Fractional Founding Designer

ABOUT THE ROLE This is a fractional founding design role (10-20 hours per week) at an early-stage AI recruitment startup, where you will be the first and sole designer shaping the entire look, feel, and quality bar of the product. You will not be executing tickets; you will be setting the standards that the rest of the team builds against. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Define and own the product's visual and interaction design direction end-to-end. - Build and maintain a design system, design standards, and documentation for engineers and stakeholders to work from. - Create high-fidelity mockups and prototypes using tools such as Figma. - Make product strategy and design decisions under ambiguity, then iterate based on user feedback. - Collaborate directly with engineering and product to implement designs and navigate technical constraints. - Conduct user research, usability testing, and qualitative feedback sessions to inform design decisions. - Support design-to-code handoff with frontend awareness (HTML/CSS familiarity a plus). WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - 3 or more years of product design experience shipping consumer or B2B products end-to-end. - Proven experience establishing design systems, standards, and documentation for a team to build against. - An accessible portfolio that demonstrates strong product design craft and a clear problem-solving approach. - Proficiency in Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD for prototyping and high-fidelity design work. - Comfort making design and product strategy decisions with limited information in a fast-moving environment. - Experience working directly with engineering teams and solving real technical constraints through design. - Prior experience in early-stage startups or fractional/part-time design roles is a strong plus. - Familiarity with frontend implementation (HTML/CSS) and design-to-code handoff workflows is a plus. LOCATION Fully remote, open to candidates based in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).