Junior UX/UI designer

Prefered skills

User Experience (UX), User Interface Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Site Maps, Mockups, Design, Adobe Photoshop

Job description

At Specno, we are driven by our mission and ambition; in fact, being courageously ambitious is even one of our values. We have some pretty big goals like being recognised as the number 1 agency in the world by 2026, expanding our operations into 100 cities by 2028, and turning what we have learned into a textbook that we can teach to a million entrepreneurs by 2030.

Specno will test you like no other, but it will also give you unimaginable opportunities for growth and push you to be the best version of yourself. We care about our people, and in turn, they care about our mission.

So Who is Specno:
Specno is a company on a mission to support entrepreneurs & venture builders alike. To bring their biggest and boldest tech ideas to life. We want to write the literal textbook that entrepreneurs use when they want to take their idea from concept to commercialisation. Included in that mission is a consulting arm, where we employ and train the best in the world to implement their area of focus (Product, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales, Operations, or Fundraising).
We develop frameworks for success and have a team for hire that helps well-funded companies design, build, and scale their businesses at a rate far faster than the market.

What we are proud of:

• In total, we have a diverse team consisting of 50+ people. Whilst skills differ from venture consulting, user experience, and user interface design, through development we share a common passion for seeing ventures succeed.
• We are well established in the venture and innovation space in South Africa and our events such as Founders Den have brought together thousands of industry players.
• We are actively developing relationships with investors across all deal stages to enable our clients and partners to unlock funding opportunities.
• Over the last 4 years, we have worked with more than 150 startups, learning the nuances of both startup and specific industries all while fostering amazing relationships with founders and innovators at the forefront of change.
• And were the highest-rated agency in Africa, verified by independent reviewers who interview customers, project quality, market presence, and more. We have twice as many 5-star reviews as the nearest competitor, and we plan to be number 1 in the world.

Your Role
We are looking for an ambitious and effective Junior UX & UI designer who enjoys problem-solving, thrives within a fast-growing tech environment, and can manage complex projects. Your role is to conceptualise & design products that sell clients/investors/users on the idea. Our internal slogan is that we make dank sh*t - we need you to understand the end-users, the business goals, and how systems flow to design simple, sexy, and intuitive products. Your designs will have a real-world impact, improving the lives of thousands of users and helping founders & and businesses achieve their dreams.
As we are an agency that brings in tons of different client types, you will have the opportunity to gain experience in a vast array of industries. While you will work on multiple projects, we take pride in a work environment that allows for deep engagement with active clients.

What do we look for in a UX/UI Designer:

• An impressive digital portfolio showcasing past projects (with the role played and the thinking behind the decisions made).
• The ability to analyse a clients vision, the problem theyre trying to solve, their end-users, their competitors, their budget, their minimal viable product (if required), and how their system might scale.
• A passion for designing products with purpose and great user experiences as well as pushing the boundaries of current design standards.
• Willingness to learn - you will be required to constantly upskill (with the support of a mentor).
• Strong communication skills and can confidently explain UX decisions to clients and gather feedback.
• Strong skills in using Figma (all features), as well as being proficient in other design software e.g. Photoshop, , illustrator, etc.
• Degree in design or a related field from a reputable institution (e.g. Red & Yellow, AAA, Stellenbosch, UCT, Vega, CTCA) and/or relevant industry experience and/or a strong portfolio.
• A knack for learning new concepts, team player, driven, self-managing, curious, and hungry to continuously improve.
• The desire to take part in building a company that inspires them and raises the industry standard for the work we do.

Responsibilities include:

• Client management.
• Working with system analysts to ideate solutions, user experience research, low-fidelity & high-fidelity wireframing, high-fidelity user experience & user interface design, prototyping, and designing for development.
• Mobile app & web app design
• Finding creative solutions to complex application challenges.
• Both general & app/website-related graphic design work.
• Learning, implementing, & improving our internal design processes,
• Understanding the agile methodology & working in synergy with the product & development teams.
• Managing your time & deadlines and leading the team to efficient project delivery that meets our high-quality standards.
• Working towards constantly improving our processes, brand, yourself and the team. We never want to stagnate and we expect our team to take ownership of where they can be pushing the company forward.

What you can expect working for Specno:

• Personalised learning and coaching. You will work directly with our founders and heads of departments. On top of that you will have dedicated one-on-one coaching sessions with some of the top coaches in the field, where their only role at Specno is to make you the best in your field.
• Trust and freedom. While we are very adamant about people following processes that allow our team to be more effective. We allow for a lot of autonomy and give you space to create the environment that maximizes your output. We value your opinions and insights.
• Hybrid set up but awesome office culture. We require you in office two days a week however, the majority of our team chooses to come in everyday. We have a fully stocked breakfast and snack kitchen and cook lunch for the whole team. You feel the ambition and buzz in the air when you are in the office.
• Generous leave and travel opportunities. We mentioned wanting to be in 100 cities in the next 5 years We also do company getaways, after graft drafts, monthly team meetings, we host external events to give back to the community, we travel to trade shows and we generally have a lot of fun.
• Competitive salary and growth opportunities. We train you to step into bigger roles.
• Access to mental health credits: giving you the opportunity to have consoling sessions with registered consolers.

Our Culture :
Our culture is shaped through the lens of our four values: Courageously Ambitious, Open Collaboration, Service Excellence and Extreme Ownership. We are a group of high-performing individuals that live by these four values, which reflects a culture where Specnites are encouraged to think outside the box, challenge the status quo and push boundaries. A culture where employees can rely on one another to achieve collective success and a culture of innovation, accountability, and autonomy that propels our collective growth and reinforces our commitment to service excellence.
If you want to be the best, surround yourself with the best, learn and grow from and with each other.

Job type: Permanent position. Competitive salary with growth far above market.

Next Steps:

1. Submit your CV and application.
2. A culture interview - Do you have what it takes to fit in here?
3. A performance interview/technical assessment - lets see the track record.
4. You interview our people - you should want to work here and get an honest view of why this is the best place for you. Come eat lunch with us, meet our team. Go from department to department interviewing different people.
5. A founders interview. Lets talk openly - cards on the table.
6. Reference checks.
7. Contract and contract review. Remember, we hold you accountable to your targets, but if you make it through the interview then we believe in you and are choosing to invest in you. We want to see you succeed.
8. Unlock and release your potential.