Dir. of Product Design & User Exp.

This is a fantastic opportunity to launch our new DTC metabolic optimization brand for an accomplished creative storytelling leader with strong digital product design, visual design CX/XD/UX/UI/IA skills and a burning desire to build a world-class, human-first digital experience team the right way. We’ve carefully curated our company for 9 years, growing profitably (and self-funded) to $60MM+, have built out our entire business model and team to 100+. However, to unlock our new growth goal of becoming a billion-dollar brand by 2023, we need to launch our state-of-the-art e-commerce website and “true customization” app that leverages machine learning and AI to introduce our brand to the world.

Hello, my name is Marc Stockman, CEO of Metabolic Living, and we need your help. We have a unique situation in that we built our company in reverse, creating world-class, human-centered products first, selling those on separate product-branded microsites, tinkering with our business model until we could scale and organically refining what our brand means internally. Only now are we doing what most do first: launch that brand externally. We’ve grown at 59% and 81% the last 2 years with 125% growth this year.  We’ve quietly tinkered for 9 years getting everything just right, but now that everything’s clicking, we’ve reached our inflection point and it’s time to hit the gas. Our whole team is energized. 

While this reverse evolution might seem strange, it’s actually an incredible opportunity for an accomplished creative product lead who has built world-class digital experiences to leverage everything they’ve learned to help us architect how this butterfly emerges from its cocoon, hand-crafting the vibe, look, feel, form, function and overall digital experience of our new brand. It combines the excitement and growth opportunities of being part of a start-up with the stability and resources of a profitable, self-funded tenured brand. This moment is a long time coming and I couldn’t personally be more excited to work with a world-class digital experience expert to make this finally happen!

And here’s the best part – it’s all inside a truly meaningful mission we have at Metabolic Living: to make our metabolism-first lifestyle the worldwide standard for healthy living. Even without the current pandemic, people unnecessarily struggle with their health, confused by so many competing options that don’t deliver results. So, we’ve developed a simple process anybody can follow to optimize their metabolism to deliver the energy their body needs to thrive. And we’ve created the full ecosystem of products to make that process as easy as possible (read more in Company section). We’ve always worked remotely from home and have built a deep work, collaborative culture to keep us connected.

We’re looking for the Leonardo da Vinci of digital product designers who is equal parts artist and engineer, who combines powerful visual storytelling and experience design talents with the granular hands-on VD/UX/UI/IA skills to create world-class digital experiences based on human-centered, design-thinking principles. You’ll report to the CEO and collaborate with our engineering and e-commerce teams to craft these new digital experiences. You’ll be the internal expert on all things product design related. The ideal candidate has a strong background in creative and visual design, but has progressed through VD/UX/UI/IA and to the business side and knows how deliver world-class digital product experiences.

And you’ll love the team you’ll do this with: Our CTO, Luis Mata, brings the world-class engineering skills needed to deliver this AI- and machine learning-driven experience, having done it before in the corporate wellness world as the first in the industry to measure heart rate variability, oxygen levels, respiratory rate and stress levels purely from facial recognition. And our Head of e-Commerce, Kaitlin Reiss, brings the world-class e-commerce experience to the table, having grown Edible Arrangements e-commerce website from $10MM to $380MM, optimizing the intricate and unique relationship between over 1,200 retail franchise stores and a centralized e-commerce experience as CMO.

Last but not least, Dr. Jade Teta, our Chief Metabolic Architect, brings two decades of metabolic wisdom that infuses our entire metabolism-first approach. He gained this wisdom from seeing thousands of patients as a practicing Naturopath and from doing tens of thousands of individual and group workouts. He bridges the gap between fitness, nutrition, doctor, psychologist and framework and process-builder to make our metabolism-first approach as simple and effective as possible.

