Senior Product Designer

Brandwatch
Full_time

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer
Company: Brandwatch (part of Cision)
Location: Remote - Bulgaria
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Product Design / UX/UI
Date Posted: December 11, 2025
Experience Level: 2-5 Years
Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

  • Drive the end-to-end product design process for innovative SaaS solutions, focusing on user advocacy and delivering delightful customer experiences.
  • Collaborate intimately within a cross-functional product trio (Product Manager, Engineers) to conceptualize, design, and iterate on features for the Social Media Management solution.
  • Engage directly with customers through regular interaction to gather requirements, conduct user research, and translate insights into tangible design opportunities.
  • Translate complex user needs and business requirements into modern, accessible, and intuitive product interfaces and workflows.
  • Contribute to and leverage established design systems and pattern libraries to ensure consistency and efficiency across the product suite.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is specifically focused on product design within a SaaS environment, emphasizing user-centricity and close collaboration within a product team. The mention of "Social Media Management solution" and "Product Trio" indicates a structured, agile product development approach.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Lead the design process from discovery and ideation through to detailed UI design and handover to development for new product features and enhancements within the Social Media Management solution.
  • Plan and execute generative and evaluative user research, including user interviews, usability testing, and surveys, to inform design decisions and validate concepts.
  • Develop wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs that effectively communicate design intent and user flows.
  • Create and maintain design documentation, including user flows, journey maps, and specifications, ensuring clear communication of design solutions to stakeholders and development teams.
  • Champion best practices in user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, ensuring designs are modern, accessible, and aligned with established design principles and brand guidelines.
  • Collaborate with Product Managers to refine product roadmaps and feature definitions based on user feedback and market opportunities.
  • Work closely with engineers to ensure accurate implementation of designs, providing support and clarification throughout the development cycle.
  • Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the company's design system, ensuring its scalability and adoption across product teams.
  • Effectively communicate design rationale and outcomes to a diverse audience, including product teams, leadership, and customers.
  • Proactively identify opportunities for design improvements and innovation to enhance user satisfaction and business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: These responsibilities are derived from the typical duties of a Senior Product Designer within a SaaS company, emphasizing user research, cross-functional collaboration, and the full design lifecycle. The focus on "Social Media Management solution" implies a need for domain understanding.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for roles of this caliber, demonstrating a foundational understanding of design principles and methodologies.

Experience: A minimum of 2 years of aggregated commercial experience working as a Product Designer on digital products, specifically web applications and SaaS platforms.

Required Skills:

  • User-Centric Design: Deep understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies, with a strong ability to advocate for the user.
  • Design Process Mastery: Proven ability to translate complex requirements into elegant, intuitive, and accessible product experiences, demonstrating a clear process from outcome to output.
  • User Research Proficiency: Experience planning and conducting both generative (e.g., user interviews, ethnographic studies) and evaluative (e.g., usability testing, heuristic evaluations) user research.
  • Visual Design Excellence: Strong visual design skills with a keen eye for aesthetics, layout, typography, and color, understanding what constitutes high-quality visual design.
  • Design Systems & Pattern Libraries: Experience working with, contributing to, or establishing design systems and pattern libraries to ensure consistency and efficiency.
  • Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in creating wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups using industry-standard design tools.
  • Communication & Documentation: Excellent skills in documenting and communicating design work, rationale, and findings effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team, particularly with Product Managers and Developers, fostering a collaborative environment.
  • Asynchronous Work Skills: Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a distributed team environment, managing time and communication asynchronously.

Preferred Skills:

  • Data Visualization: A passion for and experience in designing effective data visualizations and information dashboards.
  • Information Architecture: Strong understanding of information architecture principles for organizing complex data and content.
  • Mobile Design Experience: Prior experience designing for mobile contexts or responsive web applications.
  • SaaS Product Expertise: Specific experience designing for complex B2B SaaS platforms.
  • Agile/Scrum Methodologies: Familiarity with agile development processes and working within sprint cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "at least 2 years aggregated commercial experience" suggests this is not an entry-level role, and candidates should highlight projects that demonstrate maturity in their design thinking and execution. The explicit mention of presenting a portfolio is critical.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory and will be reviewed during the interview process.
  • It must demonstrate a clear design process, showcasing how you translate problems and outcomes into tangible design outputs.
  • Showcase a range of projects, ideally including B2B SaaS products, highlighting your problem-solving skills and design thinking.
  • Include examples of user research conducted and how those insights directly influenced your design decisions.
  • Highlight your ability to work with or contribute to design systems and pattern libraries.

