Principal Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer Company: Canto Location: Cork, Ireland - Hybrid Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / UX/UI Date Posted: 2025-10-23 Experience Level: 10+ Years Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead platform design transformation with a focus on advanced design systems and comprehensive accessibility programs.
• Drive the strategic evolution of Canto's product through a systems thinking approach, ensuring holistic design across the entire platform ecosystem.
• Collaborate closely with global Product and Engineering leadership to define and refine the future design vision, integrating contextual and conversational AI within an evolving agentic experience model.
• Spearhead modernization initiatives, including UI redesigns, accessibility upgrades to WCAG 2.2 AA standards, internationalization efforts, and UX unification post-acquisition.
• Mentor and elevate a team of designers, fostering high standards of craft, operational excellence, and systems literacy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role of Principal Product Designer at Canto suggests a senior individual contributor or team lead focus, emphasizing strategic influence and hands-on execution in complex SaaS product environments. The emphasis on "systems thinking," "design system strategy," and "AI-powered features" indicates a need for a designer who can operate at a high strategic level while also demonstrating exceptional craft. The "hybrid" work arrangement in Cork implies a structured approach to in-office collaboration and remote flexibility.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Apply and advocate for systems thinking to design holistically across the Canto ecosystem, fostering a broader understanding of interconnected user experiences.
• Define, evolve, and govern design system strategy, ensuring consistent quality, scalability, and adherence to accessibility standards.
• Collaborate with global design, engineering, and product leaders to establish and refine the North Star design vision, particularly concerning AI-driven features, workflows, actions, and automation.
• Lead critical modernization initiatives such as major UI redesigns, comprehensive accessibility upgrades (targeting WCAG 2.2 AA compliance), internationalization strategies, and UX unification projects following company acquisitions.
• Mentor and develop fellow designers, cultivating high standards of design craft, operational proficiency, and robust systems literacy within the team.
• Partner with engineering and product leadership to design and implement AI-powered features, focusing on intuitive workflows, intelligent actions, and seamless automation.
• Explore, pilot, and operationalize AI-assisted design workflows (e.g., using tools like Claude, Figma Make, Lovable, Cursor) to accelerate user feedback loops, iteration cycles, experimentation, and ultimately, speed to customer outcomes.
• Articulate and communicate design strategy and systems rationale clearly across diverse teams, including executive leadership, to build stakeholder alignment, elevate UX priorities, and foster a shared understanding of design intent.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on strategic leadership and hands-on execution. The emphasis on "AI-powered features," "agentic experience model," and "AI-assisted design workflows" points to a forward-thinking role at the intersection of design and emerging technologies. The expectation to "mentor Designers" and "build alignment" underscores the senior nature of this position.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and extensive experience in product design, UX/UI, and systems thinking are implicitly required, often stemming from a relevant degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in designing complex SaaS or platform products.
• Proven track record of leading and evolving design systems, including strategy, scaling, and governance.
• Demonstrated success in leading accessibility programs, aiming for WCAG 2.2 AA or AAA compliance.
• Experience designing Agentic UX, AI actions, workflows, or automation features.
• Extensive experience collaborating effectively within globally distributed teams.

Required Skills:

• Deep expertise in systems thinking, information architecture, and ensuring cross-product coherence.
• Exceptional visual design and UI craft, with a portfolio demonstrating the creation of clean, modern, and intuitive user interfaces that enhance clarity and cohesiveness.
• Proven ability to raise the visual standard across products through polished and thoughtful aesthetics.
• Practical understanding of AI-driven design tooling and workflows.
• Strong mentorship capabilities, with a focus on elevating and unifying team members through influence rather than command.
• Clear and transparent communication skills, capable of building alignment across executive leadership, technical, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proficiency in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.
• Experience in user research methodologies and translating insights into actionable design solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with the Digital Asset Management (DAM) or Marketing Technology (Martech) ecosystem.
• Demonstrated thought leadership, potentially through published work or presentations on systems design, accessibility, design systems, or agentic UX design.
• Experience or keen interest in shipping front-end code directly to production, leveraging AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code) in close partnership with engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a blend of strategic vision, deep technical design expertise, leadership, and a forward-looking approach to AI and accessibility. The explicit mention of a portfolio demonstrating specific capabilities (visual design, UI craft, design systems, accessibility) is crucial for candidates. The "10+ years" requirement solidifies this as a senior-level position.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 10+ years of product design experience, with a strong emphasis on complex SaaS or platform products.
• Include detailed case studies demonstrating expertise in systems design, information architecture, and achieving cross-product coherence.
• Present evidence of leading design system creation, scaling, and governance, with tangible outcomes and strategic rationale.
• Highlight projects that demonstrate leadership in accessibility programs (WCAG 2.2 AA or AAA), detailing the challenges and solutions implemented.
• Feature examples of designing Agentic UX, AI actions, workflows, or automation features, explaining the problem, your approach, and the impact.
• Demonstrate exceptional visual design and UI craft through polished, modern, and intuitive interfaces, illustrating how you've raised the visual standard.
• Include examples of collaborating effectively within globally distributed teams.
• Showcase clear communication of design strategy and rationale, demonstrating how you've built alignment with stakeholders.

Process Documentation:

• Provide documentation or case studies that illustrate your approach to defining and evolving design system strategy and governance.
• Detail your process for conducting user research, iterating on designs, and incorporating feedback, particularly for AI-powered features and workflows.
• Explain your methodology for modernizing existing UIs, implementing accessibility upgrades, and unifying UX across different product lines or acquisitions.
• Illustrate how you've explored and operationalized AI-assisted design workflows to enhance efficiency and customer outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are extensive and designed to assess a candidate's strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and hands-on design skills at a principal level. The emphasis on systems design, accessibility, and AI integration suggests a need for deep, demonstrable experience in these areas.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Principal Product Designer role with 10+ years of experience in Ireland, and considering the hybrid work arrangement and the company's focus on innovation and growth, the estimated salary range is €90,000 - €130,000 per annum. This range reflects the seniority, specialized skills required (e.g., AI, accessibility, design systems), and the strategic impact expected in this role.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Covering medical, dental, and vision needs.
• Generous Paid Time Off: Including vacation days, public holidays, and sick leave.
• Pension Scheme: Company contribution to retirement savings.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for training, conferences, and skill enhancement.
• Hybrid Work Model: Flexibility to balance remote work with in-office collaboration.
• Stock Options/Equity: Potential for long-term financial growth tied to company success.
• Employee Assistance Program: Support for mental health and well-being.
• Team Building and Social Events: Fostering a strong team culture.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are typically 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing for a combination of on-site and remote work. Specific daily schedules may offer flexibility to accommodate global team collaboration and personal needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on typical compensation for senior design roles in Ireland, considering the specific requirements and responsibilities outlined. Benefits are standard for a tech company of Canto's presumed size and stage, with an emphasis on well-being, professional growth, and long-term incentives.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically Digital Asset Management (DAM) and Marketing Technology (Martech). Canto operates in a competitive SaaS landscape, providing critical infrastructure for businesses managing vast amounts of digital content. This industry demands continuous innovation, robust platform stability, and a strong focus on user experience to support diverse client needs.

Company Size: Canto serves over 4,000 customers worldwide, indicating a well-established company with a significant market presence. While the exact employee count isn't provided, the mention of global teams (US and Ireland) and a "fast-growing" trajectory suggests a mid-to-large-sized tech organization, likely employing several hundred to potentially over a thousand individuals. This scale offers opportunities for significant impact and career progression.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company's established customer base and product maturity imply it has been operating for a considerable period, likely over a decade, allowing for deep domain expertise and a developed market position.

Team Structure:

• The Design team is global, with members in both the US and Ireland, necessitating strong remote collaboration practices.
• The Principal Product Designer will likely report into a Head of Design, Design Director, or VP of Product, and will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a key aspect, involving close partnerships with engineering, product management, marketing, and potentially customer success teams to ensure a cohesive product strategy and execution.

