Senior UX/UI Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI Designer

Company: Flyability

Location: Paudex, Vaud, Switzerland

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design & Product Experience

Date Posted: 2026-09-24

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (Up to 2 days remote per week)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design for Flyability's drone piloting applications and data processing software.

• Establish and champion a unified design culture, ensuring consistency and high standards across all user-facing products.

• Own the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive, scalable design system from inception to ongoing evolution.

• Drive product ideation and user journey mapping through wireframing and prototyping, advocating for optimal user-centric solutions.

• Conduct rigorous usability testing, both remotely and in-field, to gather customer insights and inform design iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as the first dedicated design hire, implying significant autonomy and the opportunity to shape the design function from the ground up. The emphasis on "low-ego" and "evidence-based" environments suggests a culture that values collaboration and data over individual prestige, which is common in fast-paced scale-ups.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design process, from initial product discovery and user journey mapping to the delivery of pixel-perfect mockups and dynamic UI prototypes.

• Develop and meticulously maintain a global design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficient designer-to-developer handoffs across multiple products and platforms.

• Plan and execute comprehensive usability testing sessions, including moderated remote tests and in-person field studies, to identify user pain points and validate design concepts.

• Translate usability test findings and customer feedback into actionable design decisions and product requirements, directly influencing the product roadmap.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers to navigate technical constraints, align on business objectives, and deliver measurable outcomes that enhance the user experience.

• Actively participate in product ideation sessions, contributing creative UX approaches and exploring alternative solutions through wireframes and prototypes.

• Ensure developers receive precise specifications and assets for seamless implementation of designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility for owning the design system from scratch is a significant undertaking, requiring not only design skills but also strategic thinking about scalability, documentation, and developer adoption. This is a key differentiator for candidates with proven experience in this area.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of dedicated product design experience, with a significant portion involving senior or lead-level ownership of a product's UX/UI. Experience in B2B, SaaS, or hardware-adjacent software environments is highly preferred.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in User Experience (UX) design principles and User Interface (UI) design best practices.

• Demonstrated ability to create comprehensive user journeys, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes to explore and communicate UX concepts.

• Proficiency in delivering high-fidelity mockups and interactive UI prototypes for developer handoff.

• Hands-on experience in conceptualizing, building, and maintaining a design system from the ground up, ensuring scalability and consistency.

• Strong capabilities in planning, conducting, and analyzing usability tests (moderated/remote and in-person/field).

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale clearly and persuasively to technical and non-technical audiences.

• A robust portfolio showcasing a range of work from early-stage UX exploration to final, developer-ready UI designs.

• Self-sufficiency and autonomy, with the ability to set direction and drive initiatives independently. Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the robotics, drone, or aviation technology industries.

• Familiarity with data-driven design methodologies and the ability to leverage analytics to inform design decisions.

• Experience working in a scale-up or fast-paced startup environment.

• Knowledge of Agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration.

• Familiarity with the specific challenges of designing for hardware-software integrated products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "holding your ground on UX without being precious about it" highlights the need for a candidate who is confident in their design decisions but also pragmatic and collaborative, able to balance user needs with business and technical realities. This is crucial for a solo design hire.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design ownership, from initial concept to final implementation.

• Evidence of early-stage UX exploration, including user journey maps, flow diagrams, and wireframes, illustrating the thought process behind design decisions.

• Detailed case studies showcasing the creation and evolution of a design system, with examples of its application and impact on consistency and developer efficiency.

• Visual examples of high-fidelity UI mockups and interactive prototypes, highlighting attention to detail and aesthetic quality.

• Documentation and outcomes from usability testing, demonstrating how user feedback was incorporated to improve product design and achieve measurable results. Process Documentation:

• Clear articulation of the process followed for product ideation and discovery, including methods for user research and requirement gathering.

• Detailed explanation of the workflow for designing and delivering UI specifications to engineering teams, emphasizing precision and clarity.

• Examples of how a design system was implemented and maintained, including version control, documentation, and governance strategies.

