I help early-stage founders hire their first product designer by interviewing shortlisted candidates, reviewing their portfolios, and giving you a clear, experienced recommendation.
Great design has a huge impact on a startup’s success but hiring for it is uniquely hard. Portfolios rarely tell the full story, and it’s easy to over-index on brand names or visual polish rather than the product, systems, communication and prioritisation skills your company really needs.
I help you move from “do you know any great designers?” to “this is what great means for us.” Together, we’ll compare candidate strengths, understand the trade-offs for your stage, and avoid costly early mis-hires. A small investment compared to the cost, and risk, of getting it wrong.
Hi, I’m Tom—I’ve spent 20 years in product design and leadership, hiring for both consumer app and B2B web teams across the UK and US. I’ve interviewed more than 1,000 product designers. Most recently helping grow Monzo’s Design team from 15 to 60. I’m one of the rare people who genuinely enjoys interviewing designers. It’s where I get a lot of energy and insight.
Founders at Seed or Series A who:
Are in the process of hiring their first designer
Are close to reaching a shortlist of 1–3 promising candidates
Want an experienced, impartial perspective to help guide a clear and confident decision
1. Founder Calibration (45 min)
A session with you (and any co-founders) to unpack your product, stage, and the biggest design challenges ahead. This helps clarify what “great” looks like for you, to inform any hiring recommendation.
2. Candidate Reviews (up to 3)
For each candidate, I’ll:
Review their portfolio and CV
Run a 45-minute case-study interview with them (bookable on Mondays or Fridays)
Provide a prep email you can forward so they arrive prepared
Share a written summary and recommendation you can act on immediately
Founders are welcome to join these interviews or read the full transcripts afterward.
3. Debrief & Next Steps (30 min)
A wrap-up debrief to help you weigh up your options and make a confident hiring decision.
If you’d prefer we can instead use this time as a short coaching session to align on broader feedback across the full hiring process, helping you maximise learnings for next time.
£1,250 (up to 3 candidates)
£300 per additional candidate
Invoiced and paid up front. No success fees. Limited availability.
👉 Book a short call to see if we’re a good fit.
Intentional Partners is Tom Harman
A fractional design leader and advisor based in London, working globally
hi@intentional.partners