Product Designer - Custom Engineering

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer - Custom Engineering

Company: Pencil

Location: United Kingdom

Job Type: Salaried - Remote

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations (Custom Engineering Focus)

Date Posted: May 01, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the end-to-end design of Pencil's core Editor experience, acting as the central Marketing OS for content creation.

• Drive innovation by integrating Generative AI capabilities to redefine ad content creation processes for users.

• Focus on simplifying complex enterprise workflows and technical concepts into intuitive, user-friendly interfaces.

• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, and Client Delivery teams to translate intricate client requirements into scalable product features.

• Champion systems thinking to design reusable patterns and frameworks for integrations, transforming one-off client solutions into core product capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the emphasis on "Custom Engineering," "integrations," "APIs," and "enterprise ecosystems" strongly suggests a role with a significant Go-To-Market (GTM) operations or Sales Operations adjacent function, focusing on how the core product is configured and integrated for enterprise clients. This requires a blend of product design acumen and an understanding of operational workflows and technical integrations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and own the complete user journey for enterprise integrations, connecting Pencil with external systems like Digital Asset Management (DAM), Content Management Systems (CMS), and advertising platforms.

• Partner with Product Management and Engineering to define feature roadmaps and technical specifications for custom client solutions.

• Translate complex technical requirements (APIs, data syncing, permissions, system mappings) into clear, intuitive user interfaces and seamless workflows.

• Develop and maintain a library of reusable design patterns and frameworks to facilitate scalable integration solutions, moving beyond bespoke client fixes.

• Manage multiple parallel client projects, balancing immediate delivery needs with the overarching goal of long-term platform consistency and scalability.

• Collaborate with engineers to ensure design feasibility, scalability, and adherence to integration architecture and technical constraints.

• Identify common patterns and user needs across custom projects, feeding insights back into the core product experience for broader enhancements.

• Bring structure and clarity to ambiguous problem spaces where product, technical, and client requirements intersect.

• Utilize AI tools to rapidly prototype and validate complex workflows and integration scenarios before engineering implementation.

• Facilitate design reviews and present design decisions to technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring alignment and buy-in.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a deep involvement in the "custom engineering" aspect of a SaaS product, which is highly relevant to GTM operations and sales enablement. The focus on integrations, client requirements, and translating technical concepts into user experiences points to a role that bridges product development with the operational needs of enterprise clients.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in digital product design, with a strong preference for SaaS platforms, complex B2B products, or integration-heavy environments.

Required Skills:

• Systems Thinking: Ability to analyze complex systems, identify patterns, and design reusable, scalable solutions.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced skills in Figma for creating detailed flows, edge cases, and interaction specifications.

• Prototyping: Expertise in using AI tools and Figma for rapid, high-fidelity prototyping to simulate complex behavior and validate workflows.

• User Experience (UX) Design: Deep understanding of UX principles, user-centered design methodologies, and translating complex requirements into intuitive interfaces.

• Interaction Design: Skill in defining user flows, micro-interactions, and ensuring seamless navigation within complex applications.

• Technical Communication: Ability to articulate design decisions and technical considerations clearly to engineering and product teams.

• Enterprise Software Familiarity: Understanding of common enterprise software architectures and integration patterns (e.g., APIs, data syncing).

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with product managers, engineers, client delivery, and other stakeholders.

• Agile Development: Experience working within agile development cycles and adapting to evolving requirements.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for Generative AI applications and user interfaces.

• Familiarity with Digital Asset Management (DAM), Content Management Systems (CMS), and advertising platforms.

• Experience with API design principles and data mapping concepts.

• Understanding of technical constraints and system design from an engineering perspective.

• Ability to balance speed of execution with long-term product consistency and quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Custom Engineering," "integrations," and "enterprise ecosystems" suggests that candidates with experience in Sales Operations, GTM Operations, or roles that directly support enterprise client onboarding and technical configuration will be highly valued. The "systems thinking" and "reusable patterns" requirements are critical for scaling custom solutions into product features.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 complex projects demonstrating end-to-end design ownership, ideally within SaaS or enterprise software.

• Highlight projects that involve simplifying complex systems, technical concepts, or intricate workflows into clear user experiences.

