Founding Designer

JR United Kingdom; Woking; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A VC-backed tech company seeks a Founding Designer to lead user experience strategy, driving complex design solutions in a fast-paced environment. You'll oversee the full UX lifecycle and collaborate with cross-functional teams in a heavily remote yet UK-based role requiring occasional office visits in London.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Regular in-person meetups in London

Room to shape the design function

Career development and learning support

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience in product/UX design.
• 3+ years in a senior or lead role.
• Ability to work on complex systems or B2B platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design from research to testing.
• Build scalable information architectures.
• Design intuitive interfaces balancing usability and business outcomes.

Skills

Product/UX design

User research

Prototyping

Collaboration

Accessibility

Tools

Figma

AI-enabled design tools

Job description

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A VC-backed, California-based tech company in the AI-powered product discovery space is looking for a Founding Designer to take charge of its user experience strategy. If you're used to the pace and ambiguity of a start-up—and thrive on solving complex design problems in fast-moving environments—this is your chance to make a lasting impact in a business that’s scaling fast.

You’ll own the full UX lifecycle—from customer research and journey mapping to high-fidelity design and prototyping. Working closely with product, engineering, and commercial teams, you’ll bring structure to complexity and lead design thinking across a powerful, AI-enabled platform.

This is a UK-based, heavily remote, but requires face-to-face time. With access to Regus office spaces nationwide and face-to-face collaboration days in London a few times per month.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead end-to-end design—from research and IA to prototyping and testing
• Build scalable information architectures to support complex workflows
• Plan and conduct user research to inform product decisions
• Drive discovery sessions to identify opportunities and validate ideas
• Design intuitive interfaces that balance usability and business outcomes
• Collaborate across functions to align UX with product and engineering strategy
• Champion accessibility, inclusivity, and user advocacy at every stage

What They’re Looking For

• 10+ years’ experience in product/UX design, with 3+ years in a senior or lead role
• Skilled in Figma, plus experience with other modern prototyping tools
• Proven ability to work on complex systems or B2B/enterprise platforms
• Familiarity with AI-enabled design tools and workflows
• Strong communication and stakeholder influencing skills
• UK-based with ability to join in-person team sessions in London several times per month

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary, depending on experience
• Regular in-person meetups in London with the team
• Room to shape the design function and influence product strategy
• Work alongside a globally distributed, fast-moving product and engineering team
• Career development, learning support, and mentorship

This role is perfect for a design leader who’s energised by early-stage challenges, eager to build standout experiences, and ready to play a core role in a VC-backed, high-growth tech company.

Ready to take the lead? Apply now or get in touch to learn more.