Lead Product Designer

About the role

Smartly is hiring a Lead Product Designer to guide the evolution of its advertising platform by uncovering customer needs and turning complex problems into clear product direction. You will collaborate with product managers, engineers, and researchers to run discovery work, validate ideas, and define experiences that deliver real business value. The role also involves mentoring junior designers and contributing to the design system that supports fast development cycles.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Identify high-value opportunities, clarify ambiguous problem spaces, and convert findings into concrete product direction
• Design intuitive products and features that are easy to learn and deliver value quickly
• Engage directly with customers during discovery, validation, and usability testing
• Collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, Researchers, and leadership to align on shared outcomes and product vision
• Own the end-to-end user experience across the platform
• Coach and mentor junior designers to support their professional growth

Requirements

• 8+ years of product design experience
• Ability to lead the full design process from opportunity identification through high-fidelity prototypes to implementation alongside engineers
• Strong involvement in product discovery including UX research, customer interviews, and strategic planning with product managers and leadership
• Willingness and ability to work from the Helsinki office at least 3 days per week

Nice to have

• Background in Marketing Tech or AdTech
• Experience with front-end development or vibe coding

Skills & tools

• End-to-end product design
• UX research and customer interviewing
• Prototyping and high-fidelity design
• Design systems maintenance and enhancement
• Cross-functional collaboration

Practical notes

• Hybrid work model with the option to work abroad for up to 30 days
• Equity options, performance-based rewards, and competitive compensation
• Healthcare packages, mental health services, paid holidays, and family leave
• Team of 750+ employees across 60+ nationalities in 13 countries
• Hiring process includes recruiter screen, hiring manager interview with portfolio review, a take-home research and design task with presentation, and a design challenge