Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Katana

Location: Estonia (Hybrid - Tallinn office)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-18

Experience Level: 5+ Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end design of Katana's AI-powered product experiences, focusing on user trust and proactive insights.

• Own product domain areas, from customer interviews and problem framing to design, shipping, and impact measurement.

• Collaborate closely with engineers and product managers in a fast-paced, AI-first environment to rapidly prototype and deploy solutions.

• Shape the future of conversational AI within a deep operational product, addressing complex user needs in manufacturing and inventory management.

• Contribute to the evolution of Katana's design system, recognizing its leverage in AI-driven product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer with significant influence over product strategy and execution, particularly in the nascent field of AI integration within B2B SaaS. The emphasis on "ownership," "speed," and "visibility" suggests a high-impact position where the designer is expected to lead initiatives and directly influence business outcomes, aligning with a GTM Operations mindset focused on delivering value and market traction.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design of the in-product Katana AI experience, from initial prototypes through beta and into daily customer reliance.

• Design and implement the critical "trust layer" for AI interactions, including sourced answers, confirm-before-write safeguards, permissions, audit trails, and undo functionalities.

• Develop conversational AI interactions that not only report data but also explain discrepancies and offer solutions, addressing customer trust issues.

• Shape the delivery of proactive insights to customers (e.g., stockouts, margin slips) in a way that is informative without becoming overwhelming noise.

• Design the user experience for Katana's integration into external AI tools via MCP connectors, managing the experience without controlling the primary interface.

• Define and execute user research strategies, utilizing tools like FullStory and Dovetail, to validate design hypotheses and inform product decisions.

• Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for AI features and rigorously measure their impact on customer engagement and business goals.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of Katana's design system, understanding its critical role in AI-generated product components.

• Provide design input for custom solutions developed for high-value SMB customers through the Katana API, feeding learnings back into the core product.

• Iterate on shipped features, moving them from Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to Minimum Lovable Product (MLP) by focusing on engagement and satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic role that goes beyond traditional UI design. The emphasis on "trust layer," "proactive insights," and "MCP connectors" highlights the complexity and cutting-edge nature of the AI work. The inclusion of "Advantage" and "design system" work suggests a need for versatility and a holistic approach to product development, common in senior operations-focused design roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Formal visual or graphic design education is a plus, but not strictly required. Emphasis is placed on practical experience and demonstrable skills.

• Experience with frameworks like Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is beneficial. Experience:

• 5+ years of experience as a Product Designer specifically on B2B SaaS products.

• Proven track record of owning product domains, shipping features, and demonstrating their impact.

• Experience in designing AI or conversational product interfaces is highly desirable.

• Familiarity with the operational world (inventory, supply chain, manufacturing, e-commerce) is advantageous. Required Skills:

• Product Design Leadership: Ability to own a product domain end-to-end, from research to shipping and measurement.

• User Research Expertise: Proficient in conducting independent customer interviews, utilizing behavioral tracking tools (e.g., FullStory), and analyzing research documentation (e.g., Dovetail).

• Prototyping & AI Tools: Experience with AI-enabled prototyping tools and a willingness to build using Katana's design system against real data.

• UX/UI Craftsmanship: Strong command of both User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design principles, with the ability to articulate design flaws and their user impact.

• Design System Acumen: Understanding of design system principles and the ability to work within, evolve, and advocate for consistency.

• Problem Framing & Solutioning: Skill in identifying and framing complex user and business problems, particularly in intricate operational contexts.

• Data Analysis & KPI Setting: Ability to define, track, and analyze KPIs for product features, and make data-informed decisions.

• Collaborative Mindset: Experience working in pairs, collaborating closely with engineers, product managers, and customer-facing teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing AI or conversational product surfaces.

• Proficiency with AI coding tools or experience shipping front-end code.

• Direct experience owning or significantly shaping a design system.

• Practical application of the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework.

• Deep understanding of inventory, supply chain, manufacturing, or e-commerce operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a hands-on, builder mentality essential for operations roles. The explicit mention of "want to build the thing, not hand it over" and "design with AI tools" points to a forward-thinking candidate who embraces modern development workflows and takes accountability for the full product lifecycle, aligning with GTM operations principles of driving tangible results.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing your ownership of product features from initial problem identification through research, design, prototyping, development collaboration, and post-launch analysis.

• AI/Conversational Design Example: Include a specific example demonstrating your experience designing for AI-driven interactions, conversational interfaces, or features requiring user trust and data validation.

• B2B SaaS Focus: Highlight projects specifically within the B2B SaaS domain, illustrating your understanding of complex user workflows and business needs.

• Research & Data Integration: Demonstrate how user research (interviews, analytics, etc.) directly informed your design decisions and how you measured the impact of your work using defined KPIs.

