Junior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Junior Product Designer Company: Mollie Location: Lisbon, Portugal Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / User Experience Date Posted: December 22, 2025 Experience Level: Junior (0-2 years) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on enabling the design for Mollie's Dashboard and App products, contributing to the Merchant Experience domain.
• You will collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers to explore opportunities, improve existing features, and launch new financial products.
• The position requires shaping a design strategy, transitioning from research to interaction and visual design, and driving innovation from concept to reality.
• A key aspect of the role involves experimenting, iterating based on data-driven insights, and acting as an entrepreneurial force to challenge the status quo.
• Success will be measured by designing intuitive, elegant solutions for effortless money management, elevating the quality and speed of design delivery through the design system, and creating visionary designs that resonate with users.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Junior Product Designer," the description emphasizes a significant impact and entrepreneurial spirit, suggesting a role with substantial autonomy and opportunity for growth beyond a typical junior position. The focus on "shaping the vision" and "driving change" indicates a need for proactive individuals who can influence product direction.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Shape Product Vision: Contribute to the Merchant Experience domain by defining and executing a cohesive design strategy that aligns with Mollie's mission to make payments and money management effortless.
• End-to-End Design Process: Translate user needs and business objectives into intuitive and elegant user experiences, seamlessly moving from research and strategy to interaction and visual design.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, and fellow designers in fast-paced, cross-functional teams to bring product ideas from concept to launch.
• Innovation and Experimentation: Propose and design experiments to validate assumptions, gather customer insights, and iterate on designs based on data-driven feedback to optimize user experience and business outcomes.
• Drive Design Excellence: Actively contribute to enhancing Mollie's design system to improve the quality, consistency, and speed of design and development delivery across products.
• Advocate for Users and Design: Champion user-centered design principles, using prototypes, customer insights, and a strong design vision to guide decision-making and influence product direction.
• Challenge the Status Quo: Embrace an entrepreneurial mindset, proactively identify areas for improvement, and drive positive change within the design and product development processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities listed are comprehensive and suggest a hands-on role that requires more than just execution. The emphasis on "shaping the vision," "driving change," and "being an entrepreneurial force" indicates that Mollie seeks individuals who are proactive, strategic, and capable of influencing product direction, even at a junior level.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While formal education requirements are not explicitly stated, a strong portfolio demonstrating practical design skills and experience is paramount. Applicants should be prepared to showcase their design process and problem-solving abilities.

Experience: Mollie values impact over years of experience. Therefore, candidates with 0-2 years of relevant experience are encouraged to apply, provided they can demonstrate significant potential and a track record of impactful design work. This could include internships, personal projects, or contributions to open-source design initiatives.

Required Skills:

• Strategic Mindset: Ability to simplify complex problems into elegant, user-centered solutions, guiding decisions with a clear design vision.
• Interaction Design: Proficiency in tackling complex interaction challenges to create intuitive and efficient user flows.
• Visual Design: A keen eye for detail in visual aesthetics, ensuring a high-quality and polished user interface that differentiates good design from great design.
• Prototyping: Skill in creating interactive prototypes to quickly iterate on designs, test concepts, and validate user flows.
• User Research & Validation: Experience in conducting user research or collaborating effectively with researchers to gather insights and validate design decisions through iterative testing.
• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design choices, present visions, and involve stakeholders effectively through compelling storytelling.
• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams, fostering strong working relationships with Product Managers, Engineers, and other designers.
• Ownership & Initiative: A proactive approach to work, taking initiative to identify opportunities, advocate for ideas, and manage projects effectively to achieve optimal outcomes.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with enhancing or contributing to a design system.
• Familiarity with financial products or FinTech environments.
• Experience in fast-paced product development cycles.
• Ability to analyze data and derive actionable insights for design improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "What you'll bring" section is framed as "dimensions we consider relevant" rather than strict requirements, emphasizing potential and impact. This suggests that candidates should highlight their drive, problem-solving capabilities, and proactive nature in their application, even if they don't tick every single box perfectly in terms of years of experience. The emphasis on "application is your pitch" means a tailored cover letter or application statement is crucial.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate Impact: Showcase projects that highlight significant user or business impact, clearly articulating the problem, your role, the process, and the measurable results.
• Problem-Solving: Include case studies that illustrate your ability to tackle complex interaction challenges and arrive at elegant, user-centered solutions.
• Design Process: Clearly outline your design process, from initial research and ideation through to prototyping, user testing, and final visual design execution.
• Visual Design Excellence: Present polished visual designs that demonstrate a strong aesthetic sensibility and attention to detail.
• Prototyping & Validation: Include examples of interactive prototypes and explain how they were used for iteration and validation.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Showcase examples where you've designed or optimized user workflows for clarity and efficiency.
• Iteration and Refinement: Provide evidence of how you've iterated on designs based on user feedback, data, or stakeholder input.
• System Contribution: If applicable, demonstrate experience contributing to or utilizing design systems for consistency and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on "shaping the vision" and "driving change," the portfolio should not only showcase execution skills but also strategic thinking and the ability to identify and solve problems proactively. Case studies demonstrating how the candidate has influenced product direction or improved processes are highly valuable.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Junior Product Designer role in Lisbon, Portugal, with 0-2 years of experience, a competitive salary range would typically fall between €25,000 and €38,000 gross per year. This estimate is based on current market data for similar roles in Lisbon, considering the cost of living and typical compensation structures for tech companies in the region.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: A salary commensurate with experience and the Lisbon market.
• Stock Options: Potential for equity participation, reflecting the company's growth and success.
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive health coverage for employees and potentially dependents.
• Pension Scheme: Contributions towards a retirement savings plan.
• Generous Paid Time Off: Ample vacation days and public holidays.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for training, workshops, conferences, and access to learning resources.
• Relocation Assistance: While visa and relocation support are not offered for this specific role, Mollie may offer other forms of support or guidance where possible.
• Employee Assistance Program: Support services for personal and professional well-being.
• Team Events & Social Activities: Opportunities to connect with colleagues and foster a strong team culture.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered where possible to accommodate project needs and personal well-being, aligning with Mollie's culture of empowering employees.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for Lisbon, Portugal, for a junior-level role in the tech industry. Actual compensation will depend on the candidate's specific skills, experience, and performance during the interview process. Mollie's benefits package is generally competitive for a European tech company.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Mollie operates in the FinTech sector, specifically focusing on payment processing and money management solutions for businesses across Europe. The company aims to simplify financial operations for SMEs, providing an all-in-one solution that competes with traditional banking services.

Company Size: Mollie is a growing company with approximately 850 employees across Europe. This size indicates a dynamic environment that balances the agility of a startup with the structure and resources of a more established organization.

Founded: Mollie was founded 20 years ago, giving it a significant history and proven track record in the market. This longevity suggests stability and deep industry knowledge, while its ongoing mission indicates a forward-looking approach.

Team Structure:

• Cross-Functional Teams: Mollie emphasizes working in cross-functional teams, where designers, Product Managers, and Engineers collaborate closely on specific product areas or domains.
• Product Domain Focus: The role is within the "Merchant Experience" domain, suggesting specialization and a deep understanding of the customer journey within Mollie's Dashboard and App.
• Reporting: The Junior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Head of Product Design, with day-to-day collaboration heavily influenced by their assigned Product Manager and Engineering team.

Methodology:

• Maker Culture: Mollie fosters a "maker culture," encouraging innovation and hands-on creation.
• Fast-Paced Cycles: Product development operates with fast-paced cycles, allowing for quick iteration and deployment of new features and improvements.
• Data-Driven Insights: Decisions are informed by data, with an emphasis on experimentation and iteration based on user research and performance metrics.
• Customer-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and serving the needs of their business customers ("SMEs").

Company Website: https://mollie.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Mollie's culture appears to be a blend of innovation, collaboration, and a strong customer focus, typical of successful FinTech companies. The "maker culture" and "fast-paced cycles" suggest an environment where designers can see their work implemented quickly and have a tangible impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is identified as "Junior Product Designer" (0-2 years of experience). It represents an entry point into product design within a significant FinTech company. The responsibilities suggest that while the title is junior, the expectations for contribution and impact are high, offering a steep learning curve and rapid development potential.

Reporting Structure: The Junior Product Designer will work within a cross-functional product team, reporting to a Design Lead or Head of Design. They will collaborate daily with Product Managers and Engineers, gaining exposure to product strategy, technical constraints, and business objectives.