• Include case studies with specific examples of how you've translated client requirements or technical constraints into functional designs.

• Demonstrate proficiency in Figma, showcasing wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and detailed interaction specifications.

• Present examples of systems thinking, illustrating how you've designed reusable components or patterns that scale across a product.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your design process for tackling ambiguous problems, from initial research and discovery to final implementation.

• Explain your methodology for collaborating with engineering teams, including how you handle technical feedback and feasibility discussions.

• Illustrate how you approach translating complex technical specifications (like APIs or data syncs) into user-friendly design solutions.

• Showcase how you use AI tools in your design workflow, particularly for rapid prototyping and validation of complex scenarios.

• Provide examples of how you've documented edge cases, system mappings, and interaction details for engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this "Custom Engineering" focused Product Designer role, the portfolio should strongly emphasize projects involving integrations, complex B2B workflows, and the ability to design for technical constraints. Demonstrating how custom client needs were translated into scalable product features is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Product Designer with 5-10 years of experience in the UK, particularly with a focus on SaaS and enterprise integrations, a competitive salary range would typically fall between £60,000 and £90,000 per annum. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in the UK tech sector, considering the specialized nature of custom engineering and AI integration.

Benefits:

• Flexible Time Off: 25 days PTO plus public holidays, with an additional Flexible Time Off scheme for greater autonomy.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance and private medical cover.

• Professional Development: A monthly stipend dedicated to wellness, fitness, and continuous learning and development.

• Remote Work: Fully remote work arrangement, allowing employees to work from anywhere within their home country (United Kingdom specified).

• Family Support: Enhanced parental leave policies for birth, adoption, or surrogacy.

• Office Access: For UK employees, access to the Pencil office located in The Shard, London, for collaborative work or team events.

• Flexible Working Hours: The ability to set flexible working hours, accommodating personal schedules and optimizing productivity.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are approximately 40 hours per week, with the flexibility to adjust working hours as needed.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on typical compensation for senior product designers in the UK tech market, adjusted for the specialized requirements of enterprise SaaS and custom integrations. The benefits package is comprehensive, reflecting a modern tech company's approach to employee well-being and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advertising Technology (AdTech), SaaS, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Company Size: The provided data does not specify company size, but typical for a growing SaaS company with a focus on innovation. Smaller to medium-sized companies often offer more direct impact and faster decision-making.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but Pencil's focus on Generative AI suggests a relatively recent or forward-thinking establishment.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely works in a highly collaborative, cross-functional model, embedded within product squads.

• Designers will report to a Head of Design or Design Lead, working closely with Product Managers and Engineering teams.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Decisions are informed by user research, analytics, and A/B testing where applicable, especially for core editor features.

• Agile Development: Iterative design and development cycles, emphasizing rapid prototyping and user feedback.

• Systems Design: A strong focus on building scalable, reusable components and frameworks, particularly for integrations.

• AI Integration: Leveraging Generative AI as a core product capability, influencing design strategy and user workflows.

Company Website: https://www.pencil.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to make AI the default in advertising, while supporting creative people and small businesses, indicates a culture that values innovation, user empowerment, and practical application of advanced technology. The "Custom Engineering" aspect suggests a pragmatic approach to client needs, balancing core product development with tailored enterprise solutions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer, with significant ownership and responsibility for a core product area. The "Custom Engineering" aspect elevates it beyond a standard UI/UX role, requiring strategic input into how the product serves enterprise clients and integrates with their systems. This level of responsibility offers a clear path toward lead design or product management roles, particularly within B2B SaaS environments.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Head of Design. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within their designated product area (the Editor experience). Collaboration with Client Delivery and Sales Engineering will be crucial for understanding and designing custom solutions.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on revenue and client satisfaction by ensuring the core marketing OS is intuitive, efficient, and seamlessly integrates with enterprise systems. By designing robust integration frameworks, this role contributes to customer retention, scalability, and the ability to onboard larger enterprise clients, thereby driving significant revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Product Leadership: Opportunities to grow into a Lead Product Designer role, mentoring junior designers and setting design strategy for larger product areas.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design, enterprise integrations, or platform architecture.

