Founding Product Designer or Head of Product Design

@ stealth ecommerce / NFT startup with successful 3x founder

Location: NYC (Hybrid onsite)

Compensation: $160K–$210K base (poss flex) + significant equity grant

Stage: $5M Seed round

Must be based in the NYC area. No visa transfers, sorry! 

About the Company

Love building the plane as it’s flying? Being on the VERY ground floor of something exciting that leverages new technology? Savvy with consumer-facing ecommerce? Perhaps you’re interested in - or are just curious about - NFTs and collectibles? Then we wanna talk to you!

Our client is a stealth, $5M funded seed-stage startup with an experienced 3x founder that’s on the leading edge of the most exciting intersections in consumer tech: collectibles, sports, and digital ownership.

This isn’t their first rodeo — or even their second. The founding team has built and sold companies to Yahoo and Accenture, and most recently sold their last company in a $300M+ acquisition deal. 

Now they’re sparking up a brand new company, bringing everything they’ve learned to build the next category-defining consumer experience.

They’re building a new kind of digital e-commerce marketplace at the crossroads of digital identity and physical assets.

Yes, there’s NFT infrastructure, but that’s just the rails. The real story is about creating a next-gen consumer experience imbued with the joy of collecting - fast, connected, and deeply rooted in culture - from sports cards and trading cards to other culturally iconic collectibles people genuinely own.

The Role

As the Founding Product Designer (or Head of Product Design for the right candidate), you’ll be the 4th company employee, the first Design hire, and a true co-builder with the founders, shaping not just the product, but how Design lives and breathes at the company. 

You’ll work hand-in-hand with the founders to bring this experience from concept to launch, defining every pixel, flow, and feeling along the way.

This is a hands-on, design-led role for someone who thrives in the 0→1 phase, where structure is scarce, experiments rule, and the job is to build the plane as it flies. You’ll move fast, prototype constantly, and let data and instinct guide the product forward.

What You’ll Do:

• Collaborate directly with the founders to bring an entirely new consumer experience to life from the ground up.
• Lead UX and visual design from scratch — concepting, prototyping, testing, and refining in rapid cycles.
• Design for high-frequency, repeat-purchase eCommerce: removing friction in discovery, transactions, and re-engagement.
• Drive experimentation and A/B testing to quickly learn what sticks.
• Define and evolve the design language, interaction patterns, and product identity.
• Champion design’s role as a core part of the product and brand DNA.

What We’re Looking For:

• Senior Product Designer level or above with proven B2C e-commerce experience.
• A background in early-stage or Founding Designer roles, ideally bringing 0→1 products to life.
• Hands-on and fast-moving - someone who loves to design, test, and iterate rather than manage.
• Strong UX thinking with an instinct for how users shop, discover, and engage.
• Full stack design capabilities - you’re the UX and UI designer in one, and will be building out their Design System.
• Experience running A/B experiments in a high-velocity environment - you prefer real-world feedback over long cycles of research.
• Adept at working in a fast-paced, hands-on, startup environment - willing to be scrappy, adaptable, and proactive.
• Must be able to work hybrid onsite in NYC with the founding team, and indeed, you want to dig in with your teammates IRL to launch something truly unique and successful.

Bonus Points:

• Experience in marketplaces, collectibles, or digital ownership (NFTs, Web3, or related platforms).
• If you don’t have this experience but you’re interested in it, that’s OK! You can learn on the job. Great designers can ramp up on anything.
• Exposure to two-sided or multi-sided marketplaces or products that connect communities of buyers and sellers.
• Passion for the intersection of technology, fandom, and culture — where utility meets emotion.
• Deep interest in collectibles and sports culture — ideally, you’ve collected or followed the space yourself.

Why This Role:

• Ground floor opportunity: Be the founding designer shaping both product and design culture from day one.
• Proven founders: This is the third act from a team with major exits.
• True 0→1 environment: No playbook. No bureaucracy. Just you, the founders, and a blank canvas.
• Consumer-first: high-frequency, emotional engagement, and visible impact — not enterprise software.

TO APPLY:

Apply here online, or send us your resume, portfolio (with password where applicable), salary range, and openness to hybrid onsite in NYC to: team@joanneweavergroup.com

***  EARN UP TO $1,000 BY MAKING A CONNECTION! ***

If this isn't for you, but you recommend someone to us who we place in the job longterm, you can earn up to a $1000 referral bonus. 

Recommendations can be sent to team@joanneweavergroup.com - and are very appreciated!