Product Designer (parental cover)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (Parental Cover)

Company: Gravity Sketch

Location: North Carolina, United States (Remote - UK, Spain, USA eligible)

Job Type: Contractor

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Support

Date Posted: 2026-06-10

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

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive product design for Gravity Sketch's flagship web application, focusing on user delight and intuitive experiences.

• Support the broader product ecosystem, including VR and desktop applications, ensuring seamless user flows and consistent quality across all platforms.

• Collaborate closely with engineering, product management, and founders in a fast-paced, agile environment to deliver innovative solutions.

• Contribute to visual branding efforts for the marketing team, aligning product and brand aesthetics.

• This role is a 9-month contract for parental cover, with potential for permanent conversion.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is primarily a Product Designer position, its focus on supporting a product ecosystem, ensuring cross-platform consistency, and contributing to visual branding for marketing efforts has a strong overlap with Go-To-Market (GTM) Operations support. The emphasis on rapid iteration, collaboration with diverse internal stakeholders, and driving adoption of a platform aligns with operational efficiency and strategic execution principles critical in GTM roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead product design initiatives for the web application (app.gravitysketch.com), from ideation through to delivery, ensuring user-centricity and high-impact solutions.

• Maintain and evolve the web design system, ensuring scalability, consistency, and efficient implementation of design elements.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Product, Founders) to define problems, brainstorm solutions, and iterate on designs, balancing user experience, visual design, and technical feasibility.

• Act as an internal advocate for design excellence, presenting work-in-progress prototypes and design rationale to stakeholders to foster understanding and collaborative debate.

• Provide design support for VR and desktop applications, ensuring a cohesive user experience across the entire Gravity Sketch product ecosystem.

• Contribute to visual branding and design assets for marketing campaigns, supporting GTM initiatives.

• Participate in user research and testing to gather insights and validate design decisions, informing product strategy.

• Contribute to the company's rapid product shipping cycle by actively participating in agile development processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of core product design tasks with elements that support GTM operations. Driving product design for the web app and supporting other platforms directly impacts user adoption and retention, key GTM metrics. The emphasis on a design system and rapid iteration also speaks to operational efficiency in product development, which is crucial for GTM success. Contributing to marketing visuals directly supports GTM efforts.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

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

• 2-5 years of experience working as a Product Designer on digital products within cross-functional delivery teams.

• Proven experience working in small or early-stage companies, demonstrating adaptability and a proactive approach.

• Some experience in physical product design (e.g., through studies, industry work, or hobbies) is desirable, offering a unique perspective on 3D design. Required Skills:

• Proficiency in product design principles and methodologies for digital products.

• Strong command of design tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite) for wireframing, prototyping, and visual design.

• Experience in developing and maintaining design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Ability to translate complex user needs and business requirements into intuitive and effective user experiences.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with experience working effectively in agile, cross-functional teams.

• Demonstrated ability to articulate design decisions and rationale to diverse stakeholders.

• Experience in driving product design from concept to delivery. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with 3D design tools or concepts, given the company's core offering.

• Familiarity with VR/AR design principles and implementation.

• Experience supporting marketing teams with visual branding or design assets.

• Understanding of Go-To-Market strategies and how product design contributes to user acquisition and retention.

• Experience with user research methodologies and usability testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "some experience in physical product design" is noteworthy. For operations professionals, this suggests a company that values a holistic understanding of product creation, potentially bridging the gap between digital and physical product development, which can be crucial for GTM alignment in hardware-adjacent software. The mention of working in small/early-stage companies implies a need for resourcefulness and adaptability, key operational traits.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design projects for digital applications, emphasizing problem-solving and user-centric solutions.

• Case studies demonstrating your role in driving design from ideation through to successful launch.

• Examples of contributions to or creation of design systems, highlighting consistency and scalability.

• Visuals and explanations of user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and final UI designs.

• Projects that illustrate collaboration with engineering and product teams. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate the design process followed, including research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration phases.

