Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Seqera

Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-04-10

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (4+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (with a strong emphasis on remote flexibility)

🚀 Role Summary

• Design user-centric, polished, and delightful interfaces for technical users within the Seqera Platform and AI products, enhancing the experience for bioinformaticians.

• Drive end-to-end product design, from identifying opportunities and defining concepts to developing prototypes and contributing to high-fidelity visuals.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and other stakeholders to translate user needs and business goals into effective design solutions.

• Contribute to and help shape the company's design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and high-quality UI craftsmanship across the product suite.

• Actively participate in defining product strategy, grounded in deep user empathy and a thorough understanding of the bioinformatics and life sciences domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is listed as "Senior Product Designer," the description emphasizes collaboration with product managers and engineers, and the need to "influence without authority," suggesting a role that requires strong individual contribution and cross-functional leadership within the design domain, rather than direct people management. The focus on "technical users" and "bioinformatics" is a critical differentiator for this role.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Craft beautiful, polished, and delightful interfaces that build trust, enable bioinformaticians, and showcase the power of Seqera and Nextflow.

• Work across modern design tools and code, fostering a collaborative technical partnership with engineering teams.

• Contribute to and help define our design system, ensuring its evolution and adoption across the organization.

• Find creative, efficient ways to ship high-quality work in a fast-paced startup environment, balancing speed with design excellence.

• Define feature areas with exceptional attention to detail and polish, identifying opportunities to improve the quality and consistency of broader user flows.

• Contribute to the strategic direction of our products, rooted in deep user empathy and a comprehensive understanding of our platform's capabilities and user needs.

• Create, collaborate on, and iterate through user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs.

• Conduct user research and analysis to inform design decisions and ensure user needs are met.

• Champion design best practices and contribute to a culture of design excellence within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of individual design execution and strategic influence. The emphasis on "designing prototype with code" and "collaborating technically with engineering" suggests a need for designers who can bridge the gap between design and development, potentially involving some level of front-end understanding or direct contribution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial. Emphasis is placed on a strong portfolio and practical experience.

Experience: 4+ years of professional experience as a Product Designer, UX Designer, UI Designer, or a similar role.

Required Skills:

• User-Centric Design Thinking: Proven ability to deeply understand user needs, particularly those of technical users, and translate them into intuitive and effective design solutions.

• UI Craftsmanship: Demonstrated ability to create polished, visually appealing, and high-fidelity interfaces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

• Prototyping & Iteration: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes (using tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc.) to test and iterate on design concepts.

• Design System Contribution: Experience working with, contributing to, or helping to define design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• End-to-End Product Design: Proven track record of taking complex products through the entire design lifecycle, from concept to launch.

• Technical Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to design, prototype, and collaborate technically with engineering teams, understanding their workflows and constraints.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders, influencing without direct authority.

• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to tackle ambiguous design challenges and define clear goals.

Preferred Skills:

• Developer/Technical User Experience: Prior experience as a developer or specifically designing for developer-facing products or technical users.

• Visual & Interaction Design Acumen: A keen eye for high-quality visual design, micro-interactions, and overall user experience polish.

• Ambiguity Navigation: A knack for tackling ambiguous problems, breaking them down, and shaping them into clear, actionable design goals.

• Prioritization & Decision Making: Demonstrated ability to make sound design decisions and prioritize work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

• Scientific Research Understanding: Familiarity with scientific research processes, particularly in bioinformatics or life sciences, beyond a high school level.

• Experience with Nextflow: Familiarity with Nextflow or similar workflow management systems used in scientific computing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nice to have" section strongly suggests that candidates with direct experience in designing for developers or technical users, and those with a background in science (especially bioinformatics), will have a significant advantage. The ability to prototype with code is a unique and valuable skill for this role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• User-Centric Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your process for tackling complex design problems, with a strong emphasis on user research, problem definition, and iterative design solutions.

• Technical User Focus: Highlight projects specifically involving the design of interfaces for technical users, developers, or specialized scientific/engineering domains.

• UI Craftsmanship & Polish: Present high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes that clearly exhibit your attention to detail, visual design quality, and interaction design proficiency.

• Design System Contribution: Include examples of your involvement with design systems, whether it's contributing components, defining guidelines, or advocating for their use.

• End-to-End Process Documentation: Clearly articulate your role and contributions across the product development lifecycle for each project, from discovery to implementation.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate how you approach understanding existing workflows, identifying pain points, and designing improved processes through user-centered design.

• Prototyping & User Testing: Detail your methodology for creating prototypes (including any code-based prototypes) and conducting user testing to gather feedback and validate design decisions.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate how you collaborate with product managers and engineers, including examples of how you communicate design decisions, incorporate feedback, and ensure design feasibility.

