Head of Product Design

Arondite is a defence technology company building the foundational software and AI to power the autonomous age. Our aim is to scale human-machine teaming by revolutionising the way organisations collaborate with robots, autonomous systems and sensors and use the data they generate. We are driven by our determination to help defend our collective democratic values and by our strong belief that an elite group of engineers can make a big difference. We are ambitious and building for the long-term.

Requirements

Arondite is hiring the first member of our Product Design Team, which will be responsible for the human experience of using our software. As Arondite's Head of Product Design, you will be hands-on and expected to drive the direction of design at the company. You will embed design systems and implement a design-centric approach to our product development. You will hire, shape and lead your team to realise Arondite's product vision. You will work closely with both engineers and our Strategy and Partnerships team to understand user needs. This is a critical role for the company and demands an ambitious, experienced, driven Product Designer who can make design central to the way Arondite operates and builds.

Designing here will be a varied experience. You will find yourself:

• Leading design sprints with engineers and other designers you've hired;
• Designing interactions;
• Creating UX consistency by building flexible, reusable components;
• Getting your hands dirty on military exercises to interview users alongside our engineers.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Interaction and visual design: You will be Head of Product Design, but must also be a strong individual product designer: you'll be involved at every stage of design work, especially early on before the team grows. You'll help define early product concepts, flesh out the high-level workflow and micro-interactions of a feature, and execute on a crisp and effective visual design, ensuring it remains consistent across our products. You should have experience using industry standard mockup and prototyping tools (e.g. Figma).
• User research: We expect to do regular informal user research, and we value people who can be flexible with their research processes to achieve the outcome needed. Some of this will take place in the field alongside users.
• Prototyping: You will prototype, both to communicate and validate.
• Partnering across the company: You will work closely with product and forward deployed engineers as well as with our Strategy and Partnerships team to understand user needs.
• Collaboratively building software interfaces: You should be familiar with HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Typescript. You don't need to be an expert at building interfaces yourself, but you should be fluent enough to collaborate with our engineers, and understand what's possible from the latest technologies available and curious to learn and expand your technical knowledge.

We value:

• Iteration: You validate your ideas early by speaking directly with users and other members of the Arondite team. You move fast, listen carefully, and adapt quickly. You will help other members of the design team to do the same. You are adept at receiving critiques and will mentor others to help them offer and receive critiques effectively.
• Collaboration: You build great relationships with technical and non-technical stakeholders alike. You're able to explain your design rationale to them. You can communicate your designs in varied ways: whether by presenting mockups, or by making prototypes or specs.
• Consideration: Your design decisions are informed by - and will influence-engineering and business considerations. You keep the product purpose and user outcome in mind.
• Dedication: You fight to enable the user to do their critical work. Our customers are some of the most demanding in the world and you personally feel a strong desire to help them.

Application and Interview Process:

• Stage 1: Application and Portfolio. Fill in the application form and respond to each of the questions. We value thoughtful, considered responses - it really helps us understand more about you before we meet you. As part of this, please share a link to your portfolio - if there is a password then please share this as well.
• Stage 2: Initial Interview and Problem Solving Exercise. If selected, you will then be invited for an interview at our office in Old Street, London. You can expect the interview to last two hours. It will include a problem solving exercise to help us understand your design process and get to know you. There is no need to prepare anything. You will also have the opportunity to meet more of the team when you visit.
• Stage 3: Final Interview. You will speak with one of our Founders who can answer any questions you might have about the company and discuss more about your motivations for joining a fast growing defence technology startup.
• Stage 4: Offer.

Security clearance

We believe in working closely with defence customers. To help enable this close working relationship it is often helpful to hold a security clearance. Therefore we prefer individuals to hold a clearance or to be willing to undergo UK security vetting to Security Check (SC) or above. This normally requires having continuous residency in the UK for at least 5 years. Note: This is not a hard requirement for this role.

Office vs Hybrid

We are focused on building a positive, collaborative engineering-driven culture. As a result, we believe in making the office a friendly, comfortable and fun place to be and we try to work from the office where possible. Of course, there are times when it makes sense for you to work from home. You may also need to travel to visit customers, depending on your role. But in general you should only apply to join Arondite if you're excited to come into the office and work in person by default. For most of us, this usually means at least 3 days a week.

Benefits

• Highly competitive base salary
• Generous equity in a well-funded and fast-growing startup
• 7% employer pension contribution
• A great office in Old Street offering wellness workshops and community events
• Free breakfast and lunch every day; free pizza and beer every Thursday
• The ability to work with and learn from exceptional colleagues with deep defence industry knowledge and academic excellence
• Every resource you need to do your job in a world-class way
• Health and dental insurance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Relocation support
• Visa sponsorship for extremely strong candidates