Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Open Government Products (OGP)

Location: Singapore, Singapore

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design (Government Technology)

Date Posted: March 09, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design experience for impactful public sector products, from initial vision to final execution.

• Drive user-centric innovation by deeply understanding the needs of citizens and public officers through direct engagement.

• Foster collaboration across diverse teams and stakeholders to align goals and influence decision-making for public good initiatives.

• Champion a rapid prototyping and "fail-fast" methodology to accelerate the discovery and delivery of user-centered solutions.

• Contribute to a mission-driven organization focused on improving societal well-being through technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is for a Senior Product Designer within a unique government-led product development unit that operates with a startup ethos. The focus is on public good rather than commercial ventures, requiring a strong sense of civic duty and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments. The "Hybrid" work arrangement implies a blend of remote work with in-office collaboration, common in modern tech teams.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct user research, including engaging with citizens and public officers, to uncover unmet needs and motivations.

• Define product vision, user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes for new and existing digital services.

• Facilitate design thinking workshops and brainstorming sessions to drive problem exploration and solution discovery.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers throughout the product development lifecycle to ensure design integrity and feasibility.

• Present and defend design rationale and decisions to internal teams, government agencies, and external stakeholders to secure buy-in.

• Champion best practices in user experience design, accessibility, and inclusive design principles.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of design processes, tools, and team collaboration methods.

• Mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design community within OGP.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "end-to-end experience" and "driving problem exploration, solution discovery, and delivery" indicates a high degree of autonomy and strategic input expected from this Senior Designer role, moving beyond just visual design to encompass product strategy and user research leadership.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating proficiency in product design principles and user experience is paramount. Relevant fields of study may include Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or related disciplines.

Experience: 5-10 years of professional experience in product design, UX/UI design, or a similar role, with a proven track record of shipping successful digital products.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in end-to-end product design, from conceptualization to launch and iteration.

• Strong design sense and excellent judgment, capable of producing thoughtful and well-justified design work.

• Fluency with modern design and prototyping tools, specifically Figma and potentially Cursor.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively across different disciplines and influence stakeholders, including policymakers.

• Demonstrated initiative, proactivity, and the ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity.

• A genuine passion for and commitment to the public good and serving citizens.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working in the public sector or with government agencies.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration.

• Experience with user research methodologies and translating insights into design solutions.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards and best practices.

• Experience in mentoring or leading design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific mention of Figma and Cursor highlights the essential toolset. The emphasis on "ability, initiative, good communication, and an interest in public good" from the "We look for people who" section underscores the core values and behavioral expectations for this role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A robust portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5-7 significant product design projects, demonstrating the full product design lifecycle.

• Each project case study should clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and contributions, the design process undertaken, key decisions made, and the impact of the solution.

• Evidence of user research, ideation, prototyping, and user testing should be clearly presented.

• Demonstrations of problem-solving skills and how design decisions addressed specific user needs or business objectives.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail the application of design thinking principles and rapid prototyping methodologies.

• Examples of how the "fail-fast" approach was utilized to iterate on designs and gather feedback.

• Documentation of how cross-functional collaboration was managed to align design with technical and product goals.

• Evidence of how design decisions were defended and buy-in was secured from stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is critical for this role, serving as the primary evidence of design capability, problem-solving skills, and impact. Candidates must be prepared to walk through their process and justify their design choices with clear, data-informed reasoning.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior Product Designer with 5-10 years of experience in Singapore, a competitive annual salary range is estimated between SGD 80,000 to SGD 120,000. This range accounts for the specialized nature of government tech, the seniority of the role, and the cost of living in Singapore.

Benefits:

• Flexible work arrangements, including remote and hybrid options.

• Opportunity to work on highly impactful projects that directly benefit society.

• Continuous learning opportunities, including dedicated learning months and hackathons.

• Ownership and autonomy in product development.

• Collaborative and supportive team environment with a flat hierarchy.

• Contribution to open-source projects and government technology innovation.

• Potential for professional growth and leadership within a unique public sector organization.

Working Hours: A standard full-time work week is approximately 40 hours, with flexibility in scheduling to accommodate hybrid work arrangements and individual productivity needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is an estimate based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in Singapore and the specialized nature of government technology. Specific compensation will depend on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and the final negotiation. The emphasis on flexibility, learning, and mission-driven work are key non-monetary benefits.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Government Technology / Public Sector Innovation / Software Development. OGP operates at the intersection of government services and technology, aiming to modernize public services through digital solutions.

Company Size: Small to Medium-sized (implied by "startup within the government" and team structure of ~5-7 people per product team). This allows for agility and direct impact.

Founded: Open Government Products was established to bring agile, tech-startup-like practices into the Singapore government. The exact founding date is not specified, but its mission is to drive innovation within the public sector.

Team Structure:

• Product teams are typically small and cross-functional, comprising 1 Product Manager, 1 Designer, and 2-4 Engineers.

• OGP operates with an open-sourced and flat hierarchy, encouraging direct contribution and collaboration across roles.

Methodology:

• Prioritizes rapid prototyping and a "fail-fast" approach to test ideas quickly and iterate based on user feedback.

• Embraces open-source principles in development and collaboration.

• Focuses on user-centric design, with a strong emphasis on understanding and addressing the needs of citizens and public officers.

• Encourages autonomy and ownership among team members to drive innovation from the ground up.