Process Documentation:

  • Demonstrate experience in documenting user flows, journey maps, and interaction specifications.
  • Provide examples of how you communicate design decisions and rationale to engineering and product teams.
  • Show evidence of how you have translated complex requirements into user-friendly designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "translating outcomes into outputs" and "process of translating outcomes into outputs" indicates a need for candidates to articulate their design methodology and decision-making process, not just present final designs.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Senior Product Designer with 2-5 years of experience in a fully remote role within the European market, particularly in regions with a strong tech presence like Bulgaria, the estimated annual salary range is €45,000 - €70,000. This range can vary based on specific experience, the candidate's portfolio, and negotiation.

Benefits:

  • Remote Work Flexibility: Fully remote position, allowing for work from anywhere within Bulgaria.
  • Comprehensive Health Coverage: Access to health insurance plans (details to be confirmed).
  • Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, skill enhancement, and potential participation in industry conferences or training.
  • Competitive Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, public holidays, and sick leave.
  • Modern Tech Stack: Access to industry-leading design and collaboration tools.
  • Global Team Environment: Opportunity to collaborate with a diverse, international team.
  • Employee Assistance Program: Support services for personal and professional well-being.

Working Hours: The role requires flexibility to accommodate asynchronous work across different time zones, typical of a distributed team. While a standard 40-hour work week is expected, the exact schedule may offer some flexibility, provided core collaboration hours and team needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on typical compensation for Senior Product Designers in remote European roles, considering Bulgaria's cost of living and tech market. Specific benefits and exact salary will be confirmed by the employer.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cision is a global leader in PR, marketing, and social media management technology and intelligence. Brandwatch, as part of Cision, focuses on social media listening, consumer intelligence, and marketing solutions. This industry is characterized by rapid technological advancement, data-driven insights, and a focus on helping brands understand and engage with their audiences.

Company Size: Cision is a large global organization, with Brandwatch operating as a significant part of it. This implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for impact within a specialized product team. Larger organizations often provide more resources for professional development and access to a wider range of projects.

Founded: Cision was founded in 1994, and Brandwatch was founded in 2007. This history suggests a company with established market presence and a track record of innovation, which has evolved through acquisitions and organic growth to offer comprehensive solutions in the communications and marketing technology space.

Team Structure:

  • The Senior Product Designer will join one of the product teams focused on the Social Media Management solution.
  • This team operates as a "product trio," consisting of a Product Manager, dedicated engineers, and the Product Designer. This structure emphasizes tight collaboration and shared ownership.
  • The design team likely has a lead or manager, with opportunities for peer mentorship and collaboration across different product areas.

Methodology:

  • Agile Product Development: The "product trio" model suggests an agile or lean approach to product development, with iterative cycles of design, development, and feedback.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Given Cision's and Brandwatch's focus on intelligence and analytics, design decisions are expected to be informed by data, user research, and performance metrics.
  • Customer-Centricity: A core tenet is direct customer engagement, ensuring that product development is aligned with real-world user needs and pain points.

Company Website:

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to "empower every individual to make an impact" and Cision's commitment to diversity and inclusion suggest a culture that values individual contributions and a supportive work environment. The emphasis on "authentic connections" and "meaningful contributions" points towards a purpose-driven organization.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Senior Product Designer," indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires a solid foundation of experience (2-5 years) and the ability to work independently within a team, take ownership of design projects, and mentor junior designers if applicable. The responsibilities involve not just execution but also strategic input into product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Head of Product Design, or a Product Director within the Social Media Management solution area. They will work closely with their product trio (Product Manager and Engineers) on a day-to-day basis.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's impact is directly tied to the usability, desirability, and effectiveness of the SaaS products. By creating intuitive and delightful user experiences, they directly influence customer adoption, retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue growth. Their work bridges the gap between user needs and business objectives, ensuring the product is both valuable and viable.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as data visualization, complex information architecture, or advanced user research techniques.
  • Leadership Potential: As a Senior Designer, there's a clear path towards Lead Product Designer roles, team leadership, or management positions, overseeing design strategy and teams.
  • Cross-Product Exposure: Potential to contribute to other product areas within Brandwatch/Cision, broadening industry and domain knowledge.
  • Continuous Learning: Access to training, conferences, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions to stay abreast of the latest design trends and technologies.
  • Strategic Influence: Greater involvement in product strategy, roadmap planning, and influencing the overall product vision based on user insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies a level of autonomy and responsibility beyond junior roles, expecting candidates to drive initiatives and contribute strategically.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position, meaning there is no central office to commute to. The work environment is digital and distributed, relying on online collaboration tools.

