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Founder Product Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

C10 Labs

Founding Product Designer

Washington, DC · On-site +1

$40 - $50/hr

Founding Product Designer Department: Buckstop Employment Type: Contract Location: Washington, DC ... Operate with a founder mentality and ownership mindset What We're Looking For Required ...

Hyperbound

Senior Product Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180K - $210K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

Prior startup, past founder, or high-growth experience * Familiarity with design systems like ... Interview with Saswat, Product Lead, and Andrew, Product Designer (30 min) * 1 day work trail in ...

Fuku

Senior Product Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$230K - $300K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

Senior Product Designer About the Company * C lient is an AI-native platform transforming ... Interview Process 1. Application Review 2. Initial Screen 3. Tech Screen 4. Founder Screen 5. ...

Fuku

Senior Product Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$230K - $300K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Senior Product Designer About the Company - Client is an AI-native platform transforming compliance ... Interview Process 1. Application Review 2. Initial Screen 3. Tech Screen 4. Founder Screen 5. ...

Swimply

Senior Product Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

The Role As our Senior Product Designer, you'll sit at the intersection of design and marketing ... Opportunity to work directly with the founder inside a highgrowth marketplace rewriting the way ...

Ashby

$180K - $240K/yr

  • PTO

At Ashby, you'll be part designer, part product manager, part consultant, and part design system ... Currently, I report to Benji, the co-founder & CEO. Both Abhik and Benji (our founders) care deeply ...

Swimply

Senior Product Designer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

The Role As our Senior Product Designer, you'll sit at the intersection of design and marketing ... Opportunity to work directly with the founder inside a highgrowth marketplace rewriting the way ...

Benepass

Sr. Product Designer

$140K - $160K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

Founder Story - Jaclyn Chen * Benepass Raises $40M Series B Candidate Resources * Benepass ... Magazine's Best Workplaces of 2023 The role Benepass is looking for a Senior Product Designer to ...

Swimply

Senior Product Designer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

The Role As our Senior Product Designer, you'll sit at the intersection of design and marketing ... Opportunity to work directly with the founder inside a highgrowth marketplace rewriting the way ...

Mondoo Inc

Senior Product Designer

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

We're looking for a Senior Product Designer who explores wide, decides clearly, and helps build the ... This is a high-impact IC reporting to our CPO and co-founder. You'll shape how design shows up ...

Govwell

Founding Product Designer

New York, NY · On-site

$180K - $200K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Mission & Vision with CEO & Co-Founder Troy LeCaire * Real-world impact: GovWell's product is the ... Role overview GovWell is hiring a Founding Product Designer to own product coherence and usability ...

Swimply

Senior Product Designer

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

The Role As our Senior Product Designer, you'll sit at the intersection of design and marketing ... Opportunity to work directly with the founder inside a high-growth marketplace rewriting the way 2 ...

Swimply

Senior Product Designer

Santa Monica, CA · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

The Role As our Senior Product Designer, you'll sit at the intersection of design and marketing ... Opportunity to work directly with the founder inside a high-growth marketplace rewriting the way 2 ...

Swimply

Senior Product Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

The Role As our Senior Product Designer, you'll sit at the intersection of design and marketing ... Opportunity to work directly with the founder inside a high-growth marketplace rewriting the way 2 ...

C10 Labs

Founding Product Designer

Washington, DC · On-site

$40 - $50/hr

Buckstop is looking for a highly talented Founding Product Designer to help shape the user ... Operate with a founder mentality and ownership mindset Required Qualifications * 4+ years of ...

Capsule.Video Inc

Lead Product Designer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$140K - $220K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

You'll work directly with our co-founder and CEO and will have the opportunity to make an enormous impact on our company and product. You * You're a visionary designer who can articulate ideas with ...

Ashby

$150K - $210K/yr

  • PTO

At Ashby, you'll be part designer, part product manager, part consultant, and part design system ... Currently, I report to Benji, the co-founder & CEO. Both Abhik and Benji (our founders) care deeply ...

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Showing results 41-60

All JobsFounder Product Designer Jobs

Founder Product Designer information

See salary details

$50K

$144.4K

$206K

How much do founder product designer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for founder product designer in the United States is $144,360.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $131,000.00 and $155,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a founder product designer typically interact with engineering and business teams in an early-stage startup?

As a Founder Product Designer in an early-stage startup, you’ll closely collaborate with both engineering and business teams to translate product vision into tangible user experiences. You'll often participate in strategic discussions, prioritize feature development based on user feedback and business goals, and work hands-on with engineers to iterate quickly on prototypes and product releases. The environment is highly cross-functional and fast-paced, requiring adaptability, proactive communication, and a willingness to wear multiple hats. This close collaboration ensures that design decisions align with technical feasibility and market needs, and often offers opportunities for significant influence on the overall product direction.

What is a founder product designer?

Founder Product Designers are professionals who play a dual role in startups or new ventures, acting both as the founder and the lead designer of a product. They are responsible for shaping the product vision, user experience, and design strategy from the ground up. This role requires a blend of entrepreneurial skills, creativity, and a deep understanding of user needs. Founder Product Designers often oversee everything from initial concept and prototyping to user testing and final product launch. Their unique position allows them to directly influence both the business and design aspects of a company.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a founder product designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founder Product Designer, you need a strong background in user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, proficiency in prototyping, and a solid understanding of product strategy, often supported by a degree in design or related field. Expertise with design tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, and familiarity with agile product development frameworks are typically required. Vision, entrepreneurial mindset, strong communication, and collaboration skills help set exceptional candidates apart. These capabilities are crucial for creating innovative products that align with business goals and deliver real value to users in a startup environment.

