Product Designer / Demo Storyteller - San Francisco, USA

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer / Demo Storyteller

Company: Nethermind

Location: United States (Remote OK)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Enablement

Date Posted: May 28, 2026

Experience Level: 2-5 Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Strategic Design & Storytelling: Translate complex, AI-enabled physical product architectures into simple, compelling visuals and narrative flows for diverse audiences including customers, investors, and partners.

• User & Operator Interface Design: Develop intuitive user-facing interfaces for AI-enabled physical products and design operator/partner-facing dashboard concepts to enhance product usability and operational efficiency.

• Demo & Presentation Development: Craft engaging demo flows, storyboards, clickable prototypes, and launch materials that clearly articulate product value and technical capabilities.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work directly with founders and engineers to define product storytelling, shape pitch materials, refine demo scripts, establish visual identity, and create impactful sales collateral.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is highly specialized, blending product design with Go-To-Market (GTM) enablement functions. The emphasis on "Demo Storyteller" indicates a critical need to translate technical features into business value and user benefits, directly supporting sales, fundraising, and partnership efforts. This is not a typical UX/UI role; it requires a strong strategic understanding of product positioning and communication.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design user-facing interfaces for AI-enabled physical products, focusing on intuitive interaction and clear visual language.

• Conceptualize and design operator or partner-facing dashboard interfaces, enabling efficient monitoring and management of product operations.

• Develop comprehensive demo flows and narrative scripts tailored for customer presentations, investor pitches, partner engagements, and public events.

• Collaborate closely with the founder to refine product storytelling, develop compelling pitch materials, and define the overall visual identity of the product and company.

• Design UI elements for various platforms including physical screens, web applications, dashboards, and presentation decks.

• Translate intricate technical architectures and system diagrams into easily understandable and visually appealing graphics and explanations.

• Create storyboards, animated demo sequences, mockups, and interactive prototypes to showcase product functionality and user experience.

• Develop polished launch materials and sales collateral that effectively communicate product value propositions.

• Help define and maintain the product's tone of voice: ensuring it is perceived as intelligent, useful, premium, credible, and trustworthy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of technical design and creative communication. The role acts as a bridge between the engineering team and external stakeholders, ensuring that the product's technical sophistication is effectively communicated and understood.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent knowledge and experience in design, visual communication, or related fields is expected.

Experience: 2-5 years of relevant professional experience in product design, UX design, visual design, demo design, or product storytelling.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in product design, UX design, visual design, demo design, or product storytelling.

• Ability to design clear, intuitive, and visually appealing interfaces for complex technical systems.

• Proficiency with design tools such as Figma or equivalent industry-standard software.

• Exceptional visual communication and narrative design skills, with a strong ability to craft compelling stories through visuals.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively with founders and engineering teams.

• Capacity to rapidly iterate from initial concepts to polished, functional demo artifacts.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing interfaces for AI products, robotics, hardware, kiosks, POS systems, retail technology, fintech, or IoT dashboards.

• Proven experience in creating investor demos, product launch videos, pitch decks, event booth designs, or founder-led sales materials.

• Familiarity with conversational interfaces, voice user experience (UX), agentic workflows, or AI tool interfaces.

• Experience designing for physical screens, public environments, retail settings, or self-service machines.

• Proficiency in motion design, video editing, creating 3D mockups, or product rendering to enhance demo materials.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Must Haves" section strongly indicates a preference for candidates with direct experience in specific, often hardware-adjacent or highly visual product contexts. This suggests the company is building physical or complex technical products where demonstration and visual appeal are paramount to sales and fundraising success.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated UI/UX Design: Showcase a range of user interface designs for complex systems, highlighting problem-solving, user-centricity, and visual aesthetics.

• Demo Flow & Storytelling Examples: Include case studies or examples of how you've translated technical concepts into clear, engaging demo flows or visual narratives.

