Staff Product Designer - Events

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer - Events

Company: Perk

Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Hybrid)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Enablement

Date Posted: June 02, 2026

Experience Level: Staff Level (10+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of the group travel and events product, encompassing corporate event planners, internal event specialists, suppliers, and event participants, with a strong focus on user experience and business objectives.

• Drive strategic product vision and execution by partnering closely with Product Management, Engineering, and cross-functional teams to define problem spaces and deliver intuitive, scalable solutions.

• Leverage deep customer empathy and data-driven insights (qualitative and quantitative) to inform design decisions, validate impact, and shape the future of Perk's events platform.

• Integrate emerging AI trends and product patterns into the design process, contributing to Perk's mission of powering real work through intelligent automation and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the primary title is "Staff Product Designer," the responsibilities of owning "group travel and events product" and "spend management" strongly indicate a role that interfaces with Go-To-Market (GTM) operations, particularly in how internal teams and external partners manage and execute events and related expenditures. This role will likely involve designing solutions that streamline event operations, improve internal efficiency for event coordination, and enhance the user journey for both event organizers and attendees, thus impacting the operational effectiveness of GTM functions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete user experience for Perk Events, from initial planning and booking to event execution and post-event analysis, ensuring seamless integration with broader Perk platform capabilities (travel, spend).

• Conduct and synthesize user research, becoming an industry insider to deeply understand customer pain points and translate findings into clear, intuitive design solutions that simplify complex processes.

• Lead strategic design conversations within product triads and with senior leadership, influencing product direction, defining scope, and championing user-centricity.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers from early-stage scope definition through to execution, ensuring design craft and speed are maintained.

• Rapidly prototype interactions using modern tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor, Bolt) to accelerate decision-making, explore innovative solutions, and shorten the time from concept to shipped product.

• Actively contribute to and elevate design craft across the Events team through design critiques, establishing reusable patterns, and sharing best practices.

• Develop and articulate a clear point of view on the role of AI in product design, identifying opportunities for its integration to enhance efficiency and user outcomes.

• Bridge user needs with business objectives, ensuring design decisions align with company goals and contribute to the overall strategy of reducing "shadow work."

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "events product" and "spend management" suggests a strong link to GTM operations. The responsibility to "bridge user needs and business goals" and "reduce complexity" implies designing systems that support sales and marketing teams in planning and executing events, managing budgets, and tracking ROI. The role requires understanding the operational workflows of event management within a corporate context.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

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

• Proven track record as a Staff-level Product Designer with extensive experience (10+ years) in end-to-end product ownership and design at scale.

• Demonstrated success in designing complex, multi-step product flows for B2B SaaS platforms.

• Experience working autonomously and influencing product direction within cross-functional teams. Required Skills:

• Product Design Leadership: Staff-level IC track record with examples of end-to-end ownership and impact at scale.

• User Research & Design Thinking: Strong customer empathy, ability to conduct and synthesize user research to uncover deep customer problems.

• Prototyping & Interaction Design: Fluency with modern prototyping tools (Claude, Cursor, Bolt) and experience creating rapid prototypes to explore interaction patterns.

• Data Fluency: Ability to use qualitative and quantitative signals to validate design decisions, measure impact, and inform tradeoffs.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to influence product direction and collaborate effectively with Product Management and Engineering.

• Communication & Storytelling: Strong skills in articulating design rationale, trade-offs, and vision to diverse stakeholders.

• AI Integration: Demonstrates a clear point of view on when and how AI should be integrated into products, and fluency with AI-powered design tools.

• Design Tools: Comfort with design and collaboration environments like Figma and Git.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the travel, events, or B2B spend management industries.

• Familiarity with building and scaling multi-sided platforms.

• Understanding of SaaS business models and GTM strategies.

• Experience contributing to design systems and establishing design patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "AI as a working default" and fluency with specific AI tools like Claude and Cursor is a significant differentiator. This suggests the company is heavily investing in AI-driven product development, and candidates must demonstrate practical application of AI in their design workflow and product strategy. The mention of "events product" and "spend management" implies a need for understanding B2B operational workflows.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Ownership: Showcase at least 2-3 complex product design projects where you owned the experience from discovery to launch and iteration, demonstrating your ability to tackle ambiguous problems.

• Problem Framing & Solutioning: Clearly articulate the user and business problems you addressed, your design process, and the rationale behind your chosen solutions.

• Data-Driven Design: Include examples of how you leveraged qualitative (user research, interviews) and quantitative (analytics, A/B testing) data to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Highlight instances where you successfully partnered with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders to bring a product to life.