And at the company brand level, we’ve already done the intense brand-defining work, the core promises, our values, voice, etc. and now it’s time to bring that to life. So, this is a fantastic fit for this multi-talented person who wants to build things the right way and has a knack for taking complex ideas and translating them into a seamless CX/XD with a smooth UX, stunning UI and simple IA. This is a VERY hands-on role focused on producing two foundational gem-quality digital experiences that will serve as potent growth catalysts to bring our growth roadmap to life.

The first growth catalyst is to craft our e-commerce-driven website that centralizes our brand experience. This consolidates all our existing products under one roof and sets the brand story, tone, look-and-feel and overall vibe. This is ground zero. We custom build everything internally to get things just the way we want them, so there are no constraints on how we build this out. We’re building this web experience first as that’s where we currently spend our $2MM per month in ads. Launching this one element single-handedly allows us to double our business.

The second growth catalyst is our “true customization” app, which unlocks the biggest growth potential for our brand. This will act like someone’s personal metabolic assistant and dynamically assembles the perfect customized meal/recipe, workout, stress reduction, detoxification and musculoskeletal optimization plan for each person uniquely, based on our proprietary Metabolic OSTM customization model. This is a full experience that pulls together our 5-C strategy of commerce, content, community, coaching and customization all into a single app.  We use machine learning and AI to dynamically refine those customizations based both on manual self-feedback and automatic biofeedback coming from wearable sensors. This is crucial as your body changes constantly so that real-time feedback is a required element to deliver continuous results.

Yes, this is a long description, but that’s on purpose… because for the right person, this should jump out as a phenomenal opportunity to build a world-class set of digital experiences that define how a rapidly growing DTC brand interacts with the world. It’s exciting. I’m excited. And I hope you’re excited too!

So, if this tingles your brain, speaks to your heart and warms your soul… if you’re a true Leonardo da Vinci creative product design leader – equal parts artist and engineer – LOVE every aspect of building digital experiences and have an innate drive to excellence, obsess about details, and…  

·        You LOVE translating big ideas behind brands into real things people interact with…

·        You LOVE telling powerful visual stories that deeply connect with hearts and souls…

·        You LOVE architecting all the granular “nerdy” stuff in CX/XD like UX, UI and IA

·        You LOVE diving in hands-on on wireframes, designs, animation, prototypes, etc…

·        You LOVE meticulously tinkering with CXs until the look-and-feel is JUST right…

·        You LOVE to collaborate with other high performers to get things done the RIGHT way…

Then please read on as you’re the ideal candidate… and we’d love to talk to you ASAP.

Note: We’ve developed a unique, in-depth application process to help us pinpoint the best candidates. We read every single application and will be in touch if there’s a good fit. So please, the more you tell, the deeper an understanding we gain and the more meaningful our first conversation will be.

What are the Key Points?

·        Compensation: $150,000 - $200,000 (negotiable for right person)

·        Location: 100% Remote (virtual team of 100+ with no corporate office)

·        Benefits: Full Insurance (health, dental & long-term disability) + Robust 401k

·        Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern (regardless of where you live)

·        Culture: Human-first with High-Performing, Happy & Humble People (no jerks)

·        Personality: Obsessed with Details so We can Simplify the Complex for Others

IMPORTANT: We’re serious about high-performance, so our culture is built around deep work to allow uninterrupted time for the intense concentration needed to deliver world-class performance. And this isn’t just a corporate talking point – we’ve implemented it with specific policies, for example:

·        A standardized 8:30 to 5:00 p.m. ET schedule to protect your personal and family time

·        No meetings before 1 p.m. ET to empower you with 4 hours truly of deep work to GSD

·        No meetings at all on Fridays so you have quiet time to think, plan and act intentionally

Who is This Opportunity Perfect for?

This is the perfect opportunity for someone who loves to use a human-first approach to build digital experiences from A-to-Z, loves building their own team and who might relate to any of the following:

If you’re drowning in the corporate or agency world, getting bored with the same old hum-drum, suffocating from lack of clarity, micromanaging bosses, unrealistically demanding clients, endless meetings, constant interruptions and no respect for the quiet time you need to actually get work done, this is your opportunity to simplify and go deep with a single brand – to pour your heart and soul into ONE big opportunity… and scale it like never before to conquer one challenge after another.