• Figma Proficiency: Provide examples of complex projects executed in Figma, demonstrating advanced feature utilization and organizational structure.

• Visual Identity & Branding: Present work that illustrates your ability to define and apply a consistent visual language and brand identity.

• Cross-Platform Design: Showcase designs for various platforms, including physical screens, web apps, and dashboards, as applicable.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Visualization: Illustrate your process for understanding complex system architectures and translating them into simplified visual workflows or diagrams.

• Iterative Design Process: Provide examples of how you move from rough ideas to polished prototypes and final assets, showing your iteration and refinement stages.

• Stakeholder Collaboration: Detail how you have collaborated with technical teams (engineers) and leadership (founders) to gather requirements and iterate on designs.

• Content Creation Process: Demonstrate your process for creating various collateral, such as storyboards, demo videos, mockups, and pitch materials, from concept to completion.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is crucial for this role. It must go beyond standard UX/UI work to demonstrate a candidate's ability to visually communicate complex, potentially physical, AI-driven products and effectively tell a compelling story for commercial purposes. Portfolio elements should explicitly address demo creation, investor materials, and technical visualization.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the "2-5 years" experience level, the "Product Designer / Demo Storyteller" title, and the remote nature within the United States, a competitive salary range is estimated. For a mid-level Product Designer in the US with specialized skills in demo storytelling and AI/hardware interfaces, the estimated annual salary would likely fall between $90,000 and $130,000 USD. This range is based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in tech, adjusted for the specialized skill set and the company's focus on cutting-edge technology.

Benefits:

• Remote Work Flexibility: Opportunity to work remotely within the United States, offering flexibility and work-life balance.

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Comprehensive medical coverage is standard for full-time roles in the US tech industry.

• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday policies.

• Stock Options/Equity: Potential for equity participation in a growing technology company, aligning employee success with company growth.

• Professional Development: Support for continuous learning, including access to training, conferences, and resources relevant to design and storytelling.

• 401(k) Plan: Retirement savings plan with potential company matching contributions.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work hours, estimated at 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected due to the remote nature and the collaborative demands of working with founders and global teams. Adaptability to different time zones for meetings may be required.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is an estimation based on typical US tech industry compensation for a mid-level designer with specialized skills in a high-demand area (AI/hardware interfaces, GTM storytelling). Benefits are standard offerings for full-time US-based tech roles and are assumed unless otherwise specified.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Blockchain research and software engineering, focusing on high-performance infrastructure, security tooling, and cryptographic systems within the Ethereum ecosystem and ZK projects.

Company Size: Nethermind is likely a growing, dynamic startup or scale-up within the blockchain space. While exact size isn't specified, the focus on working closely with founders and engineers suggests a lean, agile team structure. Based on typical growth patterns for companies in this sector, it could range from 20-100 employees.

Founded: Nethermind was founded to build cutting-edge decentralized systems. The company's focus on "Ethereum ecosystem and beyond" and "cutting-edge decentralized systems" indicates a forward-thinking, innovative, and technically driven culture.

Team Structure:

• Founder-Led: The role reports directly to the founder, indicating a high level of direct influence and collaboration with senior leadership.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close interaction with engineers is essential, highlighting a collaborative environment where design and development work hand-in-hand.

• Agile & Lean: The emphasis on moving quickly from idea to polished artifact suggests an agile team structure that prioritizes rapid iteration and execution.

Methodology:

• Research & Development Focused: The company's core business is blockchain research and engineering, implying a strong emphasis on technical innovation and problem-solving.

• Data-Driven & Performance-Oriented: Building "high-performance infrastructure" suggests a focus on metrics, optimization, and measurable results in both development and design.

• Agile Development & Design: The need for rapid prototyping and iteration points towards agile methodologies for product development and design processes.