• AI Integration Examples: Showcase projects where you explored or implemented AI-driven features or leveraged AI tools in your design process.

• Impact & Metrics: Quantify the impact of your designs, using metrics related to user engagement, conversion rates, efficiency gains, or business outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate your ability to document design processes, including user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and final UI designs.

• Provide examples of how you have contributed to or established design systems, style guides, or reusable component libraries.

• Illustrate your approach to user research, including methodologies used and how insights were translated into actionable design strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff-level Product Designer, the portfolio should not just showcase finished work but also the strategic thinking, problem-solving methodology, and collaborative approach behind it. Emphasis on AI integration and data-driven decision-making will be crucial. The connection to "events" and "spend management" means demonstrating an understanding of B2B workflows and operational efficiency is a significant plus.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on current market data for Staff Product Designers in Barcelona and considering the company's global presence and funding (Perk is a well-funded scale-up), a competitive salary range is estimated between €90,000 - €130,000 annually. This range accounts for the seniority, specialized skills (AI integration), and the hybrid work model.

• Methodology: This estimate is derived from aggregated salary data for senior/staff product design roles in major European tech hubs, adjusted for Barcelona's cost of living and the specific demands of a Staff-level IC role. It also considers industry benchmarks for SaaS companies of Perk's size and stage.

Benefits:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance, mental health support, and wellness programs.

• Financial: Competitive salary, potential for stock options or performance bonuses.

• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off, hybrid work model, and support for relocation.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continued learning, conferences, and skill development in AI and design.

• Global Community: Access to a diverse, international team with a strong emphasis on collaboration and inclusion.

• Perk Perks: Potential for travel credits or discounts related to the company's core business.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time (estimated 40 hours per week). The hybrid model allows for flexibility, with 3 days expected in the Barcelona office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate. Candidates should verify exact compensation details during the interview process. The benefits package likely reflects a scale-up environment, focusing on competitive compensation, health, and professional growth, with specific perks related to the company's travel and spend management domain. The hybrid model implies a need for clear communication and process management to ensure team alignment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Travel Technology / SaaS / Business Spend Management

Company Size: 1,800+ employees. This scale indicates a mature organization with established processes, but still agile enough for rapid innovation and growth, offering significant opportunities for impact. For operations professionals, this means potential for specialized roles, cross-functional projects, and career progression within a structured environment.

Founded: 2015. With a relatively recent founding date and significant growth, Perk likely fosters an innovative, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial culture, blending the excitement of a startup with the stability of a larger company.

Team Structure:

• Product Triads: The role operates within "product triads," which typically consist of a Product Manager, Lead Engineer, and Staff Product Designer. This structure promotes close collaboration and shared ownership.

• Design Team: The designer will be part of the broader Events design team, contributing to its culture and standards. This implies opportunities for mentorship and peer learning within the design discipline.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Expect close working relationships with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Support teams, especially those involved in the events and spend management verticals.

Methodology:

• IRL-First Hybrid: The company emphasizes an "IRL-first" approach, requiring employees to be in the office 3 days a week to foster connectivity, productivity, and creativity. This suggests a culture that values in-person collaboration and team cohesion.

• Data-Driven & User-Centric: The company mission to "power real work, with real impact" and emphasis on reducing "shadow work" highlights a commitment to data-informed decision-making and solving genuine user pain points.

• AI Integration: A forward-thinking approach, actively incorporating AI into product development and design workflows.

Company Website: www.perk.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Perk's mission to tackle "shadow work" and its focus on AI integration are core to its identity. For operations roles, this translates to a culture that values efficiency, automation, and data-driven problem-solving. The "IRL-first" hybrid approach means candidates should be comfortable with in-office collaboration and understand the importance of face-to-face interaction in their work.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer is a senior individual contributor role. It signifies a high level of expertise, strategic influence, and the ability to operate with significant autonomy. For operations, this means taking ownership of complex problem spaces, mentoring junior team members, and contributing to the strategic direction of product development that impacts GTM efficiency and effectiveness.

Reporting Structure: The individual will likely report to a Head of Design or Director of Product Design, working within a product triad structure for day-to-day execution and strategic alignment. Leadership interactions will be frequent, particularly with Product and Engineering leads for the Events vertical.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on how companies manage their events and related spend, which are critical components of GTM strategy. By designing intuitive and efficient tools, the designer empowers sales, marketing, and operations teams to execute events more effectively, reduce administrative overhead, and potentially drive revenue through better event experiences and spend control. The integration of AI further amplifies this impact by automating tasks and providing intelligent insights.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership: Opportunity to shape the future of Perk's Events and Spend Management products, influencing roadmaps and identifying new market opportunities.

