UX Designer, Octopus

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Designer, Octopus

Company: Apex Technology, Inc.

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: August 31, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and develop the user experience for Octopus, Apex's proprietary operating system for spacecraft manufacturing, focusing on enhancing efficiency and usability for technicians, engineers, planners, and operators.

• Conduct user research, including contextual inquiry and shadowing on the factory floor, to deeply understand user needs and translate insights into intuitive, user-centric design solutions.

• Drive the end-to-end design process for internal enterprise tools, from concept and wireframing to high-fidelity mockups, prototyping, and ensuring high-quality implementation.

• Own and evolve the Octopus design system, establishing UX standards and guidelines to ensure consistency and coherence across the expanding product suite.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, software engineers, manufacturing and quality engineers, supply chain, and leadership to deliver impactful design solutions that optimize manufacturing speed and reduce operational friction.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a UX Designer, the focus on "enterprise, internal, or operational tools" and the specific context of manufacturing spacecraft at scale positions it closely to roles within Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or GTM Operations focused on internal process optimization and efficiency. The emphasis on "workflow optimization," "fewer clicks," and "designing for demanding, high-density operating environments" directly aligns with operational efficiency goals.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough user research through methods like contextual inquiry, shadowing, and usability testing to gather insights into the needs of factory floor technicians, engineers, planners, and operators.

• Translate research findings into compelling UX strategies and detailed design solutions, including user flows, wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes for the Octopus operating system.

• Relentlessly optimize existing workflows within Octopus to reduce clicks, minimize screens, and decrease opportunities for user error, with a focus on measurable improvements in task time, error rates, and user adoption.

• Design user interfaces for demanding, high-density operating environments, encompassing work instructions, shop-floor terminals and tablets, cleanroom operations, and desk-based planning and analytics tools.

• Define, build, and maintain the Octopus design system, ensuring adherence to UX standards and guidelines to promote consistency and coherence across all product modules and features.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, software engineers, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and production leadership to ensure design solutions are technically feasible and meet business objectives.

• Present design work and strategic recommendations to stakeholders, including senior leadership, regularly and effectively.

• Actively participate in the implementation phase, reviewing builds, identifying regressions, and upholding high standards for visual and interaction quality.

• Contribute to the overall product and design direction of Octopus, driving innovation from concept through to successful implementation.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles and best practices across engineering and product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a focus on internal operational efficiency and process improvement, which is a core tenet of Revenue Operations and Sales Operations. The emphasis on "relentlessly optimize existing workflows," "fewer clicks, fewer screens, fewer opportunities for error," and "measuring how designs are performing" are key metrics and objectives for operations professionals.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in the study of design (e.g., Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, Industrial Design) or a portfolio demonstrating equivalent project experience and expertise.

Experience: 5+ years of experience designing interactive applications for the web, with a significant portion focused on enterprise, internal, or operational tools.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in user experience (UX) design principles and methodologies.

• Proven ability to conduct user research, including contextual inquiry, shadowing, and usability testing, to uncover user needs and insights.

• Strong portfolio showcasing user-centric design with a robust design sensibility and excellent storytelling capabilities.

• Experience designing for enterprise, internal, or operational tools where users are performing critical tasks under time pressure.

• Proficiency in creating user flows, wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes using industry-standard design tools.

• Experience building, maintaining, and advocating for design systems and UX standards that other designers and engineers adopt and follow.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale effectively.

• Self-motivated and able to work independently while also being a collaborative team player driven by group critique and feedback.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-intensity iterative design process under minimal supervision.

• Strong problem-solving skills and a keen sense of aesthetics. Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience designing for manufacturing execution systems (MES), enterprise resource planning (ERP), logistics, or other operations software.

• Comfort working closely with code, such as reading component libraries, prototyping in HTML/CSS, or partnering directly in the front-end codebase.

• A genuine interest in hardware, aerospace, or physical production environments.

• Experience with data visualization and designing for information-dense dashboards.

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "enterprise, internal, or operational tools" and "manufacturing, MES, ERP, logistics, or other operations software" strongly suggests this role is about optimizing internal business processes. Candidates with a background in designing systems that drive operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making will be highly relevant.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio that clearly showcases a strong design sensibility and user-centric storytelling, demonstrating your ability to solve complex user problems.

• Case studies detailing your end-to-end design process for at least two significant enterprise or operational software projects.

• Examples of how you have used user research (e.g., contextual inquiry, usability testing) to inform design decisions and drive measurable improvements.