• Impact Measurement: While not explicitly stated, ideally showcase how your designs have positively impacted user experience, product adoption, or business metrics, even if qualitatively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "technical users" and "prototyping with code" means the portfolio should go beyond standard UX case studies. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their process for understanding complex technical requirements and how they translate those into user-friendly interfaces. Demonstrating an understanding of scientific workflows or bioinformatics would be a significant plus.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the Senior Product Designer title, 4+ years of experience, and the location in Barcelona, Spain, a competitive salary range is expected. For a Senior Product Designer in Barcelona with this experience, the estimated annual salary could range from €50,000 to €75,000. This range is based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in major European tech hubs, considering the company's focus on specialized enterprise software and competitive startup compensation structures.

Benefits:

• Flexible Working Hours: Allows for better work-life integration and personal scheduling.

• Equity: Opportunity to own a stake in the company's growth and success.

• Private Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical coverage for employees.

• Private Life Insurance: Financial protection for beneficiaries.

• Ticket Restaurant (with Cobee): Meal vouchers or a supplementary card for dining expenses.

• Home Office Bonus: A significant bonus (valued over $1,000 USD) to support a productive remote work setup.

• Mental Health App Subscription (Oliva): Access to resources for well-being and mental health support.

• Learning and Development Budget: An annual budget of $1,000 USD for professional development, training, conferences, or certifications.

• Paid Time Off: 23 vacation days per year, plus 3 additional days provided by Seqera in December, and observance of national/public holidays.

• International Working Environment: Experience working with a diverse, multinational team.

• Team Retreats & Bonding Activities: Opportunities for team building and social interaction.

Working Hours: While specific hours are not detailed, the mention of "Flexible working hours" suggests a degree of autonomy. A standard full-time role in Spain typically involves around 40 hours per week, but with flexibility in scheduling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for Senior Product Designers in Spain, particularly in a tech hub like Barcelona. Actual compensation will depend on individual experience, specific skills, and negotiation. The benefits package is quite comprehensive, indicating a strong focus on employee well-being and professional development, which is attractive for senior roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on Scientific Software, Bioinformatics, and Life Sciences. Seqera is at the intersection of cutting-edge research and enterprise software solutions.

Company Size: The company appears to be in a growth phase, likely a scale-up startup. While not explicitly stated, the mention of "growing design team" and "fast-paced startup environment" suggests a dynamic and evolving organization. Employee count is likely in the range of 50-200+ individuals.

Founded: Seqera's roots trace back a decade with Nextflow, indicating a strong foundation and proven technology. The company itself, as Seqera, is likely younger but built on significant prior development.

Team Structure:

• The design team is growing, providing an opportunity to shape its direction and processes.

• You will report to the VP of Product, indicating a direct line of influence on product strategy.

• Collaboration is highly cross-functional, involving close partnerships with Product Managers and Engineers.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: The company emphasizes advancing science through software, implying a strong reliance on data to inform product decisions and measure impact.

• User Empathy: A core value is understanding the needs of scientists and bioinformaticians to build effective tools.

• Agile & Iterative Development: The "fast-paced startup environment" and need to "ship high-quality work" suggest agile methodologies and a focus on iterative design and development.

• Open Source Roots: The foundation in Nextflow, an open-source project, may influence a culture that values community, contribution, and transparency.

Company Website: https://seqera.io/

📝 Enhancement Note: Seqera operates in a highly specialized and impactful field. Candidates should understand the importance of scientific discovery and the role of software in accelerating it. The culture seems to value innovation, user focus, and a collaborative, fast-paced startup environment with a global outlook.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, positioned to make significant individual contributions and influence product direction. It's a role for experienced designers who can operate with a high degree of autonomy and tackle complex challenges. The position is not an entry-level or junior role, nor does it appear to be a management role, but rather a senior individual contributor (IC) path.

Reporting Structure: You will report directly to the VP of Product. This provides visibility and a direct channel to senior leadership, allowing your design vision and strategy to be heard at a high level. You will collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers, forming key cross-functional partnerships.

Operations Impact: The design of Seqera's platform and AI tools directly impacts the ability of scientists and bioinformaticians to conduct their research. Well-designed software can accelerate discoveries, improve data analysis efficiency, and enable more complex scientific endeavors. This role has the potential to significantly influence the efficiency and success of scientific research globally by making complex software accessible and powerful.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to play a key role in defining, evolving, and championing the company's design system, becoming a go-to expert.

• Product Strategy Influence: Contribute directly to the strategic direction of Seqera's platform and AI products through user empathy and design thinking.

• Skill Development: Access to a $1,000 USD annual budget for learning and development, including conferences, courses, and certifications, allowing specialization in areas like advanced UX for technical users or AI-driven design.