Company Website: https://www.nethermind.io/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company operates in a rapidly evolving and technically complex sector (blockchain, AI, ZK proofs). This implies a culture that values deep technical understanding, continuous learning, and adaptability. The "Product Designer / Demo Storyteller" role is positioned to be pivotal in communicating this complex innovation to a broader market.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level individual contributor, likely requiring 2-5 years of experience. It offers a unique opportunity to shape the visual and narrative identity of a company in a nascent, high-growth industry. The role is highly visible, working directly with founders.

Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the founder, providing a direct line of communication and influence with top leadership. This structure offers significant exposure to strategic decision-making and business development.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer / Demo Storyteller will have a direct impact on the company's commercial success by:

• Enhancing Sales Enablement: Creating compelling demos and collateral that articulate product value, aiding sales teams in closing deals.

• Facilitating Fundraising: Developing clear and persuasive pitch materials and investor demos that attract investment.

• Strengthening Partnerships: Designing materials that clearly communicate technical capabilities and partnership benefits.

• Shaping Product Perception: Establishing a premium, credible, and trustworthy brand identity through design and storytelling.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in blockchain, AI, and ZK technology, becoming an expert in translating complex technical concepts into market-ready narratives.

• Leadership in Product Experience: Grow into a lead role for product experience, demo strategy, and GTM enablement, potentially building and managing a small team.

• Strategic Influence: Gain significant exposure to founder-level strategy, fundraising, and business development, offering a unique path for career advancement beyond traditional design roles.

• Skill Expansion: Opportunity to expand into areas like investor relations, product marketing, and content strategy, leveraging design and storytelling skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a distinct path for growth, moving beyond traditional design responsibilities into strategic GTM and company positioning. The direct access to founders and the focus on "commercial advantage" suggest a high-impact position with significant potential for career acceleration.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job is advertised as "TELECOMMUTE" with "Remote OK" status, meaning the primary work environment is remote. While there might be occasional in-person meetings or team gatherings, the day-to-day operations are expected to be conducted from a home office.

Office Location(s): The role is open to candidates located within the United States. While specific office locations are not detailed, the remote nature suggests that candidates can be based anywhere in the US, with potential alignment to US time zones for collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Home Office Setup: Candidates are expected to have a suitable home office environment with reliable internet connectivity to support remote collaboration and design work.

• Digital Collaboration Tools: The workspace will heavily rely on digital collaboration platforms, video conferencing, and design software for communication and project execution.

• Independent Work Ethic: The remote setting requires a high degree of self-discipline, time management, and proactive communication.

• Access to Technology: Expect to utilize design software (Figma), project management tools, and communication platforms integral to a remote tech team's workflow.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are estimated at 40 hours per week. However, given the remote nature and the need to collaborate with founders and potentially global teams, some flexibility may be required to attend meetings or complete urgent tasks outside of standard business hours. Proactive communication regarding availability and work progress will be key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote designation is a key aspect. Candidates should be comfortable with autonomous work and proficient in using digital tools for collaboration. The company's ability to "move quickly from rough idea to polished demo artifact" suggests an expectation of responsiveness and efficient remote workflow management.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and experience alignment.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A session where you will present your portfolio, highlighting relevant projects, design process, and storytelling capabilities. Expect to discuss your approach to translating complex technical concepts into compelling visuals and narratives.

• Founder/Leadership Interview: Direct discussion with the founder to assess your strategic thinking, cultural fit, and understanding of the company's vision and product. You may be asked to discuss how you would approach specific storytelling or demo challenges.

• Technical/Design Challenge: Potentially a small design exercise or a case study prompt related to demo creation or product visualization to evaluate your practical skills and problem-solving abilities under time constraints.

• Final Round: Could involve meeting with other key team members or a final discussion with leadership to finalize the offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select projects that best showcase your experience in UI/UX for complex systems, AI/hardware interfaces, and especially your ability to create compelling demos and pitch materials. Prioritize work that demonstrates narrative design and visual storytelling.

• Highlight the "Why" and "How": For each project, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your design process, the tools used (e.g., Figma), and the impact of your work. For demo-related projects, explain the objective of the demo and how your design achieved it.