• AI Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven product design, becoming a go-to person for AI integration within the company.

• Mentorship: Mentor junior designers, contribute to the growth of the design team, and help establish best practices.

• Cross-functional Influence: Expand influence across the organization by collaborating on initiatives that span GTM, Product, and Engineering.

• Potential for Management: While a senior IC role, demonstrated leadership and strategic impact could open doors to future design management opportunities if desired.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title implies a significant level of autonomy and strategic input. For someone interested in how product design enables GTM operations, this role offers a chance to influence critical business processes and drive efficiency through technology, particularly with the AI focus.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Perk operates with an "IRL-first" hybrid model, meaning the Barcelona office is a primary hub for collaboration, innovation, and team building. The environment is likely dynamic, with a mix of focused work and collaborative sessions.

Office Location(s): Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Being based in Barcelona means access to a vibrant city with a strong tech scene, offering excellent connectivity and a high quality of life. The company also has hubs in London and Boston, indicating a global operational footprint.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office is designed to facilitate team interaction, brainstorming, and day-to-day collaboration, especially within product triads.

• Technology & Tools: Access to modern design and collaboration tools, including specific AI-powered design software, will be standard.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid approach encourages regular in-person interaction with colleagues across Product, Engineering, and Design, fostering a strong team culture and facilitating knowledge sharing.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours, with a hybrid arrangement requiring 3 days per week in the Barcelona office. This balance aims to provide flexibility while maintaining the benefits of in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "IRL-first" approach is a significant aspect of Perk's work environment. Candidates should be comfortable with this model and understand its implications for team dynamics and productivity, especially in a role that requires close collaboration with engineering and product management.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application, focusing on your resume, portfolio, and alignment with the Staff Product Designer role.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Chat: You will likely present your portfolio, discussing 2-3 key projects that highlight your end-to-end ownership, problem-solving skills, data-driven approach, and AI integration experience. This will be followed by a discussion about your design philosophy, approach to complex problems, and how you collaborate.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineering Leads from the Events team. These will assess your collaboration style, technical understanding, ability to influence, and how you approach complex product challenges within a triad. Expect discussion on specific case studies or hypothetical scenarios.

• Staff-Level Deep Dive: An interview with a senior design leader or executive to assess your strategic thinking, leadership potential, ability to operate at scale, and overall fit with the company's culture and values.

• Final Round/Offer: May involve a final discussion with a senior leader or a culture/values alignment interview.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio projects as narratives. Clearly define the problem, your role, the process, the challenges, your solutions, and the measurable impact.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, diagrams, user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity mockups to illustrate your design thinking and execution.

• Highlight AI Integration: Dedicate specific sections or examples to how you've leveraged AI in your design process or integrated AI features into products. Quantify its impact.

• Quantify Impact: For each project, provide clear metrics demonstrating the success of your design solutions (e.g., % increase in conversion, % reduction in task completion time, user satisfaction scores).

• Demonstrate Staff-Level Thinking: Showcase your ability to handle ambiguity, influence strategy, mentor others, and think holistically about the product ecosystem.

• Tailor to Perk: Research Perk's mission, products (especially Events and Spend Management), and values. Connect your experience to their goals, such as reducing "shadow work" and leveraging AI.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential design exercise or case study, either as homework or during a live session. This might involve analyzing a problem space within the Events or Spend Management domain, proposing solutions, and outlining a design approach.

• Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and concisely, especially when discussing trade-offs and influencing stakeholders.

• Prepare to discuss how you would approach understanding the "events" market and its user needs from a design perspective.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your ability to operate at a Staff level, meaning strategic thinking, autonomy, and deep expertise in design methodologies, including AI integration, will be paramount. Your portfolio is your primary tool to demonstrate this.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (required), Claude, Cursor, Bolt (AI-powered tools, highly preferred). Experience with other prototyping tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, or InVision may be beneficial.

• Collaboration: Git (required for version control, especially in engineering partnerships), Jira, Confluence.

• User Research: Tools like Lookback, UserTesting.com, Hotjar, or internal research platforms.

• Data Analysis & Visualization: Tools like Tableau, Looker, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or similar BI platforms for analyzing user behavior and product performance.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with product analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) for understanding user journeys and feature adoption.

• Ability to interpret data from reporting dashboards to inform design decisions. CRM & Automation:

• While not directly designing CRM systems, understanding how products integrate with CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and automation platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo) can be beneficial for B2B SaaS roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with Figma and Git is essential. The explicit mention of AI tools like Claude and Cursor indicates a strong preference for candidates who are not only familiar with AI but actively use it in their design workflow. Experience with product analytics tools is crucial for a data-driven approach.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership: Taking full responsibility for the product experience, from concept to post-launch, and driving initiatives to completion.

