Product Designer - Hawthorn East

Coles Group
Full-timeHawthorn East, Australia

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📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Coles Group

Location: Hawthorn East, Victoria, Australia

Job Type: Fixed Term (6 months)

Category: Product Design (with strong relevance to UX/UI for Customer-Facing Operations)

Date Posted: March 30, 2026

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

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

  • This role focuses on shaping and enhancing the customer loyalty experience across Coles' digital platforms, directly impacting customer engagement and retention strategies.

  • The Product Designer will be instrumental in creating seamless, intuitive, and engaging user interfaces for web and mobile applications, contributing to operational efficiency through improved customer self-service and interaction.

  • A key aspect involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers and Senior Designers, to translate complex business requirements into user-centric design solutions that drive adoption and satisfaction.

  • The position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to an ASX-listed company's digital transformation, specifically within its loyalty ecosystem, influencing how millions of Australians interact with the Coles brand.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this is a Product Designer role, its focus on loyalty programs, customer experience, and digital platforms makes it highly relevant to operations professionals interested in the intersection of UX/UI and customer-facing operational strategies. The emphasis on end-to-end customer journeys and design systems aligns with operational process optimization and standardization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Design and deliver end-to-end customer experiences across the Coles digital ecosystem, ensuring a consistent and engaging journey for loyalty program members.

  • Create new concepts, user flows, and interactive prototypes for both web and mobile applications, visualizing potential customer interactions and system behaviors.

  • Design critical digital touchpoints, including landing pages, email templates, and specific loyalty program features, to drive customer engagement and program participation.

  • Collaborate closely with Senior Designers, Product Managers, and cross-functional teams (e.g., marketing, engineering, data analytics) to ensure design solutions align with business objectives and technical feasibility.

  • Apply and contribute to established design systems to maintain brand consistency, scalability, and efficient design workflows across the digital product portfolio.

  • Continuously analyze and improve the customer journey across loyalty products and services, leveraging user feedback and data insights to enhance user satisfaction and operational effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on process improvement through design, directly impacting customer engagement operations. The collaboration with cross-functional teams is crucial for aligning design initiatives with broader business and operational goals.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

  • Proven experience as a Product Designer, with a focus on end-to-end customer journeys and digital product development.

  • Demonstrated experience working within and contributing to established design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability in design outputs.

Required Skills:

  • Product Design: Expertise in the full product design lifecycle, from ideation to implementation.

  • UI Design: Strong visual design capabilities with a keen eye for detail, aesthetics, and brand consistency.

  • User Flows & Prototyping: Proficiency in mapping user journeys and creating interactive prototypes to test and communicate design concepts.

  • Web & Mobile Applications: Experience designing for diverse digital platforms, understanding their unique constraints and opportunities.

  • Design Systems: Ability to leverage and contribute to design systems for efficient and consistent product development.

  • User-Centric Solutions: Skill in translating complex problems into intuitive, user-friendly designs that meet customer needs.

  • Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.

Preferred Skills:

  • Experience working on loyalty programs or customer engagement platforms.

  • Familiarity with A/B testing and data-driven design iteration.

  • Understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to inform design feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on design systems and user-centric solutions directly relates to operational efficiency by standardizing components and ensuring user adoption, which are critical for scalable operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing your end-to-end product design process for significant projects, ideally within loyalty or customer engagement contexts.

  • Process Documentation: Clearly articulate your design process, including user research methodologies, ideation techniques, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and iteration strategies.

  • System Contributions: Evidence of work within or contributions to design systems, demonstrating an understanding of component-based design, style guides, and their impact on scalability and consistency.

  • Problem-Solving: Demonstrate how you translated complex user needs or business challenges into elegant, user-friendly solutions, highlighting the problem, your approach, and the outcome.

Process Documentation:

  • Workflow Design: Illustrate your ability to map out and optimize complex user workflows, aiming for simplicity and efficiency in customer interactions.

  • System Implementation: Show examples of how your designs integrate with existing or new digital systems, ensuring a cohesive user experience.

  • Measurement & Analysis: Provide examples of how you've used data (user feedback, analytics) to inform design decisions and measure the success of implemented solutions, linking design outcomes to operational metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio demonstrating process optimization, system thinking, and measurable impact is crucial. For operations professionals, this translates to showcasing how design choices enhance operational efficiency, reduce support costs, and improve customer lifetime value.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

  • Flexible Working Options: Access to hybrid working arrangements to promote work-life balance.

  • On-site Perks: Utilization of on-site facilities including a gym, fitness classes, free parking, BBQ area, mini-Coles supermarket, and a fooderie hub for product sampling.

  • Employee Discounts: 5% discount on Coles Supermarket and Liquor purchases (with opportunities for 10% double discounts) and access to exclusive team member deals.

  • Recognition Program: Participation in the 'mythanks' recognition platform, allowing for point accumulation and redemption for gifts and gift cards.

  • Learning & Development: Opportunities for career development programs and job-specific training.