• Showcase Technical Translation: Include examples of how you've simplified complex architecture into clear visuals and diagrams.

• Demonstrate Motion/Video Skills: If you have experience with motion design or video editing, include relevant examples that showcase your ability to create dynamic demo content.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, positive feedback from investors).

• Storytelling Focus: Frame your portfolio presentations as a narrative. Guide the interviewer through your process and the story behind each project.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product: Thoroughly research Nethermind, its blockchain focus, and its AI/hardware product ambitions. Understand the technical context.

• Practice Pitching: Rehearse explaining complex ideas concisely and persuasively, as if pitching to an investor or a potential customer.

• Demo Scenario Planning: Think about how you would approach designing a demo for an AI-enabled physical product. What key features would you highlight? What narrative would you build?

• Tool Proficiency: Be ready to demonstrate your skills in Figma or discuss your process for creating prototypes and visual assets quickly.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes portfolio demonstration and the ability to articulate strategic design decisions. Candidates should prepare to "sell" their design expertise and its direct contribution to business objectives like sales and fundraising.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary tool for UI/UX design, prototyping, and interface creation. Proficiency is a core requirement.

• Adobe Creative Suite (e.g., After Effects, Premiere Pro): Likely used for motion design, video editing, and creating dynamic demo content.

• 3D Modeling Software (e.g., Blender, Cinema 4D): Potentially used for creating 3D mockups and product renderings, as suggested by "Must Haves."

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, other advanced prototyping tools might be leveraged for highly interactive demos.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary focus for this design role, understanding how to interpret user feedback or performance metrics related to demos and interfaces could be beneficial. Tools may include:
  • User Feedback Platforms: For gathering qualitative insights on designs.
  • Analytics Dashboards: To understand user interaction with digital interfaces (if applicable).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): Indirectly relevant, as designs might need to integrate with or support CRM functionalities for sales enablement.

• Presentation Software (e.g., Google Slides, PowerPoint): Essential for creating pitch decks and demo scripts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily skewed towards design and content creation tools. The emphasis is on visual design, prototyping, and media production, reflecting the "Demo Storyteller" aspect of the role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Cutting-Edge Technology: A core value driven by the company's focus on blockchain, AI, and ZK technologies. Expect a culture that embraces new ideas and pushes technological boundaries.

• Excellence & Performance: Building "high-performance infrastructure" implies a commitment to quality, efficiency, and achieving measurable results in all aspects of work, including design.

• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Synergy: Working closely with engineers and founders necessitates a collaborative spirit where open communication and shared problem-solving are paramount.

• Credibility & Trustworthiness: As stated in the role description, the product's tone should reflect these values, indicating that the company itself strives to be a credible and trustworthy partner and provider in the blockchain space.

• Agility & Adaptability: The fast-paced nature of the blockchain and AI industries requires a team that can adapt quickly to changes and iterate rapidly.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Transparent: Working closely with founders suggests a direct communication style where feedback is honest and actionable.

• Iterative & Experimental: The emphasis on moving quickly from idea to artifact implies a willingness to experiment, test, and refine designs based on feedback and results.

• Problem-Solving Focused: The team likely approaches challenges with a collective problem-solving mindset, leveraging diverse expertise to find solutions.

• Outcome-Oriented: While the process is important, the ultimate goal is to create impactful designs that drive commercial advantage, suggesting a focus on achieving tangible outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture is likely a blend of deep technical expertise and a startup mentality focused on rapid innovation and market impact. The "Product Designer / Demo Storyteller" is expected to embody these values through their work, ensuring that the company's technical prowess is communicated effectively and compellingly.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Extreme Technical Complexity: The primary challenge will be distilling highly complex blockchain, AI, and ZK concepts into simple, understandable, and visually appealing narratives and interfaces for non-technical audiences.