• Design System Contribution: If applicable, include examples of your work with design systems, showing how you leveraged or contributed to them.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your personal design process, emphasizing how you:

  • Conduct user research and synthesize findings.

  • Frame problems and ideate solutions.

  • Prototype and test concepts rapidly, especially with AI tools.

  • Collaborate with engineering and product teams for development and release.

  • Define success metrics and analyze post-launch performance.

  • Iterate on features to improve user satisfaction and business impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, especially one focused on AI and B2B SaaS, a portfolio needs to demonstrate not just aesthetic skill but a strategic, process-driven approach. The emphasis on "end-to-end," "impact measurement," and "collaboration" is critical for operations-minded candidates.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Estonia (Europe/Tallinn timezone) with 5+ years of experience in B2B SaaS and AI product design, a competitive market-aligned base salary is expected. A typical range could be €55,000 - €80,000 annually, depending on specific experience and interview performance.

• 📝 Enhancement Note: This estimate is derived from salary data aggregators for Estonia and Western/Northern European tech hubs, considering the specified experience level, role seniority, and the AI/SaaS specialization. The company's "market-aligned" statement suggests they aim to be competitive within this range.

Benefits:

• Competitive Base Salary: Market-aligned compensation.

• Employee Stock Option Program: Opportunity to share in the company's success.

• Generous Time Off: Statutory annual leave (minimum 4 weeks globally), 3 paid health days, 4 days of time off in lieu, and your birthday off.

• Sabbatical Program: Fully paid 1-month sabbatical with a €1,000 travel budget after every four years of service.

• Home Office Stipend: Support for creating an optimal remote work setup.

• Health & Wellness Package: Access to health checks (Confido), health insurance options, and sports/wellness compensation (Stebby).

• Modern Tools & Technology: Access to up-to-date tools, including AI-enabled software.

Working Hours:

• Full-time position. The role is hybrid, requiring 3 days per week in the Tallinn office (Tuesday-Thursday). Monday and Friday are flexible.

• 📝 Enhancement Note: While specific daily hours aren't stated, a standard 40-hour work week is implied for full-time roles. The hybrid structure allows for focused work and collaboration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software / AI / Manufacturing & Inventory Management SaaS. Katana operates in the growing B2B SaaS market, specifically targeting businesses that manufacture and sell physical products. The AI-first approach indicates a focus on innovation and leveraging cutting-edge technology.

Company Size: 100+ employees across 10+ countries. This indicates a mid-sized, growing company with a distributed, international team.

Founded: Katana was founded with a mission to provide powerful inventory and manufacturing software. The company is expanding from serving small merchants to larger, more complex multi-channel, multi-location businesses.

Team Structure:

• Platform & Intelligence Team: This is the team the Senior Product Designer will join, focusing on all AI initiatives.

• Reporting Structure: Direct reporting to the Chief Product Officer (CPO).

• Design Team: Works in a pair with another senior product designer, sharing responsibilities within the Platform & Intelligence team.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Close collaboration with product managers, engineers, marketing, and customer-facing teams is integral to the design process.

Methodology:

• AI-First Development: A core philosophy influencing product development and design.

• Rapid Iteration: Work cycles of two weeks or less, focusing on vertical slices.

• Prototyping & Real Data: Emphasis on building working prototypes with AI against customer data for early testing.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizing research, behavioral analytics, and KPIs to inform design and product strategy.

• Ownership Model: Designers, engineers, and PMs can lead roadmap items.

Company Website: https://katanamrp.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is characterized by speed, ownership, and a strong emphasis on AI. The distributed nature of the team and the hybrid work model are key aspects for potential employees to consider. The direct reporting to the CPO signifies high visibility and influence for this senior role.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, positioned at a critical juncture of the company's growth. It involves significant ownership, direct impact on strategic initiatives (AI), and high visibility to leadership (CPO). It's not just about executing designs but framing problems, leading research, and influencing product direction.

Reporting Structure: The designer reports directly to the CPO, offering a direct line of communication and influence. They will work closely with a peer Senior Product Designer and collaborate extensively with Product Managers and Engineers on the Platform & Intelligence team.

Operations Impact: The role's primary impact is on shaping Katana's AI strategy and execution, which is a core growth area. Success in this role will directly contribute to the product's competitive differentiation, customer adoption of AI features, and ultimately, business growth and revenue. The emphasis on "moving a number" highlights the business-oriented nature of the design work.

Growth Opportunities:

• AI Product Leadership: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert and leader in designing AI-driven SaaS products, a highly in-demand skill set.

• Product Strategy Influence: Direct involvement in roadmap planning and strategic decision-making due to direct reporting to the CPO and ownership of domain areas.

• Design Process Evolution: Play a key role in defining and refining the "prototype-to-production-pull-request" workflow, influencing how design and development integrate.