Methodology:

• Data analysis and user insights are critical for informing design decisions, especially for complex SaaS products and AI-driven features.
• Workflow planning and optimization strategies will be employed to improve internal design processes and the user experience of the platform.
• Automation and efficiency practices are encouraged, particularly through the exploration of AI-assisted design tools and workflows.
• Agile methodologies are likely in use, requiring designers to be adaptable and responsive to evolving product requirements and market feedback.

Company Website: https://www.canto.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context suggests a dynamic, growth-oriented environment within the Martech/DAM space. The global nature of the teams and the hybrid work model are significant factors for potential candidates to consider regarding collaboration and work-life balance. The emphasis on innovation, especially with AI, indicates a company that is investing in future technologies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at the "Principal" level, signifying a senior individual contributor role with significant strategic influence and leadership responsibilities. It's a position for seasoned designers who can operate autonomously, mentor others, and shape the design direction of a major product or platform. This level typically involves driving best practices, tackling the most complex design challenges, and acting as a key thought partner to product and engineering leadership.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Product Designer will likely report to a Director of Design or Head of Product Design. They will work in close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and other senior designers across the organization. This structure allows for both strategic direction from leadership and a collaborative, cross-functional working environment.

Operations Impact: The Principal Product Designer has the potential for substantial impact on Canto's product strategy and success. By shaping the platform's design vision, advancing the design system, and spearheading accessibility initiatives, this role directly influences user experience, customer satisfaction, product adoption, and ultimately, revenue. Leading modernization efforts and integrating AI-powered features can significantly enhance Canto's competitive edge and market position.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to grow into a formal management role (e.g., Design Manager, Lead Designer) or to become a recognized subject matter expert and technical leader within the company.
• Strategic Influence: Deep involvement in product strategy, roadmap planning, and architectural decisions, allowing for significant influence on the company's future direction.
• Skill Specialization: Advanced development in areas such as AI-driven design, complex SaaS product architecture, large-scale design systems, and accessibility leadership.
• Mentorship Expansion: Expanding mentorship responsibilities to a wider team or developing training programs for design and cross-functional teams.
• Industry Recognition: Potential to become a thought leader through internal presentations, external speaking engagements, or published work, leveraging Canto's innovative projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title implies a high level of autonomy and impact. The growth opportunities focus on expanding influence, leadership, and specialized expertise within the design field, particularly in modern areas like AI and accessibility.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, indicating a mix of remote work and in-office presence at the Cork, Ireland location. This setup typically involves designated days for in-office collaboration, team meetings, and focused work, with the flexibility of remote work for individual tasks and deep work.

Office Location(s): Cork, Ireland. This location serves as a key hub for Canto's operations, likely housing a significant portion of their design, engineering, and potentially other functional teams. The specific office address would need to be confirmed, but its presence in Cork suggests a modern workspace designed to foster collaboration and innovation.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to support hybrid collaboration between local and remote team members, likely equipped with modern meeting room technology for seamless video conferencing.
• Access to essential design tools and technology will be provided, supporting advanced workflows in areas like design systems, prototyping, and AI-assisted design.
• Opportunities for regular interaction with design, product, and engineering teams will be available during in-office days, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment.
• The focus on a "dynamic team" and "hands-on impact" suggests an environment that encourages proactive contribution and problem-solving.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) with a hybrid arrangement. Flexibility is likely provided to accommodate global team interactions and personal work-life balance, while ensuring consistent contribution to project timelines and team objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role is a key aspect of the work environment, requiring effective management of distributed collaboration. The Cork office likely serves as a central point for team cohesion and strategic alignment for the Irish-based teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role.
• Portfolio Presentation & Design Deep Dive: A session where you present selected case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, problem-solving approach, and impact. This will be followed by in-depth questions about your design philosophy, systems thinking, and experience.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Interview: An interview with Product Management and Engineering leadership to assess your ability to collaborate, communicate complex ideas, and build alignment across disciplines.
• Leadership & Mentorship Interview: An interview focusing on your leadership style, mentorship approach, and how you influence design standards and strategy within a team.
• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior executive (e.g., VP of Product, CTO) to discuss strategic vision, cultural fit, and overall alignment with Canto's goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 comprehensive case studies that best showcase your experience in complex SaaS design, design systems, accessibility, and AI-driven features. Tailor your selections to highlight the specific requirements of this Principal Product Designer role.
• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role and responsibilities, the design process you followed (emphasizing systems thinking), key challenges and how you overcame them, your design solutions, and quantifiable outcomes or impact.
• Highlight Systems & AI: Explicitly demonstrate your understanding and application of systems thinking, design systems, and AI-assisted design workflows. Showcase how you've improved consistency, scalability, and efficiency.
• Emphasize Leadership & Mentorship: Include examples where you've guided other designers, influenced product direction, or championed best practices like accessibility.
• Visual Polish: Ensure your portfolio is visually impeccable, reflecting the high standards of craft expected for a Principal level designer. Use high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes (if applicable), and clear, concise explanations.