• Rapid Iteration in a Nascent Field: The blockchain and AI landscapes are constantly evolving. Staying ahead of trends and rapidly adapting designs to new developments will be crucial.

• Balancing Technical Accuracy with Market Appeal: Ensuring that demos and visuals are both technically accurate and commercially compelling requires a delicate balance.

• Defining Brand Identity from Scratch: Establishing a clear, consistent, and premium brand identity for a company operating in a cutting-edge, often abstract, technological space.

• Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong communication with a remote team, particularly with founders and engineers, requires proactive effort and strong interpersonal skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Blockchain & AI: Gain unparalleled insight into the technical underpinnings of cutting-edge blockchain protocols, AI integrations, and ZK technology.

• GTM Strategy & Storytelling Mastery: Develop advanced skills in product storytelling, investor relations, and sales enablement through direct collaboration with founders and business development efforts.

• Cross-Disciplinary Skill Acquisition: Opportunity to learn about product marketing, business development, and strategic communication, expanding your professional toolkit beyond core design.

• Industry Networking: As a representative of an innovative company, you'll have opportunities to engage with key players in the blockchain and AI ecosystems.

• Potential for Team Leadership: As the company grows, there will be opportunities to lead design initiatives or build a design team focused on GTM enablement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but directly tied to substantial growth opportunities. Success in this role will not only hone design skills but also build strategic business acumen and deep industry knowledge.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for translating a complex technical concept (e.g., ZK proofs, AI algorithms) into a simple visual narrative for a non-technical audience." (Preparation: Prepare a case study from your portfolio that demonstrates this, focusing on problem, process, solution, and impact. Emphasize your methods for simplification and storytelling.)

• "How would you approach designing a demo flow for a new AI-enabled physical product to impress potential investors?" (Preparation: Think about the key information investors look for – market opportunity, team, product differentiation, scalability. Outline a demo structure that addresses these points visually and narratively.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Nethermind's work in blockchain and AI, and how do you see your design skills contributing to our mission?" (Preparation: Research Nethermind's specific projects and their place in the broader ecosystem. Connect your passion for design and storytelling to their technical goals.)

• "How do you typically collaborate with engineers and founders on product development? Describe a challenging collaboration and how you navigated it." (Preparation: Be ready to share examples of your collaborative style, emphasizing communication, problem-solving, and achieving shared goals. Highlight your ability to work with technical stakeholders.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your presentation with a clear beginning (problem/goal), middle (process/solutions), and end (impact/results).

• Focus on Impact: For each project, quantify results where possible (e.g., "Increased demo engagement by X%", "Helped secure Y funding round"). If quantification isn't possible, focus on qualitative impact and feedback.

• Showcase "Before & After": If applicable, demonstrate how your design significantly improved upon an existing state or concept.

• Highlight "Demo Storyteller" Skills: Explicitly point out projects where you focused on narrative, demo creation, video, motion graphics, or translating technical concepts.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, trade-offs made, and how you handled feedback.

• Engage and Discuss: Treat the presentation as a conversation, inviting questions and feedback throughout.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving through design, and a clear understanding of how design contributes directly to business outcomes like sales and fundraising. The "Demo Storyteller" aspect is key – be ready to show rather than just tell.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best align with the "Product Designer / Demo Storyteller" requirements. Prioritize work showcasing AI/hardware interfaces, complex system visualization, and compelling demo/pitch materials. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your Figma proficiency and narrative design skills.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description, such as "Product Design," "UX Design," "Demo Design," "Product Storytelling," "AI Products," "Figma," "Motion Design," and any experience with blockchain, robotics, or hardware. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process and the impact of your work. Be ready to explain how you would approach the challenges outlined in the job description and how your skills can directly benefit Nethermind's GTM strategy.

• Research Nethermind: Deeply understand Nethermind's mission, technology (blockchain, AI, ZK), and the specific product this role will focus on. Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate your engagement and understanding.

⚠️ 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.