Product Designer (m/f/d) — Energy Insights

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (m/f/d) — Energy Insights

Company: ecoplanet

Location: Munich, Germany

Job Type: Permanent employee, Full-time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: November 4, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-level (estimated 2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is for a Product Designer focused on the Energy Insights product, a core component of ecoplanet's offering for industrial companies.

• The designer will be responsible for the end-to-end design process, from user research and workflow definition to interaction and visual UI design.

• Key areas of focus include improving data-dense interfaces for energy consumption monitoring, redesigning existing features for clarity and actionability, and shaping user onboarding flows.

• The position requires strong collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and Customer Success teams, emphasizing a hands-on approach to problem-solving and user advocacy.

• Candidates will be instrumental in building and maintaining a pragmatic design system that supports rapid product iteration in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is Product Designer, the responsibilities and required skills, particularly around B2B software, data-heavy interfaces, and workflow-driven products, indicate a strong leaning towards UX/UI design within an operations technology context. The "Energy Insights" focus implies a deep dive into operational data and user workflows for industrial clients, making this role highly relevant to professionals interested in optimizing industrial processes through technology. The "early-stage mindset" and "solo designer" aspect suggest a need for proactive ownership and adaptability, common in operations-focused product roles within startups.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design lifecycle for the Energy Insights team, encompassing user research, customer journey mapping, information architecture, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI development.

• Lead the redesign of critical existing features, including the customer cockpit, real-time monitoring views, alert systems, and actionable "findings" modules, to enhance user comprehension and decision-making speed.

• Develop intuitive and readable interfaces for complex, data-intensive visualizations such as load profiles, consumption breakdowns, and anomaly detection, catering to users who may not be data analysis experts.

• Design and iterate on customer onboarding and meter/production labeling flows to ensure accurate data input, which directly improves the quality and relevance of generated energy insights over time.

• Create internal tools and interfaces for the Customer Success and Onboarding teams, recognizing them as key users whose efficiency directly impacts customer adoption and satisfaction.

• Conduct regular customer interviews and user testing sessions to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback, translating insights into data-informed design decisions and product improvements.

• Contribute to the development, maintenance, and adoption of a pragmatic design system that aligns with the company's agile development processes and shipping cadence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a deep understanding of user workflows within an industrial B2B context, particularly concerning operational data. The focus on "energy managers," "load profiles," and "consumption monitoring" points to a role that requires translating complex operational data into actionable user insights, a common challenge in revenue and operations technology. The requirement to design internal tools also highlights the operational backbone of the company and the need for efficient internal processes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• No specific degree is mandated, but a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant experience in product design is paramount. A background in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field would be beneficial. Experience:

• Proven experience in B2B product design, specifically designing complex software solutions for professional or industrial users.

• Demonstrated ability to manage the end-to-end design process independently, from initial research and concept development through to final UI implementation and iteration.

• Experience working within an early-stage company or startup environment, characterized by rapid iteration, evolving priorities, and a high degree of ambiguity. Required Skills:

• B2B Product Design Experience: Proven track record of designing sophisticated software for business users, not solely consumer-facing applications.

• Portfolio of Data-Heavy, Workflow-Driven Work: A strong portfolio showcasing complex projects, with a clear emphasis on data visualization, user workflows, and the strategic reasoning behind design decisions.

• Solo Designer Comfort: Ability to operate autonomously, define personal design processes, make independent decisions, and prioritize effectively without constant oversight.

• Early-Stage Mindset: Adaptability to shifting priorities, comfort with ambiguity, and a proactive approach to problem-solving in a dynamic startup environment.

• Interaction & Visual Design Proficiency: Exceptional skills in creating intuitive user flows, clear interaction patterns, and polished, user-friendly interfaces.

• Figma Fluency: Mastery of Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• User-Centricity: Demonstrated willingness and ability to engage directly with users, conduct research, and integrate user feedback into design iterations.

• English Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• German Language Proficiency: Professional working level of German, crucial for understanding customer feedback directly, as most clients operate in the German market.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for industrial sectors, manufacturing, energy management, IoT, or other operational technology environments.

• Familiarity with time-series data, dashboard design, monitoring and alerting systems, or similar analytical tools.