Challenge Preparation:

• Systems Design Challenge: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario requiring you to design a new feature or improve an existing one within a complex ecosystem, emphasizing how you would maintain coherence and leverage the design system.
• Accessibility Audit/Improvement: You might be asked to audit a given UI for accessibility issues or propose improvements to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards.
• Design Strategy Presentation: Prepare to articulate your design strategy for a given product area, considering AI integration, user needs, and business goals. Focus on clarity, rationale, and stakeholder alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly evaluate a Principal Designer's strategic thinking, leadership, and craft. The portfolio review is a critical component, requiring candidates to demonstrate deep expertise in specific, advanced areas. Preparing for hypothetical challenges related to systems design and accessibility is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, given industry trends and its robust features for design systems and collaboration), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Design Systems: Figma's component features, Storybook (for development handoff and documentation), Zeroheight or similar documentation platforms.
• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Claude, Figma Make, Lovable, Cursor (explicitly mentioned as areas of interest/exploration).
• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Workspace.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Behavior Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo to understand user interaction patterns and identify areas for improvement.
• Performance Monitoring: Potentially tools integrated with engineering stacks (e.g., Datadog, New Relic) to understand system performance impacting UX.
• Reporting Dashboards: Tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for visualizing user data and design impact metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly used by designers, an understanding of Canto's CRM (likely Salesforce or similar) and marketing automation platforms would be beneficial for context on customer data and workflows.
• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello for tracking design tasks and sprint progress.
• Version Control (for design systems): Git (often used in conjunction with design system documentation tools).

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes modern design tools, with a specific focus on AI-assisted design and robust design system management. Proficiency in Figma is almost a given for this role. Understanding how design integrates with engineering workflows and analytics tools is also important.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Agility: Canto encourages a culture where fresh ideas are valued, and the team can adapt quickly to market changes and technological advancements. This is reflected in their exploration of AI and their "fast-growing" nature.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and a "stronger together" mentality are emphasized. This implies a team that works collaboratively across functions and geographies, valuing shared knowledge and mutual support.
• Impact & Ownership: Employees are encouraged to take ownership of their contributions and see how their work directly shapes the company's future. This fosters a sense of purpose and accountability.
• Continuous Learning & Growth: Canto promotes a culture of learning, skill development, and career advancement, as highlighted in their "Ignite Your Potential" and "Learn, Grow, Thrive" statements.
• Customer Focus: While not explicitly stated in the core job description, a DAM/Martech company inherently needs to be customer-centric, ensuring their solutions meet evolving business needs.

Collaboration Style:

• Global & Distributed: The team works across different time zones and locations, requiring asynchronous communication skills and a proactive approach to staying connected.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work closely with Product Managers and Engineers, fostering a partnership model where design is integrated early and throughout the development process.
• Mentorship-Driven: The culture encourages senior members to mentor and uplift junior colleagues, promoting knowledge sharing and team development.
• Influence-Led: The Principal role specifically emphasizes leading through influence, clarity, and example, suggesting a culture that values reasoned arguments and collaborative decision-making over hierarchical directives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture values innovation, collaboration, and individual impact, with a strong emphasis on continuous learning and professional development. The global, hybrid nature of the teams shapes the collaboration style, requiring strong communication and asynchronous work practices.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Global Consistency with Local Needs: Ensuring a cohesive design system and user experience across a global platform while accommodating diverse user needs and regional nuances.
• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Designing intuitive and valuable AI-powered features that genuinely enhance user workflows without creating complexity or "hallucinations." This involves navigating the evolving landscape of AI capabilities.
• Driving Accessibility Adoption: Championing and implementing accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2 AA) across a large, complex SaaS product, which can involve significant technical debt and require sustained effort and stakeholder buy-in.
• Navigating Rapid Technological Change: Staying ahead of advancements in AI, design tooling, and user expectations in the dynamic Martech/DAM space.
• Leading Through Influence: As a Principal Designer, influencing product direction and driving adoption of best practices without direct management authority requires strong communication, strategic thinking, and relationship-building skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI Design: Deep dive into designing for generative AI, conversational interfaces, and agentic experiences, potentially leading to specialized expertise.
• Design Systems at Scale: Gaining experience in managing and evolving large-scale, mature design systems for a global SaaS product.
• Accessibility Leadership: Becoming a go-to expert for accessibility, potentially leading company-wide initiatives and training.
• Strategic Product Partnership: Developing skills in influencing product roadmaps and contributing to high-level business strategy through design leadership.
• Industry Conferences & Publications: Opportunities to attend leading design conferences (e.g., UXPA, An Event Apart) and potentially publish work or speak on behalf of Canto.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior roles in innovative tech companies, focusing on complex technical and strategic problems. The growth opportunities are aligned with advancing expertise in cutting-edge areas like AI and accessibility, and developing strategic leadership skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you applied systems thinking to solve a complex design problem. What was the outcome?" (Focus on detailing your process, how you identified system-level issues, and the impact of your solution).
• "How would you approach defining the design strategy for integrating AI-powered workflows into our platform, considering user needs and technical feasibility?" (Emphasize your understanding of AI UX, user research, and iterative development).
• "Walk us through your process for leading a major UI redesign or an accessibility upgrade initiative. What were the key challenges, and how did you ensure stakeholder alignment and successful execution?" (Highlight your project management, communication, and problem-solving skills).
• "How do you balance the need for a consistent design system with the requirement for unique user experiences or platform integrations?" (Demonstrate your understanding of design system governance and flexibility).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Canto and our mission in the DAM/Martech space?" (Research Canto's product, market position, and recent news. Connect your skills to their business goals).
• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers, and what is your philosophy on building a strong design culture?" (Provide specific examples of mentorship and illustrate your understanding of collaborative team dynamics).
• "How do you measure the success of your design work, particularly in terms of user experience and business impact?" (Prepare to discuss relevant KPIs, metrics, and how you tie design efforts to business outcomes).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each case study, frame it as a narrative: the challenge, your journey, the solution, and the impact.
• Focus on "Why" and "How": Don't just show pretty pictures. Explain the rationale behind your design decisions and the specific methods you used.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced support tickets, improved task completion times).
• Showcase Systems & AI: Explicitly call out elements of your work that demonstrate design systems thinking, accessibility considerations, and experience with AI-driven features or tools.
• Be Prepared for Deeper Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, technical constraints, and alternative solutions you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, and deep expertise in systems design, AI, and accessibility. Practice articulating your process, impact, and leadership style clearly and concisely, using specific examples from your portfolio.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link, ensuring your resume and portfolio are up-to-date and easily accessible.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to prominently feature case studies demonstrating your expertise in complex SaaS design, design systems, accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA), and any experience with AI-driven design or workflows. Highlight projects showcasing systems thinking and leadership.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 10+ years of experience, highlights key accomplishments related to design systems, accessibility, AI, and cross-functional collaboration, and uses keywords relevant to product design leadership.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on the "why" and "how" of your design process, quantifiable impact, and leadership approach. Prepare to answer strategy questions related to systems design, AI integration, and accessibility.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Canto, its products (DAM solutions), market position, and recent developments. Understand their company culture and values to articulate your alignment during interviews.

⚠️ 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.

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