What is the difference between Founder Product Designer vs Product Designer?

AspectFounder Product DesignerProduct Designer
CredentialsPortfolio, design experience, entrepreneurial mindsetPortfolio, design experience, possibly relevant certifications
Work EnvironmentStartups, early-stage companies, entrepreneurial settingsTech companies, agencies, established organizations
Employer & IndustryFounders, startups, innovative industriesCompanies across various industries, product teams

The main difference is that a Founder Product Designer often works in startup environments, combining design skills with entrepreneurial responsibilities, while a Product Designer typically focuses solely on product design within established companies. The Founder Product Designer may also be involved in business strategy and product vision, whereas the Product Designer concentrates on user experience and interface design.

More about Founder Product Designer jobs

What cities are hiring for Founder Product Designer jobs?

Cities with the most Founder Product Designer job openings:

What states have the most Founder Product Designer jobs?

States with the most job openings for Founder Product Designer jobs include:

What job categories do people searching Founder Product Designer jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Founder Product Designer jobs are:

Founder Product Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founder Product Designer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 80% Full Time, 16% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 91% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $144,360 per year, or $69.4 per hour.

Founding Product Designer

C10 Labs

Washington, DC • On-site, Remote

$40 - $50/hr

Contractor

Re-posted 21 days ago

Job description

Founding Product Designer
Department: Buckstop
Employment Type: Contract
Location: Washington, DC
Compensation: $40.00 - $50.00 / hour
Description
About Buckstop Industries
Founded in 2025, Buckstop is building the intelligence layer for the circular economy. Our mission is to create a sustainable end-of-life for every electronic device on Earth, transforming yesterday's waste into tomorrow's resources.
We're reimagining how enterprises manage electronic assets by creating a platform that identifies, tracks, and maximizes the residual value of devices at scale. In a fragmented industry where value is lost through layers of intermediaries, Buckstop provides a single source of truth and execution.
Our founding team brings together leaders from manufacturing, logistics, reverse supply chains, energy, mining, and technology who have experienced the industry's challenges firsthand and are building the future of asset recovery and circular commerce.
Your assets. One platform. Maximum value. Full stop.
The Opportunity
Buckstop is looking for a highly talented Founding Product Designer to help shape the user experience, workflows, and visual direction of our platform.
This is not a role for someone who simply executes mockups.
We are looking for a designer who can evaluate what has already been built, understand the business and customer requirements, identify opportunities for improvement, and present thoughtful design solutions.
You will work directly with the founders, engineers, and customers to create intuitive workflows and enterprise-grade user experiences that make complex data and operational processes easy to understand and act upon.
The ideal candidate combines strong visual design skills with strategic product thinking and can confidently say:
"Here's what you've built, here's what's working, here's what isn't, and here are three approaches I'd recommend moving forward."
What You'll Do
Product & UX Strategy
  • Evaluate existing product experiences and identify usability improvements
  • Translate business requirements into intuitive user workflows
  • Create multiple design concepts and recommendations for key product initiatives
  • Partner with founders to shape product direction and user experience strategy
  • Help define design principles and standards across the platform

User Experience Design
  • Design end-to-end user journeys and workflows
  • Create wireframes, user flows, mockups, and interactive prototypes
  • Conduct usability reviews and recommend improvements
  • Simplify complex operational and analytical workflows into intuitive experiences
  • Design for enterprise users operating in logistics, asset management, manufacturing, and sustainability environments

Product Design & Systems
  • Create and maintain scalable design systems in Figma
  • Establish reusable components and interaction patterns
  • Ensure consistency across product experiences
  • Collaborate closely with engineering to ensure designs can be efficiently implemented
  • Participate in product roadmap and feature planning discussions

Founding Team Contributions
  • Bring product and customer insights into company discussions
  • Challenge assumptions and advocate for users
  • Help establish the product culture and design standards of the company
  • Work cross-functionally across engineering, operations, and leadership
  • Operate with a founder mentality and ownership mindset

What We're Looking For
Required Qualifications
  • 4+ years of experience in Product Design, UI/UX Design, or User Experience roles
  • Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design work
  • Advanced proficiency in Figma
  • Experience creating wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and design systems
  • Strong understanding of UX principles, information architecture, and interaction design
  • Experience collaborating directly with engineering teams
  • Ability to clearly communicate design decisions and rationale

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience designing SaaS, enterprise software, analytics platforms, operational tools, or workflow applications
  • Experience in startup or early-stage environments
  • Familiarity with data-heavy applications, dashboards, and reporting tools
  • Experience conducting customer interviews and usability testing
  • Understanding of AI-enabled products and workflow automation

Who You Are
  • You have exceptional design instincts and attention to detail
  • You care deeply about both usability and visual quality
  • You are comfortable presenting multiple solutions to a problem
  • You think strategically rather than simply executing requests
  • You enjoy working directly with founders and engineers
  • You thrive in ambiguity and can create structure where none exists
  • You take ownership and operate with a builder mentality

Why Buckstop
  • Founding-team level influence on product direction
  • Direct collaboration with founders and engineering leadership
  • Opportunity to define the design language of an emerging category leader
  • Significant ownership and visibility across the company
  • Work on meaningful sustainability and circular economy challenges
  • Potential pathway into a long-term Product Design leadership role as the company scales

If you're excited about creating elegant experiences for complex enterprise workflows and helping shape a category-defining platform from the ground up, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply