Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: AFCA (Australian Financial Complaints Authority)

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Job Type: Full-time, Contract (12-month fixed-term)

Category: Product Design / Customer Experience / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-04-10

Experience Level: Mid-Level (estimated 2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design and delivery of exceptional digital services, focusing on user-centricity and accessibility.

• Drive product innovation through research, prototyping, and iterative testing in a dynamic and agile environment.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to translate user needs and business requirements into intuitive and scalable digital solutions.

• Champion the development and maintenance of a robust design system to ensure brand consistency and efficient product scaling.

• Contribute to enhancing the accessibility and overall customer experience of AFCA's digital platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is for a Product Designer, not directly within Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or GTM functions. However, the skills and responsibilities, particularly around digital service design, user experience (UX), and user interface (UI), are highly transferable and critical for supporting GTM strategies by ensuring seamless customer journeys and efficient digital interactions. The focus on B2C and B2B environments, alongside specific system integrations like Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE, suggests a role that directly impacts customer-facing operations and potentially sales enablement.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct user research to deeply understand consumer and AFCA Member needs, pain points, and behaviors to inform design strategy.

• Design intuitive, responsive, and highly accessible user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) across various digital products and platforms.

• Develop interactive prototypes and wireframes to effectively communicate design concepts and user flows to stakeholders and development teams.

• Plan and execute usability testing sessions, gathering feedback to iterate and refine designs for optimal user satisfaction and task completion.

• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, Developers, and Business Stakeholders within cross-functional agile teams to ensure successful design implementation.

• Establish, evolve, and maintain a comprehensive design system, ensuring consistency in visual elements, components, and interaction patterns across all digital touchpoints.

• Optimize existing digital services and user journeys through A/B testing and data analysis to improve engagement, conversion rates, and overall user efficiency.

• Contribute to the strategic roadmap for digital product development, advocating for user-centered design principles and best practices.

• Ensure all designs adhere to modern accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive design principles, catering to a diverse user base.

• Manage design projects, prioritize tasks, and communicate progress effectively to ensure timely delivery of design assets and solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw description focuses on product design, the responsibilities are inferred to have significant operational implications. Designing "exceptional digital services" and optimizing "accessibility of AFCA’s services" directly support operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The emphasis on "user journey mapping" and "working across a diverse range of products at different stages of development" suggests a proactive approach to identifying operational bottlenecks and designing solutions that streamline workflows for both consumers and internal teams. The requirement to "work closely with developers, product owners, and business stakeholders in a cross-functional team" highlights the need for strong cross-functional collaboration, a hallmark of effective operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 2-5 years of proven experience in Product Design, UX/UI Design, or a similar role, with a strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end design process.

• Experience working in agile development environments, demonstrating adaptability and collaboration with development teams.

Required Skills:

• UI/UX Design Expertise: Deep understanding of user-centered design principles, information architecture, interaction design, and visual design.

• Accessibility Standards: Proven knowledge and practical application of modern accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA/AAA).

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in creating low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools.

• Usability Testing: Experience planning, conducting, and analyzing usability tests to gather actionable user feedback.

• User Research: Ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative user research to inform design decisions and validate concepts.

• Design Systems: Experience in building, maintaining, and scaling design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• Agile Methodology: Familiarity and practical experience working within agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban).

• Stakeholder Management: Strong ability to communicate design rationale, gather requirements, and manage expectations with diverse stakeholders.

• Project Management: Capable of managing multiple design projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks, and meeting deadlines.

• Creative Thinking & Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to approach complex challenges with innovative and effective design solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE: Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE) or related Power Platform tools.

• Power Portals: Familiarity with Power Portals for designing customer-facing interfaces and portals.

• Responsive Design: Expertise in designing for various screen sizes and devices.

• Data Analysis for Design: Ability to interpret user data, analytics, and A/B test results to drive design improvements.