Or, if you’ve tried the freelance thing, but found it challenging or simply not fun doing the sales and marketing piece to land new clients so you could provide yourself or your family with a steady income, this is your opportunity find a long-term home with an organization who cares and who will constantly put fun, meaningful and challenging projects on your plate to keep things exciting and interesting.

Or, if you’ve been at a fast-growing start-up, but they haven’t turned the corner and learned how to grow without the stress, how to deliver results without working past 5 p.m., how to not burn the candle at both ends, how to create a profitable business model that doesn’t depend on the whims of VC or PE world to provide the next round of funding… this is your opportunity to take back control, live life under your own terms and design a lifestyle that brings you joy, happiness and satisfaction.

Regardless of your situation, whether you prefer to work in the quiet of your own home, sipping a delicious cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop (6 feet away from others!) , or outside enjoying the sunshine on a bright, beautiful day… AND you are a humble, high-performing individual who would THRIVE in this type of environment, then please read on, as we can’t wait to meet you.

Who Are We and What’s the Company’s Background?

Metabolic Living’s mission is to empower people to thrive EVERY day so they can enjoy life to the fullest. And our vision is to do this by making our metabolism-first lifestyle become the worldwide standard for healthy living. It’s a flexible, fun lifestyle that’s 100% focused on delivering the results that matter: feeling your best, looking your best and performing your best. In the shortest time possible.

It puts YOU back in control. It helps YOU understand how your body and metabolism works. It empowers YOU to fix your own problems. And because it alleviates the frustration and confusion so many of us experience when trying to fix our health, it makes you want to tell the world about it.

Our goal is to grow into a billion-dollar multi-channel brand that’s distributed via online, mobile and physical retail. For 9 years, we’ve been painstakingly building the products, services, framework, team and culture to make this happen. We have a robust, mature, complete and profitable business model with scalable customer acquisition. And now we’re pushing into a massive new growth phase.

We’ve built a full ecosystem of products that allow someone to live a metabolism-first lifestyle. This includes exercise and nutrition programs, nutraceuticals, functional foods, memberships and 1-on-1 coaching programs. We’re launching our mobile app later this year, then will push into offline retail, extend into home-delivered meals and more. But ONE thing at a time, just like we’ve done for 9 years.

So why is a metabolism-first lifestyle needed? Because there are record amounts of sick, overweight, tired and depressed people piling up around the world. We’re over-worked, over-stressed, over-fed and full of toxins. And we’re deprived of the sleep, nutrition, movement and relaxation we need to thrive.

Unfortunately, the typical solution of extreme dieting and exercise traps people into a 1-step-forward, 2-steps back vicious cycle that makes them worse off. They bounce from one latest flavor-of-the-month program to the next, never making progress… trapped in a downward spiral of increasing desperation.

And philosophies like Paleo or Vegan, while extremely healthy for some, create a rigid us-vs-them tribal mentality that’s self-limiting. Neither of those philosophies work for all people all the time… or even the same person all the time. People differ.  Bodies change. If that’s not respected, things will backfire.

The answer? Instead of trying to FIND the perfect program, you need to CREATE your own – one that respects how YOUR body works. And that’s where our metabolism-first framework comes in.

It empowers you with a repeatable, customizable method to optimize your metabolism. Because we’ve found through working with millions of people that a fully optimized metabolism is what delivers the results everyone wants – feeling their best, looking their best and performing their best, EVERY day.

So, instead of fighting against your body and getting inconsistent results with a one-size fits all program or protocol, we teach you to work with your body to enjoy consistent results by building your OWN perfect customized program. One that’s practical, enjoyable and sustainable… and starts working fast.

What Are the Major Strategic Objectives?