• Demonstrate how you have balanced user experience, visual design, and technical feasibility in your design process.

• Highlight your approach to maintaining design consistency across different platforms (web, VR, desktop).

• Showcase your ability to evangelize design internally and gather feedback from cross-functional stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role that touches GTM operations, the portfolio should ideally highlight projects where design decisions directly influenced user adoption, engagement, or conversion rates. Demonstrating an understanding of how design impacts business objectives (e.g., user acquisition, retention) will be highly valued. The ability to present a clear, repeatable design process is a key operational skill.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• As this is a contractor role for parental cover, compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Based on industry benchmarks for mid-level Product Designers in remote-eligible US/UK/Spain markets, a typical range for a 9-month contract might fall between $70,000 - $100,000 USD annually, pro-rated for the contract duration.

• For UK-based candidates, this could translate to £55,000 - £80,000 GBP.

• For Spain-based candidates, this could translate to €60,000 - €85,000 EUR. Benefits:

• Uncapped holidays: encourages taking time off to recharge.

• £50/month (or equivalent) personal wellbeing budget.

• Private healthcare.

• £1,000/year (or equivalent) personal budget for professional development, supporting career growth and skill enhancement.

• Team lunch Wednesdays (in-person or virtual with food delivery credit).

• Regular social events and an annual global meet-up to foster team cohesion.

• Enhanced parental leave policy.

• Access to Cyclescheme and Techscheme. Working Hours:

• This is a full-time position, typically around 40 hours per week. Flexibility is expected given the remote nature and international team, with core collaboration hours to be determined.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on broad market research for remote mid-level Product Designer roles in the specified regions. Actual compensation may vary based on the candidate's specific experience, the exact scope of work, and prevailing market rates at the time of hire. The benefits package is quite comprehensive for a contractor role, indicating a strong commitment to employee well-being and development, which can positively impact team morale and productivity – key operational considerations.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software, 3D Design Technology, Immersive Experiences. Gravity Sketch operates within the rapidly evolving fields of VR/AR, CAD, and digital design tools, aiming to revolutionize how products are conceived and developed.

Company Size: Small to early-stage company. This implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment where individuals can have a significant impact and often wear multiple hats. For operations professionals, this means agility, resourcefulness, and a direct line to founders and key decision-makers.

Founded: The company was founded with a vision to democratize 3D design, indicating a culture driven by innovation, user empowerment, and a passion for creative technology.

Team Structure:

• The product and design teams are described as small but tightly-knit and cross-functional, working without undue process or governance.

• Designers collaborate directly with founders, engineering, and product peers, fostering a flat hierarchy and open communication.

• There is an expectation of healthy challenge and collaborative debate, suggesting a culture that values diverse opinions and rigorous problem-solving. Methodology:

• Agile development processes are implied by the mention of rapid product shipping and collaboration from scoping to delivery.

• A strong emphasis is placed on user-centric design, with a need to understand customer needs and iterate based on feedback.

• The company values a "Force Multiplier" mindset, encouraging team members to elevate those around them and raise the bar for results.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes agility, ownership, and a collaborative, results-driven approach. For operations roles, understanding this culture is key to navigating internal dynamics and contributing effectively. The "Owner Mindset" and "Force Multiplier" values directly translate to operational responsibilities where accountability and team enablement are paramount.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer (2-5 years experience). While not a traditional "operations" role, its function in supporting product ecosystem consistency, design systems, and marketing visuals provides exposure to GTM enablement processes.

Reporting Structure: The designer will work closely with peers in Engineering and Product, and report into a Design Lead or Product Manager. Direct interaction with founders is also highlighted, suggesting a high level of visibility.

Operations Impact: While primarily focused on product design, the role's impact extends to GTM by ensuring the product's user experience is compelling, consistent across platforms, and visually aligned with marketing efforts. This directly influences user acquisition, retention, and overall brand perception.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Development: Opportunity to expand expertise in web, VR, and desktop design, as well as contribute to a design system and visual branding.