• Visual Design Tools: Proficiency in advanced visual design tools beyond prototyping, such as Adobe Creative Suite.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "2-5 years" experience level is an inference based on the responsibilities described, which suggest a need for autonomy and leadership in design execution rather than entry-level tasks. The skills listed are directly extracted and expanded upon from the job description, with a focus on operational relevance, such as accessibility, which impacts customer service operations, and Dynamics 365 CE, which is a core operational tool.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Design Process: Showcase a minimum of 2-3 projects that clearly demonstrate your entire design process, from initial problem definition and user research through to final UI design, prototyping, and testing.

• Problem-Solving & Solution Design: Illustrate how you identified user pain points or business challenges and how your design solutions effectively addressed them, quantifying impact where possible.

• Accessibility Integration: Provide specific examples of how you incorporated accessibility best practices (WCAG standards) into your designs and the outcomes of those efforts.

• Systematic Design Approach: Include examples of your contribution to or creation of design systems, style guides, or component libraries, highlighting their impact on consistency and efficiency.

• Data-Driven Iteration: Demonstrate how user feedback, usability testing results, or analytics data influenced your design iterations and led to improved outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• User Research Methodologies: Detail your approach to conducting user research, including methods used (e.g., interviews, surveys, persona development) and how insights were translated into design actions.

• Prototyping & Testing Workflows: Outline your workflow for creating prototypes and conducting usability testing, including tools used, participant recruitment strategies, and analysis techniques.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Describe your process for working with product managers, developers, and business stakeholders, emphasizing communication, feedback loops, and handoff procedures.

• Design System Governance: Explain your approach to managing and evolving a design system, including contribution guidelines, version control, and communication strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: These portfolio and process requirements are inferred based on the job description's emphasis on leading research, design, and delivery, working cross-functionally, and building design systems. For operations-focused roles, a portfolio is crucial for demonstrating practical application of skills, process optimization, and quantifiable results. This section emphasizes how a Product Designer's portfolio should showcase similar operational competencies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Work-Life Integration:

  • Hybrid working arrangements with state-of-the-art offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing.
  • Flexible work options as recognized by BOSS Best Places to Work 2024.

• Inclusive Leave & Support:

  • 20 weeks paid parental leave.
  • Gender affirmation leave.
  • Women's health leave.
  • Paid time off over the Christmas period.
  • Flexible public holiday options.
  • Accredited Family Friendly Workplace.

• Financial Advantages:

  • Not-for-profit salary packaging options to increase take-home pay.

• Professional Recognition & Awards:

  • Recognized as a BOSS Best Places to Work 2024.
  • Awarded Most Inclusive Workplace 2024 by the Australian HR Institute (AHRI).
  • Employer of Choice Public Sector and NFP by Australian HR Awards 2023.
  • Silver AWEI Accreditation 2025 for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.

• Professional Development: Opportunities to deepen expertise as part of a progressive organization.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are typically 40 hours per week. Flexible arrangements are available, encouraging a healthy work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on research for similar Product Designer roles in Melbourne, Australia. The benefits are directly extracted from the "Additional Information" section of the job description and are presented with an emphasis on aspects relevant to employee wellbeing and work-life balance, which are important considerations for operations professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (specifically, independent complaints resolution/ombudsman service). AFCA operates as a not-for-profit organization.

Company Size: Over 1,200 dedicated professionals. This indicates a large, established organization with structured processes and diverse teams.

Founded: AFCA was established in 2018, succeeding previous schemes. As a relatively new entity (though built on legacy functions), it likely embraces modern operational practices and a progressive culture.

Team Structure:

• Reporting: The Product Designer reports into the Senior Manager - Customer Experience, indicating a focus on user-centricity within the broader customer journey.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role is embedded within cross-functional teams, working closely with developers, product owners, and business stakeholders, which is typical for agile product development and essential for effective Go-To-Market (GTM) operations alignment.

