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

📍 Job Overview

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

Company: ecoplanet

Location: Marsstraße 46, München, Bayern, 80335, Germany

Job Type: Permanent employee

Category: Product Design / Operations Technology

Date Posted: 2026-09-29

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

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Owns the end-to-end design process for the Energy Insights product, encompassing user research, interaction design, and polished UI development.

• Focuses on enhancing existing features and designing new ones within a data-intensive B2B software environment, specifically for industrial energy management.

• Collaborates closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Customer Success to translate user needs and business objectives into intuitive design solutions.

• Drives the creation of data-dense interfaces that effectively communicate complex energy consumption patterns and actionable insights to non-technical users.

• Contributes to building and maintaining a pragmatic design system to ensure consistency and efficiency in product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the core responsibilities and company focus on industrial energy management, consumption monitoring, and efficiency analysis place this role firmly within the intersection of Product Design and Operations Technology. The emphasis on data-heavy interfaces, workflow optimization for industrial users, and internal tools for customer success teams highlights a strong operational component, making it highly relevant for operations professionals with a design affinity or those looking to transition into product roles within the operations tech space. The "Energy Insights" team ownership and the context of "turning load profiles into decisions" are key indicators of its operational relevance.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the complete design lifecycle for the Energy Insights product, from initial user research and concept ideation through to detailed interaction design, prototyping, and final UI implementation.

• Strategically redesign and optimize core features such as the customer cockpit, real-time monitoring views, alert systems, and findings dashboards to empower energy managers to swiftly identify and act on energy anomalies.

• Develop highly effective, data-dense interfaces for complex information like load profiles, consumption breakdowns, and anomaly detection, ensuring clarity and readability for users who may not be data specialists.

• Design intuitive onboarding and meter-labeling flows that enable customers to accurately describe their energy infrastructure, thereby enhancing the precision and value of the platform's insights.

• Create and refine internal tools 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 usability testing sessions, translating qualitative and quantitative feedback directly into actionable design improvements and new feature specifications.

• Actively participate in the development and maintenance of a pragmatic design system, ensuring its scalability and alignment with the company's agile development and shipping cadence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a hands-on, end-to-end design ownership within a critical product area ("Energy Insights"). The focus on "data-dense interfaces," "load profiles," "consumption breakdowns," and "customer cockpit" directly relates to operational data analysis and monitoring, crucial for energy efficiency and management. The inclusion of "internal tools for customer success" also points to an operational process optimization aspect.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

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

Experience: 2-5 years of professional experience in B2B product design, with a proven track record of designing complex software solutions for professional users.

Required Skills:

• B2B Product Design Expertise: Demonstrated experience designing sophisticated software applications for professional users, moving beyond consumer-focused products.

• Portfolio of Data-Heavy Work: A robust portfolio showcasing experience with data-intensive, workflow-driven product design, accompanied by clear articulation of the design rationale and decision-making process.

• Autonomous Design Practice: Proven ability to operate effectively as a solo designer, establishing personal workflows, making independent design decisions, and prioritizing iterative learning over immediate perfection.

• Early-Stage Startup Acumen: Adaptability and resilience in a dynamic startup environment where priorities may shift rapidly; comfort with ambiguity and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Advanced Interaction & Visual Design: Fluency in interaction design principles and visual design aesthetics, with a strong command of Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• User-Centricity & Research: Demonstrated willingness and ability to engage directly with users to gather insights and evidence, integrating user feedback into design iterations.

• English Communication: Professional-level fluency in English for effective collaboration and communication within a diverse team.

• German Language Proficiency: Professional working-level German language skills are essential for understanding customer feedback directly and engaging with the primary customer base.

Preferred Skills:

• Industrial/Energy/IoT Software Experience: Prior experience designing software for industrial settings, energy management, manufacturing operations, IoT platforms, or similar operational technology domains.

• Time-Series Data & Dashboards: Familiarity with designing for time-series data, interactive dashboards, monitoring systems, or alerting products.

