Lead Product Designer (AI Builder)

Babbel; Berlin; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 vacation days

BV G card or Swapfiets bike

Relocation assistance

Learning budget

Babbel access

Modern Berlin office

Job summary

Babbel is seeking an experienced product designer to take on hands-on design leadership, shaping the product’s direction and running discovery to delivery. You’ll guide the craft and direction of the design team, working AI-first to test ideas quickly and turn the best into production-ready experiences.

You’ll lead across discovery and delivery, shaping AI-powered language learning experiences, and prototype in code using SwiftUI and HTML/CSS/JS to speed validation.

Qualifications

• Proven design leadership with a track record of shipping user-adopted work.
• Excellent UI craft and purposeful motion design for learning experiences.
• Hands-on prototyping in code using SwiftUI and HTML/CSS/JS.

Responsibilities

• Lead design across discovery and delivery, owning key decisions for AI-first language learning experiences.
• Coach and mentor the small design team to share AI-first design principles.

Skills

Design leadership

UI craft

Prototyping in code

AI fluency

Coaching designers

Clear communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Leadership

Tools

Claude Code

Figma

SwiftUI

HTML/CSS/JS

Job description

• We’re a small, fast-moving team rethinking how people learn languages with AI. We’re looking for an experienced product designer to take over hands‑on design leadership: shaping the product’s direction, running discovery, and getting work delivered
• This is a design leadership and mentoring role, not a people management role. You’ll guide the craft and direction of the design team. Speed, precision and quality are how we work. You’ll set the pace. You’ll work AI‑first, using various ways to test ideas quickly and turning the best ones into experiences that are ready to hand off
• Lead design across discovery and delivery, owning key design decisions for AI‑first language learning experiences
• Design AI‑powered learning experiences. Shape how learners interact with AI, from conversation and voice to feedback that stays clear and trustworthy even when the AI gets things wrong
• Work as an AI builder. Use AI tools first to speed up research, exploring ideas, prototyping and delivery
• Prototype in code. Build prototypes in SwiftUI and HTML to test ideas and produce vision prototypes that are ready to hand off
• Design with Claude Code and Figma together. Figma is one tool among several here, not where every project starts
• Coach and mentor the small, experienced design team, who also work as AI builders, and help them share one set of AI‑first design principles
• Work across disciplines with engineers, product managers, linguists and language learning specialists
• About Babbel Labs
• Babbel Labs is building the future of language learning. We are an AI‑first, independent company within the Babbel group, based in Berlin. Our teams bring AI, research and product together to ship experiences that set a new standard for how people learn
• The role
• How you’ll make an impact
• Your skills and qualifications
• Proven design leadership. Solid experience leading product design, with a record of shipping work that users actually adopted
• Excellent UI craft and motion design. Learning happens moment by moment, so polished interfaces and purposeful motion are essential to a great learning experience
• Hands‑on prototyping in code. You’re comfortable in SwiftUI and HTML/CSS/JS and can build things people can use and test
• AI fluency. You use AI tools like Claude Code as a real part of how you design, not an add‑on
• Design systems know‑how. A working knowledge of design systems and how they make teams faster and more consistent
• A coaching mindset. Experience coaching designers and raising a team’s standards through example, feedback and shared practices
• Clear communication. You work well with technical and non-technical partners, including specialists like linguists and learning designers
• Comfort with ambiguity. You thrive on fast iteration and figuring things out as you go
• What you’ll get
• Room to learn new tools as they arrive. Try them on real work as soon as they come out, and help decide what the team adopts
• A consumer product used around the world. Design for a live product that real learners use every day, globally
• A competitive salary. Salary range: TBD. Pay that reflects the level of the role and the impact you’ll have on the product and the team
• What success looks like:
• Delivery‑ready prototypes. Prototypes that give engineering and stakeholders a clear vision to build from
• Faster, better design work. Quality and speed improve through AI tools and design systems
• An aligned design team. A team that is coached, confident and aligned on AI‑first design principles

Benefits

• 30 vacation days and flexible working hours
• BVG card or Swapfiets bike
• Jobbatical and Sabbatical options
• Many internal & external learning opportunities to choose from
• A yearly Learning & Development budget
• Visa and relocation assistance
• Full access to Babbel & Babbel Live classes
• Modern office in the heart of buzzing Berlin equipped with a family, music, faith and nap room
• Various internal communities to be part of including the Femgineers, DEI Ambassadors, Accessibility & Disability Group and more

Clear communication. You work well with technical and non-technical partners, including specialists like linguists and learning designersDesign systems know‑how. A working knowledge of design systems and how they make teams faster and more consistentExcellent UI craft and motion design. Learning happens moment by moment, so polished interfaces and purposeful motion are essential to a great learning experienceA coaching mindset. Experience coaching designers and raising a team’s standards through example, feedback and shared practicesComfort with ambiguity. You thrive on fast iteration and figuring things out as you goProven design leadership. Solid experience leading product design, with a record of shipping work that users actually adoptedAI fluency. You use AI tools like Claude Code as a real part of how you design, not an add‑onHands‑on prototyping in code. You’re comfortable in SwiftUI and HTML/CSS/JS and can build things people can use and testWe are a learning company, inside and out, and we encourage you to apply even if you do not fit all the technical requirements — all candidates are assessed based on skills, qualifications, and our business need