Founding Product Designer

Company Overview

Crossing Hurdles is a global recruitment firm partnering with a fast-growing, venture-backed data intelligence company that is transforming how defense acquisition and government programs are understood, tracked, and executed.

The company is building a powerful platform that maps the entire acquisition landscape—budgets, programs, stakeholders, and relationships—into a unified, actionable system. This enables organizations to navigate complex government ecosystems with clarity and speed. Backed by leading national security investors and experiencing rapid growth, the company is scaling its product and design function at a critical stage.

Role

Founding Product Designer (IC)

Compensation

• $160K – $225K + meaningful equity

Location

• Arlington, VA (Hybrid)

Experience

• 3–6+ years Product Design

Platform

• Enterprise SaaS, data intelligence, B2B workflows, analytics‑heavy systems

About The Role

• Own the end-to-end product design for a complex, data‑heavy platform, from early research and wireframing to high‑fidelity UI and developer handoff.
• Act as the first design hire, establishing design principles, systems, and processes from the ground up.
• Work closely with product, engineering, and leadership to shape product direction in a fast‑moving, high‑ownership environment.
• Translate highly complex, ambiguous data workflows into intuitive, enterprise‑grade user experiences.
• Design scalable systems for handling large datasets, dashboards, and analytical tools.
• Build and maintain a robust design system to ensure consistency as the product and team scale.
• Engage directly with customers to understand pain points and validate design decisions.
• Drive clarity and usability in a domain that requires strong product thinking and structured problem‑solving.

Requirements

• 3–6+ years of experience as a Product Designer working on enterprise/B2B SaaS products.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating end‑to‑end ownership, especially in complex or data‑heavy products.
• Experience designing for analytics platforms, dashboards, or workflow‑heavy systems.
• Ability to work in 0 → 1 environments, building products and systems from scratch.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and making decisions with incomplete information.
• Strong collaboration skills across engineering, product, and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in modern design tools (Figma, components, design systems).
• Strong product thinking with a focus on usability, scalability, and long‑term vision.

Why You Should Consider

• Founding Impact: Be the first designer and shape the entire design function and product experience.
• High Ownership: Direct influence over product strategy, roadmap, and user experience.
• Real‑World Complexity: Solve meaningful problems in a highly complex, data‑rich domain.
• Fast Growth: Join a rapidly scaling startup with strong traction and momentum.
• Leadership Path: Opportunity to grow into a design leadership role as the team expands.
• Mission‑Driven Work: Build technology that impacts critical national‑level operations and decision‑making.