Head of Product Design (UI / UX, AI-Forward) - Contractor Role

Head of Product Design (UI / UX, AI-Forward) - Contractor

Downstream

• Open to employees in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

About Downstream

Downstream is transforming the construction industry by building a marketplace for equipment rentals, portable toilets, and roll-off dumpsters. We are scaling fast. Our vision : bring price transparency, automation, and intelligence into one of the most manual, underserved verticals in the economy.

We’re inspired by clean design and modern architecture—and we’re pushing forward with AI-native product thinking, not bolting it on later.

The Role

We’re hiring a Head of Product Design (UI / UX) who is obsessed with creating intuitive, elegant, and impactful user experiences. You’ve shipped something before—whether at a startup that scaled, a product that users loved, or a platform that redefined a workflow. You know the pain of turning complex problems into simple, usable solutions, and you want another shot at shaping an industry from 0 → 1.

At Downstream, you’ll work directly with our CEO, CTO, and Product team to : Define and own the design vision for our marketplace, supplier tools, and customer experience. Lead end-to-end design for web and mobile, including UX flows, UI systems, and visual identity. Architect AI-native product experiences that feel intuitive, not artificial—helping users trust automation and agents in critical workflows. Collaborate with engineers and product managers to ship fast : prototype, test, iterate, and refine. Build and scale our design system so we can move quickly without sacrificing quality.

Responsibilities Drive the product design strategy across customer, supplier, and internal platforms. Build and maintain UI / UX standards that reflect simplicity, trust, and efficiency. Design AI-native experiences—where agentic systems interact seamlessly with users, data, and decisions. Conduct user research and usability testing with construction industry stakeholders. Mentor and grow a design team as we scale.

What We’re Looking For Battle-tested designer : You’ve shipped real products (startup, marketplace, SaaS, or similar). AI-forward mindset : You don’t just add AI—you design around it, making it feel natural and empowering. Builder’s DNA : Comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and iteration. You’ve felt the pain of building in the real world and still want more. Technical & design skills : UI / UX design (Figma, Sketch, or equivalent) Strong UX research and prototyping chops Design systems and component libraries Understanding of modern frontend frameworks (bonus : Flutter, React) Experience designing for AI interactions (chat, agents, workflows) Startup mentality : Hands-on, resourceful, willing to go beyond your job title. Industry experience : Construction tech or marketplaces a huge plus—someone who can empathize with our users.

Nice-to-Haves Experience in marketplaces, logistics, SaaS, or fintech. Familiarity with B2B workflows and procurement tools. Contributions to open-source design systems or AI products.

Why Downstream Early-stage, high-growth startup with real traction. Work with a small, sharp, and ambitious product + engineering team. Opportunity to shape AI-native product experiences in an industry that hasn’t seen this level of innovation before. Competitive salary + equity