Product Designer (f/m/d)
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: Product Designer (f/m/d) Company: Contentful Location: London, England, United Kingdom Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / User Experience Date Posted: December 18, 2025 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Hybrid
🚀 Role Summary
- Drive the end-to-end product design process, from discovery and ideation to prototyping and user testing, for Contentful's digital experience platform.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (engineering, product management, marketing) to translate user needs and business objectives into intuitive and impactful user experiences.
- Champion user-centered design principles and advocate for the user throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring a deep understanding of user needs and pain points.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of Contentful's design systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency across the product suite.
- Leverage a passion for emerging AI solutions to explore and integrate innovative features that enhance content creation and management workflows for marketing and digital teams.
📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a hybrid work environment, indicating a need for strong remote collaboration skills alongside in-office presence. The emphasis on AI solutions suggests a forward-thinking design approach, requiring candidates to be adaptable and keen on exploring cutting-edge technologies within the digital experience platform space.
📈 Primary Responsibilities
- Conduct user research and discovery activities, including interviews, surveys, and competitive analysis, to identify user needs, pain points, and opportunities.
- Facilitate and lead design thinking workshops and brainstorming sessions with cross-functional teams to generate innovative solutions and align on product strategy.
- Develop comprehensive design deliverables, including user journey maps, concept maps, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes, to effectively communicate design concepts.
- Craft clear and concise UX copy that enhances usability and guides users through complex workflows.
- Collaborate with product managers to define team goals, success metrics, and product roadmaps, ensuring alignment with overall business strategy.
- Assist in the definition of user stories and product requirements, providing design expertise and user advocacy.
- Present design concepts and project updates to business stakeholders, articulating design decisions and their impact on user experience and business objectives.
- Plan, execute, and analyze user testing sessions and experiments to gather feedback and iterate on designs, continuously improving the user experience.
- Partner with other designers across the organization to share insights, best practices, and contribute to the collective elevation of design quality and standards.
📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic input (shaping goals, defining metrics) and tactical execution (creating deliverables, running tests). The emphasis on presenting to leadership and collaborating with other designers indicates a need for strong communication and interpersonal skills, crucial for influencing product direction and fostering a strong design culture.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Design (e.g., Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction), Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial for understanding technical constraints and user psychology.
Experience: Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record of delivering successful user experiences for digital products. Experience working within an Agile development environment is highly advantageous.
Required Skills:
- Minimum 3 years of experience in product design or UX/UI design.
- Demonstrable proficiency in user research methodologies and user testing.
- Strong conceptual thinking and problem-solving skills for complex scenarios.
- Expertise in creating user journeys, wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes using design tools.
- Solid understanding of interaction design principles and patterns.
- Experience working with and contributing to design systems.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions to diverse audiences, including leadership.
- Proven ability to facilitate meetings and workshops effectively.
- Self-starter mentality with strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects.
- Comfort and proficiency in navigating ambiguity and bringing clarity to uncertain situations.
- A strong user advocate with a deep sense of empathy.
Preferred Skills:
- Passionate and knowledgeable about AI solutions and the application of AI in product design.
- Experience in crafting UX copy.
- Familiarity with Content Management Systems (CMS) or digital experience platforms.
- Experience working in a SaaS or B2B technology company.
- Understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate collaboration with engineers.
📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of '2-5 years' suggests this role is suitable for mid-level designers looking to take on more responsibility. The emphasis on AI, design systems, and complex problem-solving points towards a need for designers who are not only skilled in core UX/UI but also forward-thinking and capable of contributing to a sophisticated platform.
📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- A curated selection of projects showcasing a deep understanding of the product design lifecycle, from initial concept to final implementation.
- Case studies that clearly articulate the problem statement, your role, the design process, key decisions, and measurable outcomes.
- Examples demonstrating your ability to solve complex design challenges within a B2B or SaaS context.
- Prototypes that illustrate user flows and interaction design effectiveness.
- Evidence of collaboration with engineering and product management teams.
Process Documentation:
- Showcase your approach to user research, including methodologies used and how insights informed design decisions.
- Detail your process for creating and iterating on wireframes, mockups, and prototypes.
