Product Designer (Fixed term contract - maternity cover)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (Fixed Term Contract - Maternity Cover) Company: TravelPerk Location: London, England, United Kingdom Job Type: Contract Category: Product Design / User Experience Date Posted: 2025-11-03 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role involves end-to-end product design, taking ownership of key areas within the trip booking flow for a leading SaaS travel and expense management platform.
• The position requires a user-centered approach, translating complex business needs into intuitive and engaging user experiences across web and mobile platforms.
• Collaboration is key, with daily interaction expected with product managers, UX researchers, engineers, and other designers within a supportive team environment.
• Contribution to TravelPerk's proprietary design system, "Suitcase," is a significant aspect of the role, ensuring consistency and scalability across the product.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the original listing is for a Product Designer, the prompt requires tailoring for Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or GTM roles. Given the company's focus on a B2B SaaS platform for travel and expense management, this role, if it were operations-focused, would likely be a Revenue Operations Analyst, Sales Operations Specialist, or GTM Operations Manager. The core responsibilities would shift from designing user interfaces to optimizing sales processes, managing CRM data, analyzing revenue performance, and enabling the sales and marketing teams. The skills would emphasize CRM administration (Salesforce, HubSpot), data analysis (SQL, Excel, BI tools), process mapping, and forecasting. For the purpose of this exercise, I will proceed with the Product Designer role as provided, acknowledging the constraint of the prompt's specialization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design process for specific product areas within the trip booking flow, from problem definition and user research to final design delivery.
• Conduct heuristic reviews, user research, and discovery initiatives to iterate and improve existing product features, in close partnership with the UX research team.
• Collaborate with Product Managers to define product strategy, roadmap, and ensure designs align with business objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Contribute actively to the development and maintenance of "Suitcase," TravelPerk's comprehensive design system, ensuring adherence to guidelines and expanding its components.
• Work closely with engineers to understand technical constraints, facilitate smooth implementation of designs, and ensure high-quality user experiences.
• Participate in cross-functional team meetings, presenting design concepts, gathering feedback, and fostering a collaborative design culture.
• Advocate for the user throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring a consumer-grade user experience for a business tool.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are well-defined for a Product Designer. If this were an operations role, responsibilities would include: optimizing sales processes for efficiency, managing and maintaining the CRM system, developing and analyzing sales performance dashboards, supporting sales enablement initiatives, forecasting revenue, and implementing operational improvements for the Go-To-Market (GTM) teams.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While TravelPerk prioritizes experience and potential over formal qualifications, a background in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is often beneficial. Experience: 3+ years of professional experience as a Product Designer, with a strong preference for experience in SaaS product environments.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated experience in end-to-end product design, from ideation to pixel-perfect execution.
• Proficiency in Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.
• Expertise with remote workshop and collaboration tools such as FigJam or Miro.
• Deep understanding of usability principles, information architecture, visual hierarchy, and established interaction design patterns for both web and mobile applications.
• A proactive, autonomous, and self-driven approach to problem-solving and task management.
• A strong user-centered mentality, consistently advocating for user needs and perspectives.
• Experience conducting user interviews and user testing, with the ability to collaborate effectively with dedicated UX research teams.
• Ability to understand business goals and metrics, translating them into effective design solutions in partnership with Product Managers.
• Excellent communication skills for presenting ideas, facilitating workshops, and fostering cross-functional collaboration.
• Awareness of technical constraints and experience working collaboratively with engineering teams.
• Familiarity with and contribution to design systems.
• Professional-level English proficiency, both written and spoken.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for complex B2B SaaS platforms.
• Knowledge of data analysis tools and how to interpret user behavior data to inform design decisions.
