Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: CarTrawler

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Job Type: Permanent

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: April 22, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Owns the end-to-end design process for a defined channel within a cross-functional squad, focusing on optimizing live product experiences for measurable impact.

• Drives continuous product optimization through hypothesis-driven experimentation, rapid iteration, and data-informed decision-making to improve key metrics like conversion, engagement, and revenue.

• Collaborates closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Product Insights to translate complex user needs and data into effective, high-quality design solutions.

• Balances short-term optimization efforts with longer-term, hypothesis-driven discovery to ensure a consistent pipeline of impactful opportunities that align user needs with business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role emphasizes a data-driven, iterative approach to product design, focusing on performance optimization within established product channels. The "Perform space" and emphasis on "optimising live product experiences" suggest a strong focus on conversion rate optimization (CRO) and continuous improvement cycles, rather than purely new feature development. The "cross-functional squad" structure indicates a collaborative environment where design is integrated with product and engineering from ideation through delivery.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead design efforts within a dedicated cross-functional squad, taking ownership of the user experience and performance outcomes for a specific product channel.

• Proactively identify and prioritize opportunities to enhance user journeys, mitigate friction points, and increase conversion rates through thoughtful design interventions.

• Spearhead continuous optimization initiatives by defining clear hypotheses, designing robust solutions, and iterating rapidly based on experimental results and performance data.

• Strategically balance the need for immediate, short-term optimizations with longer-term, discovery-led initiatives to maintain a healthy pipeline of high-impact product improvements.

• Foster close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and Product Insights teams to effectively translate user research, data analytics, and business requirements into actionable design strategies and solutions.

• Craft high-fidelity interaction and visual designs, demonstrating meticulous attention to detail, edge cases, and real-world usability scenarios.

• Leverage data analytics, A/B testing results, and user research findings to guide design decisions, validate hypotheses, and rigorously measure the impact of implemented solutions.

• Effectively present design work, insights, and experimental outcomes to internal stakeholders and external partners, actively incorporating feedback to refine and enhance solutions.

• Ensure design consistency and scalability by effectively utilizing and contributing to the company's design system.

• Maintain close involvement throughout the development lifecycle, partnering with engineering teams to guarantee that shipped features meet stringent standards for quality, usability, and performance.

• Build and nurture strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, utilizing collaborative approaches and feedback mechanisms to drive superior product outcomes.

• Facilitate and actively participate in design critiques and reviews to elevate the overall quality and effectiveness of design work across the team.

• Share key learnings, experiment results, and best practices with the broader design and product teams to foster a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on data-driven experimentation and conversion rate optimization (CRO). The role involves not just designing new features but significantly improving existing ones, making it crucial for candidates to showcase experience in A/B testing, analytics interpretation, and performance metric improvement. The mention of "defined channel" suggests specialization within the product.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A relevant third-level qualification in Product Design, UX/UI, Interaction Design, or a closely related field.

• Equivalent industry experience demonstrating a strong foundation in product design principles will also be considered.

Experience:

• 3-5 years of professional experience in product design, with a demonstrable track record of shipping impactful work.

• Proven ability to deliver measurable impact through design, evidenced by improvements in key metrics such as conversion rates, user engagement, customer retention, or revenue generation.

• Experience owning the complete design process, from initial discovery and problem framing through to final delivery and ongoing iteration.

• Strong discovery capabilities, utilizing user research, data analytics, and other insights to identify and prioritize high-impact design opportunities.

• Hands-on experience leveraging data and experimentation methodologies, including A/B testing and proficiency with analytics tools, to inform design decisions and evaluate outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities, including user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints, to drive effective and pragmatic product decisions.

• High level of design craft across UX, interaction, and visual design, with a keen eye for usability, accessibility, and intuitive user experiences.

• Experience designing for both web and mobile product platforms.

Required Skills:

• Product Design

• UX/UI Design

• Interaction Design

• User Research

• Data Analysis

• A/B Testing / Experimentation

• Design Systems

• Visual Design & Craftsmanship

• Stakeholder Management

Preferred Skills:

• Accessibility Design Standards

• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

• Product Discovery Methodologies

• Experience with Travel Tech or E-commerce Platforms

• Prototyping Tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD)

• Analytics Platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude)

• Agile Development Methodologies

📝 Enhancement Note: The "3-5 years" experience and specific requirements like "proven track record of delivering measurable impact" and "leveraging data and experimentation" point towards a mid-level designer focused on optimization and performance. The emphasis on "shipped work" in the portfolio is critical.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 3-5 impactful projects, with a strong emphasis on shipped work that demonstrates measurable business outcomes.

• Case studies that clearly articulate your role, the problem statement, the design process undertaken, and the quantifiable results achieved (e.g., conversion lift, engagement increase, friction reduction).

• Detailed examples of how you've utilized data, user research, and experimentation (e.g., A/B tests) to inform design decisions and iterate on solutions.

• Evidence of your ability to own the end-to-end design process, from initial discovery and problem framing through to delivery and iteration.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail the process of identifying and prioritizing high-impact opportunities through discovery and data analysis.

• Showcase examples of your workflow for designing solutions, running experiments (e.g., A/B tests), and iterating based on performance data.

• Document your approach to collaborating with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Insights) throughout the design and delivery lifecycle.

• Illustrate how you've used design systems to ensure consistency and scalability in your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is paramount for this role, with a strong emphasis on demonstrating quantifiable impact and a data-driven, iterative design process. Candidates must be prepared to showcase how their design decisions translated into measurable improvements in conversion, engagement, or revenue.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on industry benchmarks for a Product Designer with 3-5 years of experience in Dublin, Ireland, the estimated annual salary range is €55,000 - €75,000. This range considers the cost of living in Dublin, the company's industry (Travel Tech), and the specific focus on optimization and performance metrics.

Benefits:

• Competitive pay and benefits package.

• Performance-based annual bonus opportunities.

• Fully subsidized VHI health insurance.

• Pension matching up to 4%.

• Generous time off: 25 days' annual leave plus additional company days.

• Flexible working arrangements.

• Monthly "Friday Unplugged" afternoons for dedicated focus or downtime.

• Opportunity to work abroad for up to 20 days per year.

• Comprehensive wellbeing support, including access to health and mental health programs (HeadsUp and EAP).

• Paid leave for significant life events: marriage, volunteering, and personal wellbeing.

• Specialized paid leave for menstrual, menopause, and fertility needs.

• Growth and recognition culture, with opportunities for development through training, coaching, and study support.

• Programs designed to celebrate individual and team achievements.

• Everyday perks: Subsidised canteen (KC Peaches), on-site car parking, Bike to Work scheme, and TaxSaver scheme.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week.

• The company emphasizes flexible working, allowing for adaptability in scheduling while maintaining productivity and team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary estimate is based on typical compensation for mid-level Product Designers in Dublin, Ireland, considering the company's industry and the role's focus on performance optimization. The detailed benefits package indicates a strong commitment to employee wellbeing and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Travel Technology. CarTrawler operates as a global travel tech company, providing B2B solutions that connect various players in the travel ecosystem, particularly in car rental and broader mobility services. This industry is dynamic, requiring continuous innovation and adaptation to market trends and consumer behavior.

Company Size: CarTrawler is a significant player in the travel tech industry, suggesting a mid-to-large enterprise size. This often translates to established processes, cross-functional teams, and opportunities for structured career development, while still maintaining a culture that values collaboration and innovation.

Founded: CarTrawler was founded in 2004. This history indicates a company with a solid foundation and experience in the travel technology market, likely having navigated significant industry shifts and built robust operational frameworks.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team operates within cross-functional squads, suggesting an agile and integrated approach to product development.

• The "Perform space" indicates a dedicated focus area within product development, likely comprised of specialized squads focused on optimization and performance.

• Designers collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Product Insights, indicating a collaborative structure where different disciplines work in tandem.

Methodology:

• A strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making, utilizing analytics, experimentation (A/B testing), and user research to inform design and measure impact.

• Agile methodologies are likely employed, given the "cross-functional squad" structure and focus on rapid iteration.

• Continuous optimization and iterative improvement are core to the team's approach, focusing on enhancing existing product experiences.

• Design systems are utilized to ensure consistency and scalability across products.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "Tech that takes you places" and its "culture is built on curiosity, collaboration and craic" suggests an environment that values innovation, teamwork, and a positive work atmosphere. The "Perform space" highlights a strategic objective for the product team, making this role crucial for driving business results through design.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer (3-5 years of experience). It requires a strong foundation in design principles and a proven ability to deliver measurable impact, with a focus on optimization and data-driven iteration within a specific product channel. The designer is expected to be a strong individual contributor who owns their domain within the squad.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will be part of a cross-functional squad, likely reporting to a Design Lead or Head of Product Design, while working closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within their squad. This structure fosters autonomy and direct contribution to squad goals.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on key business metrics such as conversion, engagement, and revenue by optimizing existing product experiences. The designer's work is crucial for improving the performance of defined channels, directly contributing to the commercial success of CarTrawler's partnerships and platform.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in conversion rate optimization (CRO), experimentation, and performance-focused product design within the travel tech domain.

• Advancement: Potential to progress to Senior Product Designer roles, leading larger initiatives or mentoring junior designers, by consistently delivering measurable impact and demonstrating strategic thinking.

• Skill Development: Access to training, coaching, and study support for certifications in areas like advanced UX research, experimentation strategy, or product management, fostering continuous learning.

• Leadership: Opportunities to take on more ownership within squads, lead design critiques, and influence product strategy through data-backed insights and design excellence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for growth within a specialized area of product design, emphasizing measurable outcomes. The focus on optimization and data provides a strong foundation for career progression in performance-oriented design roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: CarTrawler operates with a hybrid work model. This suggests a blend of remote work flexibility and in-office collaboration, allowing employees to benefit from both focused individual work at home and team synergy in the office.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Dublin, Ireland. This likely means access to a central hub for team meetings, collaborative sessions, and company events, while maintaining the flexibility to work remotely.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment likely facilitates collaboration through shared spaces, meeting rooms, and opportunities for spontaneous interaction with colleagues across product, engineering, and design.

• Access to necessary tools and technology for design, analytics, and communication will be provided to support both in-office and remote work.

• The cross-functional squad structure means designers will frequently interact with engineers, product managers, and insights specialists, fostering a dynamic and integrated work environment.

Work Schedule: While the standard work week is likely around 40 hours, the company offers significant flexibility. This includes "Friday Unplugged" afternoons and the general hybrid arrangement, allowing for better work-life integration and personal time management, which is beneficial for deep work and analytical tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model combined with flexible working hours and specific perks like "Friday Unplugged" suggests a supportive environment that values employee autonomy and work-life balance, which is conducive to focused design work and iterative processes.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, focusing on your CV and, most importantly, your portfolio. Expect questions about your experience and suitability for a hybrid, optimization-focused role.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will likely be asked to present 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, challenges, and measurable outcomes. Be prepared to discuss your design decisions, how you used data, and your collaboration with cross-functional teams.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: A practical exercise may be given, potentially involving a problem related to conversion optimization or user journey improvement. This could be a take-home assignment or an in-interview task.

• Cross-functional Team Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers to assess your collaboration style, technical understanding, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager/Senior Leadership Interview: A final discussion to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with CarTrawler's values and goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Quantify Everything: For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, the solutions you designed, and the quantifiable results (e.g., % increase in conversion, reduction in drop-off rate). Use charts and graphs to illustrate impact.

• Showcase Your Process: Detail your methodology for discovery, ideation, A/B testing, and iteration. Explain why you made certain design decisions, backing them up with data or research.

• Highlight Collaboration: Provide examples of how you worked with Product Managers, Engineers, and data analysts. Emphasize your ability to translate insights into design actions.

• Focus on Optimization: Since this role is in the "Perform space," prioritize case studies that demonstrate your ability to improve existing user journeys and drive measurable business outcomes through design.

• Design System Usage: If applicable, show how you've used or contributed to design systems, demonstrating an understanding of consistency and scalability.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Metrics: Familiarize yourself with common conversion optimization metrics (e.g., CTR, CPA, conversion rate, bounce rate) and how design impacts them.

• Problem Framing: Practice breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable parts, and framing hypotheses for potential solutions.

• Data Interpretation: Be ready to interpret sample data or analytics reports to identify user pain points and opportunities.

• Iterative Design: Show your thinking process for rapid prototyping and iteration based on feedback or data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes the candidate's ability to demonstrate measurable impact through data and experimentation, aligning with the "Perform space" focus. A strong portfolio showcasing CRO experience is essential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends), Sketch, Adobe XD. The role requires proficiency in creating high-fidelity designs and interactive prototypes.

• Design System: Experience working with, contributing to, or maintaining design systems is crucial for ensuring consistency and scalability.

• Collaboration Tools: Jira (for task management and sprint tracking), Confluence (for documentation), Slack (for team communication).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics or similar platforms for tracking user behavior, conversion funnels, and performance metrics.

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for in-depth user behavior analysis, event tracking, and cohort analysis.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Experience with tools like Optimizely, VWO (Visual Website Optimizer), Google Optimize, or internal experimentation platforms for designing, running, and analyzing A/B tests.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how design impacts user journeys within CRM-integrated platforms or customer-facing applications is beneficial. Knowledge of how user data is collected and utilized for personalization or optimization may be relevant.

• Data Visualization: Familiarity with tools that can help visualize data and experiment results for presentations (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or built-in reporting within analytics tools).