• Basic understanding of front-end development principles (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate effective collaboration with engineering teams on feasibility and implementation details.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on B2B product design, data-heavy interfaces, and workflow optimization aligns directly with the needs of operations technology roles. The requirement for a portfolio showing "data-heavy, workflow-driven product work" is a key indicator for operations-minded candidates. The "early-stage mindset" and "solo designer" aspects suggest that candidates with experience in building out processes and systems from the ground up will be highly valued.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Data-Driven Design Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your process for tackling complex B2B software challenges, with a strong emphasis on how data informed your design decisions and led to measurable improvements.

• Workflow Optimization Examples: Include projects where you mapped, analyzed, and redesigned user workflows to improve efficiency, reduce errors, or enhance user comprehension, particularly in data-intensive environments.

• Interface Design for Complex Data: Present examples of interfaces designed for displaying and interacting with complex datasets, such as time-series data, dashboards, or monitoring screens, highlighting your approach to clarity and usability.

• User Research & Testing Artifacts: Provide evidence of your user research methodologies, including interview summaries, user personas, journey maps, and usability testing reports, demonstrating how customer insights translated into design solutions.

• Design System Contributions: If applicable, showcase contributions to or the creation of design systems, illustrating your understanding of consistency, scalability, and pragmatic application in a fast-paced development cycle.

Process Documentation:

• End-to-End Design Process Clarity: Be prepared to articulate your personal design process clearly, from problem definition and research to ideation, prototyping, testing, and iterative refinement, emphasizing how you manage ambiguity and drive decisions in a solo capacity.

• Collaboration & Communication Protocols: Detail how you collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, and Customer Success teams, including methods for gathering requirements, providing design specifications, and incorporating feedback effectively.

• Agile Development Integration: Explain your experience working within agile or iterative development frameworks, detailing how you adapt designs to sprint cycles and shipping schedules.

• Metrics & Impact Measurement: Demonstrate how you measure the success of your designs, using qualitative and quantitative data to show impact on user behavior, efficiency, or business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations-focused roles, a portfolio is critical for demonstrating practical application of design principles to solve business problems. This section emphasizes the need for candidates to showcase their ability to translate operational data into user-friendly interfaces and to improve complex workflows. The focus on "data-heavy," "workflow-driven," and "metrics & impact" directly aligns with the results-oriented nature of operations roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Product Designers with 2-5 years of experience in Munich, Germany, working in a hybrid, early-stage tech company, the estimated salary range is €55,000 - €75,000 per year. This estimate considers the company's Series A funding status, its focus on specialized B2B software, and the required dual-language proficiency. Benefits:

• Real Ownership: Significant autonomy and influence over the Energy Insights product's user experience.

• Direct Impact: Opportunity to contribute to a product that actively reduces energy waste and costs for industrial clients.

• Collaborative Environment: Work within a small, senior-level team with short decision-making paths and direct customer access.

• Top-Market Compensation & Flat Hierarchy: Competitive salary and benefits within a team of high-caliber professionals, fostering a culture of mutual improvement.

• Central Office Location: Conveniently located office in Munich, facilitating an easier commute.

• Free Lunch: Provided every Tuesday and Thursday.

• Wellpass Membership: Access to fitness and wellness facilities.

• Professional Growth Support: Regular 1:1s and retrospectives focused on individual career development and skill enhancement.

• Hybrid Work Setup: Flexible working arrangement combining remote work with regular in-person collaboration days at the Munich office.

Working Hours:

• Typically 40 hours per week, with a hybrid setup allowing for flexibility in balancing remote and in-office work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical compensation for product designers in Munich, factoring in the specific requirements of B2B and data-intensive design, along with the company's stage and funding. The benefits highlight aspects attractive to operations professionals, such as direct impact, ownership, and opportunities for growth within a dynamic environment. The "hybrid setup" and "central office" details are practical considerations for potential applicants.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software / Energy Tech / Industrial Solutions

Company Size: Series A funded, likely 50-150 employees (estimated based on Series A stage and growth trajectory). This size offers a balance between the agility of a startup and the structure needed for scaling.

