Design Lead

AJAIA•New York, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Ajaia is an AI implementation consultancy and product studio that helps organizations achieve measurable ROI from AI across strategy, workforce training, process optimization, and custom development. The Design Lead will be responsible for running discovery and design on both client engagements and Ajaia's own product suite. This role involves direct user interaction, observation, and translating findings into actionable designs (journeys, wireframes, prototypes) for engineers. The Design Lead will also be responsible for user testing designs before development and maintaining Ajaia's design standards. This is a hands-on role requiring the individual to perform both research and design tasks.

Requirements

Ability to run discovery independently, including interviews, usability testing, and analyzing behavioral data.
Proficiency in moving quickly from synthesis to a working prototype.
Skill in designing human checkpoints into workflows.
Comfort in leading discussions and presenting evidence-based findings, even when they challenge stakeholder expectations.
AI fluency: daily use of AI for research, synthesis, and prototyping, with the ability to discern quality output.
Comfort working directly with engineers during the build process.
No minimum years of experience required; hiring based on demonstrated work.
On-site presence in New York is required, with travel to client sites for discovery work.

Nice To Haves

A public portfolio or case studies.
Experience designing AI-native workflows, including the placement of human checkpoints.
Experience in consulting, agency, or professional services with concurrent clients.
Comfort with lightweight front-end implementation.

Responsibilities

Run discovery on client engagements, including interviewing people doing the work, observing their tasks, and identifying discrepancies between stated needs and actual behavior.
Conduct similar discovery with users of Ajaia's own products.
Synthesize findings into clear statements of user needs, supported by evidence, distinguishing them from stated requests.
Design solutions including user journeys, wireframes, and prototypes that engineers can build from.
Design human checkpoints into workflows proactively rather than as an afterthought.
Test designs with real users before development begins.
Push back on stakeholder feature requests when evidence suggests alternative solutions, providing clear explanations.
Own and maintain the design standard across Ajaia's product suite.
Utilize AI tools for research, synthesis, and prototyping as a default.
Manage the handover of design work to engineers, ensuring clarity for implementation.
Stay involved during the build phase to ensure implementation aligns with design intent.