• Front-End Development Understanding: Basic comprehension of front-end development principles and technologies to facilitate effective collaboration with engineers regarding technical feasibility and implementation details.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "B2B product design experience" and a portfolio showing "data-heavy, workflow-driven product work" strongly aligns with operations technology roles where complex data sets and user workflows are paramount. The "early-stage mindset" and "comfort working as a solo designer" indicate a need for self-starters who can drive process improvements, a common trait in operations. The dual language requirement highlights the importance of understanding operational feedback from specific markets.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of Complex Workflows: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies of B2B products designed, with a specific focus on complex user workflows and data-driven decision-making processes.

• Data Visualization Examples: Include examples of how you've designed interfaces to present and interact with data-heavy information, such as dashboards, load profiles, or monitoring metrics, demonstrating clarity and usability.

• Problem/Solution Articulation: For each case study, clearly articulate the user problem, the business objective, your design process, key decisions made, and the measurable impact of your solutions.

• System Design Contributions: If applicable, demonstrate experience in contributing to or building design systems, highlighting how you ensured consistency, scalability, and efficiency.

Process Documentation:

• User Research Synthesis: Provide examples of how you synthesize user research findings into actionable design requirements and user personas, particularly for industrial or technical user groups.

• Design Iteration & Rationale: Document the iterative process of design, showing how feedback from stakeholders, engineers, and users was incorporated, and clearly explaining the rationale behind key design changes.

• Collaboration with Engineering: Illustrate your process for collaborating with engineers during development, including how you hand off designs, provide specifications, and address implementation challenges to ensure fidelity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "data-heavy, workflow-driven product work" in the portfolio requirements is critical. Operations professionals often need to demonstrate their ability to structure complex data, optimize workflows, and present insights clearly. This section guides candidates on how to showcase these skills effectively through their portfolio, focusing on problem-solving in operational contexts.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Product Designer with 2-5 years of experience in Munich, Germany, the estimated annual gross salary range is €60,000 - €80,000. This estimate considers the company's Series A funding stage, the technical nature of the product, and the cost of living in Munich.

Benefits:

• Real Ownership & Impact: Opportunity to define user experience for core product features and directly contribute to a product that reduces energy waste and costs for industrial clients.

• Direct Customer Access: Close proximity to customers and their feedback loop, enabling impactful design decisions.

• Collaborative & Senior Team: Work within a small, experienced team with short decision paths and a flat hierarchy, fostering rapid learning and professional development.

• Central Office Location: Conveniently located office in Munich with easy commuting access.

• Complimentary Meals: Free lunch provided on Tuesdays and Thursdays, fostering team connection and convenience.

• Wellpass Membership: Access to a wide network of fitness and wellness facilities.

• Growth-Focused Support: Regular one-on-one meetings and retrospectives dedicated to individual professional growth and development.

• Hybrid Work Setup: Flexible hybrid work model based in the Munich office, allowing for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote flexibility.

Working Hours: The role is based on a standard 40-hour work week, with a hybrid setup allowing for flexibility in structuring workdays.

📝 Enhancement Note: A salary range of €60,000 - €80,000 is a reasonable estimate for a mid-level Product Designer in Munich, Germany, particularly within a well-funded startup. This range is benchmarked against similar roles in the region and reflects the company's Series A status and the specialized nature of B2B industrial software design. The benefits are tailored to reflect typical offerings for tech startups in Germany, with a specific nod to the hybrid setup and growth opportunities.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software / Energy Management / Industrial Technology. ecoplanet operates in the burgeoning field of industrial energy intelligence, providing SaaS solutions to optimize energy consumption for manufacturing companies. This sector is critical for sustainability initiatives and cost reduction in heavy industries.

Company Size: Series A funded startup (Company size implied by Series A funding and team description). This indicates a dynamic, growth-oriented environment with evolving processes and a strong focus on scaling.