• Career Progression: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer role, mentor junior designers as the team expands, or specialize further within the product design domain.

• Industry Expertise: Deepen knowledge in bioinformatics and life sciences, becoming an expert in designing for this critical scientific field.

📝 Enhancement Note: This senior IC role offers significant opportunities for impact and growth within a specialized and rapidly evolving industry. The direct reporting to the VP of Product and the chance to shape design systems and product strategy are key attractions for ambitious designers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is listed as "TELECOMMUTE," and the location is Barcelona, Spain. The company also mentions "Hybrid working environment" and a "Home office bonus." This suggests a flexible model where remote work is primary, but there might be opportunities for in-person collaboration in Barcelona or other company locations for team retreats or specific meetings.

Office Location(s): Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain is the primary listed location. The company also highlights an "International working environment with more than 25 nationalities," suggesting a distributed team structure beyond just Barcelona.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Despite the remote/hybrid setup, the company fosters collaboration through team retreats, bonding activities, and cross-functional team interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Expect to work with modern design tools and potentially code for prototyping, supported by the company's infrastructure.

• Operations Team Interaction: You will be part of a growing design team and collaborate closely with Product and Engineering, likely utilizing digital collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and project management software.

• Flexibility: The "Flexible working hours" and "Home office bonus" indicate a supportive environment for remote and hybrid work setups.

Work Schedule: Flexible working hours are offered, with a typical full-time commitment expected (around 40 hours/week). This allows for autonomy in managing your workday, balanced with the need for cross-functional collaboration during core working periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "TELECOMMUTE" designation combined with the Barcelona location and "Hybrid" mention implies a strong remote-first or remote-friendly culture, with potential for occasional in-person gatherings or optional office use in Barcelona. Candidates should confirm the exact expectations regarding in-office presence if any.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process: While not explicitly detailed, a typical senior design interview process at a tech startup would likely include:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with HR or a recruiter to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A deeper dive into your portfolio, discussing your process and contributions. This may be followed by a take-home design exercise or an in-person/virtual whiteboarding session to assess your design thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially the VP of Product to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and strategic thinking.

• Final Round: Discussions with senior leadership to assess overall fit, vision, and alignment with company goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your approach, your specific contributions, and the outcome or impact of your design. Quantify results where possible.

• Highlight Technical User Experience: Emphasize projects where you designed for complex, technical, or developer audiences. Explain your process for understanding their unique needs and workflows.

• Showcase Design Systems Work: Detail your involvement in design systems – how you contributed, maintained, or evangelized them.

• Demonstrate Prototyping Skills: Be prepared to discuss your prototyping tools and methods, especially if you have experience prototyping with code.

• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio presentations to tell a compelling narrative about your design process, your problem-solving abilities, and your passion for creating excellent user experiences.

• Tailor to Seqera: Research Seqera's products (Seqera Platform, Nextflow) and the bioinformatics/life sciences industry. Show how your skills and experience align with their specific challenges and user base.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the User: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach understanding the needs of bioinformaticians and scientists.

• Design for Complexity: Practice designing solutions for complex workflows and data-intensive applications.

• Technical Feasibility: Consider how your designs can be implemented effectively by engineering teams.

• Collaboration Scenarios: Think about how you would collaborate with remote product managers and engineers to iterate on designs.

• Design System Thinking: Be ready to discuss how you would contribute to or leverage a design system in a fast-paced startup.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior Product Designer" title and the focus on "technical users" and "prototyping with code" suggest that the interview process will rigorously assess not just design aesthetics but also strategic thinking, technical aptitude, and the ability to deliver complex solutions. A strong portfolio showcasing these specific skills is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in industry-standard tools is essential. Expect Seqera to use tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD for UI design and prototyping. The mention of "prototyping with code" may imply familiarity with tools or frameworks that integrate code, or direct coding for prototypes.

• Design System Management: Tools for managing and documenting design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal wikis/documentation platforms).

• User Research & Testing Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for understanding user behavior and product usage patterns.

• Data Visualization: Ability to interpret and potentially contribute to dashboards using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker, to understand product performance and user engagement.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly a designer tool, understanding how CRM systems (like Salesforce) impact user journeys and data can be beneficial.

• Project Management & Collaboration: Tools such as Jira, Asana, Trello, Slack, and Confluence are likely used for workflow management, communication, and documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "prototyping with code" is a key differentiator. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience in this area, which could range from using advanced prototyping features in tools like Figma to actually writing front-end code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or specific frameworks) for interactive prototypes. Familiarity with tools used in scientific computing or data analysis could also be a plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Advancing Science: A core value is enabling scientific discovery through innovative software solutions. This drives a sense of purpose and impact.