• Demonstrations of your ability to design for complex, information-dense environments, with specific examples of how you've optimized workflows for efficiency.

• Evidence of your experience in building or contributing significantly to a design system, including examples of design standards and guidelines. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your process for defining UX strategy and product direction from initial concept through implementation.

• Provide examples of how you have rigorously optimized existing workflows, detailing the problem, your solution, and the resulting improvements in task time, error rates, or adoption.

• Illustrate your approach to designing for demanding shop-floor or operational environments, considering factors like information hierarchy, accessibility, and ease of use under pressure.

• Document your methodology for defining and maintaining design systems, including how you ensure consistency and adoption across teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, a portfolio should emphasize process optimization, efficiency gains, and measurable impact. This UX role's portfolio requirements align directly with this, asking for evidence of workflow optimization and measurable improvements, which are key metrics in operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Shared upside: Receive equity in Apex, allowing you to benefit from the company's growth.

• Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents.

• Life Insurance: $100,000 in life insurance coverage at no cost to the employee.

• Comprehensive PTO package: Starting at 15 days of vacation annually, increasing to over 20 days with tenure, plus 10 paid holidays.

• Competitive 401(k) plan: Company matches 100% on the first 3% of contributions and 50% on the next 2%.

• Paid parental leave: 8 weeks of paid leave for new parents.

• Childcare reimbursement: Up to $350 per day for work-related travel.

• Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks: Provided to keep employees fueled throughout the day.

• Vibrant community: Regular office social events, including pickleball tournaments and run clubs.

• Ergonomic workspace: Your dream desk setup and all necessary tools for maximum productivity.

• World-class office: A modern office space in Playa Vista designed for collaboration and work-life integration.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work schedule, typically around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered as part of the company's commitment to work-life integration and in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a mid-to-senior level UX Designer in a high-cost-of-living area like Los Angeles, especially within a well-funded tech startup. The benefits package is very comprehensive, reflecting a strong focus on employee well-being and retention, common in competitive tech environments. For operations roles, understanding the total compensation package is crucial.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Aerospace & Technology Manufacturing. Apex is at the forefront of manufacturing satellite buses at scale, utilizing advanced software, vertical integration, and manufacturing-designed hardware. This industry context means a high emphasis on precision, reliability, and continuous innovation.

Company Size: Apex Technology, Inc. is a fast-growing startup that has raised over $500M in funding. This indicates a dynamic, agile, and resource-rich environment, likely with a strong engineering and product focus.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the significant funding suggests it's a relatively established startup with proven traction and ambitious growth plans.

Team Structure:

• The operations and product teams are likely structured around functional expertise, with strong collaboration between software engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, supply chain, and product management.

• This UX Designer will be a key contributor within the Octopus product team, reporting to a Product Lead or Head of Design, and working closely with software engineers and product managers.

• Cross-functional collaboration is paramount, requiring close partnerships with individuals on the factory floor, in engineering labs, and in leadership roles. Methodology:

• Data-driven Decision Making: Apex emphasizes using data to drive decisions, evident in their focus on analytics for leadership and the need to measure design impact.

• Agile & Iterative Development: The description highlights an "iterative design process" and the need to "iterate and improve" experiences, suggesting an Agile or Lean approach to product development.

• Vertical Integration & Software Focus: The company's strategy relies on vertical integration and proprietary software (Octopus), meaning internal tools and processes are critical to their competitive advantage.

Company Website: https://www.apexspace.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on manufacturing and proprietary software for operations (Octopus) means this UX role is deeply embedded in optimizing core business processes. This is highly relevant for operations professionals who understand the impact of efficient internal systems on overall business performance.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-to-senior level UX Designer, suitable for individuals with 5+ years of experience. The responsibilities involve significant ownership, strategic input, and the ability to work independently, indicating a level of seniority beyond an entry-level or junior designer.

Reporting Structure: The UX Designer will likely report to a Product Manager or Head of Design within the Octopus product team. They will work closely with software engineers and collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams, including manufacturing, quality, and supply chain leadership.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on operational efficiency and manufacturing speed. By optimizing the Octopus system, this designer will directly influence the productivity of hundreds of employees, reduce errors, and contribute to the company's ability to scale spacecraft production. The success of Octopus is tied to Apex's ability to deliver spacecraft reliably and cost-effectively.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a lead design role, mentoring junior designers and shaping the future of the design system and product strategy for Octopus.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for complex manufacturing and operational environments, becoming a go-to expert in this niche.

