Lead Product Designer, AI Builder (all genders)

ABOUT BABBEL LABS Babbel Labs is building the future of language learning. We are an AI-first, independent company within the Babbel group, based in Berlin. Our teams bring AI, research and product together to ship experiences that set a new standard for how people learn. THE ROLE We're a small, fast-moving team rethinking how people learn languages with AI. We're looking for an experienced product designer to take over hands-on design leadership: shaping the product's direction, running discovery, and getting work delivered. This is a design leadership and mentoring role, not a people management role. You'll guide the craft and direction of the design team. Speed, precision and quality are how we work. You'll set the pace. You'll work AI-first, using various ways to test ideas quickly and turning the best ones into experiences that are ready to hand off. HOW YOU'LL MAKE AN IMPACT - Lead design across discovery and delivery, owning key design decisions for AI-first language learning experiences. - Design AI-powered learning experiences. Shape how learners interact with AI, from conversation and voice to feedback that stays clear and trustworthy even when the AI gets things wrong. - Work as an AI builder. Use AI tools first to speed up research, exploring ideas, prototyping and delivery. - Prototype in code. Build prototypes in SwiftUI and HTML to test ideas and produce vision prototypes that are ready to hand off. - Design with Claude Code and Figma together. Figma is one tool among several here, not where every project starts. - Coach and mentor the small, experienced design team, who also work as AI builders, and help them share one set of AI-first design principles. - Work across disciplines with engineers, product managers, linguists and language learning specialists. YOUR SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS - Proven design leadership. Solid experience leading product design, with a record of shipping work that users actually adopted. - Excellent UI craft and motion design. Learning happens moment by moment, so polished interfaces and purposeful motion are essential to a great learning experience. - Hands-on prototyping in code. You're comfortable in SwiftUI and HTML/CSS/JS and can build things people can use and test. - AI fluency. You use AI tools like Claude Code as a real part of how you design, not an add-on. - Design systems know-how. A working knowledge of design systems and how they make teams faster and more consistent. - A coaching mindset. Experience coaching designers and raising a team's standards through example, feedback and shared practices. - Clear communication. You work well with technical and non-technical partners, including specialists like linguists and learning designers. - Comfort with ambiguity. You thrive on fast iteration and figuring things out as you go. WHAT YOU'LL GET - Room to learn new tools as they arrive. Try them on real work as soon as they come out, and help decide what the team adopts. - A consumer product used around the world. Design for a live product that real learners use every day, globally. - A competitive salary. Salary range: TBD. Pay that reflects the level of the role and the impact you'll have on the product and the team. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE - Delivery-ready prototypes. Prototypes that give engineering and stakeholders a clear vision to build from. - Faster, better design work. Quality and speed improve through AI tools and design systems. - An aligned design team. A team that is coached, confident and aligned on AI-first design principles. WAYS OF WORKING This is a hands-on design leadership role on a small, experienced design team that works AI-first. AI tools are built into how the whole team works every day, from discovery to delivery. It is hybrid: a mix of time together in the office and working remotely. DIVERSITY AT BABBEL As part of our ongoing journey towards building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company, we welcome everyone to apply, especially individuals who are underrepresented in tech. We are a learning company, inside and out, and we encourage you to apply even if you do not fit all the technical requirements — all candidates are assessed based on skills, qualifications, and our business needs. Please state your pronouns in your application, and let us know if you'd like to be addressed by a name other than the one appearing on your official documents. If you have a disability or special need, feel welcome to inform us so we can provide proper assistance in the application process.