I’d strongly suggest caution before applying here.
Pros
The office is located in The Bow, offering great views and a well-designed, ergonomic workspace. Colleagues are generally friendly and supportive. ISO compliant; The company also recognizes employees at year-end events with paper certificates and name-engraved glass awards you can buy at Amazon for $25
Cons
Work/life balance: Work hours can be demanding, with frequent expectations to stay late or work weekends. While this may be described as voluntary, there can be pressure to remain available. Meetings are often lengthy from 5 to 6 hours, 2 to 3 times a week and may extend through lunch and into the evening, which can make it difficult to maintain balance. Team structure and processes: The design workflow differs from standard agile practices. The CEO/owner expects designers to take on business analyst tasks, responsible for creating flows, jira tickets, and defining business goals, which can go beyond typical role expectations stated in your contract/job description. Collaboration structures between design, product, and business analysis are not clearly defined. Management style: There is a high micro-management approach from the CEO/owner, with close oversight on design decisions such as pixel count, layout and component details. This can limit autonomy and creative input. Be prepared to create designs on the fly while the CEO/owner looks on and waits. Feedback may be delivered in a direct manner and can be borderline insulting, intimidating if not harassment or bullying, which some may find challenging in one-on-one settings. The CEO/owner would roll his eyes at the slightest mistake you make and would request designs directly from you without considering how existing products and underlying technologies are impacted. Agile implementation: Although there are discussions with team leads, hr, and managers around improving agile processes, changes are not implemented. You get nothing but empty promises. Identified workflow gaps persist over time, which can impact team efficiency. The CEO/owner doesn't go through proper channels for new project requests, opting to approach designers directly. The design team is not agile, operating without a business analyst, design sprints and retrospectives. HR and hiring practices: There may be a disconnect between job descriptions and actual responsibilities. In some cases, team members you work with are not involved in your hiring interview process, which can affect alignment between expectations and day-to-day work.
