Product Designer Digital Customer Crew (Career Comeback Program)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Digital Customer Crew (Career Comeback Program) Company: Commonwealth Bank Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Job Type: Part-Time Category: Product Design / Service Design / UX/UI Date Posted: 2025-10-20 Experience Level: Mid-Level (with specific career break requirement) Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is a unique opportunity within Commonwealth Bank's Career Comeback Program, specifically targeting experienced professionals returning to the workforce after a career break of two years or more.
• You will be a Product Designer focusing on Digital Customer Crew initiatives within the Institutional Banking & Markets (IB&M) division, emphasizing service design and human-centred design principles.
• The position involves leading service design initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional teams to improve end-to-end customer journeys across digital and physical channels.
• A key aspect will be leveraging data analysis to derive customer insights and translating these into actionable digital product designs and prototypes to enhance the Transaction Banking customer journey.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is part of a structured "Career Comeback" program, indicating a strong focus on supporting individuals re-entering the workforce. The "Digital Customer Crew" and "Institutional Banking & Markets" context suggests a B2B focus, likely involving complex financial services products and enterprise clients. The emphasis on service design and digital product design within a hybrid work environment requires a candidate who can blend strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead service design initiatives, collaborating closely with User Experience (UX) Designers to map, analyze, and improve end-to-end customer journeys across both digital and physical touchpoints.
• Conduct in-depth analysis of data from existing systems to gain actionable insights into current customer interactions and identify areas for enhancement.
• Facilitate co-design workshops and stakeholder alignment sessions to effectively uncover customer pain points, identify new opportunities, and pinpoint service gaps.
• Actively participate in user research activities to inform and drive the creation of comprehensive journey maps and service blueprints that will guide design decisions.
• Translate service insights and research findings into tangible, actionable digital product designs and interactive prototypes.
• Collaborate effectively within agile, cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, Engineers, UX Designers, and Operations experts, to deliver seamless and integrated service experiences.
• Champion human-centred design principles and advocate for the adoption of scalable design systems and consistent service standards across the organization.
• Ensure a high degree of consistency and cohesion across all omni-channel customer experiences, ensuring alignment with established enterprise design systems.
• Contribute strategically to the development of the roadmap and drive continuous improvement initiatives for digital platforms and service models within the Transaction Banking space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on user-centricity, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration. The role requires not only design execution but also strategic input into product roadmaps and service model evolution, typical of a mid-level to senior product/service designer role within a large enterprise, adapted for a comeback program.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• While no specific degree is listed, a strong educational foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Business, or a related field is typically expected for this level of design work. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience:

• Essential: Must have been on a career break of two years or more. This is a mandatory requirement for program eligibility.
• Proven experience in service design and digital product design within complex, enterprise-level environments.
• Experience within financial services, particularly Transaction Banking, is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

• Service Design: Demonstrated expertise in end-to-end service design processes, including journey mapping, service blueprinting, and ecosystem mapping.
• Digital Product Design: Strong capabilities in designing user-friendly and effective digital products that address user needs and business objectives.
• Human-Centred Design (HCD) / Design Thinking: Deep understanding and practical application of HCD principles and Design Thinking methodologies to solve complex problems.
• Customer Experience (CX) Management: Proven ability to analyze and improve customer experiences, focusing on user satisfaction and loyalty.
• Systems Thinking: Ability to understand and design for complex, interconnected systems and their impact on user journeys.
• Data Analysis & Insight Generation: Proficiency in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from various sources to derive actionable insights.
• Facilitation & Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent skills in leading workshops, managing stakeholder expectations, and driving alignment across diverse teams.
• Agile Methodologies: Experience working effectively within agile, cross-functional teams, adapting to iterative development cycles.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to tackle complex challenges with clarity and innovation.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication abilities, essential for presenting designs, insights, and strategies to various audiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Prototyping: Hands-on experience with prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) to create interactive mockups and user flows.
• Salesforce CRM: Familiarity with Salesforce CRM, understanding its role in customer management and potential integration points.
• Enterprise Design Systems: Experience working with or contributing to enterprise-level design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability.
• Digital Service Platforms: Knowledge of various digital service platforms and their application in enhancing customer interactions.
• Growth Mindset & Learning Agility: A proactive attitude towards learning, adapting to new challenges, and continuous skill development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Career Comeback Program" requirement is paramount. Beyond that, the skills list is comprehensive, emphasizing both strategic design thinking (service design, HCD, systems thinking) and practical execution (digital product design, prototyping, data analysis). Familiarity with common enterprise tools like Salesforce CRM and design systems is a significant plus.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Service Design Case Studies: Showcase detailed examples of service design projects, clearly illustrating the problem, your role, methodologies used (journey mapping, blueprinting), insights derived, solutions developed, and measurable outcomes.
• Digital Product Design Artifacts: Include examples of digital product designs, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes that demonstrate your understanding of user-centred design, usability, and interaction design principles.
• Process Improvement Demonstrations: Highlight instances where your design work led to quantifiable improvements in customer journeys, operational efficiency, or business metrics. Focus on the "before and after" impact.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Examples: Provide evidence of your ability to collaborate with engineers, product managers, and operations teams, illustrating how you integrated diverse perspectives into your design process.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate your ability to map existing customer workflows, identify inefficiencies, and design optimized future-state workflows.
• User Research & Insight Translation: Show how you've documented user research findings and effectively translated them into actionable design requirements or strategies.
• Design System Integration: Evidence of how you've applied or contributed to design systems and documented design decisions for consistency and scalability.
• Agile Process Integration: Examples of how your design work integrated into agile development sprints, including iteration based on feedback and testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, a portfolio is crucial for demonstrating practical design skills and strategic thinking. Emphasis should be placed on showcasing the process behind the design, not just the final output. The "Career Comeback" nature might mean candidates need to frame past experiences clearly, showing how their prior skills are directly transferable.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• As this is a part-time role within a specific program, a precise salary range is not provided. However, based on industry benchmarks for Product Designers with significant experience in Sydney, Australia, and considering the hybrid work arrangement and the comprehensive benefits, a pro-rata salary for a part-time role could range from AUD $100,000 to $140,000 per annum full-time equivalent. This estimate is based on typical compensation for similar roles in the Australian financial services sector, adjusted for the part-time nature and the specific "Career Comeback Program" offering.