  • Paid Parental Leave: Offered to permanent team members, supporting work-life integration.

  • Team Member Share Plan: Opportunity to invest in Coles Group shares through pre-tax salary sacrifice.

Working Hours:

  • Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility offered through hybrid working arrangements. The specific on-site requirements within the hybrid model are to be confirmed.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical contract rates for mid-level Product Designers in major Australian cities, considering the specified experience level and the fixed-term nature of the role. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting Coles Group's commitment to employee well-being and engagement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Retail (Supermarkets, Liquor, Financial Services, etc.)

Company Size: Large Enterprise ( ASX-listed, over 115,000 team members)

Founded: 1914, with a long history of serving Australian communities.

Team Structure:

  • The role is within the Digital Team, which is described as innovative, inclusive, and forward-thinking. This team is responsible for evolving Coles' digital presence and creating omni-channel experiences.

  • The Product Designer will work alongside Senior Designers and collaborate closely with Product Managers and various cross-functional teams.

Methodology:

  • The Digital team's approach is driven by creating differentiated, omni-channel experiences, suggesting a focus on user-centric design, data-informed decision-making, and agile development methodologies.

  • Emphasis on continuous improvement of customer journeys and leveraging established design systems points to a structured yet adaptable process for product development.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Coles Group's scale and history in the retail sector mean that operational efficiency and customer experience are paramount. The digital team's role is critical in modernizing these aspects, making design decisions highly impactful on operational outcomes.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-Level Product Designer. This role is focused on execution and contribution within a specialized design function, contributing to broader operational goals through user experience.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into Senior Designers within the Digital team, with close collaboration with Product Managers. This structure allows for mentorship and guidance while providing autonomy on design tasks.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's work directly influences customer engagement with loyalty programs (Flybuys, Coles Plus), impacting customer retention, repeat purchases, and overall customer lifetime value – key metrics for retail operations. By creating intuitive interfaces, the role contributes to reducing customer friction, potentially lowering support costs and improving operational efficiency in customer service.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Specialization: Deepen expertise in loyalty program design, customer engagement platforms, or specific areas of UX/UI within the retail sector.

  • Leadership: Potential to move into Senior Product Designer roles, leading design initiatives and mentoring junior designers.

  • Cross-Functional Movement: Opportunities to transition into Product Management or other roles within the Digital or broader Coles business, leveraging design expertise and understanding of customer behavior.

  • Skill Development: Continuous learning through job-specific training, access to development programs, and exposure to large-scale digital projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, understanding how design impacts customer behavior and operational metrics is key. Growth here involves not just design skills but also an understanding of how design contributes to business objectives and operational efficiency.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid model, with a significant on-site component at their Hawthorn East, Melbourne headquarters.

Office Location(s): Hawthorn East, Melbourne VIC 3123, Australia.

Workspace Context:

  • The office environment offers numerous perks, suggesting a focus on employee well-being and a positive work atmosphere.

  • Collaborative spaces are implied, essential for the cross-functional teamwork required for this role.

  • Access to amenities like a mini-Coles supermarket and fooderie hub indicates a company culture that integrates its products and services into the employee experience.

Work Schedule:

  • Standard full-time hours with a hybrid arrangement, allowing for a balance between focused individual work (potentially remote) and collaborative on-site activities. This structure supports efficient workflow management for design tasks and team interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and extensive office perks are designed to foster collaboration and employee engagement. For operations, this means understanding how to manage tasks and collaborate effectively across different work settings.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio, focusing on relevant experience in product design, UI, and customer journeys.

  • First Interview: Likely with a Senior Designer or Hiring Manager to assess technical skills, design thinking, and cultural fit. This may involve discussing portfolio pieces.

  • Design Challenge/Exercise: Candidates may be given a brief to design a specific feature or solve a user problem, testing their practical application of design principles and process.

  • Final Interview: Discussion with Product Managers or other key stakeholders to evaluate strategic thinking, collaboration skills, and alignment with team goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Highlight Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contribution, the design process followed, and the measurable outcomes or impact on user behavior/business metrics. Quantify results wherever possible.

  • Process Clarity: Walk through your design process step-by-step, explaining why you made certain decisions, especially regarding user research, testing, and iteration.

  • Design System Integration: If possible, demonstrate how you've worked with or contributed to design systems. Explain the benefits of using a system for consistency and efficiency.

  • Tailor to Loyalty: Emphasize any experience with loyalty programs, customer engagement, or e-commerce platforms. Showcase designs that drive retention and repeat engagement.

  • Visual Quality: Ensure your portfolio is visually polished, well-organized, and easy to navigate.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Understand the Context: If given a challenge, quickly grasp the business context and user needs. Think about Coles' brand and target audience.

  • Structured Approach: Outline your approach clearly before diving into design. Consider user research, ideation, sketching, wireframing, and prototyping.

  • Focus on Key Touchpoints: Identify the critical user interactions and design for those first, especially in a time-constrained exercise.

