2026 SALARY SURVEY - NOW AVAILABLE
ROLES WE HIRE
DESIGN
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Product designers
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UX designers
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UI designers
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UX/UI designers
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Interaction designers
RESEARCH AND CONTENT
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UX researchers
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Content designers and UX writers
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Service designers
SYSTEMS AND SPECIALIST
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system designers
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Visual and brand designers
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Motion designers
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Design engineers
LEAD
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Founding designers
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Lead, staff and principal designers
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Design managers
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Heads of design
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Directors and VPs of design
WHO WE WORK WITH
We work with startups making their first design hire and scaleups growing a design team.
Early on, a first designer usually covers research, UX and UI on their own, so you need a generalist who can shape version one. As you scale, the focus shifts to specialists and design leaders who can build a design system and keep the product consistent as more teams ship into it.
Either way, we start by understanding what you're building and where design needs to be in a year, not just the role in front of us.
OUR PROCESS
01
TODAY.
Getting to know each other.
We ask why the role exists, what problem the hire solves and what good looks like in six months.
02
24-48 HOURS.
What does good look like?
We'll share example profiles to gather comprehensive live feedback about what you like/dislike about each.
03
48-72 HOURS.
Search officially starts.
We longlist and assess candidates against your brief, beyond what's on their CV.
04
END OF WEEK 1.
Candidates introductions.
Your first hand-picked shortlist lands, with our notes on every candidate.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN EVERY DATA HIRE
Problem solving - Does their portfolio show how they reached a decision, not just how the final screens look?
Working with product and engineering - Have they shipped work with developers and product managers, not just handed off designs?
User focus - Do their decisions come from research and testing, or from personal taste?
Fit with your stage - Do they want the pace of a startup or scaleup, or just like the idea of it?
LEVEL
LOWER
MEDIAN
UPPER
MID
17,250
23,875
30,500
SENIOR
29,000
32,000
35,000
LEAD (manager)
33,250
39,125
45,000
Principal (IC)
34,000
37,500
41,000
HEAD
44,500
49,250
54,000
Monthly salary in AED. Source: Nameless Ventures 2026 Salary Survey, UAE.
YOUR DESK LEADS
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JENA KFOUZI
SENIOR TALENT PARTNER I
Software Engineering and Product Design
FAQS
How long does it take to hire a product designer?
Your first shortlist lands by the end of week one. Our average time to fill is 36 days, so we'd expect to have secured your hire, or have them in the final stages, by around week five. Head of design and other leadership roles can take longer.
Can you help us work out which design role we need?
Yes. A product designer, a UX designer and a UI designer can mean different things at different companies. We start by understanding what you're building and what the role needs to own, then recommend the right hire before the search starts.
Do you recruit UX researchers?
Yes. We recruit UX researchers who run interviews, usability testing and research programmes, as well as the designers who turn that research into product decisions.
Do you recruit heads of design?
Yes. We recruit design leaders from lead and principal designers up to head of design, director and VP, for startups building their first design team and scaleups growing one.
What does a product designer earn in the UAE?
A mid-level product designer in the UAE earns a median monthly salary of AED 23,875, according to the Nameless Ventures 2026 Salary Survey. That excludes bonuses, stock options and wider financial benefits. See the full survey for every level.
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WHAT WE HIRE
WHAT WE HIRE
SALARY SURVEY
HIRING DONE RIGHT, SO YOU CAN BUILD FASTER
We help startups scale by matching them with the right people - not just by skillset but by culture and ambition.