Founding Product Designer

Dex; England; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Flexible working with a minimum of 3 days a week in office

Brand-new MacBook Pro

Opportunity to work with an experienced team

Job summary

A UK-based AI recruitment startup is seeking a Founding Product Designer to lead the design function. This role involves creating intuitive user journeys, defining visual identity, and conducting user research. The ideal candidate should have strong product design thinking, empathy for users, and experience in data-driven design. This full-time position offers meaningful equity, flexible working conditions, and a chance to build from the ground up in a growing company.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of the business value of design to solve user pain points.
• Ability to produce high-quality work quickly.
• Experience in user research and UX design processes.
• Use data to drive design decisions and measure impact.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the entire product design lifecycle.
• Collaborate with engineering to ensure high-quality implementation.
• Use data to continually iterate and improve the product.
• Use data to drive design, looking at retention benchmarks, consumer feedback, and engagement scores to iterate and improve the product.
• Move fast, balancing the need for exceptional quality with the speed required at a high‑growth startup, knowing exactly when to polish and when to ship.

Skills

Product design thinking

User research

Visual design

Data-driven design

Empathy for users

Job description

Join to apply for the Founding Product Designer role at Dex.

About the Team

Dex is an AI‑powered recruiter, matching exceptional software engineers with top tech companies. We’re one of the fastest‑growing UK startups, and have raised $3.1M from a16z and Concept Ventures to build a best‑in‑class voice agent, matching engine, and web app experience that will redefine the way talent and opportunity connect.

About the Role

As the Product Designer at Dex, you will own the design function entirely. This isn’t just about shipping screens; it’s about solving the complex, emotional problem of job hunting for the world’s best talent. You will work directly with the founders to transform Dex into a premium experience that candidates trust, value, and love.

Your Focus

• Product Experience: Owning the user journey from the first onboarding click to the “you’re hired” moment, creating intuitive flows that make finding a job feel magical.
• Visual Identity: Defining the visual language of the product and brand, ensuring the look and feel creates immediate trust and stands out in a crowded market.
• User Research: Going beyond the pixels to speak with consumers, analyse competitors, and understand the psychological drivers of our users.
• Strategy & Testing: Operating from first principles to test ideas before we build them—utilising landing pages and prototypes to validate hypotheses quickly.

In this role you will

• Take ownership of the product design lifecycle, from user research and conceptualisation to high‑fidelity design and engineering hand‑off.
• Challenge the status quo and reimagine how talent connects with opportunity, questioning existing assumptions to build something better.
• Collaborate deeply with engineering to translate briefs into reality, ensuring high‑quality implementation of your designs.
• Use data to drive design, looking at retention benchmarks, consumer feedback, and engagement scores to iterate and improve the product.
• Move fast, balancing the need for exceptional quality with the speed required at a high‑growth startup, knowing exactly when to polish and when to ship.

You might thrive in this role if you

• Are a product thinker first, pixel pusher second. You understand the business value proposition and design to solve specific user pain points.
• Operate from first principles. You don’t just follow current design trends; you ask “why” and build solutions that make sense for our users.
• Produce exceptional work at speed. You can create visuals that people love and workflows that feel right, without getting bogged down in perfectionism when speed is required.
• Are empathetic. You understand that looking for a job is hard, and you want to build a tool that genuinely helps people navigate their careers with confidence.
• Want to build from the ground up. You are excited by the prospect of being a Founding Designer and shaping the culture and output of the design function at Dex.

Note

We know that talent can’t be summed up in a few bullet points. Even if you don’t match all the criteria we’ve mentioned, we don’t want that to be a barrier. If you’re excited about what we’re building, we want to hear from you!

What we offer

• Meaningful equity
• Flexible working with a minimum of 3 days a week in our office near London Bridge
• Brand‑new MacBook Pro
• An opportunity to work with and learn from an experienced team, and grow with the business

The Process

Our hiring process is designed to be transparent and respectful of your time, giving you a chance to show us how you think. Here’s what you can expect:

• Application: (We love seeing candidates try the product first. A call with our AI voice agent helps you discuss what you’re great at and what your perfect next role looks like.)
• Call with Talent/Operations
• Call with the Hiring Manager – you’ll chat directly with our Head of Growth to learn more about Dex, the role, and what you’ll be tackling in this role.
• Onsite
• Case Study Presentation: We will ask you to review the current Dex onboarding and matching experience. You’ll prepare a 20‑minute design review breaking down your observations, followed by a 20‑minute discussion on how the product can evolve.
• Meet the team – a casual opportunity to meet more of the people you’d be working with day‑to‑day and ask any questions you have.
• Call with Cofounder – you’ll chat directly with one of our founders to help answer any other questions, and give a final overview of who we are!
• Offer

Seniority level

• Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Design and Product Management

Industries

• Technology
• Information and Internet

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