• 7-Star Experience: Striving for excellence in user experience, going above and beyond to create delightful and effective solutions.

• One Team: Collaborating effectively across departments, fostering a sense of shared purpose and collective success in achieving company goals.

• Curiosity & Mindset: Valuing a proactive, inquisitive mindset and a willingness to learn and adapt, especially in the rapidly evolving field of AI and product design.

Collaboration Style:

• IRL-First Hybrid: Embraces in-person collaboration for brainstorming, problem-solving, and team building, balanced with remote flexibility.

• Data-Informed: Decisions are grounded in user research and data analysis, fostering an objective and evidence-based approach to design challenges.

• Iterative & Experimental: Encourages rapid prototyping and iterative development, with a willingness to test new ideas and learn from outcomes.

• Transparent Communication: Open dialogue within product triads and across teams to ensure alignment and shared understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: Perk's values emphasize proactive contribution, a high standard for user experience, and strong teamwork. For operations-minded individuals, the "One Team" value and the focus on "7-Star Experience" translate to delivering efficient, well-supported, and user-friendly solutions that empower internal and external stakeholders.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Multi-Sided Platform: Designing for multiple distinct user personas (event planners, internal specialists, suppliers, attendees) with varying needs and motivations on a single platform.

• Integrating AI Effectively: Navigating the ethical and practical considerations of integrating AI into user workflows without creating friction or over-reliance.

• Balancing Innovation with Scale: Ensuring new features and AI integrations are innovative while remaining scalable and maintainable for a growing user base and platform.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Maintaining alignment and driving consensus across Product, Engineering, and business stakeholders on design priorities and trade-offs.

• Defining "Events" Strategy: Contributing to the strategic definition of what "Events" means within Perk's broader travel and spend management ecosystem.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Product Design Expertise: Becoming a leader in designing AI-powered products within the B2B SaaS and travel/spend management space.

• Strategic Product Influence: Directly contributing to the strategic roadmap and evolution of a key product line.

• Mentorship and Team Growth: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth and maturity of the design organization.

• Industry Exposure: Gaining deep insights into the corporate events and travel management industries, as well as cutting-edge AI product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in innovative tech companies. The growth opportunities highlight the potential for significant career advancement and skill development, particularly in the high-demand area of AI product design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining the core problems and opportunities for our Events product, considering the different user personas involved?" (Prepare to discuss your research methodology, user segmentation, and problem-framing techniques.)

• "Describe a time you used data to significantly influence a product decision or a design outcome. What was the data, and what was the impact?" (Prepare a specific case study with quantifiable results.)

• "How do you approach integrating AI into a product? What are the key considerations, and can you share an example of where you've done this?" (Focus on practical application, benefits, and potential pitfalls.)

• "What is your philosophy on designing for complex, multi-sided platforms like Perk Events?" (Discuss your approach to understanding different user needs and creating cohesive experiences.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Perk's mission to reduce 'shadow work' and how do you see product design contributing to that?" (Connect your passion for efficiency and user experience to the company's mission.)

• "How do you contribute to a positive and productive team culture, especially within a hybrid work environment?" (Highlight your collaborative style and commitment to team success.)

• "How do you stay current with emerging AI trends and integrate them into your design practice?" (Showcase your proactive learning and application of new technologies.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the solutions, and most importantly, the measurable business and user impact.

• Showcase AI Integration: Have at least one project that specifically demonstrates your experience with AI in design or product development.

• Demonstrate Staff-Level Thinking: Emphasize your strategic contributions, ability to handle ambiguity, and how you influenced product direction.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect questions about your design decisions, trade-offs, and how you collaborated with engineering and product.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for strategic thinking, deep design expertise, a data-driven mindset, and strong collaboration skills, with a particular emphasis on your ability to leverage AI and operate autonomously at a Staff level.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that showcase end-to-end ownership, complex problem-solving, data-driven design, and AI integration. Tailor your case studies to highlight impact and strategic thinking relevant to B2B SaaS and event/spend management.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience at a Staff level, highlighting achievements, responsibilities related to product strategy, cross-functional leadership, and AI tool proficiency. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio projects, focusing on storytelling, clear articulation of your process, and quantifiable results. Be ready to discuss your design philosophy and approach to AI.

• Research Perk: Understand Perk's mission, products, values, and recent news. Be prepared to discuss why you are specifically interested in this role and how you can contribute to their goals.

⚠️ 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.

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