- Provide examples of how you have utilized or contributed to design systems and style guides.
- Demonstrate your experience with A/B testing, user feedback loops, and iterative design improvements.
- Include examples of workshop facilitation and cross-functional collaboration processes.
📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, a robust portfolio is paramount. The emphasis on case studies that detail problem-solving and measurable outcomes is critical. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their design process, highlighting their strategic thinking, user advocacy, and ability to deliver impactful solutions, especially those involving complex systems or emerging technologies like AI.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: While not explicitly stated, for a Product Designer role (f/m/d) with 3+ years of experience in London, England, United Kingdom, a competitive salary range would typically fall between £55,000 and £75,000 per annum. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in London's tech sector, considering the cost of living and demand for skilled design professionals. Factors like specific experience, portfolio strength, and interview performance can influence the final offer.
Benefits:
- Stock Options: Opportunity to share in the company's success through equity.
- Fertility and Family Building Benefits: Includes a lifetime reimbursable wallet to support family growth.
- Generous Paid Time Off: Includes vacation days, sick days, education days, compassion days, and volunteer days, emphasizing work-life balance.
- Family Leave: Time off to care for and focus on a growing family.
- Annual Education Budget: Personal budget for skills development and career growth.
- Wellbeing Stipend: Annual stipend for physical, financial, or emotional health.
- Communication Stipend: Monthly allowance for phone/internet and hardware upgrade reimbursement.
- New Hire Office Equipment Stipend: For hybrid or distributed employees to equip their workspace.
- Virtual and In-Person Events: Workshops, guest speakers, and team activities supporting learning and networking.
Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically around 40 hours per week, with an expectation of flexibility to meet project deadlines and collaborative needs. The mention of "Work-Life balance" and "You Time" suggests a company culture that respects personal time and discourages excessive overtime.
📝 Enhancement Note: The comprehensive benefits package, especially those related to family support and personal development, indicates a company that invests in its employees' well-being and long-term growth. The salary range is an estimate based on typical market rates for London; candidates should prepare to negotiate based on their experience and the specific demands of the role.
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company Culture
Industry: Software / Digital Experience Platform (DXP) / Content Management Systems (CMS) Company Size: 700+ employees, indicating a mid-to-large-sized tech company with established processes but still agile enough for individual impact. Founded: Contentful was founded to address the growing need for scalable, modern content management. Its history is rooted in enabling businesses to deliver digital experiences effectively.
Team Structure:
- The User Experience team is described as a "design guild of passionate design generalists," suggesting a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment.
- Product Designers work within cross-functional product development teams, which typically include Product Managers, Engineers (Frontend and Backend), and potentially QA.
- Designers collaborate across the organization to maintain quality standards and share best practices.
Methodology:
- User-Centered Design: A core principle, driving the product development process from understanding user needs.
- Agile Methodologies: Implied through the mention of working with cross-functional teams, iterative development, and story/requirements definition.
- Design Thinking: Utilized for problem-solving and innovation, with an emphasis on workshops and empathy building.
- Data-Driven Iteration: Experiments and user testing are used to refine the user experience based on empirical evidence.
Company Website: https://www.contentful.com/
📝 Enhancement Note: Contentful operates in the competitive DXP market, emphasizing composability and AI. The company culture appears to value collaboration, continuous learning, and user advocacy. The "design guild" structure suggests a strong internal community for designers.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: This Product Designer role is positioned at a mid-level, requiring 3+ years of experience. It offers significant responsibility within a cross-functional team, with opportunities to influence product direction and strategy, bridging individual contributor work with strategic input.
Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will report into a design leadership role, likely a Head of Design or Design Manager, within the User Experience team. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within their specific product development pod.
Operations Impact: Product Designers at Contentful directly influence the usability, efficiency, and adoption of the digital experience platform. Their work directly impacts how marketing and digital teams build and deliver content, thereby affecting Contentful's customers' success and Contentful's own business growth and market position. The integration of AI features will also shape the future of content creation and delivery.
Growth Opportunities:
- Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like AI-driven design, complex systems design, or user research leadership.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Potential to lead design initiatives within product teams and influence broader product strategy.
- Mentorship: As part of the "design guild," there are opportunities to learn from and mentor other designers.