• Product Ownership: Chance to build and own end-to-end experiences within a flagship product.

• Strategic Influence: Work directly with founders to refine product vision and strategy.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain experience in rapid product shipping within a lean, agile team, valuable for understanding operational execution.

• Potential for Permanence: The contract offers a pathway to a full-time, permanent role, providing long-term career stability and growth within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, this role offers a unique opportunity to understand product development from a design perspective, which can enhance their ability to collaborate with product and engineering teams. The emphasis on design systems and cross-platform consistency is directly transferable to operational efficiency and scalability. The potential for permanent conversion is a significant growth factor.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. The company operates with a distributed workforce, allowing for flexibility in location.

Office Location(s): Eligible candidates can be based in the United Kingdom, Spain, or the USA. The primary derived location is North Carolina, USA, but the remote eligibility is broad.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Despite being remote, the company emphasizes a tightly-knit team with regular virtual and in-person (where possible) interactions, including team lunches and annual global meet-ups.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard design software and collaboration tools will be provided. The role involves working with a web app, VR, and desktop applications, suggesting a diverse technological landscape.

• Agile Operations: The work environment is fast-paced, requiring adaptability and efficient workflow management, mirroring operational demands.

Work Schedule: Full-time (approx. 40 hours/week) with flexibility. Core collaboration hours will be established to accommodate different time zones within the eligible regions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature of this role requires strong self-discipline and communication skills, which are critical for effective operations management. The emphasis on regular virtual team events and an annual global meet-up indicates a deliberate effort to build team cohesion and alignment, which is vital for distributed operational teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application and portfolio to assess fit with the role and company.

• Portfolio Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, walking through key projects and explaining their design process, rationale, and impact.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with peers in Engineering and Product to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and problem-solving approach.

• Founder/Leadership Interview: A final discussion to gauge cultural fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with company values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Process: Clearly articulate your design process for each project, emphasizing how you approached problem-solving and user needs.

• Showcase Impact: Quantify results where possible (e.g., improvements in user engagement, conversion rates, efficiency gains). For GTM alignment, demonstrate how design contributed to business objectives.

• Design System Focus: If applicable, showcase your experience with design systems and how they drive consistency and efficiency.

• Cross-Platform Thinking: Emphasize any experience with designing for multiple platforms (web, mobile, VR, desktop) and how you ensure consistency.

• Storytelling: Present your work as compelling narratives that highlight challenges, your solutions, and the outcomes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for design challenges that may involve problem-solving, ideation, or refining existing concepts, potentially related to the Gravity Sketch product ecosystem.

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely, especially when under time constraints.

• Be ready to discuss how your design decisions align with business goals and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, interviewers will be looking for not just design skills but also an understanding of how design integrates with product development and GTM strategies. Candidates should be ready to discuss how their design work supports user adoption and brand consistency, demonstrating an operational mindset.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design Software: Proficiency expected in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.).

• Prototyping Tools: Experience with tools like Figma, InVision, or similar for creating interactive prototypes.

• Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with platforms like Slack, Notion, or similar for team communication and project management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary focus for this role, an understanding of how design impacts user analytics (e.g., engagement metrics, conversion funnels) would be beneficial. Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics or product-specific analytics platforms is a plus. CRM & Automation:

• This role does not directly involve CRM or automation tools, but an awareness of how product design contributes to user onboarding and retention within a CRM context is advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core requirement is design tools, understanding the broader tech stack of a company like Gravity Sketch (VR, desktop apps, web app) is crucial. For operations professionals, this implies an appreciation for how different product components interact and how design ensures a cohesive user experience across these varied platforms.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Force Multiplier: A core value emphasizing making everyone around you better, raising the bar, and delivering results. This translates to a collaborative, high-performance environment where team members support each other.

• Owner Mindset: Holding yourself and others accountable, treating company investments as your own, and preventing "eggs from dropping." This implies a culture of responsibility, proactivity, and commitment to successful outcomes.