Office Location(s): Remote work is based within Bulgaria ("Remote - Bulgaria"). This means candidates must be legally resident and authorized to work in Bulgaria.

Workspace Context:

  • Digital Collaboration Hub: The primary workspace is digital, utilizing platforms like Slack, Zoom, Jira, Confluence, and specialized design collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Miro).
  • Flexible Home Office: Employees are expected to maintain a suitable home office setup that allows for productive work and participation in video calls.
  • Cross-Functional Interaction: Despite being remote, there's a strong emphasis on frequent interaction within the product trio and with other stakeholders through virtual meetings and communication channels.
  • Design Tool Accessibility: Access to and proficiency with essential design software (Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite) is a given.

Work Schedule: The role requires flexibility to accommodate asynchronous work across different time zones, typical for a global, remote team. While a standard 40-hour work week is expected, the daily schedule may offer some flexibility, provided core collaboration hours and team needs are met. This is crucial for effective communication and collaboration with team members who may be in different regions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote - Bulgaria" designation is specific and requires candidates to be based there. The emphasis on asynchronous work skills is critical for success in this distributed team environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role.
  • Portfolio Presentation: A key stage will involve presenting your portfolio to the hiring team. This is an opportunity to showcase your design process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your work. Be prepared to discuss specific projects in detail.
  • Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a take-home design exercise or work through a live case study during an interview. This will assess your practical design skills, problem-solving approach, and ability to articulate your reasoning.
  • Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and cultural fit.
  • Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit for the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Show, Don't Just Tell: Focus on demonstrating your process – from initial problem definition and user research to ideation, iteration, and final solution.
  • Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics or tangible results that illustrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction scores, reduced task completion times).
  • Tailor to the Role: Highlight projects that are most relevant to SaaS products, B2B applications, and ideally, areas like social media management or data-driven platforms.
  • Explain Your "Why": Be ready to articulate the rationale behind your design decisions, especially the trade-offs you made and why.
  • Visual Clarity & Storytelling: Ensure your portfolio is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and tells a compelling story for each project.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Understand the Context: If given a case study, first focus on understanding the business problem, target users, and any constraints provided.
  • Structure Your Approach: Outline your plan for tackling the challenge, including research, ideation, and design steps.
  • Communicate Clearly: Articulate your thought process verbally and visually. For a take-home, ensure your documentation is clear and comprehensive.
  • Focus on User Needs: Always ground your solutions in user needs and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio presentation is explicitly mentioned as a critical component, suggesting candidates should dedicate significant time to curating and preparing their presentation.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).
  • Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural, Confluence, Jira.
  • User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Hotjar, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms.

Analytics & Reporting:

  • While direct design work, familiarity with analytics platforms like Google Analytics, Amplitude, or internal BI tools used for tracking user behavior and product performance would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

  • Not directly within the designer's core toolset, but understanding how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms function can provide context for user journeys and data integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is almost a given for modern SaaS design roles. Experience with collaboration tools like Miro is also crucial for remote teamwork.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • User Advocacy: A fundamental value, ensuring that user needs and experience are at the forefront of all design decisions.
  • Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working effectively within cross-functional teams, fostering open communication and shared ownership.
  • Data-Driven Innovation: Utilizing data and insights to inform design choices and drive continuous improvement and innovation.
  • Excellence & Craftsmanship: A commitment to high-quality design execution, attention to detail, and delivering polished, impactful user experiences.
  • Curiosity & Learning: Encouraging a culture of continuous learning, exploration, and staying updated with design trends and technologies.

