UI Product Designer

Proton is developing an AI-powered operating system for the wholesale distribution industry. Its platform brings together CRM, product information, eCommerce, order and quote workflows, and AI capabilities within a shared data and intelligence layer.

The company serves hundreds of distributors, ranging from independent businesses to publicly traded enterprises, and is backed by Felicis Ventures and Battery Ventures.

Proton operates with a builder-focused culture centered on autonomy, rapid execution, and AI-native product development.

About the Role

Proton is looking for a UI Product Designer to shape both the usability and visual direction of its product ecosystem.

Reporting to the VP of Product, you'll work directly with product managers and engineers while maintaining frequent contact with customers. Rather than relying exclusively on research summaries, designers are expected to observe how real users work and use those insights to influence product decisions.

Many of Proton's customers spend most of their working day inside business software. The design challenge is to transform traditionally complex and dated enterprise workflows into experiences that feel fast, modern, and genuinely enjoyable to use.

The position can be hired at Product Designer through Senior Product Designer level, with responsibilities and autonomy adjusted according to experience.

An AI-Native Design Role

AI is a fundamental part of both the product and the design process at Proton.

Designers are expected to use tools such as Claude Code and Cursor as everyday collaborators, moving beyond static mockups to prototype interactions directly in code.

You'll also help define emerging interaction patterns between users and AI agents — including how people understand an agent's actions, establish trust, intervene, correct results, and regain control.

Importantly, Proton isn't looking for AI to replace design judgment. Strong visual taste, product thinking, and human decision-making remain core expectations; AI is used to increase the designer's ability to explore and ship.

What You'll Do

• Prototype product interactions in code using Claude Code, Cursor, or comparable AI-assisted tools.
• Test ideas through functional prototypes before investing heavily in visual polish.
• Own and evolve Proton's design system across its product portfolio.
• Define components, interaction patterns, documentation, and usage standards.
• Establish the visual language that shapes how Proton's products look and feel.
• Explore new interaction models for AI agents and human-AI collaboration.
• Design patterns around AI trust, intervention, correction, and user control.
• Work closely with PMs and engineers within Proton's AI-assisted product development process.
• Meet customers regularly and observe workflows in real environments.
• Turn insights from sales floors and warehouses into product improvements.
• Help determine how design practices should evolve as AI agents accelerate product development.

What They're Looking For

Proton is looking for a designer with strong visual craft combined with genuine product ownership.

You should bring:

• Excellent typography, layout, hierarchy, color, and iconography skills.
• Strong visual judgment and an identifiable design point of view.
• Experience taking digital products or major features from concept through launch.
• Experience working directly with Product and Engineering.
• Daily practical experience using AI within your design workflow.
• Hands-on experience with Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent tools.
• Ability to explain how you provide context to AI systems and validate their output.
• Strong systems thinking.
• Experience creating scalable visual and interaction rules rather than isolated screens.
• Understanding of engineering constraints and implementation trade-offs.
• Experience working in agile product environments.
• Strong interest in direct customer interaction.

Portfolio

A portfolio is required.

Proton is particularly interested in projects where you:

• Took a product or feature from concept to production.
• Established or significantly influenced its visual language.
• Simplified a difficult or outdated workflow.
• Made meaningful decisions about what to preserve, redesign, or remove.
• Can clearly explain your personal contribution and the resulting product outcome.

The company specifically emphasizes authentic, hands-on work rather than portfolios primarily generated through AI tools.

Big Plus

Additional relevant experience includes:

• Complex B2B products.
• Enterprise software.
• ERP or ERP-adjacent products.
• High-frequency professional workflows.
• Agentic AI products.
• Human-agent interaction patterns.
• Early-stage SaaS startups.

Experience designing interactions around trust, correction, control, and handoffs between users and AI agents is particularly relevant.

Location

There are two location options:

United States: Hybrid in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with approximately three days per week in Harvard Square.

European Union: Remote.

Compensation

For the US position, the advertised base salary is:

$80,000–$100,000 USD

The package also includes bonus eligibility, equity, and benefits.

For candidates working remotely from the EU, compensation is benchmarked against the candidate's local market.

Benefits

Proton's package includes:

• Company stock options.
• Flexible working schedule.
• High level of autonomy.
• Unlimited PTO.
• 10 company-paid holidays.
• 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Support for adoption and fostering leave.
• Company-funded annual offsites.

Why This Role Stands Out

This is a strong example of where Product Design appears to be heading.

Instead of simply asking designers to know Figma and occasionally experiment with AI, Proton expects designers to prototype with AI coding tools, understand agentic interactions, work directly with users, maintain strong visual craft, and help determine how AI-native software should behave.

The combination is particularly interesting:

UI craft + Product Design + Design Systems + AI prototyping + Agentic UX + Customer Research + B2B SaaS.