Lead Product Designer

Who we are?

HousingAnywhere.com is the global booking platform for mid-term rental accommodation. Being a peer-to-peer marketplace, we create an experience that satisfies both sides of the rental accommodation market and creates a direct connection between tenants and landlords. HousingAnywhere.com is active in 100 countries and 400+ cities. We have partnered with 160+ universities worldwide and currently target the international student market while we are expanding to other audiences as well.

In 2018, we have been honored by being the fastest growing propTech company in the Netherlands as part of the Technology Fast 50 ranking of Deloitte.

What are we looking for?

As a Lead Product Designer, you are the responsible for leading all projects that involve design needs, by that you will be making our visuals stronger in terms of User Experience, User Interfaces and Branding across the HousingAnywhere platform. You will be working side by side with your team and leading them from the kick-off to the successful result of each project.

You will be part of our Design / Product team and work from our office in Rotterdam. Your main responsibility is to partner with your team and other non-designers, working across teams connecting with Engineering, Marketing and other team members to collect valuable information that you and your team need to deliver amazing results. We are aware that we are a growing company, we have a lot to improve and our main goal is to be leading the market, you will contribute to that in terms of design and you and your team will be working on improvements that will have a huge impact for all of the HA team!

Your main tasks will be:

• Leading the team on creating visuals and experiences for all our audiences, from your role you will inspire your team and others;
• Translate customer insights and performance data into (design) concepts. Discover and define design opportunities for business improvements and/or New Product Development;
• Inspire and encourage your team while you provide them a friendly and structured environment as well as being able to lead them when work under pressure and support them handling frustration.
• Deal with a fast changing environment, handling multiple projects at one time and support the growth an startup company needs in terms of design (UX / UI / Marketing Experience).

Who you are:

• You recognize yourself as being overpowered and passionate about Design! We appreciate someone with high standards. This job is only for you if you value every pixel and every emotion our users have.
• You have a Bachelors / Applied Sciences degree plus several years of proven experience in the field of UX / UI Design and Branding for an specific product or you just have the experience and you are just really really good at what you do;
• You have at least 5 years of experience and, from those, at least 3 years of experience leading (high-quality) Design teams and / or companies. Preferably dedicating your time to a specific product.
• You always take into account our users and also how, what we do, would make them feel. Of course you put the user first, but you don't forget about the business 😉
• You have a clear understanding of type, hierarchy, composition, gestalt, and other basic design rules, and you are an expert in vector design software such as Illustrator, and product design software such as Photoshop, Sketch, etc.
• You have a clear understanding of Lean and Agile methods and you enjoy taking the lead on this within the team. Therefore you are able to take ownership of projects and manage multiple priorities against deadlines;
• You have strong communication skills, being able to to lead design processes and communicate effectively with your and other teams. You have experience creating wire-frames/prototypes/clickable prototypes that will allow you to communicate clearly with our Software Engineering Team.
• You are able to be open and honest, and to know how to state your opinion and vision in any case, also able to find the middle ground when needed in order to move forward effectively.
• You love to inspire and encourage your team while you provide them a friendly and structured environment. At the same time you are patient and able to handle frustration.
• You enjoy the fact that you can make an impact in our product by applying modern tech, design and innovation. You will have freedom to design and contribute. You have knowledge about the best practices in our field.
• You are able to work comfortably with user- and growth-metrics, and you also enjoy user research and user testing.
• Last but not least you can easily identify yourself as being a person that enjoys being pragmatic, a team player and that accept challenges with a positive mindset, finding solutions!

Cool things!

• Join a dynamic and quickly growing startup -- enjoy the startup atmosphere with low hierarchies and early responsibilities. This is the ideal learning environment for you if you already are or are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur. Even if your aim is “just” to make a good career, our growing team is looking today for the leader of tomorrow.
• We give our team members a high level of responsibility because for us all ideas matter.
• Our team consists of over 80+ people, with 25+ nationalities. with most people in our office aged between 20-30 years old. Having this experience of working in an international work environment will be a good element to have on your CV.
• Opportunities to attend training and workshops related to your field of work, sponsored tech talks and other networking events.
• You get to work in the amazing city of Rotterdam in an office with an amazing view! If you're looking for a city that is always packed with new things to discover, amazing architecture, a strong international community, this is the perfect place for you! On top of this, you are one train ride away from Amsterdam and The Hague!
• Friday Beers & Cheers! Get to know your colleagues over drinks while we celebrate our achievements every end of the week!

Practical Info!

Full-time position (40 hours a week).

You will work from our office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Salary will match your experience.

Starting: ASAP.