• Case studies that quantify the impact of design decisions, such as improvements in user task completion rates, reduction in support tickets, or increases in feature adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is the first design hire, the portfolio is paramount. It must not only showcase design skill but also the ability to independently establish and manage design processes and systems that will be foundational for Flyability's future growth.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX/UI Designers in Switzerland (specifically the Vaud region) with 5-10 years of experience, a competitive annual salary range is estimated to be between CHF 100,000 and CHF 130,000. This estimate considers the cost of living in Switzerland, the specialized nature of the role in a growing tech company, and the significant autonomy associated with being the first design hire.

Benefits:

• Generous annual leave: 25 vacation days plus all public holidays.

• Seniority-based additional days off: Up to 5 extra days based on tenure.

• Comprehensive accident insurance: Covers medical treatments and hospitalization.

• Flexible work schedules: Allows for better work-life integration.

• Hybrid work model: Option to work remotely up to 2 days per week.

• Wellness perks: Discounts on gym memberships and sports events.

• Employee rewards program: Access to exclusive benefits and discounts through the Swibeco platform.

• Team building and social events: Regular company gatherings such as ski weekends, summer barbecues, and after-work events.

Working Hours: The role is advertised as 100%, which typically translates to approximately 40 hours per week. Flexible scheduling is offered, allowing for some autonomy in managing daily work hours, provided core responsibilities and team collaboration needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on publicly available data for similar roles in Switzerland. The actual compensation package may vary based on the candidate's specific qualifications, experience, and negotiation. The benefits package is quite comprehensive, reflecting Flyability's commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Drones, Robotics, UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Inspection Technology. Flyability operates in a rapidly growing, cutting-edge industry focused on providing safer, more efficient alternatives to human inspection in hazardous environments. This implies a culture of innovation, technical expertise, and a strong mission-driven purpose.

Company Size: Over 150 employees. This indicates a scale-up environment – large enough to have established processes and resources, but still agile enough for individual contributions to have a significant impact.

Founded: Over 10 years ago. This suggests a company with a proven track record and market leadership, beyond the initial startup phase, but still in a growth trajectory.

Team Structure:

• The design team is currently a single-player role, the Senior UX/UI Designer. This individual will report to a Product or Engineering lead, or potentially a Head of Product, depending on the organizational structure.

• The role requires extensive collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers across different product development teams.

• Cross-functional collaboration is a cornerstone, emphasizing a unified approach to product development where design is integrated early and continuously. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on evidence-based approaches, utilizing data from usability testing and analytics to inform design choices.

• Continuous Discovery: An ongoing process of understanding user needs and market opportunities to guide product development.

• Agile Development: Implied through collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers, suggesting iterative development cycles.

• User-Centric Design: A core philosophy where the user experience is paramount in all design and development efforts.

Company Website: https://www.flyability.com/ (Derived from domain_derived)

📝 Enhancement Note: The "low-ego, evidence-based" environment and the emphasis on collaboration suggest a culture that values practical problem-solving and teamwork. As the first design hire, the individual will need to be adept at influencing and educating others on design principles and processes.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level Individual Contributor role, positioned as the foundational member of the design team. It offers the opportunity to define the design practice within the company, setting standards and processes that will guide future hires.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX/UI Designer will likely report to a Product Manager, Head of Product, or potentially a CTO, depending on the current organizational structure. They will work closely with engineering teams.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on the usability and effectiveness of Flyability's core products – the drone piloting app and the data processing software. By ensuring a superior user experience, this role directly contributes to customer satisfaction, adoption rates, operational efficiency for users, and ultimately, Flyability's market leadership and revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: The immediate opportunity is to build and lead the design function, potentially growing into a Design Manager or Head of Design role as the company scales and hires more designers.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like UX research, interaction design for complex systems, or design operations.

• Product Strategy: Contribute significantly to product strategy and roadmap through early-stage ideation and user insight.

