Senior UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer

Company: AtScale

Location: Canada

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-08-24

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end user experience (UX) design process for AtScale's semantic layer platform, focusing on data and AI applications.

• Drive innovation in business intelligence tools by translating complex cloud data platform functionalities into intuitive user interfaces.

• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and visual design teams to establish robust design guidelines and interaction standards.

• Mentor junior designers and champion user-centered design principles across the organization, fostering a culture of continuous UX improvement.

• Contribute to AtScale's mission of bridging the gap between sophisticated data infrastructure and business users needing AI-ready analytics.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the original job title is "Senior UX Designer," the description highlights a strong connection to data and AI platforms. This suggests the role will involve designing for complex technical users and potentially for users interacting with data analytics tools. The "semantic layer" concept implies a need for clarity and structure in the design to make advanced data accessible. The company's focus on Snowflake, Databricks, and Google BigQuery indicates that familiarity with data warehousing and analytics concepts will be highly beneficial.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead user research initiatives to deeply understand the needs and pain points of business users interacting with data and AI platforms.

• Develop comprehensive information architecture, user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes for new and existing product features.

• Conduct rigorous usability testing sessions, analyze feedback, and iterate on designs to optimize user experience and product adoption.

• Define and maintain a consistent design system, including UI patterns, interaction standards, and accessibility guidelines, ensuring a cohesive user journey.

• Present design rationale and findings to cross-functional stakeholders, including product leadership, engineering teams, and executive management, to gain buy-in and drive strategic decisions.

• Mentor and guide junior UX designers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring high-quality design output.

• Stay abreast of emerging UX trends, design tools, and best practices in the data analytics and AI space, and advocate for their adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a senior-level contribution, including leadership in research, strategy, and mentoring. The focus on "end-to-end UX design processes" means the candidate must be comfortable with all stages of design, from discovery to delivery and iteration. The mention of "AI-ready analytics" suggests a need to design for advanced use cases and potentially for users with varying technical expertise.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

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

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in UX design, with a proven track record of delivering successful end-to-end product designs in complex software environments. Required Skills:

• Expert-level proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma.

• Deep knowledge of user-centered design (UCD) principles, methodologies, and best practices.

• Extensive experience with various user research techniques, including qualitative and quantitative methods.

• Proven ability to create detailed wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.

• Strong understanding of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and experience designing inclusive products.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex requirements into simple, elegant design solutions.

• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale effectively to diverse audiences.

• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including experience mentoring junior designers and influencing cross-functional teams. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for data analytics platforms, business intelligence tools, or complex enterprise software.

• Familiarity with cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, or Google BigQuery.

• Knowledge of information architecture principles for large-scale applications.

• Experience with design systems and their implementation.

• Understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate better collaboration with engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma is critical. Candidates should be prepared to showcase their Figma proficiency and portfolio work created with the tool. The "5+ years" experience level suggests a need for significant autonomy and strategic contribution. The preferred skills hint at the specific domain expertise that would make a candidate stand out.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5 end-to-end product design case studies, demonstrating your ability to navigate complex design challenges from conception to delivery.

• Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your role and process, design decisions, user research conducted, and the measurable impact of your solutions.

• Examples of work should highlight your expertise in user research, information architecture, wireframing, interactive prototyping, and usability testing.

• Demonstrations of your proficiency with Figma are essential, including examples of complex component libraries, interactive prototypes, and design system contributions.

• Include projects that showcase your understanding of user-centered design principles and how you applied them to solve user problems. Process Documentation:

• Detailed documentation of your design process within case studies, illustrating how you approach user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.

• Evidence of how you collaborate with product managers and engineers, including examples of design handoff processes and iterative feedback loops.

• Examples of how you have analyzed user feedback and data to inform design iterations and improvements.

• Documentation of any contributions to design systems, style guides, or interaction pattern libraries.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not just the final output but the strategic thinking and rigorous process behind it. The emphasis should be on problem-solving, user advocacy, and measurable outcomes. Highlighting experience with complex enterprise software or data platforms will be a significant advantage.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Given the Senior UX Designer title, 5+ years of experience, and the specified location (Canada), a competitive salary range is expected. Based on industry benchmarks for senior UX roles in Canada, a typical range could be CAD $100,000 - $150,000 annually. This estimate can vary significantly based on specific location within Canada (e.g., major tech hubs like Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal may command higher salaries), the candidate's specific experience and portfolio strength, and the company's compensation philosophy. Benefits:

• Competitive salary + equity, indicating potential for significant financial upside.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), offering flexibility and work-life balance.

• Comprehensive benefits package, typically including health, dental, vision insurance, and potentially retirement savings plans (e.g., RRSP matching in Canada).