  • Justify Decisions: Be prepared to explain the rationale behind your design choices, linking them back to user needs and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview and portfolio review process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to translate design thinking into tangible, effective user experiences that drive business outcomes. For operations, this mirrors the need to demonstrate process efficiency and measurable results.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Design Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (XD, Photoshop, Illustrator). Figma is highly common for collaborative design.

  • Prototyping Tools: InVision, Figma, Adobe XD for creating interactive prototypes.

  • User Research & Testing Platforms: Tools like UserTesting.com, Maze, or internal platforms for gathering user feedback.

Analytics & Reporting:

  • Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to understand user behavior and inform design.

CRM & Automation:

  • While not a direct CRM role, understanding how design impacts customer data capture and CRM integration is beneficial. Experience with platforms like Salesforce, Adobe Experience Cloud, or similar customer data platforms can be advantageous.

  • Familiarity with agile project management tools like Jira or Confluence for collaboration with development teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong understanding of design tools is foundational. For operations professionals, recognizing how these design tools interface with broader operational systems (CRM, analytics, project management) provides valuable context.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Customer-Centricity: A core value that drives the design of all customer interactions, ensuring user needs are paramount.

  • Collaboration: Working effectively across teams to achieve shared goals and deliver integrated experiences.

  • Innovation: Continuously seeking new and better ways to serve customers and improve digital offerings.

  • Efficiency: Designing scalable solutions and contributing to design systems that streamline development and maintenance.

  • Data-Driven: Using insights from data and user feedback to inform design decisions and measure impact.

Collaboration Style:

  • The role emphasizes close collaboration with Senior Designers, Product Managers, and cross-functional teams, suggesting a team environment that values open communication, feedback exchange, and shared problem-solving.

  • Contribution to design systems implies a culture of standardization and knowledge sharing to ensure consistency and efficiency across projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on customer-centricity, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making aligns closely with the principles of effective revenue and sales operations, where understanding customer behavior and optimizing processes for efficiency are critical.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively designing solutions that satisfy both customer expectations and Coles' strategic objectives within a large enterprise.

  • Navigating a Large Organization: Working within a large, established company with existing processes, systems, and stakeholder groups can present challenges in driving change and adopting new design approaches.

  • Maintaining Consistency Across Touchpoints: Ensuring a unified and seamless customer experience across web, mobile app, email, and other digital channels.

  • Fixed-Term Contract Context: Adapting quickly and delivering high-impact results within a 6-month timeframe.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Industry Experience: Gaining valuable experience with a leading ASX-listed retail company and its extensive digital ecosystem.

  • Mentorship: Learning from Senior Designers and experienced Product Managers within the Digital team.

  • Skill Enhancement: Developing expertise in loyalty program design, customer engagement strategies, and large-scale digital product development.

  • Cross-Functional Exposure: Understanding the broader business operations and how design integrates with marketing, technology, and customer service functions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are common in large organizations and highlight the need for adaptability, strong communication, and a focus on delivering measurable value, all of which are core to operations roles.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "Describe your process for designing a new feature for a customer loyalty program. How do you ensure it meets user needs and business objectives?"

  • "Walk us through a challenging end-to-end customer journey you designed. What were the key pain points, how did you address them, and what was the outcome?"

  • "How do you approach collaborating with Product Managers and engineers to bring a design to life? Can you provide an example?"

Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What interests you about Coles Group and this specific role within our Digital team?"

  • "How do you stay updated on the latest trends in product design, particularly within the retail and loyalty sectors?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative, clearly outlining the problem, your journey, your specific contributions, and the impact.

  • Visual Aids: Use high-quality visuals (mockups, prototypes, user flows) to support your explanations.

  • Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, conversion rates, reduced churn, improved customer satisfaction).

  • Process Focus: Emphasize your thought process and problem-solving skills, not just the final visual output. Explain why you made certain decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing answers that highlight problem-solving, collaboration, and a data-driven approach will resonate well. For operations professionals, drawing parallels between design process optimization and operational process improvement can be a strong strategy.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the Coles Group careers portal, ensuring all required fields are completed accurately.

  • Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in end-to-end product design, UI/UX for digital platforms, customer journeys, and any work on loyalty or engagement programs. Use keywords from the job description.

  • Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your skills in user research, design process, UI execution, and measurable impact. Ensure it's easily accessible and visually appealing.

  • Prepare Your Walkthrough: Be ready to articulate your portfolio's content clearly and concisely, focusing on your role, process, and outcomes. Practice explaining your design decisions.

  • Research Coles Group: Understand their brand, digital presence, loyalty programs (Coles Plus, Flybuys), and recent initiatives to demonstrate genuine interest and alignment with their business.

⚠️ 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 must have proven experience as a Product Designer working across end-to-end customer journeys, demonstrating strong UI design capability with a sharp eye for detail and visual consistency. Essential requirements include experience working within and contributing to design systems and the ability to translate complex problems into intuitive, user-centric solutions in a fast-paced environment.