• Departmental Focus: The Customer Experience team is likely responsible for defining and improving the overall user journey, encompassing digital touchpoints, service delivery, and complaint resolution processes.

Methodology:

• Agile Operations: The role explicitly mentions working in an agile setting, implying iterative development, continuous improvement, and responsive adaptation to user and business needs.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The emphasis on user research, usability testing, and potential A/B testing suggests a commitment to data-informed design and operational improvements.

• User-Centricity: A core philosophy driven by the organization's purpose to deliver fair and accessible complaints resolution.

Company Website: [AFCA Website URL - typically afca.org.au, but often not provided in raw data]

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is derived from the provided description and general knowledge of AFCA's role. The size and industry are significant for understanding the scale of operations and regulatory environment. The emphasis on "fairness" and "people first" suggests a strong ethical framework that likely influences operational decision-making and process design.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role sits at a mid-level within the Product Design discipline. For operations professionals, this translates to a role with significant autonomy in execution, requiring the ability to manage projects independently and contribute strategically to design outcomes. It's a position where one is expected to mentor junior designers or guide technical teams on UX/UI best practices.

Reporting Structure: Reporting to the Senior Manager - Customer Experience places the role within a leadership structure focused on customer outcomes. This provides visibility to senior management and opportunities to influence customer experience strategy, which often intersects with sales and service operations.

Operations Impact:

• Customer Journey Optimization: By designing intuitive and accessible digital services, the Product Designer directly impacts the ease with which consumers and members interact with AFCA, potentially reducing friction in complaint submission, information access, and communication. This can lead to improved customer satisfaction scores and operational efficiency.

• Service Delivery Enhancement: Improvements in digital interfaces and user flows can streamline internal processes for case handlers and support staff, reducing training time and error rates.

• GTM Alignment: While not a direct GTM role, the designer's work ensures that customer-facing digital platforms are user-friendly and effective, supporting the organization's outreach and service delivery objectives, which are critical components of any GTM strategy.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like accessibility design, user research methodologies, or complex system integrations (e.g., Dynamics 365).

• Leadership: Potential progression to Senior Product Designer, Design Lead, or Managerial roles within Customer Experience or Digital Product teams.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain deeper understanding of product management, agile development, and business operations through close collaboration.

• Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge within the financial services and regulatory complaints resolution sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis interprets the Product Designer role through an operations lens, highlighting its impact on customer experience, process efficiency, and alignment with broader organizational goals. The growth opportunities are framed to appeal to individuals seeking career progression within operations-adjacent fields.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, with state-of-the-art offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing. This suggests modern, well-equipped office spaces that encourage interaction and provide a comfortable working environment.

Office Location(s): Modern Melbourne and Sydney CBD offices. This implies accessibility via public transport and proximity to business hubs.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: Offices are designed to foster collaboration, suggesting open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and potentially dedicated spaces for cross-functional teams to work together.

• Technology Integration: As a modern workplace, expect access to necessary design software, hardware, and communication tools to support both in-office and remote collaboration.

• Wellbeing Focus: The emphasis on wellbeing indicates a supportive environment with amenities or policies designed to promote employee health and work-life balance.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) with flexible arrangements. This flexibility is key for operations professionals who may need to balance project deadlines with ongoing operational support and personal commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the office environment and work schedule is derived from the "Additional Information" section, emphasizing aspects relevant to employee experience and operational flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application and portfolio to assess suitability for the role and alignment with required skills and experience.

• First Interview: Likely with the Senior Manager - Customer Experience or a hiring manager. This will focus on your background, experience, design philosophy, and understanding of UX/UI principles. Be prepared to discuss your portfolio and how you approach user research and design challenges.

• Technical/Portfolio Review: A dedicated session, potentially with other designers or product team members, to deep-dive into your portfolio. Expect to walk through case studies, explain your design decisions, and discuss your process for handling complex design problems and accessibility requirements.

