Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Aetion (a Datavant company)

Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: November 28, 2025

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (implies 7+ years as per description)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end design process for innovative healthcare data analytics products, from initial ideation through to final delivery.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Product Managers, Engineers, and Scientists to translate complex healthcare data needs into user-friendly and impactful solutions.

• Lead the strategic design of user flows, journey maps, and information architecture to solve complex problems and enhance user experiences within the Aetion Evidence Platform.

• Contribute to the growth and maturation of Aetion's design culture, fostering best practices and setting new standards for design excellence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is described as "Senior Product Designer" with a minimum requirement of 7 years of experience, aligning it with mid-to-senior career levels. The emphasis on a "hands-on designer role" and collaboration with a "multidisciplinary team" indicates a strong individual contributor focus, but with significant influence on product direction and design strategy. The mention of "building the design culture" suggests an opportunity to shape processes and methodologies.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead user-centered design initiatives, conducting stakeholder brainstorming and whiteboarding sessions to define product vision and scope.

• Develop and prototype comprehensive information architecture (IA) solutions, ensuring logical flow and intuitive navigation.

• Create detailed user flows, journey maps, and service blueprints to visualize user interactions and identify key pain points and opportunities.

• Design and iterate on user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) for complex data analytics applications, focusing on usability and desirability.

• Measure and analyze the impact of design decisions on user experience, from early-stage concepts to mature product iterations.

• Manage multiple design projects concurrently, ensuring timely delivery and high-quality outcomes across a range of applications and features.

• Collaborate with Engineering to build and maintain a robust component library, ensuring design consistency and efficient development.

• Champion user needs and advocate for design best practices throughout the product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: Responsibilities are framed around leading design initiatives and complex artifact creation (user flows, journey maps, IA). The requirement to "measure the impact of the user experience" highlights a data-driven approach to design, common in operations-adjacent roles where ROI and efficiency are key.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience specifically as a Product Designer.

• A proven track record of at least 2 years working within startup environments, demonstrating adaptability and self-starting capabilities.

• Extensive experience in user-centered design (UCD) methodologies and practice.

Required Skills:

• Interaction Design: Expertise in designing intuitive and effective user interactions.

• User Experience (UX) Design: Profound understanding of UX principles and best practices for complex applications.

• Visual Design: Strong aesthetic sensibility and ability to create visually appealing and consistent interfaces.

• Information Architecture (IA): Skill in organizing and structuring content and navigation systems.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: High proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Figma, Axure, or similar platforms for creating wireframes and interactive prototypes.

• User-Centered Design (UCD): Deep commitment to designing solutions based on user needs and behaviors.

• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Strong capability to analyze complex problems and develop effective design solutions.

• Communication Skills: Excellent written and oral communication abilities for articulating design concepts and collaborating with diverse teams.

• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity and experience working within Agile development frameworks and cross-functional teams.

• Portfolio: A compelling online or PDF portfolio showcasing design process, problem-solving approach, and impactful project outcomes.

Preferred Skills:

• Knowledge of the pharmaceutical, life sciences, or broader healthcare industry.

• Experience in creating high-fidelity mockups and UIs utilizing established design systems.

• Familiarity with user research techniques, including planning, execution, and analysis.

• Interest in or experience with component libraries and tools like Storybook for design system management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required experience level (7+ years, 2+ in startups) suggests a need for seasoned designers capable of independent work and strategic input. The emphasis on "user-centered design," "analytical skills," and "problem-solving" aligns with operations-minded thinking focused on efficiency and effectiveness. The portfolio requirement is critical for validating design process and impact.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design Process Documentation: Showcase a clear, step-by-step design process, including problem definition, user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration. Highlight how you approach and solve complex design challenges.

• Impact & Metrics: Present case studies that demonstrate the measurable impact of your designs. Include relevant metrics, user feedback, or business outcomes that showcase improvements in usability, efficiency, or user satisfaction.

• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Work: Illustrate your ability to collaborate effectively with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders, detailing your role and contributions within multidisciplinary teams.