• Industry Expertise: Develop deep knowledge of the drone and robotics inspection industry, becoming a subject matter expert in UX for this domain.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance skills in stakeholder management, technical communication, and product development processes through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth potential is substantial given the "first design hire" status. The trajectory is clearly towards building out a design team and influencing product strategy, offering a unique opportunity for impact and career advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job posting mentions a team in "Lausanne" and offers hybrid work. Flyability has a headquarters in Paudex, Vaud, Switzerland. This suggests a modern office environment conducive to collaboration, with facilities to support design work.

Office Location(s): Paudex, Vaud, Switzerland. This location offers access to a vibrant tech ecosystem in the Lake Geneva region. The hybrid model allows for a blend of in-office collaboration and remote flexibility.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is designed to foster teamwork, with opportunities for spontaneous interactions and structured design reviews with Product Managers and Engineers.

• Tooling: While not explicitly detailed, it's assumed the company provides standard design software and hardware necessary for UX/UI work, along with access to necessary development and collaboration tools.

• Team Interaction: Regular team events and after-work gatherings are organized, promoting a strong sense of community and informal networking among colleagues.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time, with flexible hours. The hybrid arrangement allows employees to choose up to 2 days per week for remote work, balancing personal needs with the collaborative requirements of the role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect, offering flexibility. Candidates should consider how they will maximize in-office time for collaboration and ideation while leveraging remote time for focused design work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Automated eligibility questions, followed by a review of submitted applications and portfolios.

• Hiring Manager/Product Lead Interview: Discussion on experience, design philosophy, and alignment with the role's requirements. This stage will likely involve a deep dive into the candidate's portfolio.

• Design Challenge/Case Study Presentation: A practical exercise to assess design thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate design rationale. This may involve presenting a past project or tackling a hypothetical design problem.

• Team Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineers to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Ownership: Clearly showcase projects where you had significant ownership and drove design decisions from start to finish.

• Showcase Design System Expertise: Dedicate a section to your experience building and managing design systems, detailing your approach, challenges, and outcomes.

• Demonstrate Process: For each project, explain your design process, including user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and iteration.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the positive impact of your designs on user behavior, business goals, or team efficiency.

• Tailor to Flyability: Briefly explain why your skills and experience are a good fit for Flyability's mission and the specific challenges of designing for their products.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product: Familiarize yourself with Flyability's Elios drones and their software ecosystem. Consider the unique UX challenges of piloting drones in confined spaces and processing complex data.

• Design System Thinking: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building or scaling a design system for a company like Flyability, considering both software and potentially hardware interfaces.

• Usability Testing Scenarios: Think about how you would plan and execute usability tests for a drone piloting application or data analysis tool, considering both remote and field environments.

• Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating design decisions and trade-offs clearly and concisely, anticipating questions from product and engineering perspectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "first design hire" aspect means the interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to work autonomously, establish processes, and influence without a pre-existing design team. The portfolio review will be critical for assessing this capability.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma (highly likely given design system ownership), Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar. Figma is particularly relevant for collaborative design system development.

• Wireframing & Flow Tools: Tools like Balsamiq, Miro, or built-in features within design suites for creating early-stage UX explorations.

• User Research & Testing Platforms: Experience with tools for conducting remote usability tests (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback) and managing participant feedback.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello for working with engineering and product teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Pendo to track user behavior and measure the impact of design changes.

• Data Visualization: Ability to interpret and present data effectively, potentially using tools like Tableau or Power BI if direct access is provided.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how user data is managed and how automation might influence user workflows is beneficial. Familiarity with CRM concepts (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) can provide context for B2B SaaS products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "building a design system from the ground up" strongly suggests a need for proficiency in a collaborative design tool like Figma, which excels at shared libraries and design system management. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with such tools in detail.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Future-Forward: Contributing to the future of robotics and improving lives through technology.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Working together, valuing each voice, and achieving goals collectively.

• Independence & Autonomy: Encouraging independent thinking and self-sufficiency, especially critical for this role.