• Experience contributing to or managing design system libraries.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an operations role, required skills would typically include proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), data analysis tools (e.g., SQL, Excel, Tableau, Power BI), familiarity with sales methodologies, process mapping, project management, and strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. Preferred skills might include experience with marketing automation platforms, CPQ tools, and advanced statistical analysis.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of product design projects, demonstrating the full design lifecycle from problem identification to solution implementation.
• Case studies that clearly articulate the design problem, your specific role, the design process followed, key decisions made, and the measurable impact of your solutions.
• Demonstrations of proficiency with core design tools like Figma, including interactive prototypes and user flows.
• Examples of contributions to or experience with design systems, illustrating an understanding of scalability and component-based design.
• Evidence of user research, testing, and iteration incorporated into design solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Showcasing how you approach problem definition, including user research methodologies and requirement gathering.
• Illustrating your process for ideation, sketching, wireframing, and prototyping.
• Demonstrating how you incorporate user feedback and data into iterative design improvements.
• Examples of how you collaborate with engineers and product managers to bring designs to life.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, portfolio requirements would focus on quantifiable achievements. This would include: documented process improvements with clear metrics (e.g., percentage reduction in sales cycle length, increase in CRM data accuracy), dashboards showcasing key performance indicators (KPIs) and their analysis, examples of implemented automation workflows, and case studies detailing how operational changes drove revenue growth or efficiency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As this is a fixed-term contract for maternity cover, specific salary details would typically be provided during the application process. However, for a mid-level Product Designer in London with 3+ years of experience in SaaS, a competitive contract rate would be expected, likely ranging from £350 to £550 per day, depending on experience and the specific duration of the contract.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation for the contract duration.
• Opportunity to work with a leading global SaaS company in the travel and expense management sector.
• Access to a supportive and collaborative design team.
• Potential for exposure to a fast-paced, high-growth startup environment.
• Contribution to a well-regarded design system ("Suitcase").
• As per the job description, other benefits may be prorated or provided based on the contract terms, including potential for equity, vacation days, health perks, flexible compensation, and mental health support.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are estimated at 40 hours per week. The role is hybrid, requiring 3 days per week in the London office.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a permanent operations role, salary estimates for a mid-level Revenue Operations Analyst or Sales Operations Specialist in London typically range from £50,000 to £75,000 per annum, with potential for bonuses and equity. Benefits often include comprehensive private health insurance, generous pension contributions, professional development budgets, and flexible working arrangements.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Travel Technology / SaaS (Software as a Service) - specifically focusing on Business Travel and Expense Management. TravelPerk operates in a dynamic and competitive market, leveraging technology to disrupt traditional corporate travel booking. Company Size: Over 1,800 employees globally, indicating a significant scale with established processes but retaining a dynamic, growth-oriented culture. This size allows for specialized teams and resources while fostering cross-functional collaboration. Founded: 2015. This relatively young company has achieved unicorn status and significant funding rounds, suggesting a culture of rapid innovation, ambition, and a focus on scaling effectively.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team consists of over 30 professionals, including Product Designers, Content Designers, and Researchers, representing diverse nationalities and backgrounds. This suggests a rich, collaborative environment with varied perspectives.
• Product Designers work closely with Product Managers, UX Researchers, Content Designers, Engineers, and Data Analysts, forming cross-functional "squads" or "pods" focused on specific product areas.
• The reporting structure within the design team likely involves a Design Lead or Head of Design, with individual designers reporting to them, while also collaborating extensively with their respective product teams.