• Cross-Functional Advancement: Develop a strong understanding of manufacturing, engineering, and supply chain processes, potentially opening doors to product management or operations strategy roles within the company.

• Skill Development: Continuous learning through hands-on experience with cutting-edge aerospace technology, exposure to advanced software development practices, and potential for training in new design tools and methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, understanding how a UX role contributes to business efficiency and scalability is key. This role's impact is directly tied to operational metrics, making it a valuable position for those who appreciate the intersection of design and process optimization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based on-site at Apex's "world-class Playa Vista office," which is described as a vibrant community designed for in-person collaboration and integrating work and life. This suggests a modern, well-equipped office space conducive to teamwork and innovation.

Office Location(s): Los Angeles, California (Playa Vista). This location offers access to a thriving tech ecosystem and a large talent pool.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office is designed to foster collaboration, with opportunities for spontaneous interactions and structured team gatherings. Expect to work alongside diverse teams of engineers, designers, and operations specialists.

• Tools & Technology: Employees are provided with "your dream desk setup" and all necessary tools to be productive. This implies access to high-performance hardware, software licenses, and potentially specialized equipment for prototyping or research.

• Operations Team Interaction: The role requires significant interaction with individuals on the factory floor, in engineering labs, and in planning/scheduling roles, providing direct exposure to operational workflows and challenges.

Work Schedule: While a standard full-time schedule is implied (40 hours/week), the company emphasizes work-life integration and a vibrant community, suggesting a culture that values employee well-being alongside productivity. Flexibility may be available, but the on-site requirement is firm.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement and emphasis on collaboration and factory floor interaction are crucial for operations roles. Understanding the physical workspace and how it facilitates cross-functional communication is important for roles that often bridge gaps between departments.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and experience.

• Portfolio Presentation: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, focusing on case studies that demonstrate your UX process, problem-solving skills, and impact on enterprise/operational tools. Be prepared to articulate your design decisions and the user research that informed them.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: A practical exercise or case study may be given to assess your ability to tackle a specific design problem relevant to Octopus, focusing on workflow optimization and user-centric solutions.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with product managers, software engineers, and potentially manufacturing/operations stakeholders to evaluate your collaboration skills, technical understanding, and cultural fit.

• Leadership Interview: A final interview with senior leadership to discuss your strategic thinking, vision for Octopus, and overall alignment with Apex's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Highlight quantifiable results from your past projects, such as improvements in task completion time, reduction in error rates, or increased user adoption, especially for enterprise/operational tools.

• Showcase Process: Clearly articulate your design process, from user research and ideation to prototyping, testing, and implementation. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Tailor to Octopus: Emphasize projects that involved complex workflows, information-dense interfaces, or internal/enterprise tools. Draw parallels between your past work and the challenges of designing for spacecraft manufacturing.

• Design System Expertise: Dedicate a section to your experience with design systems, showcasing your ability to create and maintain standards for consistency and scalability.

• Storytelling: Present your case studies as compelling narratives that illustrate the problem, your solution, and the positive outcomes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Research Apex, its mission, and the unique challenges of manufacturing spacecraft. Familiarize yourself with concepts like MES, ERP, and shop-floor operations.

• Emphasize Efficiency: Focus your solutions on improving efficiency, reducing clicks, and clarifying complex information hierarchies, aligning with the core mandate of Octopus.

• User-Centricity: Always ground your solutions in user needs, demonstrating how you would gather insights from factory workers and engineers.

• Scalability & Consistency: Consider how your design solutions would scale across different modules of Octopus and maintain consistency with a design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for operations-adjacent roles often includes a strong emphasis on process improvement, data-driven results, and cross-functional collaboration. This UX role's interview preparation advice directly aligns with these operational expectations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar for wireframing, mockups, and prototyping. Figma is often preferred for collaborative design systems.

• Design System Management: Experience with tools and methodologies for creating and maintaining design systems (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or custom solutions).

• User Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for usability testing, surveys, and user interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, SurveyMonkey).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly responsible for analytics implementation, an understanding of how design impacts user behavior metrics is crucial. Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) and how to interpret data to inform design decisions is beneficial.

• Ability to work with data visualization tools to present design impact. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this UX role, but understanding how enterprise tools integrate and automate workflows is key. Development Collaboration:

• Front-end Codebase: "Comfort working close to code — reading a component library, prototyping in HTML/CSS, or partnering directly in the front-end codebase" suggests familiarity with web technologies and collaboration with front-end developers. This might include understanding frameworks like React or Vue.js.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, understanding the technology stack is critical. This UX role's reliance on design tools, design systems, and collaboration with front-end developers highlights the importance of a modern tech stack in driving operational efficiency.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of users, especially those performing critical operational tasks under pressure.

