About Returnly

At Returnly we help merchants turn product returns into new revenue streams. We’re are a financial technology services company that builds award-winning products that drive repurchase behaviour and customer loyalty. Backed by smart money VCs in Fintech, we are one of the most well-funded startups in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our mission is to de-risk online commerce and we’re building a team of amazingly talented people around the world to help us do it.

Our team

Currently we have a small team of 3 people - 2 product designers and a front end engineer but we have the possibility of doubling in size over this year. Our team is essentially remote/hybrid working between Madrid, Barcelona and Los Angeles locations and we tend to use the offices as hubs to come back to during important periods (half yearly or quarterly planning / sprint planning etc). Our toolset currently includes Sketch, Invision, UXPin, Maze and PingPong. Today the team is centralised in the sense that there is only one product design team serving the company’s demands but we have plans to move to a more ‘pod based’ semi-autonomous model for scalability where designers would work with peers on a specific product line within a specific time zone range that allows for a minimum half day overlap.

Our values

Diversity

We are diverse, independent thinkers and still one team with one mission

Something we look for in others is evidence of the ability to self-organise and self-motivate whilst dealing with a certain amount of ambiguity. We’re still a startup that’s growing fast so not everything is documented upfront and you can’t rely on someone just giving you the answer or telling you what to do. People are always willing to help of course (we are a friendly bunch after all!) but we’re more suited to those that don’t need to be led by the hand, aren’t sticklers for documentation and can take the lead on initiatives without being asked. Even better if they can do this in a way that inspires and unlocks value in others along the way. We specifically look for ‘T-shaped’ people that have a strong skill set in one specific design discipline (e.g. Content, UX, UI etc.) but can cross-over into another when the need arises.

Openness and empathy

We learn and grow by listening to our customers and each other

If we are to create anything of value it needs to solve a fundamental human problem. This means understanding others - their goals, hopes, aspirations and fears is crucial to the role of any designer. They need to understand the ‘why’ first before the ‘what’ or ‘how’ which means they need to have the ability to listen to others well. The best designers have developed the tools and techniques that allow them to listen with the intention to understand rather than to reply. They can dig out the ‘pure gold’ in conversations or interactions that others miss and use that to deepen relationships with peers, improve the company’s design maturity and create products users love.

Integrity

We always do what’s right for our customers, Returnly and ourselves - in that order.

We think it’s important to create a design practice that is morally sound and means we can all sleep well at night. The constant advance of technology often poses both benefits and risks to society and you don’t have to look far for recent evidence of malpractice or short-sightedness in this area. Design’s impact and potential to do harm has grown. We don’t want to use dark UX patterns to drive the user behaviour we would like to see and it’s not winning if we lose what we stand for in the process. You don’t need a licence to practice design currently but we want to act as if you do.

Team

EQ is as important as IQ. We make time to help each other out.

We currently have 3 offices. 2 of those are in a completely different time zone with little to no daily overlap and within our offices it’s normal to find people working remotely for a period of time during the week according to their personal schedule. As a result we have to have a lot of trust in each other to get the job done as the peers you work with won’t always be in the same physical location, especially as we scale and seek access to the best talent across the world. We specifically look for people that can demonstrate behaviours and communication styles that build trust and responsibility. Showing maturity, clarity, eloquence and diplomacy in this area is a big plus for us here.

Commitment

We are curious and fearless. We own risk, outcomes and everything in between.

We have a history of delivering innovative solutions to the market that have created a unique value proposition for the company that is not easy to replicate by others. We’ve made lots of mistakes too on our journey so far but accept that this is part of the process of adhering to our mission of de-risking ecommerce. We value people who are deeply interested in that mission and can demonstrate ways they have been brave enough to challenge the status quo in their work and go above and beyond what was required. We see failure as a way to learn rather than immediate verification of the fact that the idea had no merit.

Skills, Experience & Responsibilities

Minimum 3 years+ product design experience - preferably in the e-commerce space.

Visual design

Demonstrates understanding of layout, typography and visual hierarchy. Uses Design Principles, as well as existing style guides and previous Product Design work to represent the brand with a holistic consideration of the products future

UX design

Demonstrates proficiency in and understanding of information architecture, multi-step and cross-platform flows. Consistently considers the holistic user experience and potential states (errors, successes, dead-ends) in their work

Product thinking

Has a strong understanding of the vision and key objectives for their product area, taking cues from their design manager, as well as their product and engineering leads. Consistently considers how their designs can support that vision, the team's goals, the broader product vision and company objectives

Patterns

Balances existing visual and UX patterns with platform-specific patterns to ensure a consistent, intuitive experience. Identifies and flags instances where existing patterns break down in their own work and diverges responsibly.

Process

Consistently demonstrates the defined design process and uses the design process to contextualise their work and the type of feedback they need in a given moment. Familiarity with modern product development processes (agile, scrum, kanban, design sprints etc.)

Tools

Employs design tools to solve and communicate user flows, interaction and motion. These tools include sketching, diagramming, interface design tools (Sketch, Invision, UXPin etc.) or native prototyping tools (e.g. Framer, Principle) for Mobile. Knows which tool to use depending on scope and phase of the project. Solid understanding of front end technologies (HTML, JS libraries, CSS)

Transparency

Shares work early and often and seeks out constructive feedback from their manager, stakeholders, teams and the Product Design team. Actively works with their team and manager to filter and prioritise this feedback.

Data

Begins every project by partnering with User Research and Data Science to define what qualitative and quantitative data will be important in their work. Partners with those teams throughout the design and development process, becoming familiar with different data collection techniques and making changes to the product based on data analysis.

Fluency

Communicates with product leads and engineers in their language, designing with consideration for their cares and concerns. Fosters a collaborative, cross-disciplinary design process and, as a result, is trusted by their team to talk through both scope and technical challenges and negotiate thoughtful outcomes.

Communication

Possesses strong verbal and written communication skills, whether in one-on-one or group situations. Communicates complex ideas, goals and problems in a way that is accessible even to those unfamiliar with the project. In design conversations about their own work, keeps discussions on-track and focused on delivering actionable next steps.

Mentorship

Provides direct and impactful feedback in team meetings, discussions and design critiques. Seeks out feedback from Senior Designers, to grow their own skills and design toolkit

Culture

Contributes to the culture of their product team by identifying, advocating for and executing design-driven projects and initiatives within their product area. Also contributes to the culture of the Product Design team by participating in other design-led projects, events and discussions, in order to spread design thinking and enthusiasm throughout the company and the wider design community.

Recruiting

Completes training to support Product Design interview loops. Regularly conducts screening calls, participates in Product Design on-site interview loops and ensures their written and verbal feedback are thoughtful and represent the role documentation

Why should I apply?

Frankly we think it's the perfect time for you to join us. We're still a startup with a very open and fresh mentality where you can make a big impact but it's not so early in our history that we're unstable. Our team is just beginning so the potential for growth is huge and you can be a part of that journey. We're solving tricky user experience problems in a space that until recently hasn't benefited from much digital disruption. We're not just looking for someone to iterate on what we have - the solutions you create will likely need to be unique.

We really love hearing from you, but before applying please check the following...

Read the values section above carefully and ask yourself if this is a good match for you personally. We will want to see evidence that you successfully model these behaviours on an ongoing basis.

Do you have all the skills required for this role? Can you demonstrate them? Be realistic - we will only consider applications that demonstrate relevant skills or the potential to match these role requirements

Please make sure you have included a portfolio link and cover letter as part of your application