Head of Design (f/m/d) Berlin

We are a growing SaaS start-up with an international team that brings maritime workforce management into the 21st century! Backed by strong investor support and with a growing base of paying customers, we’re passionate about solving overlooked problems in the maritime industry.

Over 90% of global trade depends on ships, and the 2 million mission-critical seafarers who operate them spend months at sea to keep our economy running. At Tilla, we’re dedicated to improving their lives and the processes that support them. Our platform eliminates inefficiencies in crew logistics, streamlining collaboration between operators and seafarers. By doing so, we make crew operations more humane and efficient.

The Role

We’re looking for a Head of Design to take ownership of our product design function and play a key leadership role in shaping the future of Tilla. Design is central to our success—our product lives and dies by how intuitive, elegant, and empowering it is for our users. You’ll report directly to the founders and work as a peer to the Head of Product and Head of Engineering. This is not a subordinate support function—this is a leadership role with strategic influence.

You’ll lead our approach to UX and product design, ensuring we build tools that are not just functional, but a joy to use. You’ll manage one talented Product Designer and have the opportunity to grow the design team as we scale.

This is a hands-on leadership role ideal for someone excited by complex problem spaces, information-dense interfaces, and the opportunity to build design systems and team culture from an early stage.

What You’ll Do

Lead the product design function, driving excellence in UX, usability, and visual design

Partner closely with product and engineering to define and ship product experiences that delight users

Manage and mentor our current designer, with scope to grow the team

Own and evolve our design system, ensuring consistency and scalability

Drive user research and translate insights into clear, actionable design decisions

Develop and continuously improve the design process, from concept to implementation

Advocate for design as a strategic function at the leadership level

Bring structure to ambiguity in complex problem spaces, making the complex feel simple and intuitive

You Should Have

5+ years of experience in product design, with at least 1-2 years in a lead or head role

Proven experience in B2B SaaS, ideally in a product-led company

A passion for tackling complex systems, information-dense workflows, and simplifying them through design

Experience building design processes, systems, and growing design teams

Strong skills in interaction design, UX, and UI—with excellent attention to detail

Mastery of Figma and your core UX toolbox

Experience collaborating deeply with product and engineering peers

A strong user-centered mindset and experience conducting or interpreting user research

• An affinity for early or growth-stage startups

Fluency in English

Why Join Tilla

Competitive compensation package

Founding-level influence on product and team

A meaningful problem space with real-world impact

An opportunity to define design in a sector ripe for transformation

A remote-friendly, flexible, and supportive working environment

A chance to board one of our client ships when they’re near you

Access to an extensive network of startup, maritime, and consulting veterans

Supportive team and a collaborative, mission-driven culture

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