• Efficiency & Optimization: A relentless drive to improve processes, reduce friction, and make workflows faster and more intuitive.

• Data-Driven Improvement: Valuing metrics and evidence to validate design decisions and demonstrate the impact of optimizations.

• Collaboration & Trust: Building strong relationships across teams (engineering, manufacturing, leadership) to achieve shared goals.

• Quality & Precision: A commitment to high standards in design and implementation, reflecting the critical nature of spacecraft manufacturing.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership with Engineering: Working closely with software engineers to ensure designs are feasible and implemented to a high standard.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Engaging actively with manufacturing engineers, quality specialists, supply chain managers, and production leaders to gain insights and ensure designs meet real-world operational needs.

• Feedback-Driven: Embracing group critique and feedback as a mechanism for refining designs and fostering continuous improvement.

• Proactive Communication: Regularly sharing work, insights, and progress with stakeholders and leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on user-centricity, efficiency, data-driven improvement, and collaboration is directly aligned with the core values of successful Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, and GTM teams.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for High-Density, Critical Environments: Creating intuitive interfaces for users operating under time pressure in demanding physical environments (e.g., factory floor, cleanrooms) requires careful consideration of information hierarchy, clarity, and error prevention.

• Balancing Diverse User Needs: The Octopus system serves a wide range of users with very different requirements (technicians, engineers, planners, operators, leadership); synthesizing these diverse needs into a coherent experience is a significant challenge.

• Driving Adoption of New Standards: Establishing and enforcing a design system and UX standards across multiple teams and evolving modules requires strong advocacy and persistent effort.

• Measuring Impact Quantitatively: Clearly demonstrating the ROI of UX design improvements through measurable gains in task time, error reduction, or adoption can be complex in an operational context.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Gain unparalleled insight into the intricacies of spacecraft manufacturing and aerospace operations.

• Advanced UX for Operations: Develop specialized skills in designing complex enterprise and operational software, a highly sought-after niche.

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to build and lead the evolution of a critical design system.

• Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge: Expand understanding of engineering, manufacturing processes, supply chain logistics, and business operations.

• Impactful Product Development: Contribute directly to a product that is fundamental to a cutting-edge company's mission and success.

📝 Enhancement Note: Identifying challenges and growth opportunities is crucial for operations professionals. This role offers the chance to tackle complex process optimization problems and develop expertise in a specialized, high-impact area.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for users with conflicting needs. How did you reconcile those differences, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process for user research, synthesis, and trade-off decision-making).

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for Octopus that needs to integrate with existing inventory management and production scheduling systems? What steps would you take?" (Emphasize your understanding of system integration and workflow mapping).

• "Imagine you've identified a workflow on the factory floor that is prone to errors. How would you go about diagnosing the root cause and designing a solution to improve it? What metrics would you track?" (Highlight your problem-solving methodology, user-centric approach, and focus on measurable outcomes). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Apex's mission and the challenge of building spacecraft at scale?" (Research Apex's mission and connect your passion for design to their goals).

• "How do you see your role as a UX Designer contributing to the overall success of a manufacturing company like Apex?" (Focus on efficiency, quality, and operational impact).

• "Describe your experience working with engineers and non-design stakeholders. How do you build trust and ensure alignment?" (Provide examples of effective cross-functional collaboration). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each case study, clearly outline: The Problem, Your Role, Research & Discovery, Design Process & Solutions, and Results & Impact.

• Quantify Your Impact: Where possible, present metrics related to efficiency gains, error reduction, or task completion time improvements.

• Emphasize Process: Walk through your design process, explaining the rationale behind key decisions and how user research informed your work.

• Highlight Design System Contribution: Clearly articulate your role in developing or maintaining design systems and standards.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation for operations-focused roles requires demonstrating an understanding of business impact, process efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. The questions and strategies here are tailored to assess those capabilities within a UX context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight experience with enterprise software, operational tools, workflow optimization, user research, and design systems. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your skills in designing for complex operational environments, emphasizing measurable improvements and your end-to-end design process.

• Prepare your presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio, focusing on storytelling, process, and impact. Be ready to discuss how your work aligns with Apex's mission and the challenges of spacecraft manufacturing.

• Research Apex: Understand their mission, products (especially Octopus), and the aerospace industry. This will help you articulate your interest and tailor your responses 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.

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