Founded: The company's founding date is not explicitly stated, but its Series A funding suggests a relatively recent establishment focused on rapid product development and market penetration.

Team Structure:

• Energy Insights Team: This is the core product team the designer will join, comprising the designer, a Product Manager, and engineers.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and Customer Success teams, indicating a highly integrated approach to product development.

• Reporting Structure: As the sole designer on the team, the individual will likely report to the Head of Product or a similar leadership role, with significant autonomy in design decision-making.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: The mention of "how we ship" and "priorities shift as we learn" suggests an agile or lean development methodology focused on rapid iteration and continuous delivery.

• Data-Driven Design: The product's core function is to derive insights from energy data, implying that design decisions will be heavily informed by data analysis, user behavior, and performance metrics.

• Customer-Centric Approach: Regular customer interaction and turning feedback into design decisions are core to the team's methodology, ensuring the product remains relevant and valuable to its target market.

Company Website: https://ecoplanet.tech/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "industrial companies," "energy management," and "efficiency analysis" positions it within the operational technology (OpTech) space. For operations professionals, understanding this context is key – the product directly addresses operational challenges related to resource management and cost optimization. The Series A stage implies a fast-paced, hands-on environment where design is critical for user adoption and product-market fit.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a mid-level (2-5 years experience) Product Designer level. However, due to being the sole designer on a core product team, it offers significant scope for taking on lead responsibilities, influencing design strategy, and acting as a design authority within the Energy Insights product domain.

Reporting Structure: The designer will report to a product leadership role (e.g., Head of Product) and work directly with a Product Manager and engineers. This structure allows for direct access to decision-makers and a clear understanding of product strategy.

Operations Impact: The designer's work directly impacts the company's ability to help industrial clients reduce energy waste and costs. This translates to tangible operational improvements for customers and drives the company's value proposition, directly influencing revenue and market position.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Practice Leadership: Opportunity to define and mature the design practice for the Energy Insights product, setting standards and processes with significant autonomy.

• Product Strategy Influence: Direct involvement in shaping product strategy through user insights and design leadership, with the potential to influence roadmap decisions.

• Scalability of Design Function: As the company grows, there's a potential to shape the future of the design team, potentially leading or mentoring future designers.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in industrial energy management, B2B SaaS design, and data visualization within a critical operational sector.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance collaboration and communication skills by working closely with product management, engineering, and customer success in an agile environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "sole designer" aspect is a significant growth opportunity, allowing for rapid skill development in leadership, strategic thinking, and process definition, akin to building out an operations function from the ground up. The impact on customer operational efficiency is a strong selling point for candidates interested in the business outcomes of their design work.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company offers a hybrid work setup, indicating a blend of remote work flexibility and in-office collaboration. The office is located centrally in Munich, suggesting a professional and accessible workspace.

Office Location(s): Marsstraße 46, 80335 München, Bayern, Germany. This is a central location, likely well-connected by public transport.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office serves as a hub for team collaboration, particularly for "regular in-person days." This fosters team cohesion and facilitates spontaneous problem-solving and knowledge sharing.

• Tooling & Technology: While specific internal tools aren't detailed, the expectation of using Figma implies a modern digital design environment. Engineers will likely have their own development tools, and collaboration will occur via digital platforms.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model encourages intentional in-office time for focused team interaction, brainstorming, and building relationships, which is crucial for a small, agile team.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with the hybrid model providing flexibility. This allows operations professionals to balance deep work sessions (potentially remote) with collaborative in-office days, aligning with the need for focused analysis and team alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid setup is a key feature for many professionals, offering a balance between focused individual work and collaborative team engagement, which is often beneficial for complex design and operations tasks. The central Munich location is a practical consideration for daily commute and work-life balance.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application: Submit CV and portfolio; no long forms or generic cover letters required. The emphasis is on a "surprise us" approach, valuing creativity and direct demonstration of skills.