• Stakeholder Interview: An interview with key business stakeholders or cross-functional team members (e.g., Product Owner, Lead Developer) to assess your collaboration skills, communication style, and ability to integrate design within an agile development process.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a more senior leader to discuss cultural fit and overall alignment with AFCA's mission and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, and the tangible outcomes or impact of your design (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced support queries, enhanced accessibility).

• Showcase Process: Detail your user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing methodologies. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Highlight Accessibility: Explicitly demonstrate how you applied accessibility standards and the rationale behind those choices.

• Design System Examples: If you've worked on design systems, showcase components, guidelines, and how they foster consistency.

• Tailor to AFCA: Research AFCA's existing digital presence and mission. Frame your portfolio to show how your skills can directly contribute to their goals of fairness and accessibility.

• Conciseness: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate, with clear explanations that don't require extensive verbal elaboration for initial review.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: You may be given a design challenge or a problem statement to solve within a set timeframe. This could involve creating a user flow, wireframes, or a high-fidelity mockup for a specific feature or improvement.

• Accessibility Focus: Anticipate challenges that specifically require you to consider and implement accessibility solutions.

• System Integration: If Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals are key, a challenge might involve designing within the constraints or capabilities of such platforms.

• Presentation Skills: Be prepared to present your solutions clearly, justify your design decisions, and articulate the potential impact on users and the business.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for preparing for the interview process, emphasizing how a Product Designer's portfolio and interview responses should align with operational objectives like efficiency, accessibility, and user satisfaction.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision (or similar). Proficiency in at least one is essential.

• User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, Optimal Workshop, or similar platforms for remote testing and analysis.

• Design System Management: Tools like Storybook, Zeroheight, or internal systems for documenting and managing design system components.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (for understanding user behavior on digital platforms).

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI (potentially, for analyzing user research data or product performance metrics).

CRM & Automation:

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE: Experience with this CRM is a preferred requirement, indicating its importance in managing customer data and interactions.

• Power Portals: Familiarity with this component of Microsoft's Power Platform is also preferred for building customer-facing interfaces.

Collaboration & Project Management:

• Agile Tools: Jira, Confluence (for managing sprints, tracking issues, and documentation).

• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are based on industry standards for Product Design roles and the explicit mention of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE and Power Portals. This highlights the technological environment and the need for proficiency in tools that support efficient workflow and data management, common across operations functions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Fairness: A core principle driving all decisions and processes, ensuring equitable outcomes for consumers and members. This translates to designing unbiased, transparent, and accessible user experiences.

• Customer-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and serving the needs of both consumers and AFCA Members. This means prioritizing user feedback and designing solutions that genuinely improve their experience.

• Accountability & Resilience: Taking ownership of outcomes and demonstrating the ability to adapt and persevere through challenges. This applies to design ownership and delivering robust solutions.

• Progressive Thinking: Embracing innovation and new approaches to deliver world-class services. This encourages exploring new design methodologies and technologies.

• Inclusivity: Valuing diverse perspectives and ensuring that all individuals feel respected and represented. This is critical for designing accessible and inclusive digital services.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role is designed to be highly collaborative, working seamlessly with Product Owners, Developers, and Business Stakeholders in agile teams.

• Open Communication: Encouraging a culture where feedback is readily shared and constructive dialogue is valued to refine designs and processes.

• Data-Informed Dialogue: Using research findings, testing results, and analytics to support design decisions and engage in productive discussions with stakeholders.

• Shared Ownership: Fostering a sense of collective responsibility for the success of digital products, from conception through to ongoing optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values and collaboration style are inferred from AFCA's stated mission ("fairness drives every decision," "putting people first") and the job description's emphasis on cross-functional teamwork and user research. These aspects are crucial for understanding how operations professionals can best integrate into the company culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Diverse Needs: Effectively designing for both consumers (B2C) and financial firms (B2B) with potentially different needs, technical proficiencies, and expectations.