- Career Progression: Potential to advance to Senior Product Designer, Lead Product Designer, or management roles within the design organization.
- Learning & Development: The company actively supports growth through an education budget, workshops, and guest speakers.
📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a strong growth trajectory within a dynamic tech company. The emphasis on AI and complex systems provides opportunities for specialized skill development, while the collaborative environment and leadership opportunities cater to those seeking to advance their careers in product design.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type: Hybrid. While specific details on office days are not provided, the #LI-hybrid tag and the mention of a "New hire office equipment stipend for hybrid or distributed employees" confirm a hybrid model. This suggests a blend of in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility.
Office Location(s): The primary listed location is London, England, United Kingdom. Contentful also has hubs in Berlin, Denver, San Francisco, and New York, and operates with a globally distributed workforce.
Workspace Context:
- Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model facilitates in-person collaboration for workshops, brainstorming, and team building, while remote work allows for focused individual work.
- Tools & Technology: Access to modern design tools and potentially a well-equipped office space for those working on-site.
- Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with product teams, design guild members, and other stakeholders, both virtually and in person.
Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (~40 hours/week) with flexibility implied for personal well-being. The hybrid arrangement allows for a balance between structured office days and flexible remote work.
📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of this role is a key aspect. Candidates should be comfortable with a mix of in-office and remote work, demonstrating strong self-management and remote collaboration skills. The office equipment stipend acknowledges the need for effective home workspaces.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
- Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application, focusing on your resume and portfolio.
- Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, discussing specific case studies. A design challenge might be assigned, focusing on problem-solving, user empathy, and design thinking within Contentful's domain.
- Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other Designers to assess collaboration, technical understanding, and cultural fit.
- Leadership Interview: A final interview with senior design or product leadership to discuss strategic thinking, impact, and alignment with company values.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly define the problem, your unique contribution, the challenges faced, the design process, and the measurable impact (e.g., conversion rates, user satisfaction, efficiency gains).
- Process Emphasis: Highlight your thought process. Explain why you made certain design decisions, referencing user research, design principles, or business goals.
- AI Integration: If you have projects involving AI or machine learning, be prepared to discuss how you approached designing for these complex and evolving technologies.
- Design System Contribution: Showcase any experience with design systems, demonstrating your understanding of scalability, consistency, and component-based design.
- Conciseness: Be prepared to present your most impactful work efficiently. Select 3-4 strong projects that cover a range of skills and challenges.
Challenge Preparation:
- Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with Contentful, its products, and its target audience (marketing and digital teams). Research the competitive landscape.
- Empathy & Research: If given a problem, focus on how you would uncover user needs. Think about research methods, user personas, and journey mapping.
- Solutioning: Demonstrate a structured approach to ideation and problem-solving. Consider different solutions and their trade-offs.
- Prototyping & Iteration: Be ready to sketch out ideas, create low-fidelity wireframes, and discuss how you would iterate based on feedback.
📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh your portfolio and your ability to articulate your design process and impact. Demonstrating an understanding of AI's role in design, along with strong collaboration and communication skills, will be critical for success.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
- Design & Prototyping: Figma is a strong likelihood given industry trends and its prevalence in collaborative environments. Sketch and Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) are also common.
- User Research & Testing: Tools like UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, or internal methods for conducting user interviews and usability testing.
- Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, or similar tools for tracking tasks, user stories, and project progress within cross-functional teams.
- Design Systems: Familiarity with existing design system documentation and contribution processes.
Analytics & Reporting:
- While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how to interpret analytics from tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, or Mixpanel would be beneficial for understanding user behavior post-launch.
CRM & Automation:
- Not typically a direct tool for Product Designers, but understanding how CRM data (e.g., from Salesforce) or marketing automation platforms might inform user segmentation or feature prioritization could be advantageous.
📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in a modern design and prototyping tool like Figma is highly expected. Experience with user research platforms and collaboration tools used in Agile environments is also crucial for seamless integration into Contentful's product development teams.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
- User-Centricity: A fundamental value, ensuring that user needs are at the forefront of all design decisions.
- Collaboration: Working effectively within cross-functional teams and across the broader design guild.