Benefits:

• Personalised Career Coaching: Tailored support to help re-establish career momentum and navigate the return to the workforce.
• Flexible Work Options: The role is designated as Hybrid, offering a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility.
• Professional Development Workshops: Targeted sessions designed to rebuild confidence, update skills, and prepare participants for success in their roles.
• Dedicated Program Manager: A single point of contact to provide guidance, support, and advocacy throughout the program and initial employment period.
• Structured Induction & Re-onboarding: A comprehensive onboarding process designed to reintegrate professionals smoothly into the company and their roles.
• Opportunity to Re-enter the Workforce: A structured pathway back into a meaningful career after a significant break.
• Permanent Role: This is a permanent, part-time position, offering stability and long-term career prospects within Commonwealth Bank.

Working Hours:

• Part-Time: The specific number of hours per week will be defined, but the role is not full-time.
• Hybrid Work Arrangement: The role requires a blend of in-office presence (likely for collaboration and team engagement) and remote work, offering flexibility. The exact office days will be determined by team needs and program guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Career Comeback Program" itself is a significant benefit, offering structured support that goes beyond typical employment. The salary estimation is a broad benchmark for a skilled designer in Sydney, adjusted for part-time status. The benefits are heavily geared towards supporting re-entry into the workforce.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Banking) Company Size: Large Enterprise (Commonwealth Bank Group is one of Australia's largest financial institutions, employing tens of thousands globally). This size implies robust processes, significant resources, and a structured environment. Founded: 1911 (Commonwealth Bank of Australia) - A long-standing, established institution with a significant history and market presence.

Team Structure:

• Digital Customer Crew: A cross-functional team composed of Product Managers, Engineers, Service Owners, and Operations Experts. This structure emphasizes collaboration and a shared responsibility for delivering digital experiences.
• Reporting Structure: Likely reports within the Digital Customer Crew, with a lead or manager overseeing the crew's objectives. Further up, it sits within the Institutional Banking & Markets (IB&M) division.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: This is a core element, as the role explicitly mentions working alongside various disciplines to design and deliver integrated service experiences.

Methodology:

• Agile & Iterative: The team operates within agile frameworks, emphasizing iterative development, continuous feedback, and adaptability.
• Human-Centred Design: A strong commitment to understanding and addressing customer needs as the primary driver for design decisions.
• Data-Driven Insights: Utilizing data analytics to inform strategy, identify opportunities, and measure the impact of design solutions.
• Collaborative Design: Co-design workshops and cross-functional alignment sessions are integral to the design process.

Company Website: https://www.commbank.com.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: Commonwealth Bank's scale means candidates can expect a structured, professional environment with established processes. The "Digital Customer Crew" suggests a modern, agile approach within a traditional industry, focusing on innovation and customer experience in the digital realm. The "Career Comeback Program" indicates a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level:

• This role is positioned as a Product Designer within a specialized program for return-to-work professionals. While the core skills are design-focused, the interaction with "operations experts" and the focus on "Transaction Banking" suggest a role that bridges design with operational realities and business impact. It's likely a mid-level to senior contributor role within the design discipline, offering a unique entry point back into the workforce.

Reporting Structure:

• The Product Designer will report within the Digital Customer Crew, likely to a Crew Lead, Product Manager, or Design Manager. They will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, UX Designers, and "Operations Experts." This structure allows for close collaboration and direct impact on the crew's deliverables.