Operations Impact: The design decisions made by this role directly impact the "Merchant Experience," influencing how over 250,000 businesses manage their payments and money. By designing intuitive and efficient solutions, the designer contributes to customer satisfaction, retention, and Mollie's overall mission of making financial management effortless for SMEs, thereby driving business growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in interaction design, visual design, user research, and prototyping within the FinTech domain.
• Design System Contribution: Grow to become a key contributor to and advocate for Mollie's design system, potentially leading initiatives for specific components or guidelines.
• Product Strategy Influence: Develop the ability to influence product strategy and roadmap through strong design vision and data-backed recommendations, moving towards a more senior or lead design role.
• Mentorship: Potential to be mentored by senior designers and product leaders, gaining insights into career progression and best practices.
• Leadership Potential: With demonstrated impact and initiative, opportunities may arise for leading design efforts on specific features or projects, or even managing junior designers in the future.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description strongly implies that Mollie sees this as a role where potential and impact are key. A successful junior designer here could quickly progress by demonstrating initiative, strong design contributions, and a proactive approach to problem-solving within the FinTech product space.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Mollie likely operates with a modern, collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork and innovation. Given its European presence and focus on cross-functional teams, the office will be equipped for dynamic work.

Office Location(s): The specific office is in Lisbon, Portugal. This location offers a vibrant European hub for tech talent, with a growing ecosystem of startups and established companies. Accessibility to public transport and amenities would be typical for a major European city.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The workspace will likely include open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and dedicated project spaces to facilitate seamless collaboration between designers, PMs, and engineers.
• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (e.g., Figma, Sketch) and collaboration tools will be provided. The company emphasizes a "maker culture," suggesting a supportive environment for creative tooling.
• Team Interaction: The emphasis on cross-functional teams means frequent interaction with colleagues from different disciplines, encouraging knowledge sharing and a holistic approach to product development.

Work Schedule: The standard 40-hour work week is expected, but Mollie's culture likely supports a degree of flexibility. This allows designers to manage their time effectively, balance deep work sessions with collaborative meetings, and maintain a healthy work-life balance, which is crucial for sustained creativity and productivity in design roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Lisbon office is likely a key hub for Mollie's European operations, offering a modern and dynamic workspace conducive to collaboration and innovation. The emphasis on cross-functional teams means designers will be integrated into product development from the outset.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Submission: Submit CV (in English) and portfolio. The portfolio serves as the primary pitch.
• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess qualifications, experience, and alignment with Mollie's values and the role's requirements.
• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: A discussion focusing on your experience, design philosophy, problem-solving approach, and how you embody Mollie's core values (Strategic Mindset, Interaction/Visual Design, Prototyping/Validation, Communication/Collaboration, Ownership).
• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a take-home design challenge or present a detailed case study from your portfolio, focusing on a specific problem-solving scenario relevant to Mollie’s products. This assesses your practical skills and thought process.
• Cross-Functional Team Interview: Meet with Product Managers and Engineers to evaluate collaboration skills, communication style, and ability to work within a cross-functional team dynamic.
• Final Interview: Potentially a final conversation with a senior leader to discuss career aspirations, cultural fit, and overall potential impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Impact: Select 2-3 strong projects that best demonstrate your skills in strategic thinking, problem-solving, interaction design, and visual execution. Prioritize quality over quantity.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the challenges faced, and the outcomes achieved. Use visuals effectively to support your narrative.
• Highlight Process: Show your thought process – sketches, wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and rationale behind design decisions. Demonstrate how you iterate and use feedback.
• Quantify Results: Where possible, include data or metrics that show the impact of your design solutions (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced error rates, increased user satisfaction).
• Tailor to Mollie: If possible, subtly tailor your presentation or selection of projects to align with Mollie's mission and the FinTech context.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research Mollie, its products, and its target audience (SMEs).
• Focus on Process: Even with a time constraint, clearly articulate your design process, assumptions, and decisions.
• Prioritize and Scope: For complex challenges, identify the core problem and scope your solution realistically. It’s better to solve a part of the problem well than to attempt to solve everything superficially.
• Presentation Readiness: Prepare to present your work clearly and concisely, anticipating questions about your approach, rationale, and potential trade-offs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on the portfolio as a "pitch" and the need to demonstrate "impact" and "ownership" are key takeaways. Candidates should prepare to not just present their work but to actively advocate for their ideas and demonstrate how they can drive positive change within Mollie's product development lifecycle.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, as it's an industry standard for collaborative design), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello (for tracking tasks and project progress within cross-functional teams).
• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams (for daily team communication and quick discussions).