• Cross-functional Transition: Potential to move into Product Management or GTM Operations roles, leveraging design expertise to drive product strategy and client success.

• Technical Acumen: Develop a strong understanding of technical constraints and system design, becoming a valuable bridge between design and engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: The dual focus on core product design and custom engineering for enterprise clients provides a unique growth trajectory. It allows for specialization in complex B2B SaaS challenges, which are highly valued in the GTM and operations space.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote role, offering the flexibility to work from anywhere within the United Kingdom. There is also access to a physical office space in The Shard, London, for UK employees, which can be used for collaboration, team meetings, or as a workspace.

Office Location(s):

• Remote: Anywhere within the United Kingdom.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: Emphasis on asynchronous and synchronous communication tools to maintain strong team connections and collaboration despite physical distance.

• Tooling: Access to industry-standard design tools like Figma, and potentially other AI-powered design and prototyping tools. The company encourages using AI tools to simulate product behavior.

• Team Interaction: Regular virtual team meetings, design critiques, and cross-functional syncs to foster a connected and productive environment. The London office provides an option for face-to-face interaction.

Work Schedule: The role offers flexible working hours, allowing employees to structure their workday to optimize productivity and work-life balance, while generally aligning with core business hours for collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first approach with an optional London office provides a hybrid-like flexibility. For operations professionals, understanding how to maintain effective collaboration and workflows in a distributed environment is key.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A more in-depth discussion focusing on your portfolio, followed by a design challenge. This challenge will likely focus on a complex problem related to integrations, AI workflows, or simplifying technical concepts, requiring you to demonstrate your systems thinking and problem-solving approach.

• Team Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to assess technical acumen, collaboration skills, and how you approach design within technical constraints.

• Final Round: Potentially interviews with senior leadership to discuss strategic thinking, impact, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Integration & Customization: Showcase projects that demonstrate your ability to design for complex integrations, APIs, or custom client solutions. Explain the technical constraints and how you navigated them.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Clearly articulate how you identified patterns and designed reusable components or frameworks. Use diagrams or flowcharts to illustrate system architecture and your design's place within it.

• Focus on AI Integration: If possible, include examples of how you've designed for AI-powered features or used AI tools in your workflow. Explain the UX considerations for AI-driven interactions.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, quantify the impact of your designs. For example, "Reduced user time for X task by Y%" or "Enabled Z number of integrations with this design pattern."

• Process & Rationale: Be prepared to walk through your design process for each project, explaining your rationale behind key decisions, especially those influenced by technical limitations or business requirements.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Integration Scenarios: Practice designing workflows for connecting systems like DAMs, CMSs, or ad platforms. Think about data mapping, error handling, and user permissions.

• Simplify Technical Concepts: Prepare to explain how you would visually represent complex technical ideas (e.g., API endpoints, data synchronization, system mappings) in an intuitive UI.

• AI Workflow Design: Consider how users would interact with Generative AI features for content creation, including prompt engineering, iteration, and output management.

• Ambiguity Navigation: Be ready to discuss how you approach design problems with incomplete information or evolving requirements, showcasing your ability to bring structure and clarity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Custom Engineering" aspect means the design challenge will likely be heavily weighted towards technical feasibility, integration complexity, and the ability to design for enterprise B2B workflows, rather than purely aesthetic or consumer-focused UX.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design and prototyping tool. Expect to use it for wireframing, high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, design systems, and detailed specifications.

• AI Design Tools: Explicitly mentioned for rapid prototyping and simulating product behavior. Candidates should be comfortable exploring and utilizing emerging AI tools within the design process.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, other advanced prototyping tools might be leveraged for specific complex interactions or simulations.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed for the designer, awareness of analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Google Analytics) is beneficial for understanding user behavior and validating design impacts.

CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms integrate with SaaS products is valuable, given the enterprise focus.

• Familiarity with API concepts and data flow between systems is key for designing integrations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and AI tools for prototyping is crucial. For a role involving "Custom Engineering" and integrations, a strong understanding of API concepts, data flow, and how different enterprise systems communicate is highly advantageous, even if not directly designing APIs.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & AI Focus: A drive to push boundaries with Generative AI in advertising technology, making advanced tools accessible.