Methodology:

• TravelPerk emphasizes a data-driven approach, using analytics and user research to inform product decisions and validate design solutions.
• The company follows an agile product development methodology, enabling iterative design, rapid prototyping, and continuous improvement.
• Design thinking principles are likely embedded, with a strong focus on understanding user needs, defining problems, ideating solutions, prototyping, and testing.

Company Website: https://www.travelperk.com/ and https://travelperk.design/

📝 Enhancement Note: TravelPerk's culture appears to be a blend of startup agility and scale-up professionalism. The emphasis on "Most Loved Workplace" awards suggests a strong focus on employee well-being, collaboration, and a positive work environment. The "IRL-first" approach to work highlights the value placed on in-person interaction for creativity and productivity.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a mid-level, requiring 3+ years of experience. It offers the chance to work autonomously on significant product areas within a fast-growing SaaS company. The fixed-term nature means it's an opportunity for immediate impact and experience rather than a long-term career track within this specific role, but it provides excellent exposure.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will report to a Design Lead or Head of Design and will work within cross-functional product teams, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.

Operations Impact: While this is a design role, the impact is directly tied to enhancing the user experience of TravelPerk's platform, which directly influences customer adoption, retention, and overall product success. In an operations context, this would translate to improving sales efficiency, revenue forecasting accuracy, or customer success metrics.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Development: Opportunity to deepen expertise in SaaS product design, user research, and contribute to a sophisticated design system. Exposure to a broad range of design challenges within the travel tech industry.
• Career Progression: For individuals seeking a permanent role, TravelPerk offers a transparent career path, with opportunities to advance as an individual contributor (e.g., Senior Product Designer, Lead Product Designer) or into management roles (e.g., Design Manager). The "exponential growth opportunities" mentioned in benefits suggest a company that actively supports career advancement.
• Industry Exposure: Working at a leading unicorn in the business travel tech space provides valuable experience and networking opportunities within a high-growth industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an operations role, growth typically involves moving from an analyst to a specialist, then to a manager or lead role within Sales Ops, Rev Ops, or GTM Ops. Opportunities often include specializing in specific areas like CRM administration, data analytics, forecasting, or sales enablement, with pathways to senior leadership positions in operational strategy.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: TravelPerk operates with an "IRL-first" approach, meaning the office is a central hub for collaboration, creativity, and productivity. This role requires being within commuting distance of their London hub. Office Location(s): London, England, United Kingdom. This provides access to a vibrant tech ecosystem and a major global business hub.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to foster collaboration, with 3 days per week in the office specifically to enhance connectivity and creativity.
• Access to necessary design tools and technology, including Figma and remote workshop tools, is standard.
• Opportunities for direct interaction with a diverse team of designers, researchers, product managers, and engineers are abundant, promoting knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving.

Work Schedule: The role is structured around a standard 40-hour work week, with a hybrid model requiring in-office presence three days a week. This offers a balance between structured collaboration and personal flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, the hybrid model is common, with an emphasis on collaborative work sessions for strategic planning, process reviews, and team alignment. The office environment would typically be equipped with the necessary tools for data analysis, project management, and communication.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, understand your experience, and discuss the role in more detail.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A key stage involving a presentation of your portfolio, highlighting relevant projects. This may be accompanied by a take-home design challenge or a live design exercise focused on problem-solving and your design process.
• Team Interviews: Conversations with potential team members, including other designers, Product Managers, and potentially engineers, to assess fit, collaboration style, and technical skills.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the hiring manager to delve deeper into your experience, career aspirations, and cultural alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Choose 3-4 projects that best showcase your skills relevant to SaaS product design and the end-to-end design process.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role and responsibilities, the design process (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), key decisions and rationale, and the impact/outcomes. Quantify results where possible.
• Showcase Figma Proficiency: Include interactive prototypes and clear user flows. Demonstrate your understanding of design systems if applicable.
• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with cross-functional teams (PMs, Engineers, Researchers) and how you incorporated their feedback.
• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, how you handle constraints, and how you approach user research.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research TravelPerk's product and target audience.
• Focus on Process: Even if the solution isn't perfect, clearly articulating your thought process, research methods, and design rationale is crucial.
• Time Management: If it's a live exercise, practice thinking aloud and managing your time effectively to cover key aspects of the design process.
• User-Centricity: Ensure your approach is grounded in user needs and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, the interview process often includes case studies focused on process optimization, data analysis challenges, and scenario-based questions about managing stakeholders and driving operational improvements. Portfolio presentations would emphasize quantifiable results and strategic impact on revenue or efficiency.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, wireframing, and collaborative design workflows.
• FigJam / Miro: Crucial for remote workshops, brainstorming, user journey mapping, and collaborative ideation sessions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, familiarity with how data is presented and used is key. This might involve understanding outputs from tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or internal BI dashboards.

CRM & Automation:

• Understanding that the product integrates with or complements CRM and expense management systems is beneficial, though direct CRM management is not a core responsibility for this design role.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an operations role, the technology stack is central. Key tools would include:

• CRM: Salesforce (highly likely), HubSpot, Dynamics 365.
• Data Analysis & BI: SQL, Excel (advanced), Tableau, Power BI, Looker.
• Sales Enablement: Highspot, Seismic, Showpad.
• CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote): Apttus, Salesforce CPQ, DealHub.
• Marketing Automation: Marketo, Pardot, HubSpot Marketing Hub.
• Project Management: Asana, Jira, Monday.com.
• Integration Platforms: Zapier, Workato.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value, ensuring that all design decisions are grounded in understanding and serving user needs, aiming for a consumer-grade experience.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Fostering an environment where feedback, support, and knowledge sharing are paramount. Competitiveness is reserved for fun activities, not internal dynamics.
• Autonomy & Proactivity: Empowering individuals to take ownership, think creatively, and drive initiatives independently.
• Impact over Effort: Prioritizing outcomes and results that drive business value over the sheer amount of work done.
• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to iterating on existing products and processes through research, validation, and feedback.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative within cross-functional product teams (designers, PMs, engineers, researchers).
• Emphasis on open communication, constructive feedback, and mutual support.
• Regular design critiques and team syncs to share work, discuss challenges, and align on strategies.
• Leveraging remote workshop tools to facilitate inclusive collaboration across geographies and working arrangements.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations teams, values often include data-driven decision-making, process efficiency, cross-functional alignment, customer focus (internal and external), and a commitment to continuous improvement and automation. Collaboration styles emphasize clear communication, stakeholder management, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively translating complex business requirements and technical constraints into elegant, user-friendly designs within a fast-paced SaaS environment.
• Maintaining Design System Consistency: Ensuring adherence to and contribution to the "Suitcase" design system across various product initiatives, especially during a fixed-term contract.
• Navigating a Hybrid Work Model: Maximizing collaboration and impact while working a hybrid schedule, ensuring effective communication and engagement both in-office and remotely.
• High-Growth Environment: Adapting to the rapid pace of change and scaling inherent in a successful unicorn company.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Contribution: Opportunity to significantly impact and learn from TravelPerk's established design system.
• Cross-Functional Learning: Gaining insights into product strategy, engineering processes, and user research methodologies through close collaboration.
• Industry Expertise: Deepening knowledge of the business travel and expense management SaaS landscape.
• Career Path Clarity: Understanding TravelPerk's competency framework and career progression paths, even if this specific role is temporary, provides valuable insight for future career planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, challenges often involve managing complex data sets, driving adoption of new processes or tools, aligning disparate teams on operational goals, and staying ahead of technological advancements in automation and analytics. Growth opportunities typically involve specializing in high-demand areas like advanced analytics, CRM architecture, or revenue forecasting.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance conflicting user needs with business requirements. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, compromise, and how you measured success).
• "Walk us through a complex design problem you solved. What was your process, what tools did you use, and what was the impact?" (Be ready to present a portfolio case study).
• "How do you approach collaborating with product managers and engineers? Can you give an example of a successful collaboration?" (Highlight communication, feedback loops, and understanding constraints).
• "What is your experience with design systems? How do you ensure consistency and contribute to their evolution?" (Showcase understanding of scalability and best practices).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why TravelPerk? What interests you about our mission and product?" (Research the company, recent news, and their "IRL-first" approach).
• "How do you align with our value of 'Impact over Effort'?" (Provide examples of how you prioritize and focus on results).
• "Describe your ideal team environment. How do you contribute to a positive and collaborative culture?" (Reference their emphasis on transparency and support).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with a brief overview of your background, then dive into 2-3 key projects. For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, your process, your key decisions, and the quantifiable results.
• Visuals: Use clear, high-quality visuals. Ensure prototypes are functional and easy to navigate.
• Narrative: Tell a compelling story for each project, emphasizing your problem-solving skills and user-centric approach.
• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Practice your presentation to ensure you cover the most important aspects efficiently.
• Engagement: Be ready to answer detailed questions about your work, your rationale, and how you would approach new challenges at TravelPerk.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, interview questions would focus on process mapping, data analysis, CRM strategy, forecasting methodologies, and stakeholder management. Case studies would likely involve optimizing a sales funnel, improving data accuracy, or designing a reporting dashboard.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the TravelPerk careers page.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features SaaS product design projects, ideally showcasing your experience with Figma and end-to-end design processes. Tailor your case studies to highlight user research, problem-solving, and measurable impact.
• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly state your years of experience in product design, specifically mentioning SaaS experience. Use keywords from the job description such as "Figma," "user-centered," "design systems," and "SaaS."
• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly research TravelPerk's product, mission, and company culture. Prepare to discuss your portfolio projects in detail, focusing on your process, decision-making, and collaboration skills. Practice answering common design interview questions.
• Company Research: Understand TravelPerk's market position, their "IRL-first" approach, and their stated values. Be ready to articulate why you are a good fit for their collaborative and impact-driven culture.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions tailored to the provided Product Designer role. For roles in Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or GTM Operations, the specific skills, responsibilities, and interview processes would differ significantly, focusing on CRM, data analysis, process optimization, and revenue enablement. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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