Design Lead

Ajaia | AI Consultancy

. Run discovery on client engagements: interview the people doing the work, watch them do it, and find the gap between what they say and what they actually do.

Posted 10/17/2026full-timeNew York City • New York • United StatesSenior💰 $90,000 - $210,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in user-centered design, including conducting discovery, synthesizing user needs, and creating implementation-ready prototypes. Proficient in utilizing AI tools for design processes and collaborating effectively with engineering teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

User Journey DesignPrototyping With AI ToolsUsability TestingSynthesis Of User NeedsConsulting Experience

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

User Journey DesignPrototypingUsability TestingSynthesisWireframingBehavioral Data AnalysisAI-Native Workflow DesignLightweight Front-End ImplementationStakeholder EngagementDesign Standard Ownership

Soft Skills

Effective CommunicationFacilitation SkillsCritical ThinkingCollaborationJudgment

Tools & Technologies

AI ToolsDesign ToolsPrototyping ToolsWireframing Tools

Industry Keywords

ConsultingAgency ExperienceProfessional ServicesClient EngagementConcurrent Clients

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Run discovery on client engagements: interview the people doing the work, watch them do it, and find the gap between what they say and what they actually do.
Talk to users of Ajaia's own products with the same rigor as client work.
Synthesize findings into actual user needs, separately from requested features, with supporting evidence.
Design user journeys, wireframes, and prototypes that engineers can build from without guessing.
Decide where human sign-off belongs within workflows and design those checkpoints into the product.
Test designs with real users before production code exists.
Challenge stakeholder feature lists when evidence points elsewhere and explain the rationale in actionable terms.
Own the design standard across Ajaia's product suite.
Prototype with AI tools by default and determine when AI-native approaches save time versus requiring manual rebuilding.
Hand off implementation-ready designs and stay involved during development to catch drift from design intent.
Use AI tools daily to move from interview notes to synthesis, wireframes, and clickable prototypes.
Stay current with design and prototyping tools and apply judgment before users see flawed shortcuts.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Runs discovery yourself: interviews, usability testing, and reading behavioral data.
Moves from synthesis to a working prototype fast.
Designs the human checkpoints into a workflow rather than bolting them on later.
Comfortable holding a room when the evidence points somewhere a stakeholder does not expect.
AI fluent: uses AI daily to research, synthesize, and prototype, and can tell good output from slop.
Comfortable working directly alongside engineers through build.
No minimum years required. We hire on the work.
On-site in New York, with client-site travel for discovery work.
A bachelor's degree is preferred and is not a requirement.
A public portfolio or case studies we can look at before we meet.
Experience designing AI-native workflows, including where a human checkpoint belongs.
Consulting, agency, or professional services experience with concurrent clients.
Comfort with lightweight front-end implementation.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Performance bonus of up to 100% of base salary
Competitive benefits