• Pragmatism & Execution: A balance between ambitious goals and practical, fast-paced execution, delivering tangible results.

• User Empowerment: Commitment to creating tools that enhance, rather than replace, human creativity and productivity.

• Systems Thinking & Scalability: A dedication to building robust, reusable solutions that can scale across a diverse user base and complex technical environments.

• Collaboration: A strong belief in working closely with cross-functional teams to achieve shared objectives, especially between design, product, and engineering.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded Design: Designers are integrated into product squads, working daily with engineers and product managers.

• Cross-functional Partnership: Close collaboration with Client Delivery and Sales Engineering teams to understand and design for specific enterprise client needs and integration challenges.

• Feedback-Rich Environment: An open culture for design critiques, code reviews, and iterative feedback loops to ensure quality and alignment.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement to share learnings from custom projects to inform core product development and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission and the role's focus on "Custom Engineering" suggest a culture that values both cutting-edge technology (AI) and practical application for real-world business problems (enterprise integrations).

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity: Tackling complex, often ill-defined problems at the intersection of product, technology, and client-specific needs.

• Balancing Customization & Scalability: Designing solutions that meet unique enterprise requirements while ensuring they can be abstracted into scalable product features.

• Technical Constraints: Working closely with engineering to design within the limitations of existing systems and integration architectures.

• Pace of AI Development: Staying abreast of rapid advancements in Generative AI and integrating new capabilities effectively into the product.

• Enterprise Ecosystem Complexity: Understanding and designing for the intricate workflows and technical stacks of large enterprise clients.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing user experiences for AI-powered products and leveraging AI tools in the design process.

• Enterprise Integration Mastery: Become an expert in designing complex B2B integrations, understanding common enterprise software patterns and challenges.

• Technical Acumen Enhancement: Gain a stronger understanding of software architecture, APIs, and system design through close collaboration with engineering.

• Product Strategy Input: Contribute to the strategic direction of the core Editor experience and the integration roadmap.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from experienced product and engineering leaders within a fast-growing tech company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in innovative SaaS companies, particularly those dealing with complex enterprise solutions and emerging technologies like AI. The growth opportunities are geared towards developing specialized skills highly relevant to the future of product design and GTM operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex integration between two systems. What were the main challenges, and how did your design address them?" (Focus: Integration design, technical constraints, problem-solving)

• "How would you approach designing a user interface for a Generative AI feature that helps users create ad copy? Consider aspects like prompt input, iteration, and output management." (Focus: AI UX, workflow design, user control)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Pencil and our mission to use AI in advertising?" (Focus: Company alignment, passion for AdTech/AI)

• "How do you balance the need for speed and rapid iteration with the importance of long-term product consistency and quality?" (Focus: Pragmatism, execution, quality standards)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each case study, frame it as a narrative: the problem, your approach, the constraints, your solutions, and the outcomes.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively. Showcase your Figma files, interactive prototypes, and diagrams that illustrate complex systems.

• Emphasize Rationale: Be prepared to explain why you made certain design decisions, especially those that were influenced by technical factors, client needs, or business objectives.

• Quantify Impact: If possible, present metrics or evidence of how your designs improved user experience, efficiency, or business outcomes.

• Address Customization & Scalability: Clearly articulate how your designs for custom solutions either solved a specific client problem or were designed with the potential for broader product adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should strongly emphasize the "Custom Engineering" and integration aspects, as this is a key differentiator for this role compared to a standard Product Designer position. Expect to discuss technical feasibility and how to bridge the gap between bespoke client needs and scalable product features.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Pencil careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your experience with complex systems, enterprise integrations, or AI-driven features. Focus on projects where you simplified technical concepts or navigated ambiguous requirements.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience with SaaS, B2B products, and any work involving integrations, APIs, or custom engineering. Use keywords like "systems thinking," "Figma," "prototyping," and "enterprise solutions."

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to walk through your portfolio with confidence, focusing on your design process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work, particularly for the custom engineering aspects of the role.

• Research Pencil: Understand their mission, product, and the challenges of AI in advertising technology. Be prepared to discuss how your skills align with their unique approach.

⚠️ 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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