Product Designer

Why We Exist

algo1 is a VC-backed, stealth-mode startup building behavioural AI for the retail industry. Our platform has been built from the ground up with no legacy systems, no patchwork, just a clean slate and a clear vision. Our mission is to bring the power of modern machine learning directly to the in-store shopping experience.

Grocery retail is one of the industries best positioned to benefit from AI. Retailers generate vast amounts of data, yet most have only scratched the surface of its potential. At algo1, we're building the technology to change that.

Mission matters to us. What sets us apart is our obsession with grocery retail and the shopper experience. If you're excited by the opportunity to transform an experience that touches millions of people every day, you'll feel right at home here.

About The Role

This role is for someone with exceptional taste and a deep appreciation for craft.

Working alongside our Head of Design, you'll help shape the experiences shoppers interact with every day. Every screen has to earn attention. Grocery is a fast-moving environment where people make decisions in seconds and rarely give an interface their full focus.

You'll help evolve the design system at the heart of our product while designing and shipping real customer experiences. You'll shape the foundations that everyone else builds upon and help influence the direction of both the product and the brand.

We work agentic-first. The time between an idea, a prototype and real shopper feedback is measured in days, not months. You'll test your work with real shoppers in real stores, learning from behaviour rather than opinion.

Designers here have a remarkable amount of influence. We don't hand over finished requirements. We discover the product together with engineers, product leaders and shoppers. The best ideas win, regardless of where they come from.

What You'll Do

• Design shopper-facing experiences from initial idea through to shipped product.
• Use motion intentionally to guide attention where it matters and stay quiet where it doesn't.
• Prototype rapidly and test with real shoppers in real stores.
• Work closely with engineering so what ships matches what was designed, down to the pixel.
• Help evolve the design system as the product grows.
• Use AI as part of your everyday design process to explore ideas, prototype faster and improve your craft.

About You

We're a startup, and that inevitably means intensity. We're looking for capability, curiosity, drive, and a genuine desire to make a meaningful difference.

The right person is naturally obsessive about the details most people overlook. You don't need grocery experience but you do need to be excited by standing in a store and watching how people actually shop.

This is a hands-on craft role reporting to our Head of Design. You'll spend your time designing rather than managing, with the opportunity to learn from someone who has set an exceptionally high bar.

Essential

What Great Looks Like

• Around 3-5 years' experience designing digital products.
• Experience working within and evolving a design system, including components, tokens, patterns and documentation.
• Strong UX skills, with the ability to simplify complex problems into intuitive experiences.
• Exceptional visual craft across layout, typography, colour, spacing and visual hierarchy.
• Confident prototyping to communicate and validate ideas.
• AI is already part of how you design.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and moving quickly.

Nice to Have

• Experience building a design system from the ground up.
• Familiarity with Tokens Studio and design-to-code tooling.
• Motion and interaction design experience, with a strong sense of when movement improves clarity.
• Enjoy working beyond product into brand and visual identity.
• Previous startup experience.

Office Is Our Default

We do our best work together. This is primarily an office-based role and suits people who enjoy quick conversations, rapid iteration and building alongside talented colleagues.

Our office overlooks what we think is London's best garden square, just a couple of minutes from Tottenham Court Road, making it an easy place to get to and an even better place to build.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary backed by leading venture capital investors.
• Meaningful equity in a company building for the long term.
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays.
• The opportunity to help define the future of one of the world's most universal consumer experiences.