Full-Time
Product & Design Associate
CommonShares
1-10 employees
Facilitates employee ownership-based business succession
No salary listed
Toronto, ON, Canada
Hybrid
 Product (1) |
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- A track record of building and designing products, either through work experience or personal projects.
- A sharp design eye and an obsession with shipping exceptional products.
- Motivation to bring ventures from concept to market.
- Experience shipping products with modern AI-assisted development tools and workflows (for example: prompt-to-app tools, AI pair programming, rapid prototyping environments), and the judgment to choose the right approach for speed, quality, and maintainability.
- A strong ability to learn, iterate, and ship quickly.
- Lead the design and launch of v1 MVPs for new ventures.
- Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
- Build functional MVPs quickly using AI-assisted development workflows and tools (for example: Cursor, Lovable, Base44, Replit), plus traditional development as needed.
- Collaborate with CEOs and product teams to iterate and deliver fast, high-quality solutions.
- Refine product designs and user flows based on feedback and data, continuously improving usability and user experience.
- Validate assumptions and hypotheses, embracing a "fail fast, learn fast" mindset.
- Programming experience or an understanding of developer workflows.
- A first-principles approach to problem-solving.
- A low ego and a willingness to do whatever it takes to help new ventures succeed.
What CommonShares does: It helps Canadian industrial automation business owners transition to employee ownership, turning successors into owners to build wealth for workers, strengthen communities, and support a healthy national economy. How its product works: The company guides business transitions by engaging employees as owners, providing resources, peer support, and growth opportunities to ensure a smooth ownership transfer. Revenue comes from facilitating these transitions. How it differs from competitors: The focus is on a scalable employee-ownership model tied to Canadian economic and community impact, with a collaborative, peer-supported environment that goes beyond traditional succession planning by enabling employees to own a stake in the business. What its goal is: To create wealth for employees, foster stronger communities, and maintain a thriving economy through practical, orderly business transitions in the industrial automation sector.
Company Size
1-10
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
N/A
Founded
2024
Get referred to CommonShares
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Canadian cobot market grows 15.7% annually, aligning with CommonShares' automation focus.
- Over 60% of manufacturers plan robotic automation investment by 2026, expanding succession-ready firms.
- Canada's Strategic Innovation Fund allocates CAD 3 billion for digital industrial transformation.
What critics are saying
- High-tech automation firms face talent retention gaps in employee ownership culture within 12–18 months.
- BDC-backed competitors launch parallel employee-purchase services, eroding CommonShares' positioning in 6–12 months.
- Income Tax Act changes may increase capital gains liabilities, slowing transaction volume in 12–24 months.
What makes CommonShares unique
- CommonShares buys Canadian businesses from retiring owners and transitions them to employee ownership.
- Employees receive 10% equity on Day 1 with no purchase required.
- Ownership transitions to majority employee ownership over 20 years through service-based earnings.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
Company Equity
Professional Development Budget