Staff / Lead Product Designer (Startup Experience)
Location: Austin, Texas
Start Date: By May 2026
Compensation: $180K – $210K + Equity
About the Opportunity
Rubiboo is a headhunting firm partnering with a YC-backed, high-growth AI startup building cutting-edge autonomous software systems. The company is scaling rapidly and already serves hundreds of customers globally.
As they enter their next phase of growth, they are looking for a Staff / Lead Product Designer to shape the end-to-end user experience of their core product and help define design as a function.
The Role
This is a high-impact, hands-on design role with strong ownership across product direction and user experience. You’ll work closely with product, engineering, and AI teams to craft intuitive, scalable, and elegant experiences in a fast-moving environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end product design from concept to launch (UX, UI, interaction design)
- Translate complex technical and AI-driven workflows into intuitive user experiences
- Partner closely with product and engineering to define features and product direction
- Conduct user research, testing, and iteration to continuously improve usability
- Establish and evolve design systems, patterns, and standards
- Influence product strategy through design thinking and user insights
- Help build and scale the design function as the company grows
Must-Have Requirements (in order of importance)
- Strong product design experience with a portfolio showcasing end-to-end work
- Startup experience (0→1 or early-stage scaling, high ownership)
- Ability to simplify complex systems into clear, usable interfaces
- Experience working closely with engineers and product teams
- Ability to start by April 2026
- Availability to work US hours
Nice to Have
- Experience designing for AI/ML-driven products or developer tools
- Familiarity with data-heavy or workflow-oriented applications
- Experience building or contributing to design systems
- Strong prototyping skills (Figma, Framer, or similar)
- Experience mentoring or leading other designers
Why This Role
- Join a YC-backed company at a critical stage of growth
- High ownership and influence over product direction and user experience
- Opportunity to shape design culture and foundation from an early stage
- Work on cutting-edge AI products with real-world impact