Product Designer

Ruca — US Studio

Contract-to-Hire / Remote (NYC based)

About Ruca

Ruca is a member-owned global creative cooperative with a boutique soul. We partner with companies seeking proven experience, speed, and scale to launch recognizable brands, products, and businesses, bringing strategy-led services, amplified by the latest technologies, to every engagement. Unlike traditional design agencies, we also invest in founders, incubate our own products, and share collective success with our members through equity and profit sharing. We’re building something different, and we want people who want to build with us.

The Role

We're looking for a design-led UI/UX Product Designer to join Ruca's US Studio on a 3-month, full-time contract, with the goal of converting to a permanent member of our product design team. This contract is built to convert: if you're the right fit, full-time employment follows at the 3-month mark. The US Studio is Ruca’s core full-time team, the creative engine behind our client work, internal products, and venture projects. You’ll partner with clients, product managers, and engineers across a diverse range of engagements, designing interfaces, building systems, and solving real user problems alongside a global community of experienced creatives.

This is a role for someone who leads with user thinking, sweats the details of interaction and interface, and has already made AI tools a native part of how they design. The visual design work is real, but product clarity comes first.

While we work remotely, we believe the best creative culture is built in person. US Studio members gather regularly with co-founders in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Candidates should be comfortable making their way to one of these cities on a monthly basis.

Core Responsibilities

Two things are equally non-negotiable here: strong foundational design skills and a native AI practice. We expect fluency in both, the craft to design with rigor and intention, and the habits of someone who reaches for AI tools the same way they reach for Figma.

Product & UX Design

Apply strong UX fundamentals, user research, information architecture, interaction design, and usability principles to every engagement
Use AI-assisted tools to accelerate research synthesis, ideation, rapid prototyping, and design iteration
Partner with clients, product managers, and engineers to turn requirements and ideas into clear, usable design solutions
Design responsive, mobile-first interfaces across platforms, with scalable UI systems and reusable components
Build smart, flexible design systems in Figma, complete with organized variables, components, and libraries
Create mockups and prototypes that clearly communicate interaction patterns and design logic
Maintain visual consistency through well-defined systems for layout, color, typography, and interaction
Present your work, gather feedback, and iterate quickly based on user and team input

Visual Design

Bring the same design rigor to visual work: web, mobile, email, social, print, presentations, and pitch decks, all with brand consistency in mind
Design marketing materials that support business goals and drive engagement
Ensure a polished, cohesive brand experience across every touchpoint

Qualifications

We are design-led. That means a sharp portfolio and proven, native use of AI tools in your day-to-day practice carry more weight here than years on a resume.

Background & Experience

0-7 years of professional or freelance experience in UI/UX or product design
A strong portfolio that demonstrates product thinking: user flows, interface design, design systems, and interaction patterns
Fluent, demonstrated use of AI tools as a native part of your design workflow, generative UI, prototyping, research synthesis, or similar. We want to see how you work, not just what you made
Experience with or exposure to design systems, component libraries, and engineering handoff
Agency, startup, or in-house product team experience is a plus, and so is a compelling self-initiated project

Skills & Tools

Deep proficiency in Figma: variables, components, auto-layout, prototyping, and libraries
Comfortable using AI tools such as Galileo, Uizard, Cursor, ChatGPT, or Claude, and thoughtful about when and how to use them
Familiarity with Adobe CC (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) for visual and marketing work
Bonus: familiarity with Premiere, After Effects, or motion and micro-interaction design
Strong grasp of UX principles, typography, color theory, layout, and information hierarchy
Understanding of responsive design, accessibility standards, and mobile-first thinking
Clear communicator in English, written and spoken
Organized, reliable, and able to manage multiple projects and stakeholders simultaneously
Comfortable presenting work and giving and receiving direct, constructive feedback

What Makes This Role Different

At Ruca, you won’t just execute tasks. You’ll be a full-time member of the US Studio, embedded in a cooperative that shares equity, governance, and success with its people. From day one, you’ll work alongside world-class creatives across time zones on product, brand, and venture projects that actually ship. We grow people who want to grow.

To Apply

Send your portfolio and a brief note on how AI tools show up in your day-to-day design process to hiring@ruca.co. We’re not looking for a cover letter. We’re looking for your work and your thinking.

Please make the subject line of your email “UI/UX Product Designer (NYC)”

Compensation Range

Hourly rate range during contract period is $31.88 per hour - $33.65 per hour.

If converted to full-time, the salary range would be $66,300 to $70,000 plus benefits.

Ruca

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