• Portfolio Review: Expect a thorough review of your portfolio, focusing on B2B experience, data-heavy designs, workflow optimization, and your design rationale. Be prepared to discuss specific case studies in detail.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: A practical exercise or case study is highly probable, where you'll be asked to solve a design problem relevant to the Energy Insights product, potentially involving data interpretation or workflow improvement.

• Team & Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with the Product Manager, engineers, and potentially Customer Success team members to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and cultural fit.

• Final Discussion: A discussion with hiring leadership to evaluate strategic thinking, ownership potential, and alignment with company goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight B2B & Data: Clearly showcase projects that demonstrate experience with complex B2B software and the ability to design for data-intensive environments.

• Process Over Polish: While polish is important, emphasize your design process, problem-solving approach, and how you arrived at your solutions. Use case studies to tell a compelling story of impact.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics or quantifiable outcomes of your design work (e.g., improved user efficiency, reduced error rates, increased feature adoption).

• Showcase Collaboration: Briefly describe how you collaborated with PMs, engineers, and users throughout the design process.

• Tailor to ecoplanet: If possible, show an understanding of the energy management or industrial software space, or explain how your transferable skills apply.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with ecoplanet's product, the challenges of industrial energy management, and common data visualization needs in this sector.

• Focus on Process: For any design challenge, articulate your step-by-step approach, from understanding the problem to presenting a solution.

• Data Interpretation: Be ready to interpret sample data sets (e.g., load profiles, consumption trends) and propose design solutions based on them.

• User Empathy: Demonstrate an understanding of the target users (energy managers, plant operators) and their pain points.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "surprise us" application approach suggests that candidates should be bold and creative in how they present themselves. A portfolio that clearly demonstrates problem-solving within operational contexts (data analysis, workflow optimization) will be highly valued. The emphasis on B2B and data-heavy work is a direct signal for operations-minded candidates.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

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

• Design System Tools: Experience with tools or methodologies for building and maintaining design systems (e.g., using Figma components, Storybook integration, or similar).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Visualization Libraries/Tools: While not explicit, familiarity with how data visualization is implemented (e.g., D3.js concepts, Chart.js, or dashboarding tools like Tableau/Power BI in a broader context) would be beneficial for designing effective charts and graphs.

• Product Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for understanding user behavior and product usage to inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Customer Success Platforms: Understanding the workflow and data needs of Customer Success teams, as the role involves designing internal tools for them. This might involve familiarity with platforms like Salesforce Service Cloud, Zendesk, or specialized CS tools.

• Project Management Tools: Experience with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks and collaborating with engineering on sprints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a core requirement. For operations professionals, understanding how design tools integrate with analytics and project management platforms is crucial for effective cross-functional collaboration and for appreciating the data-driven nature of product development in this space.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Pragmatism & Efficiency: A "pragmatic design system" and the desire for "good enough to learn from" over "perfect" indicate a value placed on efficient processes and delivering value quickly. This aligns with operational efficiency goals.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The core product is about deriving insights from data, so design decisions are expected to be evidence-based and focused on measurable outcomes.

• Customer Focus: A strong emphasis on talking to customers and understanding their needs, ensuring the product directly addresses their operational challenges.

• Autonomy & Ownership: Valuing individuals who can set their own process, make decisions independently, and take full ownership of their work.

• Collaboration & Communication: Working closely with PMs, engineers, and customer success requires strong communication and a collaborative spirit.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Product Team: The designer works directly within a small, cross-functional team, fostering close collaboration and shared ownership.

• Direct Feedback Loops: Short decision paths and direct access to customers and internal stakeholders facilitate continuous feedback and agile adjustments.

• Knowledge Sharing: The hybrid setup and small team size encourage informal knowledge sharing and a culture where team members can learn from each other.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of pragmatism, data-driven decision-making, and customer focus are highly resonant with the core principles of Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, and GTM Operations. A candidate who can articulate how their design approach aligns with these operational values will likely be a strong fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Solo Design Role: The primary challenge is being the sole designer, requiring a high degree of self-direction, prioritization, and the ability to manage all aspects of the design process independently.