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Behavior Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics (to understand user interactions and identify areas for design improvement).
• A/B Testing Platforms: Tools for conducting experiments and validating design hypotheses.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly used by designers, an understanding of CRM systems (like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Mollie's own internal systems) and marketing automation platforms can provide context for user journeys and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't explicitly list tools, Figma is the dominant tool in modern product design, especially for collaborative environments. Experience with user analytics and A/B testing platforms is highly beneficial for a data-driven design approach.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Effortless Experience: A core value driving the design of simple, intuitive, and elegant solutions that make financial management easy for businesses.
• Impact-Driven: A focus on making a real impact on customers' businesses and contributing to Mollie's growth through innovative product development.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Encouraging initiative, ownership, and a willingness to challenge the status quo to find better solutions.
• Collaboration: Valuing teamwork and cross-functional partnerships, understanding that great design emerges from collective effort and diverse perspectives.
• Data-Informed: A commitment to using data, customer insights, and experimentation to guide design decisions and measure success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to be deeply integrated into product teams, working hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Engineers from ideation through to launch and iteration.
• Open Communication: A culture of open dialogue, feedback exchange, and proactive stakeholder engagement is encouraged to ensure alignment and shared understanding.
• Knowledge Sharing: Opportunities to share learnings, best practices, and design challenges within the design team and across other departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Mollie's values emphasize a proactive, collaborative, and user-centric approach. For a designer, this means being comfortable working in a fast-paced, iterative environment where contributions are valued, and collaboration is key to success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation and Usability: Designing new, innovative features while ensuring they remain intuitive and easy for SMEs to adopt and use, especially in a complex domain like financial management.
• Rapid Iteration Cycles: Adapting to fast-paced product development cycles requires efficient design processes and the ability to make quick, informed decisions.
• Data Interpretation: Effectively translating user research and analytics data into actionable design improvements, while also balancing qualitative insights with quantitative metrics.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Navigating diverse stakeholder needs and priorities to achieve design consensus and ensure successful product launches.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• FinTech Design Expertise: Developing specialized knowledge in designing for financial products and understanding the unique challenges and opportunities within the FinTech space.
• Design System Mastery: Contributing to and becoming an expert in Mollie's design system, understanding its architecture and impact on product consistency and development speed.
• Strategic Design Thinking: Growing in the ability to influence product strategy and vision, moving beyond execution to strategic problem-solving.
• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend design conferences, workshops, and training sessions relevant to product design and FinTech.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a growing FinTech company aiming for both innovation and user-friendliness. Mollie's emphasis on a "maker culture" and "fast-paced cycles" suggests that growth will come from hands-on experience and active participation in the product development process.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex problem you simplified into an elegant design solution. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on strategic thinking and problem-solving.)
• "How do you approach validating design assumptions, especially with limited resources or time?" (Demonstrates prototyping, user research, and iteration skills.)
• "Can you walk us through a project where you had to collaborate closely with engineers and product managers? What were the key challenges, and how did you ensure alignment?" (Highlights communication and collaboration.)
• "Tell us about a time you took initiative on a project or advocated for an idea that wasn't initially popular. What was the result?" (Assesses ownership and entrepreneurial spirit.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Mollie's mission to make payments and money management effortless for businesses?" (Shows research and cultural alignment.)
• "How do you see your design approach contributing to Mollie's 'maker culture' and fast-paced product cycles?" (Connects your work style to the company ethos.)
• "How do you ensure your designs are user-centered while also meeting business objectives?" (Tests understanding of balancing user needs with company goals.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of the project and its goals, then dive into your specific role and process. Conclude with the measurable outcomes and key learnings.
• Visual Storytelling: Use clear visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) to guide the audience through your design journey. Annotate key decisions and user flows.
• Focus on Rationale: Be prepared to explain why you made specific design choices, referencing user research, data, or strategic objectives.
• Address Trade-offs: Discuss any compromises or trade-offs made during the design process and how you navigated them.
• Engage and Listen: Present clearly, but also be prepared for a dialogue. Actively listen to feedback and questions, and respond thoughtfully.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice emphasizes demonstrating the core values and skills Mollie is looking for: strategic thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and ownership. A strong, well-articulated portfolio presentation is crucial for a design role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Junior Product Designer position:

• Submit your CV (in English) and a compelling portfolio through the provided application link.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases 2-3 of your strongest projects, highlighting your problem-solving process, interaction design skills, visual polish, and any measurable impact. Tailor your case studies to demonstrate how you embody Mollie's values.
• Resume Optimization: Craft your resume to emphasize achievements and responsibilities related to strategic thinking, interaction and visual design, prototyping, user research, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Pitch: Practice articulating your design process and the rationale behind your decisions for your portfolio projects. Be ready to discuss your contributions and learnings in detail.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Mollie's mission, products, target audience (SMEs), and recent news. Understand their design philosophy and how your skills align with their goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.