• Deliver MetabolicLiving.com – Deliver a world-class CX with a stunning visual design, smooth UI and a simple UI and IA, all leveraging a human-centered, design-thinking approach
• Deliver True-Customization App – Ditto on the above for our true-customization app, while working to ensure a seamless, unified CX integration between the web and app platforms
• Architect Roadmap – Collaborate with engineering and product leads to develop a detailed roadmap that systematically moves us from MVP to full production in bite-sized pieces
• Build Team – Assemble and mentor world-class cross-functional team of designers, developers, UX experts and others as necessary to deliver on the world-class digital experiences we need
• Establish Best Practices – Memorialize all best practices internally with robust SOPs and efficient workflows to ensure rapid prototyping, design, development and iteration

What Are the On-going Operational Responsibilities?

• Design Digital Experiences (XD) – Leverage your integrated skillset of VD/UX/UI/IA to design world-class digital experiences using a human-centered, design-thinking approach
• Conduct Customer Experience Research (CX) – Perform in-depth user-research to gain deep insights into our core customers so our digital experiences are smooth, on point and “just work”
• Develop Visual Designs (VD) – Hands-on world-class aesthetic design that brings our brand vibe to life through visual stories using graphic design, animation, video and other visual elements
• Architect User Experiences (UX) – Design logic, wireframes, prototypes, high fidelity designs and user flows to optimize the form, function, look, feel and vibe of the overall user experience
• Design User Interfaces (UI) – Develop intuitive “no thinking” UIs by meticulously optimizing icons, buttons, typography, colors, spacing, imagery, interactivity and responsive design
• Build Information Architectures (IA) – Architect simple IAs so everything is logically structured, organized and labelled in a way that anticipates and overcomes user obstacles

What Key Skills and Experience are Needed?

• Launched E-commerce Website – You’ve launched one or more e-commerce websites, building (or re-building) everything from scratch while collaborating with engineering and product
• Launched Mobile App – Ditto the above for mobile apps while simultaneously having worked on a seamless, unified experience between the various web and mobile touchpoints
• Powerful Brand Visual Storyteller – Leveraging your creative background, you know how to set creative vision and tell compelling visually-driven stories that bring brands to life authentically
• Complete Hands-on Skills – This is a 100% hands-on role, so while you’ll be building a team, you need to possess the full suite of VD/UX/UI skills to immediately start designing and building
• Gifted Experience Builder – You know how to architect web / mobile pages that are simple and instantly connect with consumers in a way that motivates and inspires them to take action
• High Emotional Intelligence – You have an innate ability to empathize with end-users, can easily walk in their shoes and are naturally curious about the deeper psychology at play
• Strong Leader & Collaborator – You can deftly toggle between and within cross-functional teams to create vision, gain alignment, drive execution and create positive accountability
• Driven to Excellence – You’ve got an ownership mentality with an innate inner drive to excellence that other people who aren’t built that way find disturbingly intense :-)
• Strong Bias to Act – You produce instead of pontificate and love to run with the ball without being told to do and frequently find yourself cycling at a faster rate than most people
• Relentlessly Persists – You stay focused until the task is done by embracing a get-it-done attitude and relentlessly attacking problems at different angles until they’re solved
• Humble – You package all of the above skills inside a humble mindset in which you listen more than talk, absorb more than dictate and are in constant “beta” mode, learning all you can

What You'll Enjoy from Us:

• A Curated Team – A very supportive team of other high-performers who like to get things done, hold themselves accountable and help each other out wherever possible
• A Nurturing Culture – A culture that supports and nurtures your need to learn, grow and challenge yourself to be the best you possibly can be
• A Fantastic Lifestyle – A 100% remote experience that allows you to work from home, enjoy your family, outside interests, hobbies and passions… and have a life :-)
• A Robust Benefits Package – Full Insurance (health, dental, disability & life) + Robust 401k + 15 days PTO and additional perks as we’re constantly upgrading them

If this sounds like a good fit, if you’re excited to do something challenging and meaningful that preserves your ability to enjoy life to the fullest, then please apply ASAP as we can’t wait to meet you