- Continuous Learning: A commitment to staying updated on design trends, AI advancements, and best practices.
- Impact & Ownership: Taking initiative, driving projects forward, and being accountable for design outcomes that contribute to business success.
- Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of users and colleagues.
- Clarity & Ambiguity Navigation: Ability to bring structure and insights to complex or undefined problems.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are embedded within product teams, working daily with Product Managers and Engineers.
- Open Communication: Encouraging feedback, constructive critique, and knowledge sharing within the design guild and product teams.
- Workshop-Driven: Utilizing workshops as a key method for collaborative problem-solving and alignment.
- Iterative Feedback Loops: Embracing a culture where designs are shared early and often for continuous refinement.
📝 Enhancement Note: Contentful's emphasis on "Everyone is welcome here" points to an inclusive culture. The values highlight a drive for excellence, user advocacy, and a collaborative spirit, essential for a hybrid and globally distributed team.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
- Designing for Complexity: The Contentful platform is sophisticated, requiring designers to understand intricate workflows and provide intuitive solutions for advanced users (marketing and digital teams).
- Integrating AI Seamlessly: Designing user experiences for AI features requires balancing innovation with usability, ensuring AI assists rather than complicates user tasks.
- Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively navigating the needs and expectations of various stakeholders (product, engineering, marketing, leadership) while remaining a strong user advocate.
- Hybrid Collaboration: Optimizing collaboration and communication in a hybrid work environment to ensure alignment and efficiency across distributed teams.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- AI in Design: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-powered features and understanding the evolving landscape of AI in product development.
- Complex Systems Design: Gain extensive experience in architecting user experiences for large-scale, enterprise-level software platforms.
- Design Leadership: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, and contribute to design strategy.
- Industry Exposure: Access to workshops, guest speakers, and potentially industry conferences to stay abreast of the latest trends in UX, AI, and digital experiences.
📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a role at a growing SaaS company with a complex product. These challenges are framed as opportunities for growth, emphasizing the company's commitment to employee development.
💡 Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
- "Describe a time you had to design for a complex system with many interconnected parts. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on process, simplification, and user flows.)
- "How would you approach designing an AI-powered feature that suggests content optimizations for marketers? What are the key considerations and potential pitfalls?" (Demonstrate AI design thinking, user empathy, and ethical considerations.)
- "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a stakeholder about a design decision. How did you handle it, and what was the resolution?" (Highlight communication, negotiation, and data-driven advocacy skills.)
Company & Culture Questions:
- "What excites you about Contentful's mission and its role in the digital experience platform space?" (Research Contentful's market position, competitors, and recent news.)
- "How do you contribute to a collaborative and inclusive team environment, especially in a hybrid setting?" (Relate to Contentful's values and your personal collaboration style.)
- "How do you measure the success of your designs and demonstrate their impact on business objectives?" (Prepare to discuss specific metrics and ROI.)
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the business problem or user need for each case study.
- Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) to illustrate your design process and solutions.
- Highlight Your Role: Be specific about your contributions, especially if it was a team project.
- Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs.
- Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs, and alternative solutions.
📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare specific examples that showcase your problem-solving skills, user advocacy, and ability to work within a team. For AI-related questions, focus on how you would ensure the AI enhances the user experience rather than creating friction.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this Product Designer position:
- Submit your resume and a link to your online portfolio through Contentful's applicant tracking system via the provided job link.
- Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects that demonstrate your experience with complex systems, user research, interaction design, and ideally, any work related to AI or advanced technologies. Tailor your case study selection to align with Contentful's focus on digital experience platforms.
- Resume Optimization: Highlight key skills and experiences mentioned in the job description, such as "Product Design," "User Experience," "AI Solutions," "Design Systems," "User Research," and "Workshop Facilitation." Use action verbs and quantify achievements where possible.
- Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and the impact of your work using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Prepare to discuss your approach to hybrid collaboration and your passion for Contentful's mission.
- Company Research: Deeply understand Contentful's product offerings, target market, and recent company news. Research their design philosophy and any publicly available information on their user experience 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.
Application Requirements
Candidates should have a minimum of 3 years of experience in product design, with strong skills in interaction and UI design. A passion for AI solutions and experience in user research and workshop facilitation are also essential.