• Tool Proficiency Showcase: Demonstrate your command of key design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Axure) through examples of complex wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Provide examples of how you've mapped out user flows, customer journeys, or service blueprints to understand and optimize user interactions.

• Information Architecture: Showcase your ability to structure information logically and create intuitive navigation systems for complex products.

• Design System Contribution: If applicable, detail experience in building, contributing to, or utilizing design systems and component libraries, emphasizing consistency and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is crucial for this role, requiring not just finished designs but a clear articulation of the process, problem-solving, and impact. The emphasis on user flows, journey maps, and IA aligns with understanding and optimizing operational processes from a user's perspective. Experience with design systems and component libraries points to a need for efficiency and scalability in design operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Generous Vacation: 25 days of paid vacation per year, offering excellent work-life balance.

• Daily In-Office Lunch Stipend: Provided to support employees working from the office.

• Fully Stocked Kitchen: Access to snacks and beverages in the office.

• Sabbatical Opportunity: Eligibility for a sabbatical after five years of employment, promoting long-term employee well-being.

• Professional Development: Commitment to ongoing learning with dedicated opportunities for skill enhancement and career growth.

• Comprehensive Private Health Coverage: Robust private health insurance with out-of-network reimbursement options.

• Peer & Company Recognition Programs: Formal programs to acknowledge and reward contributions.

• Monthly Educational Lunch & Learns: Regular sessions for knowledge sharing and continuous learning.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility typically offered within a standard European workday framework.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in Barcelona, considering the company's size and sector. The listed benefits are comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on work-life balance, professional growth, and employee well-being, which are attractive factors for experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / Data Analytics / Life Sciences. Aetion operates at the intersection of technology and healthcare, leveraging real-world evidence for medical research and pharmaceutical development. This context implies a need for precision, data integrity, and an understanding of complex regulatory and scientific environments.

Company Size: Aetion is a Datavant company, suggesting a larger corporate structure with potentially global reach and resources, but also a dynamic startup-like environment, especially with its R&D hub in Barcelona. The "Self-starter with 2+ years experience working in startups" requirement hints at a culture that values initiative and agility.

Founded: While the founding date isn't explicitly stated, Aetion is described as a "global leader" and has received multiple recent awards (2024), indicating a well-established presence with ongoing innovation and growth.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will be part of a multidisciplinary team, working closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Scientists. This structure emphasizes cross-functional collaboration and shared ownership.

• The role involves "helping build the design culture at Aetion," suggesting the design team may be growing or formalizing its processes, offering an opportunity to influence team dynamics and methodologies.

Methodology:

• The company utilizes the "Aetion Evidence Platform" to power its applications, indicating a sophisticated technology stack.

• Emphasis on "science-driven technology" and "real-world evidence" suggests a rigorous, data-informed approach to product development.

• The mention of "agile teams" points to iterative development cycles, rapid prototyping, and continuous feedback loops.

Company Website: https://aetion.com/ (Note: This is inferred from the company name and context).

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on healthcare data analytics implies a culture that values scientific rigor, data accuracy, and ethical considerations. The blend of "global leader" and "startup environment" suggests a fast-paced, innovative, yet structured workplace. The explicit mention of building design culture is a key indicator of the team's current stage of development.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as "Senior Product Designer," indicating a significant level of autonomy, expertise, and responsibility. It requires not only strong execution skills but also the ability to influence product strategy, mentor junior designers (potentially), and contribute to establishing design best practices and culture.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Head of Product Design, Director of Product, or a similar senior leadership role within the product development function. Collaboration will be extensive with Product Managers and Engineering leads.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's impact is crucial for translating complex healthcare data analytics into usable and valuable products. By ensuring user-centricity and design excellence, they directly influence product adoption, user satisfaction, scientific research outcomes, and ultimately, the company's ability to deliver on its mission of improving healthcare through real-world evidence. This role bridges the gap between technical capabilities and real-world user needs, a key component of effective GTM strategy and product-market fit.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer or Design Manager role as the design team expands, taking on more strategic oversight and team management responsibilities.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of UX, such as user research, design systems, or interaction design for complex data visualization.

• Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in the pharma, life sciences, and healthcare data analytics sectors, becoming an expert in a high-demand field.

• Cross-Functional Advancement: Potential to move into Product Management roles by leveraging a deep understanding of user needs, product strategy, and development processes.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers, contributing to their development and honing leadership skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title and the explicit mention of "building design culture" suggest significant growth potential beyond individual contribution, including leadership and strategic influence. The role's impact on product adoption and user satisfaction is directly tied to business objectives and revenue generation through product success.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The position is based in Barcelona, Spain, and is described as an "On-site" role. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork and innovation.

Office Location(s): The R&D Hub is located in Barcelona. Specific office address details would need to be confirmed, but it's positioned as a key European expansion point.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office setting is expected to facilitate direct interaction and whiteboarding sessions with multidisciplinary teams, crucial for the design process.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard design software (Figma, Axure) and potentially tools like Storybook for component libraries will be available. The company's focus on data analytics implies access to robust data and insights platforms.

• Team Interaction: Daily opportunities to engage with product managers, engineers, and scientists, fostering a dynamic and knowledge-rich work environment.

Work Schedule: While full-time, the company likely offers a degree of flexibility common in European tech companies, within standard working hours, to support work-life balance and efficient workflow management for design tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "on-site" requirement in Barcelona emphasizes a preference for in-person collaboration, which is vital for design thinking and team cohesion, especially within a growing R&D hub.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your application and portfolio for initial fit. Be prepared to articulate your design philosophy and key achievements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Expect to present a curated selection of your work, focusing on 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your problem-solving skills, design process, and impact. Be ready to deep-dive into your decision-making.

• Technical/Skills Assessment: This may involve a design challenge (e.g., a take-home assignment or a live whiteboarding session) to assess your approach to specific problems, your interaction design skills, and your ability to articulate solutions.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Scientists to evaluate your collaboration style, communication skills, and understanding of business/technical constraints.

• Final Interview: Likely with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product, VP of Engineering) to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process: Don't just show the final UI. Detail the problem, your research, ideation process, iterations, and how you measured success.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics, data, or user feedback that demonstrate the positive outcomes of your design work.

• Tailor to Aetion: Highlight projects that involve complex data, analytics, scientific applications, or B2B/enterprise software if possible. Show your understanding of their industry.

• Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure your portfolio is easy to navigate and that your explanations are clear and to the point. Use visuals effectively.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs you made, and how you handled challenges or feedback.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Aetion's business (healthcare data analytics, real-world evidence) and their products (Aetion Evidence Platform).

• Practice Problem Framing: Be ready to ask clarifying questions and define the scope of a design problem before jumping into solutions.

• Whiteboarding Skills: Practice sketching user flows, wireframes, and system diagrams clearly and quickly.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss the pros and cons of different design solutions and justify your recommendations based on user needs and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The process emphasizes a thorough evaluation of design skills, process, collaboration, and cultural fit. The portfolio presentation is a critical component, requiring candidates to demonstrate not just aesthetic talent but strategic thinking and measurable impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Likely the primary tool for UI design, wireframing, and prototyping due to its industry prevalence and collaborative features.

• Axure RP: May be used for more complex prototyping needs or legacy projects, given its mention in the requirements.

• Sketch: Potentially used if the team has a history with it, though Figma is increasingly dominant.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a direct design tool, familiarity with how data is collected and visualized is key. This might involve understanding tools used for:
  • User Analytics Platforms (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude) to understand user behavior within the product.

CRM & Automation:

Design System Tools:

• Storybook: Mentioned as a preferred skill, indicating potential use for managing and documenting UI components.

• Zeplin / Avocode: Potentially used for design handoff to engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is almost certainly a baseline requirement. Experience with design system tools like Storybook suggests a mature design operation focused on efficiency and scalability, which is a significant plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Innovation: A strong emphasis on using real-world evidence and data to inform product decisions and drive scientific advancements.