• Opportunity to shape the future of a global leader in AI-ready analytics, offering a chance to make a significant impact. Working Hours:

• The role requires working East Coast (ET) hours, suggesting a standard 40-hour work week with flexibility. The remote nature of the role allows for greater autonomy in managing one's schedule within those time zone requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general Canadian tech industry standards for senior roles. It is crucial for candidates to research specific salary expectations for their location within Canada and for companies in the SaaS/data analytics sector. The combination of competitive salary, equity, and unlimited PTO points to a strong overall compensation package.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically Data & AI, Enterprise Software, Business Intelligence. AtScale operates at the intersection of data warehousing, AI, and business analytics, positioning itself as a critical layer for modern data stacks.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the need for a Senior UX Designer with mentoring responsibilities suggests a growing, established company, likely beyond the startup phase, possibly in the mid-stage growth or established enterprise category. This implies a structured environment with opportunities for impact.

Founded: Founded in 2013, AtScale has a history in the data and analytics space, indicating maturity and established market presence.

Team Structure:

• The Senior UX Designer will likely be part of a Product or Engineering team, collaborating closely with Product Managers, Developers, and potentially other Designers (including Visual Designers).

• The role involves mentoring junior designers, suggesting there is an existing or growing design team.

• Cross-functional collaboration is emphasized, requiring strong partnerships with product management to define strategy and engineering to ensure feasibility and successful implementation. Methodology:

• AtScale's mission as a "semantic layer" implies a focus on data governance, consistency, and accessibility. UX design will need to support these principles.

• The company's emphasis on AI and modern cloud data platforms suggests an agile development environment that values data-driven decision-making and iterative design processes.

• A "Culture of Trust" and "Innovation-First" approach indicates an environment that encourages new ideas and empowers individuals.

Company Website: http://www.atscale.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding AtScale's position as a "semantic layer" is key. This means the UX designer will be instrumental in making complex data accessible and usable for business users, requiring a deep understanding of information architecture and user workflows for data analysis. The company's focus on AI and data suggests a technically sophisticated user base and product.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior individual contributor role, demanding a high level of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to lead design initiatives. It's a position for experienced designers who can own significant product areas and influence design direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will likely report to a Head of Product, Director of Design, or a similar leadership role. They will also work closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads on specific product initiatives.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on how business users interact with critical data and AI insights. By simplifying complex data platforms, the Senior UX Designer will enable better decision-making, drive product adoption, and contribute to AtScale's overall value proposition and market success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Track: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Manager role, overseeing a team of designers and shaping the overall design strategy as the company scales.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in UX for data analytics, AI interfaces, or enterprise SaaS design, becoming a subject matter expert within the company.

• Strategic Influence: Influence product roadmap and company-wide design standards through impactful contributions and presentations to leadership.

• Mentorship: Develop leadership and coaching skills by mentoring junior designers, a crucial step towards management roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" designation implies significant responsibility and the expectation of leadership, even as an individual contributor. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening technical expertise in the data/AI domain or moving into people management.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly remote-friendly, with a requirement to work East Coast (ET) hours. This suggests a distributed team structure where collaboration primarily occurs through digital tools.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the requirement for ET hours suggests a preference for candidates located in or willing to align with Eastern Time Zone working hours, which could include Canada and parts of the Eastern United States. The job posting specifically lists "Canada" as the location.

Workspace Context:

• A remote work setup necessitates strong self-discipline, effective time management, and proficiency with collaboration tools.

• The environment likely fosters a culture of trust and autonomy, encouraging employees to manage their work effectively.

• Collaboration will be facilitated through tools like Slack, Zoom, Figma, and project management software, requiring proactive communication.

• Access to necessary software and potentially a stipend for home office setup may be provided. Work Schedule:

• A standard 40-hour work week is implied, but the remote nature and "Unlimited PTO" suggest flexibility in scheduling, provided ET hours are maintained for core collaboration times. The focus is on outcomes rather than strict adherence to office hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote aspect is a key feature, demanding strong communication and self-management skills. The ET hours requirement is a crucial detail for candidates to consider regarding their work schedule alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your resume and portfolio for alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: Expect a deep dive into your portfolio, where you'll present 1-2 key case studies. This may be followed by a design challenge, either take-home or live, focusing on a problem relevant to AtScale's product.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineering leads to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and how you approach problem-solving within a team context.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview with the hiring manager to discuss your experience, career aspirations, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly define the problem, your unique contribution, the design process, key decisions, and the impact (quantified if possible).

• Figma Focus: Showcase your Figma skills prominently. Highlight complex interactions, component libraries, and how you've used Figma for collaboration and design system work.

• Data/AI Relevance: If possible, include projects that demonstrate an understanding of data visualization, analytics, or complex enterprise software challenges. Even if not directly related, emphasize your ability to learn and adapt to complex domains.

• Process Clarity: Clearly articulate your thought process behind each design decision. Explain why you made certain choices, supported by research or user feedback.

• Impact Metrics: Quantify the success of your designs whenever possible (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced task completion time, increased user satisfaction scores).

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research AtScale, its product (semantic layer for data/AI), and its target users (business users interacting with data platforms like Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery).

• Design Thinking: Be prepared to apply a structured design thinking framework to solve a given problem.

• Figma Proficiency: Ensure you can quickly and effectively use Figma to mock up solutions during a live challenge.