• Design System Ownership: Potential to take ownership of the design system, elevating its strategic importance as the foundation for AI-generated product components.

• Cross-functional Skill Development: Exposure to deep operational product complexities and customer business challenges, fostering a broader understanding of the B2B SaaS landscape.

• Leadership Potential: The senior nature of the role and direct executive visibility can pave the way for future leadership positions within the design or product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers substantial growth potential beyond traditional design progression. The focus on AI, strategic influence, and evolving development processes aligns with high-potential career paths in product operations and GTM strategy.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid model. The role requires 3 days per week in the Tallinn office, with Monday and Friday being flexible (remote or office).

Office Location(s): Tallinn, Estonia. The company is happy to support relocation from within Europe for the right candidate.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The 3 office days per week are designed for focused, face-to-face collaboration, making the work move faster and sharpening teamwork.

• Agile & Fast-Paced: The environment is set up for rapid iteration, with two-week cycles and a focus on getting working prototypes in front of customers quickly.

• Tooling & Technology: Access to modern tools, including AI-enabled design and development tools, and behavioral analytics platforms.

• Direct Interaction: Designers have direct access to product and customer data, bypassing traditional queues and fostering autonomy.

Work Schedule:

• Full-time, with a hybrid arrangement balancing office collaboration and remote flexibility. The company emphasizes speed and iterative development, suggesting a dynamic work schedule focused on outcomes rather than strict hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid setup in Tallinn is a key feature. For operations roles that require deep collaboration and rapid problem-solving, the structured office days are crucial for team cohesion and efficiency. Relocation support is a significant benefit for international candidates.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely involves a review of your application and portfolio, potentially with automated tools.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: Expect a practical exercise that assesses your problem-framing, research, and design skills, possibly involving AI-related scenarios or a deep operational product challenge.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will likely present your work, focusing on case studies that demonstrate end-to-end ownership, research-driven decisions, and measurable impact. Be prepared to discuss your process and how you handled challenges.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with peer designers, product managers, engineers, and potentially the CPO to assess technical skills, cultural fit, and collaborative abilities.

• Final Interview: Likely with the CPO to discuss strategic alignment, vision, and overall fit for the senior role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Ownership: Clearly articulate what you owned in each project – the problem, the design, the shipping, and the impact.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, prototypes, and clear narratives to explain your design process and decisions.

• Quantify Impact: For each case study, present the KPIs you set and the results achieved. Explain how your design directly contributed to business goals.

• Demonstrate Research-to-Design Connection: Clearly link your research findings to specific design choices and iterations.

• Address AI/Complexity: If possible, include examples that show your ability to tackle complex problems or emerging areas like AI.

• Be Ready for Process Questions: Prepare to discuss your approach to research, prototyping, collaboration, and iteration.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Katana's Business: Research their product, target market (manufacturing/inventory), and their AI strategy.

• Practice Problem Framing: Be ready to deconstruct a given problem and define its scope and user needs.

• Simulate AI Design Scenarios: Think about challenges related to user trust, data interpretation, and proactive insights in an AI context.

• Prepare for "Build It Yourself" Mentality: Understand how you would approach prototyping and potentially working with engineers to get a concept into a working state.

• Articulate Business Impact: Be prepared to discuss how your design solutions solve both customer pain points and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes a candidate's ability to not just design but to own, build, and measure. The portfolio review will be critical, requiring candidates to showcase their strategic thinking and operational impact, not just visual design skills.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• AI-Enabled Design Tools: For prototyping and potentially generating design elements (specific tools not listed, but implied by "AI on our design system").

• Prototyping Tools: Likely industry-standard tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD, integrated with AI capabilities.

• Design System: Katana's proprietary design system is a core tool and artifact.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Behavioral Analytics: FullStory (or similar) for tracking user interactions and identifying pain points.

• Research Documentation: Dovetail (or similar) for organizing and synthesizing user research findings.

• KPI Tracking: Internal dashboards or BI tools for monitoring feature performance and business metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• Internal Systems: Katana likely uses internal systems for CRM, project management, and potentially workflow automation, though specific tools are not detailed.

• API Integration: Understanding of how products integrate via APIs (e.g., MCP connectors) is relevant.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes a modern, AI-integrated workflow. The mention of FullStory and Dovetail indicates a data-driven approach to design and research, crucial for operations roles focused on measurable outcomes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for a product domain from inception to impact, not just task completion.

• Speed & Agility: Embracing rapid iteration, two-week cycles, and a bias for action.

• AI-First: A genuine commitment to exploring and integrating AI into daily work and product development.

• Customer Focus: Deeply understanding customer businesses and their operational complexities to build valuable solutions.