Founded: ecoplanet was founded with a mission to transform energy management into a competitive advantage for industrial companies. The company is backed by prominent venture capital firms (EQT Ventures and HV Capital), indicating a strong growth trajectory and investor confidence.

Team Structure:

• The Energy Insights team is a core product unit, comprising a Product Manager, Engineers, and this sole Product Designer.

• The designer will report directly to the Product Manager or a Head of Product (if applicable, not specified), with a flat hierarchy enabling direct access to senior leadership and cross-functional teams.

• Collaboration is expected to be close and frequent with engineering for feasibility and implementation, with customer success for user insights and support, and with product management for strategy and roadmap prioritization. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: ecoplanet emphasizes leveraging data to understand energy consumption, identify inefficiencies, and drive product improvements. The design process will heavily rely on analyzing user behavior, consumption patterns, and customer feedback.

• Iterative Design & Development: Given the early-stage nature and Series A funding, the company likely employs agile methodologies, focusing on rapid prototyping, user testing, and continuous iteration to deliver value quickly.

• Customer-Centricity: A core aspect of the company's operations is direct engagement with industrial customers to understand their unique energy management challenges and translate those needs into effective software solutions.

Company Website: https://ecoplanet.tech/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "Energy Insights" and serving "German Mittelstand manufacturers" places it within the operational technology (OT) and industrial software space. For operations professionals, this means working on products that directly impact the efficiency, cost, and sustainability of core manufacturing processes. The Series A funding implies a dynamic, growth-oriented environment where process definition and optimization are key.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a pivotal individual contributor, offering significant ownership and the opportunity to define the design practice for a core product area. It's an ideal step for a designer looking to deepen their expertise in B2B operational software and gain substantial end-to-end product responsibility.

Reporting Structure: The designer will work closely with a Product Manager and engineering team, likely reporting into product leadership. The absence of a senior designer on the immediate team means this role offers direct influence and autonomy, with potential for leadership as the design function scales.

Operations Impact: The designer's work will directly influence how industrial customers understand and manage their energy consumption. This translates to tangible impacts on cost reduction, operational efficiency, and sustainability goals for ecoplanet's clients, aligning closely with the objectives of operations management.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Practice Leadership: Opportunity to establish and evolve the design methodology and processes for the Energy Insights product, potentially shaping the future design team structure.

• Deep Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in energy management, industrial processes, and operational data visualization, becoming an expert in a critical B2B software niche.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Gain broad exposure to product strategy, engineering challenges, and customer success operations, fostering a holistic understanding of the business.

• Potential for Team Growth: As the company scales, there's a clear path to potentially lead or mentor junior designers, or specialize further within the product design domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth trajectory is framed around building a design practice from the ground up within a critical operational domain. This aligns with the career ambitions of operations professionals who seek to drive impact through technology and process improvement, offering a unique blend of design expertise and operational domain knowledge.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid setup with a central office in Munich. This implies a modern, professional workspace designed for both focused individual work and collaborative team sessions.

Office Location(s): Marsstraße 46, 80335 München, Germany. This central Munich location suggests accessibility via public transport and proximity to amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office serves as a hub for in-person collaboration, team meetings, workshops, and fostering team cohesion on designated days.

• Technology & Tools: Access to standard professional design software (Figma), collaboration tools, and likely modern development environments that engineers use.

• Team Interaction: Regular in-person days are scheduled to ensure strong team dynamics, direct communication, and spontaneous problem-solving sessions with PMs and engineers.

Work Schedule:

• Standard working hours (approx. 40 hours/week) are expected, with the flexibility afforded by a hybrid model. This allows operations professionals to manage their time effectively, balancing focused remote work with essential in-office collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and emphasis on in-person collaboration days are key for operations roles that often benefit from direct team interaction and access to resources. The description suggests a dynamic work environment conducive to agile development and cross-functional teamwork, important for roles focused on process efficiency and operational improvement.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Submission: Submit CV and portfolio. Generic cover letters are discouraged; a personalized approach is preferred.

• Portfolio Review: Initial screening will heavily rely on the portfolio, assessing B2B experience, data visualization skills, workflow design, and the reasoning behind design decisions.

