Founding Product Designer

Job description

Mercura builds AI software for technical suppliers - the distributors and manufacturers who supply contractors to build new hospitals, schools, homes, and power plants. This industry runs on expertise built over decades. But too much of that expertise gets buried in manual work - processing vague requests, keying data into ERPs, answering phone calls - instead of serving customers. Some of the best teams turn down up to 30% of incoming business simply because they can't keep up. Mercura changes that. Backed by Y Combinator, we surpassed $2M in ARR in our first year. Now we're looking for people ready to go all-in to reach our next milestone: $10M ARR by end of 2026. One of our co-founders, Lukas, grew up in a fourth-generation trades family and worked on construction sites himself. That’s where he learned first-hand how slow and manual this work still is. No skilled person should spend their time on work that software should handle. We're building the tools that give experts their time back - so they can focus on what they do best, and keep the physical world running at the speed it deserves. ABOUT THE ROLE We’re hiring our first Product Designer to shape the look, feel, and usability of our product. You’ll work closely with our CPO and engineers to design clean, intuitive interfaces for non-technical users that make complex B2B workflows effortless and AI-first. In this role, you will own the entire design process end-to-end, speaking directly to customers and making core product and UX decisions. WHAT YOU WILL BE WORKING ON - Work closely with our customers, understand their problems, lead user research projects and own the product development & design process end-to-end - Build prototypes and test product hypothesis with customers - Create intuitive, AI-first interfaces that make complex B2B workflows effortless - Work closely with our engineering team to implement new features - Contribute to brand & marketing when needed (website, visuals, presentations) WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - You have 2-5 years of experience as a product designer with a strong portfolio in AI & complex B2B SaaS workflows - You love speaking to customers directly to identify pain points and problems - You are highly proficient in AI-tools (Lovable, Cursor, Claude, ...) and Figma etc to build prototypes - You are comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment and want to build something from the ground up - Ideally, you feel comfortable shipping code (React, Typescript, Python) to production - You want to work in-person from our Munich office or are willing to relocate - Fluent in German and English (our users are mostly German-speaking only) WHAT WE OFFER - Guaranteed career advancement opportunities in a rapidly growing team - An ambitious and caring team that sees their work as more than just a job - Real shares in our company with the most favorable tax treatment - no VSOP/ESOP (full-time positions only) - Free team dinner (up to 4x/week) - UrbanSportsClub membership - join our team workouts 3x/week - Easy relocation to Munich — our office is located in the Werk1 Startup Incubator https://en.werk1.com/coliving-apartments-munich/, where you can rent a 1-bedroom apartment right next to the office for just €800/month - Access to any AI or productivity tools you need YOUR TEAM & MENTORS You will work with - Stefan https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-zheng/ (Co-Founder & CPO; prev. Consultant at Bain & Researcher at Harvard Business School) - Kolya https://www.linkedin.com/in/kolya-krafeld/ (prev. SWE at SF-based startup Etleap) - Gabriel https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-hauss/ (built Maastricht University's course selection system; Oxford graduate) Your mentors will be - Julian Borg https://www.linkedin.com/in/madrzak/ (Co-Founder & CPO Remberg) ABOUT THE INTERVIEW Step 1: Intro call Casual intro meeting with one of the founders to get to know each other and introduce Mercura. Step 2: Practical exercise & role play Two practical exercises to showcase your skills, followed by calls to walk us through your approach, insights, and solution for the exercise. Step 3: Personal fit Interview Meet another co-founder member to get a feel for our culture and working style. Step 4: On-Site Work alongside the entire team for a day on-site from our Munich office to fully immerse yourself in our culture and collaboration style. This on-site will be paid. Step 5: Offer & Reference Checks If we see a great fit, you will get an offer, including a competitive compensation package with equity participation. At the same time, we’ll ask you to provide 2–3 references so we can gather additional insights into your strengths and working style. WHY MERCURA - Join an ambitious and caring team: Your future colleagues are experienced operators, ex-founders, Science Olympiad medallists, and top graduates from places such as Google, Bain, MIT, TUM, Harvard, CDTM, and Cambridge. We bring extraordinary people together and deeply invest in your growth as your mentors, teammates and friends. We care, trust, and support one another, and we make sure that fun is at the heart of everything we do. - Work with the latest tech: AI is at the core of our product, and use the latest tech across our product and processes to tackle meaningful challenges and shape how users interact with AI. - Thrive in a high-growth, high-commitment environment: We’re growing extremely fast because we always put our work and our customers first. If you excel in fast-paced settings and want to grow as part of something big from day one, Mercura is for you. - Build something with real-world impact: We ship code that directly helps a massive, yet overlooked manual industry run more efficiently and sustainably. With us, you can work on AI that contributes to economic growth and stability on a huge scale. - Build a company: As an early team member, you will have a direct, lasting impact on our culture, processes, technology, and product. Joining us offers immense rewards: ownership, financial upside, and hands-on experience building a company from the ground up. Our track record speaks for itself - over five Mercura alumni have gone on to found their own companies and raise millions after their time with us. ABOUT THE FOUNDERS We are Lukas, Stefan & Sean, the co-founders of Mercura. We share a deep commitment to excellence and the discipline to pursue what others might consider impossible. Two of us come from non-academic families, and we all know what it means to create our own paths and overcome barriers. This experience shapes our belief in equal opportunity and fuels our dedication to social mobility. Lukas (left) is responsible for business development at Mercura. With his background as a Data Scientist at Allianz and at Google in Silicon Valley, he brings extensive expertise in data and AI. Lukas’ family has been active in the construction industry for over 100 years, giving him a deep understanding and passion for the sector's specific needs. Sean (middle) is responsible for technical development at Mercura. As a top 0.01% physicist, Sean earned a Silver medal for Germany at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), began researching with the Max Planck Institute at the age of 16, and has since published at leading machine learning conferences. Stefan (right) leads product development at Mercura. Previously, he worked in management consulting at Bain & Company, where he helped manufacturers improve their operations. Stefan leverages his research experience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School to develop innovative solutions for the industry. At Mercura, we believe that the best ideas emerge when people from different backgrounds collaborate together. We hire based on ability, mindset, and values, and we live by one simple rule: the best idea wins. Beyond Mercura, we actively support initiatives that promote diversity and gender equity and commit a portion of our personal income each year to organizations expanding opportunity for others. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/aea8071f-e224-4680-b825-9d15c5a9df28/8836b971-88e3-4b84-bebc-66dc92a82ee7/founders-1-2%20(1).jpg] OUR COMPANY VALUES Customer first. We stay close to our customer’s reality and use their feedback to build what truly matters and earn their lasting trust. Ownership. We take responsibility end-to-end and act proactively to pursue the most ambitious goals. Enjoy the ride. We build a culture where people can be themselves, have fun doing meaningful work, and celebrate wins along the way. Let the best ideas win. We challenge each other respectfully and judge ideas by merit, not who said it. Down-to-earth. We are approachable, humble, and hands-on, bringing both heart and mind to everything we do.