• Complex Regulatory Environment: Navigating the specific requirements and constraints of the financial ombudsman sector while delivering user-friendly digital experiences.

• Legacy System Integration: Potentially integrating modern design solutions with existing or legacy systems, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE, which may have design limitations.

• Driving Adoption of New Designs: Ensuring buy-in and effective adoption of new design systems and features across development teams and user groups.

• Maintaining Accessibility Standards: Continuously ensuring that all digital touchpoints meet evolving accessibility standards, especially with complex functionalities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX/UI Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like UX research methodologies, interaction design patterns, or advanced prototyping techniques.

• Accessibility Certification: Pursuing formal certifications in accessibility design and compliance.

• Financial Services Domain Knowledge: Gaining in-depth understanding of the financial complaints landscape, regulatory frameworks, and consumer protection.

• Agile and Product Management Skills: Further developing skills in agile methodologies, product strategy, and roadmap planning.

• Leadership Development: Potential pathways to lead design initiatives, mentor junior designers, or transition into management roles within the Customer Experience or Digital Product departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are identified based on the industry, role responsibilities, and system requirements. Growth opportunities are framed to align with career progression within design, operations, and leadership tracks.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• User-Centricity & Research: "Describe a time you used user research to uncover a significant insight that changed the direction of a design project. What was your process?" (Prepare with a specific case study showcasing your research methodology and its impact.)

• Accessibility Implementation: "How do you ensure accessibility is integrated from the start of the design process, not as an afterthought? Can you provide an example of a challenging accessibility problem you solved?" (Focus on your practical application of WCAG standards and problem-solving skills.)

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: "How do you manage disagreements or differing priorities with developers or product managers during the design process? Describe a situation where you had to advocate for a design decision." (Highlight your communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.)

• Design Systems: "What is your approach to building or contributing to a design system? What are the key benefits and challenges?" (Be ready to discuss your experience with consistency, scalability, and governance.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Mission Alignment: "Our mission is about fairness. How does your approach to product design reflect this principle?" (Research AFCA's values and connect your design philosophy to fairness and accessibility.)

• Work Environment: "Given our hybrid model and focus on wellbeing, how do you ensure effective collaboration and productivity?" (Discuss your strategies for remote and in-office collaboration and maintaining work-life balance.)

• Impact Measurement: "How do you measure the success of your designs? What KPIs are most important to you?" (Focus on metrics related to user satisfaction, task completion, accessibility compliance, and potentially operational efficiency.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each project as a narrative: the challenge, your role, your process, the solution, and the outcome. Quantify impact whenever possible.

• Focus on Process: Clearly articulate your steps, especially research and testing, to demonstrate a rigorous, user-centered approach.

• Highlight Key Skills: Ensure your presented projects showcase your UI/UX expertise, accessibility implementation, and system thinking.

• Concise Explanations: Be prepared to walk through your work efficiently, highlighting the most critical aspects without getting bogged down in minor details.

• Handle Questions: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, trade-offs made, and alternative approaches you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: These questions and strategies are tailored to a Product Designer role, emphasizing the operational aspects of user experience, accessibility, and cross-functional collaboration, which are key for success in supporting GTM and customer-facing operations.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Utilize the provided application link on SmartRecruiters.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and experience with accessibility and design systems. Ensure it's easily shareable and clearly demonstrates your impact.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description, such as "UI/UX," "Accessibility," "Prototyping," "User Research," "Agile," "B2C/B2B," and any experience with "Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE" or "Power Portals." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice walking through your portfolio projects, focusing on the story, your process, and the outcomes. Be ready to articulate your design philosophy and how it aligns with AFCA's values of fairness and accessibility.

• Research AFCA: Understand AFCA's role as a financial ombudsman, its mission, and its commitment to positive change. Familiarize yourself with their existing digital platforms and consider how you can contribute to enhancing them.

⚠️ 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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