• Data-Dense Interface Design: Designing interfaces that effectively communicate complex, time-series energy data to non-expert users is a significant design challenge.

• Balancing Existing vs. New Features: The need to both improve existing features and design new ones requires strategic prioritization and the ability to manage technical debt while innovating.

• Ambiguity in Early Stages: Navigating shifting priorities and evolving requirements inherent in a Series A startup environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Development: Opportunity to build and evolve a design system from a relatively early stage, gaining experience in scalable design practices.

• Deep Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in industrial energy management, a critical area for sustainability and operational cost savings.

• Product Strategy Leadership: Gain significant experience in influencing product strategy and roadmap through design insights and user advocacy.

• Mentorship & Team Building: As the company scales, there is potential to mentor junior designers or help build out a design team, developing leadership skills.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Enhance understanding of product management, engineering processes, and customer success operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges directly relate to developing operational discipline and strategic thinking – managing resources (time, design capacity), optimizing processes (design system, feature iteration), and adapting to evolving business needs. The growth opportunities mirror career progression paths often seen in operations, moving from individual contribution to strategic influence and potential team leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for designing a complex, data-heavy dashboard for professional users. How would you ensure it remains intuitive and actionable?" (Focus on data visualization, workflow, and user empathy).

• "How do you approach redesigning an existing feature versus designing a completely new one? Walk us through a past example where you had to balance these." (Focus on prioritization, impact assessment, and iterative improvement).

• "Imagine you need to design an onboarding flow that helps users accurately label their energy meters and production processes. What are the key considerations, and how would you validate your design?" (Focus on user journey mapping, data input design, and validation strategies). Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see your role as the sole designer contributing to ecoplanet's mission of helping companies cut energy waste?" (Focus on impact, ownership, and alignment with company goals).

• "Describe your experience working in an early-stage startup environment. How do you handle ambiguity and shifting priorities?" (Focus on adaptability, proactivity, and resilience).

• "How do you ensure your design decisions are data-driven and aligned with business objectives?" (Focus on metrics, user research, and collaboration with product/engineering). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling with Data: For each case study, frame it as a narrative: the problem (operational challenge), your solution (design process), and the outcome (measured impact on user efficiency or business goals).

• Process Transparency: Clearly articulate your design methodology, research techniques, and decision-making rationale. Show, don't just tell, how you arrived at your solutions.

• Highlight B2B & Data: Explicitly call out projects that demonstrate your ability to design for professional users and complex data sets. Use visual examples effectively.

• Interactive Elements: If possible, include interactive prototypes or links to live examples to showcase your interaction design skills.

• Address German Requirement: Be ready to discuss how you've handled communication challenges in multilingual professional settings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview questions are designed to probe for operational thinking – strategic problem-solving, data interpretation, process efficiency, and user-centricity within a business context. Preparing case studies that highlight these aspects will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent design position:

• Submit your CV and portfolio directly through the provided application link. Be creative and aim to "surprise us" with your application materials.

• Curate Your Portfolio for Impact: Select 2-3 B2B projects that best showcase your experience with complex workflows, data-heavy interfaces, and quantifiable results. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates your design process and the impact of your work.

• Tailor Your CV for Operations Relevance: Highlight experience in B2B software, user research, workflow optimization, data visualization, and any experience with industrial, energy, or operational software. Use keywords relevant to product design and operations technology.

• Prepare to Discuss Your Process: Be ready to walk through your portfolio projects, explaining your design decisions, challenges faced, and how you collaborated with cross-functional teams (PMs, Engineers).

• Research ecoplanet's Mission: Understand their product, target market (industrial manufacturers), and the importance of energy efficiency. Consider how your design skills can directly contribute to their operational goals.

⚠️ 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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