• Initial Screening Call: A discussion with a hiring manager or Product Lead to assess cultural fit, communication skills (English and German), and initial alignment with the role's requirements.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: Likely a practical exercise to evaluate problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to create actionable insights from complex data. This may involve a take-home assignment or an in-session workshop.

• Team Interviews: Meetings with PMs and engineers to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and how the candidate integrates into the team dynamic.

• Final Round: Potentially with a founder or senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight B2B & Data Focus: Clearly showcase projects involving complex B2B software, emphasizing data-heavy interfaces and workflow optimization.

• Showcase Your Process: Detail your step-by-step approach, including research, ideation, iteration, and how you incorporated user feedback and data. Use diagrams or flowcharts to illustrate complex workflows.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics demonstrating the positive outcomes of your designs (e.g., improved efficiency, reduced errors, increased user engagement).

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Articulate the core problem you were solving and how your design decisions directly addressed it. Explain "why" behind your choices.

• Visual Clarity & Readability: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. For data-heavy designs, demonstrate how you ensure readability and clarity.

• Tool Proficiency: Explicitly mention your proficiency with Figma and any other relevant design or prototyping tools.

• Dual Language Capability: Briefly mention your German language skills and how they can benefit customer interactions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with industrial energy management, load profiles, consumption monitoring, and common challenges faced by manufacturing companies.

• Practice Data Interpretation: Be ready to analyze sample datasets or scenarios and propose design solutions that turn raw data into actionable insights.

• Focus on Workflow: Think about how users move through tasks and how to streamline those processes for efficiency and accuracy.

• Design System Thinking: Consider how your solutions would fit into or extend an existing design system, prioritizing consistency and scalability.

• Communicate Your Rationale: Be prepared to clearly articulate the reasoning behind your design choices, considering trade-offs and constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process emphasizes practical skills and a portfolio that demonstrates direct relevance to operations technology. The "data-heavy," "workflow-driven," and "B2B" aspects are crucial keywords for candidates to highlight. The advice focuses on showcasing the ability to solve complex operational problems through design.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.

• Design System Tools: Potentially tools integrated within Figma or separate platforms for managing design tokens, components, and style guides.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in capabilities, or potentially others for more advanced interactions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Internal Analytics Tools: The team likely uses tools to track user engagement, feature adoption, and product performance. Familiarity with how designs impact analytics is beneficial.

• Data Visualization Libraries/Tools: While not directly designing them, understanding common libraries (e.g., D3.js) or tools used for creating charts and graphs (e.g., Chart.js) can aid in designing effective data displays.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): Understanding how customer data is managed and how product usage might integrate with CRM data can be advantageous.

• Customer Success Platforms (e.g., Gainsight, Zendesk): Awareness of tools used by customer-facing teams to manage customer relationships and support.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily design-focused, with Figma being central. However, for an operations-oriented role, it's beneficial to understand how design decisions integrate with broader company systems like CRMs and customer success platforms, and how designs impact operational analytics and reporting.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A strong emphasis on using data – from energy consumption metrics to user behavior analytics – to guide product development and operational improvements.

• Customer Focus & Empathy: Deeply understanding the operational challenges of industrial manufacturers and designing solutions that genuinely address their needs and pain points.

• Efficiency & Pragmatism: A commitment to building effective, practical solutions that can be shipped quickly and iterated upon, aligning with agile development and startup efficiency.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and close teamwork across product, engineering, and customer success to ensure alignment and collective problem-solving.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture that embraces learning, iteration, and the ongoing refinement of both the product and internal processes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The design role is deeply embedded within the Energy Insights team, requiring constant collaboration with Product Management for strategy and requirements, and Engineering for implementation feasibility and technical execution.

• Feedback-Driven: An open environment where feedback is regularly exchanged between team members, and between the team and customers, to refine designs and product direction.

• Agile & Iterative: Work is likely organized in sprints, with regular stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives to ensure efficient workflow and continuous learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The cultural values described align well with the ethos of operations teams: data-driven, customer-focused, efficiency-oriented, and collaborative. For a designer in this role, understanding and contributing to these values will be key to success and integration within the company's operational framework.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Non-Experts: Creating intuitive interfaces for complex, data-rich information that users who are not data analysts can easily understand and act upon.