• Resourceful: Taking calculated risks, maximizing value with available resources, and maintaining a hunger for growth. This fosters innovation and efficiency.

• Curiosity: A commitment to continuous learning, asking "why/why not," and exploring new ideas. This drives product innovation and personal development.

• Empathy: Putting yourself in the customer's shoes, being caring and respectful, and acting from a place of understanding. This ensures user-centricity in all product decisions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Strong emphasis on working closely with Engineering, Product, and Founders, fostering open communication and shared problem-solving.

• Healthy Debate: An environment that encourages constructive challenge and collaborative debate to arrive at the best solutions.

• Agile and Rapid: The team operates with startup agility, shipping product rapidly without excessive process, requiring strong communication and alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's core values directly reflect operational principles: accountability, resourcefulness, continuous improvement, and customer focus. Understanding and embodying these values is critical for success in any role at Gravity Sketch, including how design decisions are made and implemented.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Stakeholder Opinions: Working within a passionate team with strong opinions requires strong communication and negotiation skills to drive consensus on design decisions.

• Cross-Platform Consistency: Ensuring a cohesive user experience across web, VR, and desktop applications presents a complex design challenge.

• Startup Agility: Navigating a fast-paced, evolving company structure requires adaptability and the ability to manage ambiguity.

• Parental Cover Role: Stepping into a role with a defined contract period requires rapid integration and immediate impact.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Broad Design Exposure: Gain hands-on experience across different product platforms (web, VR, desktop) and contribute to core product development.

• Design System Mastery: Deepen expertise in building and maintaining scalable design systems.

• Strategic Product Input: Work directly with founders on product vision and strategy.

• Agile Operations Practice: Experience rapid product development cycles and lean operational processes.

• Professional Development Budget: Utilize the allocated budget for courses, conferences, or resources to enhance skills relevant to product design, GTM strategy, or operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical of fast-growing tech companies and offer significant learning opportunities. For operations professionals, understanding these challenges from a design perspective can inform better cross-functional strategies for product launches and ongoing optimization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance conflicting stakeholder requirements in a design project. How did you navigate this and what was the outcome?" (Focus on communication, negotiation, and problem-solving).

• "How would you approach ensuring design consistency across web, VR, and desktop applications for a product like Gravity Sketch?" (Assess understanding of design systems, user flows, and platform nuances).

• "Walk us through a product design project where you significantly influenced the user experience or business metrics. What was your process and what was the impact?" (Demonstrate end-to-end ownership and results-orientation). Company & Culture Questions:

• "Which of Gravity Sketch's core values resonates most with you and why? How have you demonstrated this value in your previous roles?" (Prepare to connect your experience to their values).

• "How do you approach collaboration within a cross-functional team, especially when there are strong opinions?" (Highlight your experience in healthy debate and achieving consensus).

• "What excites you about Gravity Sketch's mission to revolutionize 3D design?" (Show genuine interest and alignment with the company's vision). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio by project, clearly outlining the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the impact.

• Visuals: Use high-quality mockups, prototypes, and flow diagrams.

• Narrative: Tell a compelling story for each project, emphasizing your thought process and decision-making.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Operations Alignment: For this role, subtly highlight how your design decisions contribute to user adoption, retention, or brand consistency – aspects relevant to GTM operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: When preparing for this interview, think about how design contributes to the overall success of the product and the company's GTM strategy. Emphasize your ability to be a "Force Multiplier" and demonstrate an "Owner Mindset" through your examples.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer (Parental Cover) position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating end-to-end product design, cross-platform experience, and contributions to design systems. Showcase your ability to solve user problems and collaborate effectively.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your experience in digital product design, working with cross-functional teams, and experience in early-stage companies. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, articulating your design process, and preparing answers to strategy, company culture, and problem-solving questions.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Gravity Sketch, its mission, its product (web, VR, desktop), and its core values to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.