Yup, Jony Ive was hired before Steve Jobs returned to Apple. In fact, he worked on the 20th Anniversary Macintosh, though he wasn't the sole designer. If I remember correctly, Ive was considering leaving Apple around the time Jobs returned, but Jobs and Ive ended up hitting it off, and the rest became history, as Ive's designs and Jobs' encouragement helped revitalize Apple, beginning with the iMac.