• Justify Decisions: Be ready to explain the rationale behind your design choices, linking them back to user needs and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is critical. Candidates should prepare to walk through their projects in detail, emphasizing their problem-solving approach and how they leverage Figma. Understanding AtScale's specific market (semantic layer, data analytics, AI) will be crucial for tailoring presentations and potentially for any design challenge.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly required, indicating it's the primary tool for design, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect to demonstrate expert-level proficiency.

• User Research Tools: Experience with tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, SurveyMonkey).

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's prototyping capabilities, familiarity with other advanced prototyping tools might be beneficial.

• Project Management Software: Proficiency with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks and collaborating with development teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Experience with analytics platforms to understand user behavior within the product (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude).

• Ability to interpret data and user feedback to inform design iterations. CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a UX tool, understanding how UX design integrates with CRM and automation workflows can be beneficial for enterprise SaaS products.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the cornerstone of the technical requirements. Candidates should be ready to showcase their mastery of its features, including design systems, collaboration, and interactive prototyping. Familiarity with data analytics tools is also a plus, given the company's domain.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value, emphasizing the importance of deeply understanding and advocating for the user throughout the design process.

• Innovation: Encouraging creative solutions and pushing boundaries, especially at the intersection of data, AI, and business intelligence.

• Collaboration & Trust: Fostering an environment where team members can work together openly, share ideas, and rely on each other, particularly in a remote setting.

• Ownership & Autonomy: Empowering individuals to take responsibility for their work and drive outcomes independently.

• Data-Driven: Using data and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact, aligning with the company's overall focus.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and Visual Design. This involves active participation in team meetings, design reviews, and agile development cycles.

• Transparent Communication: Open and honest communication is vital, especially in a remote environment. This includes proactive updates, clear articulation of design challenges, and constructive feedback.

• Iterative Feedback: A culture that embraces continuous feedback and iteration, where designs are refined based on input from peers, stakeholders, and users.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Ownership & Autonomy" and "Culture of Trust" suggests a work environment where senior individuals are empowered to make decisions and manage their work effectively. The cross-functional collaboration is key to success in this role.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Complexity: AtScale operates in a technically sophisticated domain (semantic layer for data and AI). Translating complex data concepts into intuitive interfaces for potentially less technical business users is a significant challenge.

• Balancing User Needs with Technical Constraints: Ensuring that user-centered designs are feasible within the technical architecture of cloud data platforms and AtScale's own technology stack.

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and driving design initiatives in a fully remote environment requires strong communication and proactive engagement.

• Mentoring Junior Designers: Guiding and developing less experienced designers while managing personal project responsibilities demands strong leadership and time management skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Domain Expertise: Deepen understanding of data analytics, AI, and the specific technologies AtScale integrates with (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery).

• Product Strategy: Gain exposure to product strategy and roadmap planning at a growing SaaS company.

• Leadership Skills: Develop mentorship and team leadership capabilities through direct experience and potential for future management roles.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of UX innovation in the rapidly evolving data and AI landscape.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in simplifying complex technical concepts for a business audience. Candidates should frame this as an opportunity to leverage their UX skills to democratize data access.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex enterprise software product you've designed. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on your process, research, and problem-solving).

• "How do you approach designing for users with varying levels of technical expertise, especially in a data-intensive domain?" (Highlight your UCD and research methodologies).

• "Walk me through your process for creating and maintaining a design system. How do you ensure its adoption and evolution?" (Demonstrate your understanding of scalable design).

• "How would you collaborate with product managers and engineers to define requirements and ensure successful implementation of your designs for a new feature?" (Emphasize your communication and teamwork skills). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about AtScale's mission and its role as a semantic layer for data and AI?" (Show you've researched the company and understand its value proposition).

• "How do you contribute to a positive and productive remote work environment?" (Highlight your self-management and communication skills).

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders who disagreed with your design recommendations. How did you handle it?" (Showcase your communication, persuasion, and data-backed approach).

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers, and what do you hope to gain from this aspect of the role?" (Demonstrate leadership potential and teamwork). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific contribution, the design process, key decisions, and the quantifiable outcomes achieved.

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Be prepared to demonstrate your Figma skills, whether by sharing your file structure, design system components, or interactive prototypes.

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentation like a narrative, guiding the interviewers through your thought process and problem-solving journey.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, research methodologies, trade-offs made, and how you handled challenges.

• Tailor to AtScale: If possible, subtly connect your past experiences or design philosophies to AtScale's mission and product.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples that showcase both design execution and strategic thinking, particularly related to complex systems or data-driven products, will be crucial. Emphasizing Figma proficiency and the ability to mentor will also be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on ats.rippling.com.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest end-to-end design case studies that best highlight your experience with complex products, user research, and Figma proficiency. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your process, key decisions, and measurable impact.

• Tailor Your Resume: Update your resume to prominently feature your 5+ years of UX design experience, your expertise in Figma, and any experience with data analytics, AI, or enterprise software. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear storytelling, articulating your design rationale, and demonstrating your impact. Be ready to discuss your approach to UCD, accessibility, and collaboration.

• Research AtScale: Thoroughly research AtScale, its product, its mission, and its target market. Understand what a "semantic layer" is and why it's important. This will help you tailor your application and interview responses.

⚠️ 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.