Collaboration Style:

  • Product Trio Alignment: The core collaboration unit is the Product Trio (PM, Engineer, Designer), working closely on a daily basis.
  • Asynchronous Communication: With a remote, global team, effective asynchronous communication (clear documentation, concise messages) is paramount.
  • Constructive Feedback: An environment where constructive feedback is encouraged and valued as a means of improving designs and processes.
  • Cross-Functional Partnership: Building strong working relationships with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and Marketers to ensure holistic product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values of "empowering every individual to make an impact," "curiosity, collaboration, and innovation," and "authentic connections" are likely to be reflected in the team's operational culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively navigating the complexities of meeting diverse user needs while aligning with business objectives and technical constraints.
  • Designing for Scale: Creating scalable and maintainable design solutions within a growing SaaS product ecosystem.
  • Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Ensuring seamless collaboration, communication, and alignment across distributed team members.
  • Keeping Pace with Technology: Continuously adapting design approaches to new technologies, user behaviors, and industry trends in the fast-evolving MarTech/PRTech space.
  • Translating Complex Data: Designing intuitive interfaces for potentially complex data and social media management functionalities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Advanced Design Techniques: Access to training in specialized areas like advanced interaction design, data visualization, or UX strategy.
  • Industry Exposure: Opportunities to attend relevant industry conferences (e.g., UX, SaaS, MarTech) and gain new perspectives.
  • Mentorship Programs: Potential for mentorship from senior designers or design leaders within Brandwatch/Cision.
  • Cross-Functional Skill Development: Gaining a deeper understanding of product management, engineering principles, and marketing strategies through close collaboration.
  • Contribution to Design System: Opportunity to significantly influence and grow the company's design system, a valuable skill for future roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed to encourage candidates to think about how they would approach and overcome typical complexities in a senior product design role within a dynamic tech company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "Describe your process for tackling a complex design problem from inception to launch. Walk us through a specific example from your portfolio." (Focus on research, ideation, iteration, and outcome.)
  • "How do you balance user needs with business requirements and technical constraints when designing a new feature for a SaaS product?" (Demonstrate strategic thinking and trade-off analysis.)
  • "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive? What are your go-to methods for testing accessibility?" (Highlight user advocacy and best practices.)
  • "Imagine you're designing a new dashboard for social media analytics. What key information would you prioritize, and how would you visualize it effectively?" (Assess data visualization and information architecture skills.)

Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What excites you about Brandwatch/Cision and our mission in the PR, marketing, and social media intelligence space?" (Show genuine interest and research.)
  • "How do you approach asynchronous collaboration with a distributed team? What tools and strategies do you find most effective?" (Address remote work skills.)
  • "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders or team members to adopt your design recommendations. How did you approach it?" (Evaluate communication and persuasion skills.)
  • "What does 'user advocacy' mean to you in the context of designing B2B SaaS products?" (Connect personal values to company mission.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Structure is Key: Begin with an overview of the project, the problem it solved, and your role.
  • Detail Your Process: For each project, clearly articulate your steps: research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, testing, and final design. Explain why you made certain choices.
  • Highlight Impact: Quantify results whenever possible. If direct metrics aren't available, discuss the intended impact and how you measured success.
  • Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design decisions, challenges encountered, and alternative solutions you considered.
  • Showcase Collaboration: Mention how you worked with PMs, engineers, and other stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples and practicing articulating your design process is crucial, as the portfolio review is a significant part of the evaluation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the provided link on the Brandwatch/Cision careers portal.
  • Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your SaaS design experience, user research capabilities, and design process. Ensure it's easily navigable and highlights your impact.
  • Tailor Your Resume: Emphasize keywords from the job description, such as "Product Designer," "SaaS," "User Research," "Design Systems," "Cross-Functional Team," and "Communication Skills." Quantify your achievements where possible.
  • Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your selected projects, focusing on your process, rationale, and outcomes. Be ready to answer in-depth questions.
  • Research Brandwatch & Cision: Understand their products, market position, company values, and recent news to demonstrate your interest and fit.

⚠️ 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 at least 2 years of commercial experience as a Product Designer and present a portfolio showcasing their design process. Strong visual design skills and the ability to conduct user research are essential for this role.