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with design tools like Figma, coupled with hands-on experience in A/B testing platforms and web/product analytics tools, is essential for this optimization-focused role. The ability to interpret data and translate it into design actions is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Curiosity: A drive to understand user behavior, market dynamics, and the underlying reasons for performance metrics. This fuels discovery and hypothesis generation.

• Collaboration: A strong commitment to working effectively within cross-functional squads, valuing input from Product, Engineering, and Insights to achieve shared goals.

• Data-Driven: Decisions are grounded in data, analytics, and experimentation. A focus on measuring impact and iterating based on evidence.

• Impact-Oriented: A focus on delivering tangible business results, particularly in improving conversion, engagement, and revenue through design.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: A dedication to high standards in design execution, user experience, and attention to detail, ensuring robust and usable solutions.

• Continuous Improvement: An ethos of always seeking ways to optimize and enhance products, processes, and personal skills.

Collaboration Style:

• Squad-Based Integration: Designers are embedded within cross-functional squads, working daily with engineers and product managers.

• Feedback Loops: Actively seeking and providing constructive feedback in design critiques, reviews, and through direct collaboration.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture of sharing learnings from experiments, research, and design challenges to benefit the wider team.

• Pragmatic Innovation: Balancing creative solutions with the practical constraints of technical feasibility and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values of "curiosity, collaboration and craic" are directly reflected in the role's emphasis on teamwork, data exploration, and continuous improvement. The "craic" element suggests a friendly, social, and engaging atmosphere.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Optimization vs. Innovation: Effectively managing the demands of optimizing live product experiences while also contributing to longer-term, hypothesis-driven discovery can be challenging.

• Data Interpretation Complexity: Translating complex analytics and A/B test results into actionable design improvements requires strong analytical and critical thinking skills.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring alignment on design direction and priorities across different disciplines (Product, Engineering, Marketing, Partnerships) within a fast-paced environment.

• Measuring Impact: Precisely attributing design changes to specific metric improvements and clearly communicating this ROI to stakeholders.

• Keeping Pace with Travel Tech: The dynamic nature of the travel industry requires continuous learning and adaptation to new trends, technologies, and user behaviors.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Access to courses and workshops focusing on advanced CRO techniques, experimentation design, user research methodologies, and data analysis.

• Industry Conferences: Opportunities to attend relevant design, product, and travel tech conferences to gain insights and network.

• Mentorship Programs: Potential for mentorship from senior designers or product leaders within CarTrawler to guide career development.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Working closely with product managers and engineers provides exposure to different aspects of product development and business strategy.

• Study Support: Financial or time support for pursuing relevant certifications or further education.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents opportunities to tackle complex optimization challenges and develop specialized skills in data-driven design, which are highly valuable in today's product landscape.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used data and experimentation to significantly improve a product's performance. What was your hypothesis, process, and the outcome?" (Focus on measurable results and your role.)

• "How do you balance the need for rapid iteration and optimization with the exploration of new product features or directions?" (Highlight your strategic thinking and prioritization skills.)

• "Walk us through a complex design challenge you faced in optimizing a user journey. How did you approach problem framing, ideation, and validation?" (Emphasize your problem-solving process and user-centricity.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about CarTrawler and the travel tech industry specifically?" (Research CarTrawler's mission, recent news, and market position.)

• "How do you approach building relationships with external partners or stakeholders to influence design outcomes?" (Demonstrate your collaboration and communication style.)

• "How do you ensure your designs are inclusive and accessible to a diverse user base?" (Show your understanding of accessibility standards.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with Impact: Begin each case study by stating the key business objective and the measurable results achieved.

• Tell a Story: Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process, the challenges, the solutions, and the impact. Use visuals effectively to support your narrative.

• Be Data-Centric: For optimization projects, explicitly detail the data sources, hypotheses tested, A/B test results, and the resulting metric improvements.

• Explain Your 'Why': Justify your design decisions by referencing user research, data insights, or established design principles.

• Highlight Collaboration: Mention how you worked with other teams (PM, Eng, Insights) and how their input influenced your work.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your choices, trade-offs, and what you would do differently.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to discuss specific examples of how your design work directly contributed to business metrics like conversion and engagement. Your portfolio should be the central piece of evidence for this.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.lever.co.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in product design, UX/UI, conversion optimization, A/B testing, and working with design systems. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 strong case studies that best showcase your ability to drive measurable impact through design, with a clear emphasis on optimization and data-driven iteration. Ensure each case study details the problem, your process, solutions, and quantifiable results.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your chosen portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, data visualization, and clearly articulating your role and impact. Be ready to discuss your design process and collaboration strategies.

• Research CarTrawler: Understand their business model, the travel tech industry, and their company culture. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers.

⚠️ 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.