Product Designer

Aras is a leader in product lifecycle management (PLM) and digital thread solutions. As one of the fastest growing PLM companies, our technology enables the rapid delivery of flexible solutions built on a powerful digital thread backbone and a low-code development platform.

Our platform and PLM applications connect users in all disciplines to critical product data and processes across the lifecycle and throughout the extended supply chain. The world’s largest manufacturers are leveraging Aras Innovator to manage their complex product lifecycles to improve production timelines, meet and exceed revenue growth targets, and accelerate innovation. We collaborate with companies in some of the most innovative industries, including automotive, industrial/heavy equipment, aerospace and defense, and high-tech electronics.

As a Product Designer, you will work with an Agile product team to achieve UX outcomes, while guiding the design process and improving the team’s design capability. You will also: help Aras learn more about current experiences and needs of the people we serve; influence product strategy and future UX initiatives; and contribute to continuous improvement of our product culture.

At Aras, our mission is to transform the way the world makes products. By reinventing software for engineering and manufacturing, we empower our customers with the flexibility to overcome tomorrow’s challenges. In mid-2024, Aras initiated a major transformation of its Product Development Culture, including significant focus on the Design competency. The successful candidate will join a promising team of ten dedicated Product Designers, guided by proven leadership in UX/Design and Product Management.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with a cross-functional, geographically dispersed, empowered Agile product team (“the team”) to practice design as a team sport
• Ensure the team’s execution of an effective, human-focused design process
• Lead the definition of UX outcomes; and guide the team to achieve/exceed defined UX outcomes
• Establish and maintain shared understanding within the team and with all other design influencers/stakeholders
• Facilitate and foster team learning about customer/user needs and expectations (e.g. contextual inquiry, usability testing, presentations)
• Utilize insights from analytics and customer interactions to inform design decisions
• Generate artifacts with appropriate fidelity to aid communication of design input and intent (e.g. maps/flows, interfaces, interactions)
• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders outside the team (e.g. customers, peer teams, executives, internal functional organizations)
• Favor solution approaches that deliver customer value as quickly and often as practical
• Help the team continually improve how design decisions are made
• Share best practices with other product designers and teams
• Propose ideas to improve customer/user experience throughout the organization

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on industry experience in digital product design, user experience, service design, customer experience, or equivalent role
• Manufacturing industry experience and knowledge of product development best practices (e.g. PLM, Digital Thread, manufacturing, engineering design automation, or related domains)
• Demonstrated ability to generate order and clarity from ambiguity and chaos
• Experience prototyping and designing new concepts, as well as refining and sustaining existing products/services

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with key PLM / Digital Thread concepts, workflows & use cases
• Exemplary customer-value orientation
• Proven track record designing complex, multi-channel systems
• Passion for problem-solving, design thinking & continuous learning methodologies
• Independence and quick decision-making abilities; sound judgment for raising flags in a timely manner
• Ability to work under pressure and in a dynamic, ambiguous environment
• Ability to motivate/influence technical resources to deliver improved user experiences
• Experience designing within an Agile development environment
• Experience designing for B2B SaaS
• Experience utilizing Lean UX or similar
• Familiarity with Machine Learning and Deep Learning concepts
• Familiarity with Front-End platforms (e.g. AngularJS, ReactJS)
• Advanced degree (or equivalent) in design, user experience, human factors, or related field