Operations Impact:

• The Product Designer's work directly impacts the customer experience for institutional clients, influencing client satisfaction, engagement with digital platforms, and the efficiency of transaction banking services. By improving digital journeys, the role contributes to operational efficiency, reduced support costs, and potentially increased revenue through better client retention and adoption of digital services.

Growth Opportunities:

• Within the Program: The Career Comeback Program offers explicit growth through tailored coaching, workshops, and mentorship, focusing on reintegration and skill refreshment.
• Within Design: Potential to deepen expertise in specific areas of service design, digital product design, or human-centred design within the IB&M context.
• Leadership Potential: As skills are rebuilt and confidence grows, there may be opportunities to take on more complex projects, mentor others, or move towards senior design or team lead roles within the Digital Customer Crew or broader IB&M design functions.
• Cross-functional Movement: Gaining deep understanding of institutional banking and transaction processing could open doors to related roles in product management, business analysis, or operations oversight within finance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Career Comeback Program" is designed to facilitate growth and re-entry. The role itself provides exposure to complex financial services, which can be a significant career accelerator. Growth will likely involve rebuilding confidence and demonstrating capability, followed by opportunities for increased responsibility and specialization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid Office Location(s): Sydney, NSW (specifically mentioned: CBP North, 1 Harbour Street, Sydney CBD Area). This is a major corporate office location in Sydney's central business district.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment will likely feature open-plan areas for team collaboration, meeting rooms for workshops and stakeholder sessions, and potentially quiet zones for focused work.
• Tools & Technology: Access to standard corporate IT infrastructure, design software, collaboration tools, and potentially specialized financial services platforms.
• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for face-to-face interaction with the Digital Customer Crew and other stakeholders within the IB&M division, fostering a sense of team cohesion and shared purpose.

Work Schedule:

• Part-Time with Hybrid Flexibility: The schedule will be part-time, with a defined number of hours per week. The hybrid model allows for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work, promoting work-life integration. This flexibility is crucial for many returning professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and CBD location are typical for large financial institutions in Australia. The emphasis on collaboration within the "Digital Customer Crew" suggests that while flexibility is offered, active participation in team activities, likely involving some in-office presence, will be expected.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of application, with a specific focus on meeting the "career break of two years or more" requirement and assessing initial alignment with design experience.
• Hiring Manager/Recruiter Call: A discussion to understand your background, motivation for re-entering the workforce, and suitability for the Career Comeback Program.
• Portfolio Review & Design Exercise: This is likely a key stage. You may be asked to present your portfolio, focusing on specific case studies relevant to service design and digital product design. A practical design challenge or scenario may be given to assess your current design thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Panel Interview: A discussion with members of the Digital Customer Crew (including potential team members, product managers, and design leads) to assess your technical skills, collaborative style, and cultural fit. Questions will likely probe your approach to user research, design strategy, and stakeholder management.
• Final Interview/Offer: A final discussion, potentially with a senior leader, to confirm suitability and extend an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Career Break Transition: Clearly articulate your return-to-work journey and how your past experience translates to this role.
• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: For each case study, explain your thought process, the methodologies you employed (journey mapping, HCD, data analysis), the challenges you faced, and the impact of your solutions.
• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced support tickets, increased user satisfaction scores).
• Showcase Collaboration: Include examples of how you worked with different teams and stakeholders.
• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects related to financial services, B2B clients, or complex digital journeys if you have them.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Research Commonwealth Bank, IB&M, and Transaction Banking services.
• Service Design Fundamentals: Be prepared to discuss service design principles, customer journey mapping, and service blueprinting concepts.
• Human-Centred Design: Articulate your approach to understanding user needs and translating them into design solutions.
• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Practice thinking through hypothetical design challenges related to digital banking or customer experience improvement.
• Agile & Collaboration: Be ready to discuss how you work in agile teams and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Career Comeback Program" implies a structured interview process designed to assess potential and support. The portfolio and design challenge will be critical for demonstrating current capabilities after a break. Preparation should focus on articulating past experience in the context of current industry needs and demonstrating a strong grasp of design fundamentals.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD (expect familiarity with at least one, ideally Figma given industry trends).
• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Trello, Asana (common in agile environments).
• Communication: Microsoft Teams, Slack.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: Potentially Tableau, Power BI, or internal analytics platforms for analyzing customer interaction data.
• User Research Platforms: Tools for surveys, user interviews, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: Salesforce CRM is explicitly mentioned as a plus, indicating its importance within the organization. Understanding how CRM data informs customer journeys and service design is valuable.
• Design Systems: Experience with or understanding of how to work with established enterprise design systems.
• Digital Service Platforms: Familiarity with platforms used to deliver digital services within a banking context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern design tools like Figma is expected. The mention of Salesforce CRM and enterprise design systems suggests a need for candidates who understand how design integrates into larger enterprise technology ecosystems and customer management processes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A paramount value, driving the desire to understand and improve customer experiences.
• Collaboration: Emphasis on working together across disciplines to achieve shared goals.
• Innovation: A drive to find new and better ways to serve clients through digital solutions.
• Integrity & Trust: Essential values within the financial services industry, influencing decision-making and client interactions.
• Excellence: A commitment to high standards in design, execution, and client service.
• Continuous Improvement: A proactive approach to identifying and implementing enhancements to processes and platforms.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The Digital Customer Crew model inherently promotes close collaboration between design, product, engineering, and operations.
• Open Communication: Expect a culture that encourages open dialogue, feedback exchange, and constructive debate to refine designs and strategies.
• Agile Teamwork: Working in an agile environment means embracing iterative feedback loops and supporting team members to meet sprint goals.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that values sharing insights, best practices, and lessons learned to elevate the team's collective capability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values align with typical modern tech/product teams within large corporations, emphasizing customer-centricity, collaboration, and a drive for improvement, all within the regulated framework of financial services.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Re-entry Confidence: For participants in the Career Comeback Program, rebuilding professional confidence and adapting to current workplace norms after a break can be a primary challenge.
• Navigating Complex Systems: Understanding and designing for sophisticated financial products and enterprise systems within a large, regulated institution requires significant learning and adaptation.
• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing expectations and requirements from diverse stakeholders (clients, product, engineering, operations, compliance) can be complex.
• Keeping Pace with Technology: Ensuring design practices and tool proficiency remain current after a break, especially in rapidly evolving digital/tech landscapes.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Program-Specific Training: Access to tailored workshops, coaching, and mentorship specifically designed for returning professionals.
• Deep Dive into Financial Services: Opportunity to gain specialized knowledge in Transaction Banking and the broader Institutional Banking & Markets sector.
• Advanced Design Skills: Potential to specialize further in areas like complex journey mapping, intricate service blueprinting, or advanced UX research techniques.
• Leadership Development: As confidence and experience grow, opportunities to lead design initiatives, mentor junior designers, or contribute to strategic roadmaps.
• Industry Certifications: Support for professional development that may include relevant design or finance industry certifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed around the unique context of re-entry and the specific industry. The growth opportunities are a direct benefit of the Career Comeback Program and the complex environment, offering both personal and professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Tell me about your career break and why you're looking to return now." Be prepared to articulate your reasons for the break, what you learned during that time, and your strong motivation for re-entering the workforce with Commonwealth Bank.
• "How do you approach designing for complex customer journeys, especially in a regulated environment like banking?" Focus on your process, how you gather insights, balance user needs with business/compliance constraints, and use tools like journey maps and service blueprints.
• "Describe a time you had to collaborate with engineers and product managers to deliver a digital product. What was your role, and what challenges did you overcome?" Highlight your communication, problem-solving, and collaborative skills, emphasizing your ability to translate design concepts into actionable development.
• "How do you ensure your designs are truly human-centred and address real user pain points?" Discuss your user research methodologies, empathy-building techniques, and how you validate design solutions with users.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Commonwealth Bank and our Institutional Banking & Markets division?" Show that you've done your research on the company's mission, values, and the specific business unit.
• "How do you see yourself fitting into a cross-functional 'Digital Customer Crew'?" Emphasize your collaborative spirit, ability to work with diverse teams, and commitment to shared goals.
• "How do you stay current with design trends and best practices after a career break?" Discuss your commitment to continuous learning and how you plan to re-engage with the design community.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: Organize your portfolio logically, perhaps by project type or by demonstrating your design process.
• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the impact. Use visuals effectively.
• Focus on Relevance: Prioritize projects that showcase service design, digital product design, and experience in complex environments.
• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design decisions, the rationale behind your choices, and how you handled challenges.
• Showcase Your Re-entry Readiness: Frame your experience to highlight transferable skills and your enthusiasm for returning to a professional role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design competence but also resilience, adaptability, and a clear understanding of why this specific program and company are the right fit for your return.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Visit the provided URL and submit your application through the Commonwealth Bank careers portal.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight your experience in service design, digital product design, and any relevant financial services background. Clearly state your career break duration.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume prominently features keywords from the job description, such as "service design," "digital product design," "journey mapping," "human-centred design," and "agile." Quantify achievements where possible.
• Program Research: Familiarize yourself with the Commonwealth Bank and the specific goals of the Career Comeback Program. Understand the company's values and its role in the financial services industry.
• Prepare for Design Assessment: Be ready to discuss your portfolio in detail and potentially undertake a design exercise or case study during the interview process. Practice articulating your design process and problem-solving approach.

⚠️ 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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