• Data-Driven & Evidence-Based: Relying on data and evidence to guide decisions rather than personal opinion.

• Customer Focus: Understanding and addressing the needs of users in hazardous inspection industries.

• Low-Ego Environment: Fostering a culture where ideas are valued for their merit, not the status of the person proposing them.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration between design, product management, and engineering is expected, with design deeply embedded in the product development lifecycle.

• Open Communication: Encouraging the sharing of ideas, constructive feedback, and open dialogue to solve complex problems.

• Iterative Improvement: A culture that embraces feedback loops, continuous learning, and iterative refinement of both products and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company explicitly states they value "independent thinking combined with a collaborative spirit." This duality is key – candidates need to demonstrate they can drive initiatives autonomously while also being an excellent team player and communicator.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Design Authority: As the first design hire, establishing credibility and influencing product direction within a company that may not have a mature design culture.

• Balancing User Needs with Technical Constraints: Navigating complex technical limitations inherent in robotics and specialized software to deliver user-friendly experiences.

• Building a Design System from Scratch: The significant effort required to create a comprehensive, scalable, and adopted design system requires strong strategic planning and execution.

• Remote/Hybrid Collaboration: Ensuring effective communication and collaboration across distributed team members and managing design workflows efficiently in a hybrid setup.

• Pace of Innovation: Keeping up with rapid advancements in drone technology and user needs in a dynamic market.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Foundational Role: Opportunity to define and build the design function, creating a lasting impact on Flyability's product development.

• Industry Expertise: Gain deep knowledge in the niche but growing field of drone inspection technology and its UX challenges.

• Cross-Functional Mastery: Develop strong skills in product strategy, technical communication, and stakeholder management by working closely with experienced product and engineering teams.

• Leadership Potential: Pave the way for future leadership roles within the design team as Flyability continues to grow.

• Continuous Learning: Flyability's culture encourages sharing ideas and problem-solving, providing ample opportunities for informal learning and skill enhancement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but are directly tied to substantial growth opportunities. Candidates who thrive in environments where they can build something new and tackle complex problems will find this role particularly rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for establishing a design system from scratch. What were the key challenges, and how did you ensure adoption by engineering teams?"

• "How do you approach user research and usability testing for a complex B2B SaaS product, especially when dealing with specialized hardware like drones?"

• "Walk me through a project where you had to balance competing stakeholder requirements (e.g., product, engineering, business) with user needs. What was your approach and outcome?"

• "How would you define and measure the success of UX/UI design at Flyability?"

• "Given you are the first dedicated design hire, how would you plan your first 90 days to establish design processes and gain initial traction?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Flyability's mission and the drone inspection industry?"

• "How do you embody the 'low-ego, evidence-based' culture described in our values?"

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders who were resistant to your design recommendations. How did you handle it?"

• "How do you stay updated on the latest UX/UI trends and best practices, particularly those relevant to complex software systems?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process you followed, the solutions you designed, and the measurable outcomes.

• Emphasize Design System Work: Dedicate significant time to showcasing your design system experience, explaining its architecture, components, and governance.

• Showcase UX Exploration: Clearly present your early-stage UX work (wireframes, flows, user journeys) to demonstrate your strategic thinking before diving into final UI.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, the rationale behind them, and how you handled challenges.

• Connect to Flyability: Briefly articulate how your showcased projects and skills directly address Flyability's needs and product challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a combination of strong design craft, strategic thinking, process-building capability, and excellent communication skills. The ability to articulate the "why" behind design decisions and demonstrate a collaborative, data-informed approach will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX/UI Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on Workable.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight your experience in building design systems and end-to-end product design, with specific examples relevant to B2B SaaS or hardware-adjacent software.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5+ years of experience, leadership in UX/UI ownership, and specific achievements in design system development and usability testing.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, philosophy, and experience with key operations-related questions and be ready to present your portfolio effectively.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Flyability, their products (Elios drones), mission, and values to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural alignment during interviews.

⚠️ 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.