Design Hiring Partner
Hiring a great product designer is one of the hardest early hires a startup makes. Traditional recruiting agencies can deliver a pipeline of candidates but they rarely solve the deeper challenge: knowing what “great” looks like for your product, evaluating design quality with confidence, and aligning a non-design team on what to look for.
Without design expertise embedded in the process, founders end up relying on surface signals like polished portfolios, brand names, or gut feel. The result is slow cycles, mis-hires, and designers who don’t match the stage or goals of the company.
I help startups bridge that gap. By combining the strategy of a design leader with the structure of a hiring partner, I help teams define the role, run consistent interviews, and make confident, high-signal hiring decisions. Something recruiting agencies aren’t built to do.
Set up
For startups who need help kickstarting their first design hiring process. Best for companies who need foundational structure.
Deliverables
Define target designer profile and level
Write job description
Build hiring plan and interview structure
Create interview question guide
Outcome:
Team gains clarity on who to hire and how to evaluate.
End-to-end partner
For startups who want someone to lead the end-to-end hiring and evaluation process. Best for companies who don’t have an in-house design leader and want someone involved in all parts of the process.
Includes everything in Starter, plus:
Portfolio screening and evaluation
Run or co-run technical design interviews
Attend final-stage candidate debriefs and recommend hire/no-hire
Weekly hiring sync with founders or recruiting lead
Outcome:
Confident, aligned hiring decisions backed by expert evaluation.
Evaluator
For teams that already have a hiring process and sourcing in place but need a senior design expert to assess candidates.
Deliverables
Review and assess candidate portfolios
Lead or participate in technical design interviews
Join final debriefs and provide hire/no-hire recommendations
Deliver written evaluation summaries
Weekly progress syncs with hiring lead
Outcome:
Expert-level candidate evaluation without adding a full-time design leader.