• User Empathy: A deep understanding and focus on the needs of scientists and bioinformaticians is paramount.

• Innovation & Curiosity: The company fosters an environment where intellectual curiosity is valued, and hard problems are embraced.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Working in a fast-paced startup with an international team necessitates strong communication, collaboration, and a degree of openness in processes and decision-making.

• Quality & Polish: A commitment to crafting beautiful, polished, and delightful interfaces, even in a rapid development environment.

• Efficiency & Agility: The need to "ship high-quality work in a fast-paced startup environment" underscores the importance of efficient workflows and agile methodologies.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers work closely with Product Managers and Engineers, acting as key collaborators in the product development lifecycle.

• Influence Without Authority: The ability to effectively communicate design rationale, build consensus, and influence stakeholders without formal management power is critical.

• Feedback Culture: Expect an environment where feedback is exchanged regularly, and designs are iterated upon based on input from various team members.

• Knowledge Sharing: As the design team grows, there will likely be opportunities and expectations for sharing best practices, learnings, and design patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture appears to be mission-driven, user-focused, and highly collaborative, characteristic of successful tech startups in specialized fields. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to thrive in such an environment, valuing both the impact of their work and the collaborative process.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Technical Users: Understanding and effectively designing for the complex needs and workflows of bioinformaticians and scientists requires specialized empathy and domain knowledge.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: In a fast-paced startup, there's a constant tension between delivering quickly and ensuring the highest quality of design. Finding this balance is a key challenge.

• Ambiguity in Early-Stage Products: The role involves identifying new opportunities and shaping feature areas, which can involve significant ambiguity. Navigating and clarifying this ambiguity is essential.

• Evolving Design System: Contributing to and evolving a design system in a growing company requires strategic thinking and the ability to manage change effectively.

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and building strong relationships with a distributed, international team requires excellent communication and proactive engagement.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen Domain Expertise: Gain in-depth knowledge of bioinformatics, life sciences, and scientific computing, becoming a specialist in designing for this sector.

• Excel in Technical Design: Hone skills in designing for complex technical products and potentially develop skills in prototyping with code.

• Shape Design Strategy: Play a significant role in defining the future of Seqera's product design and the evolution of its design system.

• Industry Exposure: Learn about cutting-edge scientific research and how software enables it.

• Professional Development Budget: Utilize the $1,000 annual budget for courses, conferences (e.g., scientific computing, UX for technical audiences), or certifications to advance skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but come with substantial opportunities for professional growth and impact. Candidates who are motivated by complex problems and enjoy learning within a specialized domain will find this role rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you designed a complex feature for technical users. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on your process, user research, iterative design, and collaboration with engineering. Highlight any technical constraints or unique user needs.)

• "How would you approach understanding the core workflows of a bioinformatician using Seqera Platform for the first time?" (Discuss your user research methodologies, empathy-building strategies, and how you'd translate those insights into design.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Seqera and our mission to advance science through software?" (Research Seqera's mission, products, and the impact of bioinformatics. Connect your personal values and career goals to their purpose.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with product managers and engineers, especially in a remote or hybrid setting?" (Highlight your communication skills, ability to build relationships, and experience influencing without authority. Mention specific tools or techniques you use.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: For each case study, walk through your problem-solving journey: the initial challenge, your research, ideation, iteration, and the final solution. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Highlight Your Role Clearly: Be specific about your individual contributions, especially if working in a team.

• Showcase Technical User Design: Emphasize any projects involving complex workflows, data visualization, or technical audiences.

• Demonstrate Design System Thinking: If applicable, show how you've used or contributed to design systems, explaining the benefits.

• Be Prepared for Technical Questions: If you claim experience "prototyping with code," be ready to discuss it in detail or even show examples.

• Engage Your Audience: Make it a conversation. Ask clarifying questions and be open to feedback during your presentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect questions that probe your understanding of the scientific domain, your ability to handle complexity and ambiguity, and your collaborative approach in a fast-paced, distributed environment. Your portfolio should be your primary tool for demonstrating these capabilities.

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📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best highlight your experience with technical users, end-to-end design processes, UI craftsmanship, and any contributions to design systems. Tailor the narrative to emphasize your problem-solving approach and impact.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 4+ years of relevant experience, highlighting skills in UX/UI design, prototyping, design systems, and collaboration. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on your process, contributions, and the outcomes. Be ready to discuss your approach to user empathy, technical design, and collaboration.

• Research Seqera: Understand Seqera's mission, its products (Seqera Platform, Nextflow), and the broader bioinformatics/life sciences landscape. Prepare to articulate why you are a good fit for their specific context and culture.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations/design industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with Seqera through their application process before making application decisions.