Founding Product Designer

arcadia; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Arcadia is seeking a Founding Product Designer to lead design across the full platform, including the brand-facing web dashboard, creator mobile app, and company website.

You will own the design system and collaborate with a lean engineering team to ship features quickly, from Figma to production, while incorporating user feedback. This is ideal for someone who wants broad influence and thrives in a fast-moving startup.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of product design experience on live software products with an active user base.
• Startup experience required in an early-stage environment, comfortable with ambiguity, wearing multiple hats.
• Portfolio demonstrates interaction design, visual design, and systems work.
• Advanced Figma skills including components, variables, auto layout, and interactive prototypes.
• Experience using AI in design workflows; good judgment on when AI helps a product experience.
• Experience designing for both data-heavy B2B SaaS and consumer mobile apps.
• Ability to move quickly without sacrificing quality.

Responsibilities

• Lead UX/UI design for the brand-facing web dashboard, the creator mobile app, and the company website.
• Turn customer feedback into shipped features, partnering directly with engineering (no PM layer).
• Simplify complex data views like campaign metrics, creator performance, content approvals, and payout tracking.
• Own and evolve the Figma design system, keeping it in sync with the coded component library.
• Shape AI-powered features and prototypes to keep the interface informative.
• Prototype and test ideas using AI tools to move faster than a traditional design cycle.

Skills

Product design

Startup experience

Portfolio

Advanced Figma

AI in design workflow

Data-heavy B2B SaaS

Consumer mobile apps

Tools

Figma

Claude

Cursor

Job description

This venture-backed startup is building the go-to platform for creator-led advertising. Brands use it to run influencer and UGC campaigns at scale, from finding the right creators to tracking the ROI of every piece of content they post. Its roster of clients includes well-known names across fintech, consumer goods, and tech, and its creator network is one of the largest in the space.

They're growing fast. Their revenue has quintupled in the past couple of months, and they are scaling their team with key individuals that want to move fast and build alongside them.

The Role

The team is looking for a Founding Product Designer to lead design across the full platform. The product has two very different users: brand marketers who want the depth and accuracy of an ad analytics tool, and creators who live in the mobile app to land gigs, upload content, and get paid. Each side needs an experience that feels quick, clear, and reliable.

This person will be the design owner from start to finish, shaping everything from core user journeys to the component library to the interactions that make the product feel polished. They'll collaborate closely with a lean engineering team that moves fast, so designs go from Figma to production in a matter of hours. It's a great fit for someone who'd rather have their fingerprints on an entire product than work on a single feature at a big company.

What You'll Do

• Lead UX/UI design for the brand-facing web dashboard, the creator mobile app, and the company website
• Turn customer feedback and pain points into shipped features, partnering directly with engineering (no PM layer)
• Simplify complex data views like campaign metrics, creator performance, content approvals, and payout tracking
• Own and evolve the Figma design system, keeping it in sync with the coded component library
• Shape AI-powered features where the platform handles the heavy lifting and the interface keeps users informed
• Lean on AI tools in your day-to-day to prototype, test ideas, and move faster than a traditional design cycle

What You Bring

• 4+ years of product design experience on live software products with an active user base
• Startup experience required. You've worked in an early-stage environment and are comfortable with ambiguity, wearing multiple hats, and owning outcomes
• A portfolio that shows how you think, including interaction design, visual design, and systems work, not just polished mockups
• Advanced Figma skills, including components, variables, auto layout, and interactive prototypes
• Comfort using AI in your workflow, whether that's prototyping in code or with tools like Claude or Cursor, plus good judgment on when AI improves a product experience and when it doesn't
• Experience designing for both data-heavy B2B SaaS platforms and consumer mobile apps
• The ability to move quickly without letting quality slip

Nice to Have

• Experience in adtech, martech, fintech, two-sided marketplaces, the creator economy, or at a consumer brand known for great design
• Background in motion design, branding, or illustration
• Previous experience as a founding or solo designer at a high-growth startup