• Balancing Iteration with Innovation: Improving existing features while also designing new ones, requiring careful prioritization and strategic thinking.

• Managing Ambiguity: Operating in an early-stage startup environment where priorities can shift, requiring adaptability and proactive problem-solving.

• Solo Design Responsibility: Being the sole designer for a core product requires self-sufficiency, strong decision-making skills, and effective time management.

• Bridging Operational Data and User Action: Translating raw energy consumption data and technical metrics into clear, actionable insights that drive tangible business outcomes for customers.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in industrial energy management, manufacturing processes, and operational technology software.

• Product Ownership: Develop end-to-end product design leadership skills and the ability to define and drive a product's design vision.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Enhance understanding of product management, software engineering, and customer success operations within a growing tech company.

• Design System Development: Contribute to or build out a design system, learning best practices for scalability and consistency.

• Career Path Shaping: As the company grows, potentially move into a lead design role, mentor junior designers, or specialize in areas like data visualization or UX research within the operations tech space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities are framed around developing expertise in a specialized operational domain and taking on significant product ownership. This is highly relevant for operations professionals looking for roles where they can directly influence business outcomes through technology and process.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for designing a complex B2B dashboard that needs to be both data-rich and highly user-friendly for non-expert users."

  • Preparation: Outline your steps from understanding user needs and data sources to information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and iterative testing. Emphasize strategies for simplifying complex data, such as progressive disclosure, clear labeling, and intuitive visualizations.

• "How would you approach redesigning an existing feature, like our customer cockpit, to make it more actionable for energy managers?"

  • Preparation: Discuss how you'd gather insights on current pain points (e.g., through user interviews, analytics), identify key areas for improvement, and propose concrete design changes that prioritize clarity, efficiency, and actionable outcomes.

• "Walk us through a project where you had to work autonomously as the primary designer. How did you manage your process and ensure alignment with stakeholders?"

  • Preparation: Select a relevant portfolio piece and detail your independent workflow, decision-making process, and how you communicated progress and rationale to Product Managers, Engineers, or other stakeholders.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you specifically about ecoplanet and our mission to optimize energy management for industrial companies?"

  • Preparation: Research ecoplanet's website, mission, and recent news. Connect your passion for design with the impact of energy efficiency in industrial operations.

• "How do you see yourself contributing to a small, senior-leaning team with a flat hierarchy?"

  • Preparation: Emphasize your collaborative spirit, proactive communication, and ability to take initiative and ownership. Highlight how you can bring your expertise to elevate the team's work.

• "Given our focus on data-driven insights, how do you ensure your designs are measurable and contribute to business objectives?"

  • Preparation: Discuss how you incorporate analytics, user feedback, and KPIs into your design process to demonstrate the impact of your work.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

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

• Focus on Process & Rationale: Clearly explain why you made specific design choices, linking them back to user needs, data, and business goals.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (mockups, prototypes, flowcharts) effectively to illustrate your solutions.

• Highlight B2B & Data: Ensure your chosen examples strongly represent your experience with complex B2B software and data visualization.

• Quantify Impact: Present any available metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your decisions, trade-offs, and how you'd handle similar challenges at ecoplanet.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on how candidates can showcase their operational design thinking – their ability to translate complex data and workflows into user-centric solutions within a B2B context. The emphasis on "data-rich," "workflow-driven," and "actionable insights" is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your CV and portfolio directly through the provided application link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight your strongest B2B product design experiences, particularly those involving complex data visualization, workflow optimization, and user research in professional settings. Ensure your examples clearly demonstrate your problem-solving approach and rationale.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience with B2B software design, proficiency in Figma, and your ability to work autonomously in a startup environment. Highlight achievements with quantifiable results where possible.

• Language Proficiency Demonstration: Be ready to speak about your German language skills and how you can leverage them to better understand and serve German-speaking customers.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research ecoplanet's mission, product, and target market. Understand the challenges industrial companies face in energy management and how ecoplanet's solution addresses them.

⚠️ 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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