integration, and startup agility.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.gem.com.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end design process, Figma proficiency, experience with B2B/enterprise products, and any work involving AI or complex data. Ensure each project clearly outlines the problem, your role, your solution, and the impact.

• Optimize Your Resume: Highlight your 1-4 years of relevant design experience, emphasizing skills in UI/UX, Figma, design systems, and collaboration with engineering/GTM teams. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies concisely, focusing on storytelling, your design process, and how your work aligns with Pogo's values like "Calculated Speed" and "Product Thinking." Be ready to discuss your experience with LLMs.

• Research Pogo Technologies: Understand their product, target market (brands/retailers, consumers), and company culture. Familiarize yourself with their "Calculated Speed" and "Product Thinking Obsession" values.

⚠️ 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.

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