• Data-Driven: Relying on research, analytics, and KPIs to inform decisions and measure success.

• Collaboration: Working effectively in pairs and across functions, valuing shared learning and feedback.

• Transparency: Presenting work, experiments, and even misses openly to the team for collective learning.

Collaboration Style:

• Pair Design: Working closely with another senior designer as a primary mode of collaboration.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, Marketing, and Customer Success teams.

• Early & Frequent Sharing: Disseminating work-in-progress to stakeholders for continuous feedback, rather than waiting for final reveals.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging constructive criticism and learning from both successes and failures.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a proactive, growth-oriented, and collaborative environment. For operations professionals, the values of ownership, speed, and data-driven decision-making are particularly resonant and indicative of how work is approached.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Trust in AI: Creating user confidence in AI-generated insights and actions, especially within critical operational data.

• Complexity of Operational Data: Understanding and designing for the intricate workflows and data models of manufacturing and inventory management businesses.

• No Established Patterns: Designing for novel AI interactions where established UX patterns don't yet exist.

• Bridging Research to Production: Ensuring that insights from research translate effectively into shipped product features, especially within a fast-paced environment.

• Balancing Design System Consistency with Innovation: Evolving the design system to accommodate AI features while maintaining usability and coherence.

• Managing Hybrid Work Dynamics: Effectively collaborating and maintaining momentum across distributed and in-office team members.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge AI Design: Gaining deep expertise in designing AI-driven products, a highly sought-after skill.

• Product Strategy Leadership: Directly contributing to and influencing the company's strategic direction, particularly in AI.

• Advanced Prototyping & Development Workflows: Mastering AI-assisted design tools and potentially contributing to bridging the gap between design and code.

• Deep Domain Expertise: Developing a thorough understanding of manufacturing, inventory, and supply chain operations.

• Design System Evolution: Opportunity to shape the future of a critical design artifact that powers AI development.

• Mentorship & Peer Learning: Working alongside experienced designers, engineers, and product leaders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed as opportunities for growth and innovation, typical for roles in forward-thinking tech companies. The focus on AI and operational complexity offers significant learning potential for career advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you owned a product feature end-to-end. What was the problem, how did you approach it, what did you ship, and what was the measurable impact?" (Focus on your process, research, and ROI).

• "How would you design a system to build user trust in AI-generated insights for financial or inventory data?" (Prepare to discuss trust layers, data sourcing, and confirmation mechanisms).

• "How do you balance the need for a consistent design system with the requirements for novel AI interactions?" (Discuss your approach to design system evolution and when to break patterns).

• "Given Katana's focus on manufacturing and inventory, how would you approach user research to understand the core pain points of businesses in this sector?" (Showcase your research methodology and ability to dive deep into domain complexity). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Katana's AI-first approach and our mission?" (Research their AI strategy and connect it to your passion).

• "How do you approach collaboration, especially in a hybrid environment and in a design pair?" (Highlight your communication, feedback, and teamwork skills).

• "How do you handle ambiguity and rapid change in a fast-paced startup environment?" (Emphasize your flexibility, problem-solving, and resilience).

• "Describe a time you had to present a 'miss' or a failed experiment. How did you handle it, and what did you learn?" (Show your growth mindset and ability to learn from setbacks). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around 2-3 key case studies that best showcase your end-to-end ownership, AI/complex problem-solving, and measurable results.

• Narrative is Key: Tell a compelling story for each project, highlighting the "why," "how," and "what happened next."

• Focus on Process & Decision-Making: Explain the rationale behind your design choices, linking them directly to user research and business objectives.

• Quantify Your Contributions: Clearly state the KPIs you set and the impact your design had. Use numbers and data to support your claims.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Be ready to elaborate on any aspect of your presented work, from initial research methods to specific UI details and technical considerations.

• Highlight AI/Operational Relevance: If possible, select or frame projects that demonstrate your ability to tackle complex operational challenges or emerging technologies like AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice focuses on demonstrating strategic thinking, operational impact, and adaptability, which are crucial for senior roles in fast-growing tech companies. Candidates should be ready to articulate their value beyond traditional design skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Ashby link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience with B2B SaaS, AI product design, end-to-end ownership, user research, and measurable impact. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that demonstrate your ability to own a product domain, tackle complex problems (ideally AI or operational), conduct research, collaborate with development, and measure results. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates your role and the impact of your work.

• Write a Compelling Cover Letter: Briefly explain why you are a strong fit for Katana's AI-first mission, the hybrid work environment, and the specific challenges of this role.

• Prepare for the Interview Process: Review the likely interview stages and practice articulating your design process, research findings, and business impact. Be ready to discuss your portfolio in detail.

• Research Katana: Understand their product, target market, company values, and recent news to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural alignment.

⚠️ 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.