Design Lead, London

Design Lead, London

London Full-Time 80000 - 100000 € / year (est.) No home office possible
black.ai

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the design of an innovative AI-powered financial advice product.
  • Company: Join Marloo, a forward-thinking startup backed by Blackbird Ventures.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and relocation support available.
  • Other info: Be part of a dynamic team in central London with exciting growth potential.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of design in a groundbreaking financial tool.
  • Qualifications: 5+ years of experience in designing user-friendly products.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.

Location: London

Employment Type: Full time

Location Type: On-site

Department: GTM

Compensation: £80K – £100K Offers Equity

About Marloo:

Financial advisers carry an extraordinary responsibility. They guide people through the most important financial decisions of their lives. For too long the tools available to them have been unworthy of that responsibility. We are building the AI partner that changes that. Not a notetaker, but the infrastructure the profession has always needed and never had. Backed by Blackbird Ventures, the first and largest investor in Canva. In under a year we have onboarded 650+ firms across six countries with almost zero churn. We are at the beginning of something significant and the momentum speaks for itself.

The role:

Financial advice software has been clunky for decades. Windows 95 era thinking in a world that has moved on. We are building something that feels like a pleasure to use, and that is as much a design challenge as a product one. You will design the future of Marloo alongside Hardy and Shak (co-founders) and the engineering team. As our first full time designer, you will own the full spectrum from product UX to brand. You are not inheriting a process. You are creating one, and you will shape how design is embedded in our culture and our decisions.

Product is the primary focus: crafting an experience that makes advisers feel like they have a brilliant partner in their corner. Brand and marketing sit alongside, and you will have the judgement to know when to go deep yourself, when to bring in external help, and what is not worth doing at all.

  • Product and UX:
    • Lead the design of our AI powered product. Make something genuinely complex feel intuitive, elegant, and useful.
    • Work shoulder to shoulder with engineers and the founders to ship features that are beautiful and functional.
    • Build design systems that scale across Mac, iOS, and web.
    • Spend real time with users (advisers, paraplanners, support staff) to investigate use cases, test features, and build your own sense of what to build next.
    • Move between explore mode (wild ideas, fast prototypes in Figma, Cursor, v0) and exploit mode (nailing interaction, typography, motion on the features that earn it).
  • Brand and visual identity:
    • Establish a cohesive brand identity: trustworthy, intelligent, beautifully human.
    • Design the key brand assets: website, marketing, visual guidelines.
    • Hold the line on consistency across every touchpoint.
    • Know when to bring in agencies or freelancers while owning the quality bar.

This could be a good fit if:

  • You have 5+ years shipping beautifully designed products to real users. Senior or staff level.
  • You are a systems thinker who has worked on open ended tools. Architecting a flexible system is as much the challenge as any individual screen.
  • You are a natural prototyper. "Let's try it and see how it feels" is one of your most used phrases.
  • You are comfortable across web, Mac, and mobile, and you understand what good looks like on each.
  • You measure your work on what shipped, not on the Figma file.
  • You are drawn to the bleeding edge of AI tooling and pull it into your workflow.

As a person, you:

  • Are first and foremost a builder.
  • Are excited to be in the office most of the time.
  • Love the zero to one phase of a startup.
  • Value working with people who are kind, ambitious, and pragmatic.

Why this role is special:

  • You define Marloo's design DNA. No playbook to follow. You write it.
  • A founding team that gets design and will back you to push for great work.
  • We are at the start of the most exciting era for tool builders in a generation.

Compensation and benefits:

£80,000 to £100,000 base. Offers Equity. Office first in central London. Relocation support available for the right person. Salary range: £80-£100k depending on experience. Exceptions on a case-by-case basis and determined relative to open compensation standards. Happy to discuss what that would look like for you specifically during our interview process.

Design Lead, London employer: black.ai

Marloo is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, where creativity and collaboration are at the forefront. As a Design Lead in London, you will have the unique opportunity to shape the design DNA of our cutting-edge AI product, working closely with a passionate founding team and talented engineers. With competitive compensation, equity options, and a supportive environment for professional growth, Marloo is committed to empowering its employees to make a meaningful impact in the financial advisory space.

black.ai

Contact Detail:

black.ai Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Design Lead, London

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the design community, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.

Tip Number 2

Show off your work! Create a portfolio that not only showcases your best designs but also tells the story behind each project. Make it easy for potential employers to see how you think and what you can bring to the table.

Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practising common design challenges and case studies. Be ready to discuss your design process and how you collaborate with engineers and stakeholders. We want to see how you tackle real-world problems!

Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team at Marloo.

We think you need these skills to ace Design Lead, London

UX Design
Product Design
Brand Identity Development
Prototyping
Figma
Design Systems
User Research

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for Design:When you're writing your application, let your love for design shine through! Share examples of projects that excited you and how you tackled design challenges. We want to see your enthusiasm for creating beautiful, user-friendly products.

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application for Marloo. Highlight your experience with AI tools and how you've built systems in the past. We’re looking for someone who understands our mission, so connect your skills to what we’re doing!

Be Authentic:Don’t be afraid to show your personality! We value authenticity and want to know who you are beyond your skills. Share a bit about your journey in design and what drives you. It helps us get a sense of how you’d fit into our team culture.

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at Marloo!

How to prepare for a job interview at black.ai

Know Your Design Philosophy

Before the interview, take some time to reflect on your design philosophy and how it aligns with Marloo's vision. Be ready to discuss your approach to creating intuitive and elegant user experiences, as well as how you would establish a cohesive brand identity.

Showcase Your Prototyping Skills

Bring examples of your prototyping work to the interview. Whether it's through Figma or other tools, demonstrate your ability to quickly iterate on ideas and how you've used prototyping to solve complex design challenges in the past.

Understand the Product and Users

Research Marloo's product and the financial advisory space. Familiarise yourself with the pain points advisers face and think about how your design can address these issues. Showing that you understand the users will set you apart from other candidates.

Be Ready to Discuss Collaboration

Since you'll be working closely with engineers and co-founders, prepare to talk about your experience collaborating with cross-functional teams. Share specific examples of how you've successfully integrated feedback and worked together to ship beautiful and functional features.