• User-Centricity: A commitment to understanding and serving the needs of users (scientists, medical professionals, researchers) within the healthcare ecosystem.

• Scientific Rigor: A culture that values accuracy, evidence-based approaches, and meticulous attention to detail, reflecting the nature of healthcare data.

• Collaboration & Cross-Functionality: Encouragement of open communication and teamwork across diverse disciplines (design, product, engineering, science).

• Impact & Purpose: A shared mission to improve healthcare outcomes and efficiency through technology.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Designers work closely within agile, multidisciplinary teams, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas are shared freely and feedback is actively sought.

• Transparent Communication: Open dialogue is encouraged, especially during brainstorming, whiteboarding, and design review sessions.

• Iterative Design: A culture that embraces feedback and continuous improvement, iterating on designs based on user input and performance data.

• Knowledge Sharing: Regular opportunities like lunch & learns promote the sharing of best practices, industry insights, and technical knowledge.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values likely reflect a blend of scientific integrity, technological innovation, and a strong sense of purpose in improving healthcare. The collaborative style is essential for translating complex domain knowledge into effective product solutions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Domain: Designing for healthcare data analytics involves understanding intricate scientific concepts, regulatory requirements, and specialized user needs, which can be a steep learning curve.

• Balancing User Needs with Technical Constraints: Effectively translating complex data and scientific insights into intuitive user experiences while working within engineering limitations and platform capabilities.

• Building Design Culture: As the company grows its R&D hub, establishing and scaling design processes, standards, and a cohesive team culture presents a significant, yet rewarding, challenge.

• Measuring Design Impact: Quantifying the value and impact of design in a scientific and data-heavy environment, requiring strong analytical and data interpretation skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Healthcare Analytics: Gain specialized knowledge in real-world evidence, clinical research, and healthcare data science.

• Design System Maturity: Contribute to or lead the evolution of a design system, enhancing scalability and efficiency across products.

• Leadership Skills: Develop strategic thinking, mentorship, and team-building capabilities through active participation in shaping the design function.

• Industry Exposure: Engage with cutting-edge technology and scientific advancements in the digital health and life sciences sectors.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Broaden understanding of product management, software engineering, and scientific research methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are tied to the specialized nature of the industry and the company's growth phase. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering paths for both individual specialization and leadership development within a critical sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a complex data set or a highly technical user group. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, user research, and ability to simplify complexity).

• "How do you measure the success of your designs? Can you provide an example of how you've used data or user feedback to iterate on a product?" (Emphasize your data-driven approach and iterative design philosophy).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Aetion's mission and the healthcare data analytics space?" (Research Aetion's products, values, and recent news. Show genuine interest in their mission).

• "How would you contribute to building a positive and effective design culture here?" (Reflect on your experience in team dynamics, mentorship, and process improvement).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each case study, follow a clear narrative: Problem -> Your Role -> Process (Research, Ideation, Design, Testing) -> Solution -> Impact (Metrics/Outcomes).

• Highlight Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss design decisions, including why you chose certain paths and what alternatives you considered (and why you didn't choose them).

• Visual Storytelling: Use clear visuals (wireframes, mockups, user flows) to illustrate your points. Annotate key elements to explain your thinking.

• Conciseness: Aim for approximately 15-20 minutes for your presentation, leaving ample time for Q&A.

• Engagement: Be enthusiastic, confident, and prepared to engage in a dialogue about your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on showcasing not just design skills but also strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and a strong understanding of user-centered design within a complex domain. The portfolio presentation is a key opportunity to demonstrate these qualities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Aetion careers portal or the provided Greenhouse link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and ability to deliver measurable results, especially in complex or data-intensive environments.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 7+ years of product design experience, including specific achievements related to user-centered design, interaction design, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design philosophy, your approach to complex problems, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience in startup environments and your readiness to contribute to a growing design culture.

• Research Aetion: Understand their mission, products (Aetion Evidence Platform), and the healthcare data analytics industry. Familiarize yourself with their recent awards and company values to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details, especially regarding salary ranges and specific interview processes, should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.