Company Website: https://www.open.gov.sg/

📝 Enhancement Note: The "startup within the government" analogy is key to understanding OGP's culture – it blends public service mission with agile, iterative development practices, cutting through traditional bureaucracy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as Senior Product Designer, indicating a mid-to-senior level position requiring significant experience and the ability to work autonomously. It's a critical role within small, dedicated product teams, with ownership of the entire design lifecycle for a given product.

Reporting Structure: While OGP has a flat hierarchy, Senior Product Designers would likely report to a Design Lead, Head of Product, or a similar senior leadership role within the organization. They will also collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on their respective product teams.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's work directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of public services, improving the lives of citizens and public officers. Their designs can lead to significant societal improvements, such as streamlining access to essential services, enhancing public data utilization, or simplifying bureaucratic processes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Potential to lead design initiatives, mentor junior designers, and influence design strategy within OGP.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like user research, interaction design, design systems, or accessibility.

• Cross-Project Exposure: Opportunity to work on a diverse range of public sector problems, from healthcare and education to transportation and civic engagement.

• Contribution to Public Policy: Influence how government services are designed and delivered, impacting national-level initiatives.

• Open Source Contribution: Contribute to publicly available design systems and tools, enhancing the broader tech community.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies not just execution but also strategic contribution and potential mentorship, fitting the "startup" ethos of self-driven growth and impact.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: OGP operates with a hybrid work model, suggesting a mix of remote work and in-office collaboration. The office environment likely fosters an open and collaborative atmosphere conducive to brainstorming and team synergy.

Office Location(s): Singapore. Specific office details are not provided, but it's implied that physical presence may be required for key collaboration sessions, team meetings, and workshops.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The environment likely includes open workspaces, meeting rooms, and areas designed for team collaboration and design sprints.

• Technology Access: Access to modern design tools (Figma, Cursor), collaboration platforms, and potentially government-specific IT infrastructure.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with product managers, engineers, and fellow designers, fostering a strong sense of community and shared purpose.

Work Schedule: The ~40-hour work week is flexible, accommodating the hybrid model. This allows designers to balance focused remote work with essential in-office collaboration, ensuring productivity while maintaining work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and emphasis on collaboration suggest a need for strong remote communication skills alongside the ability to engage effectively in person during designated team days or project milestones.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of application, resume, and portfolio to assess foundational skills and experience.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A key stage where candidates present 1-3 case studies from their portfolio, discussing their process, decisions, and impact. This often involves a deep dive into their problem-solving approach.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: Candidates may be given a practical design problem to solve, either as a take-home assignment or an in-interview exercise, to assess their design thinking and execution under pressure.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Conversations with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers or stakeholders to evaluate collaboration skills, communication, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership to assess strategic alignment, long-term potential, and commitment to OGP's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative: problem, your approach, solutions, and outcomes. Highlight your unique contributions.

• Process Over Polish: While polished visuals are good, OGP values the process – show your iterations, research insights, and how you navigated challenges.

• Impact Metrics: Quantify impact where possible (e.g., increased user engagement, reduced task completion time, improved citizen satisfaction).

• Tool Fluency: Be prepared to discuss your proficiency with Figma and any other relevant tools.

• Public Good Connection: Articulate how your past work, or your interest, aligns with serving the public good.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand OGP's mission and recent projects to contextualize any design challenge.

• Practice articulating design decisions clearly and concisely, especially under time constraints.

• Be ready to ask clarifying questions to ensure you fully understand the problem before diving into solutions.

• Focus on user needs and feasibility within a realistic (even if hypothetical) public sector context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is central. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just aesthetic skills but significant strategic thinking, user empathy, and the ability to translate complex problems into user-centered solutions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary tool for wireframing, prototyping, and UI design. Proficiency is essential.

• Cursor: Mentioned as a tool some designers use; likely an IDE or AI-assisted design tool. Familiarity or willingness to learn is beneficial.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, experience with other prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, Principle) can be advantageous.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant for the designer role, but an understanding of how design integrates with broader product and engineering workflows is beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma proficiency is a hard requirement. Experience with Cursor is a bonus but implies a willingness to adopt newer, potentially AI-driven tools.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Public Good: A core value; a genuine commitment to serving citizens and improving society through technology.

• Ownership & Autonomy: Empowering individuals to take full responsibility for their work and drive initiatives independently.

• Rapid Prototyping & Fail-Fast: Embracing experimentation, learning quickly from mistakes, and iterating rapidly.

• Collaboration: Working effectively across disciplines (design, product, engineering) and with diverse stakeholders.

• User-Centricity: Placing the needs and experiences of citizens and public officers at the forefront of all design decisions.

• Openness: A commitment to open-source principles and transparent collaboration.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers work closely with Product Managers and Engineers, acting as key collaborators in product teams.

• Iterative Feedback: A culture of continuous feedback and open discussion to refine designs and solutions.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of insights, best practices, and learnings across the team and organization.

• Direct Communication: Given the flat hierarchy, direct and open communication is encouraged to resolve issues and drive progress efficiently.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a blend of public service dedication with agile, startup-like execution, requiring individuals who are both mission-driven and highly proactive.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Bureaucracy & Stakeholder Management: While OGP operates like a startup, it's within a government context, which can involve engaging with diverse, sometimes slow-moving, stakeholder groups and policies.

• Balancing User Needs with Public Constraints: Designing solutions that are both user-friendly and compliant with government regulations, security protocols, and public service mandates.

• Measuring Impact in the Public Sector: Defining and tracking success metrics for public good initiatives can be more complex than in commercial settings.

• Adopting New Technologies: Staying ahead of the curve and integrating emerging technologies into public services while ensuring accessibility and broad adoption.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Exposure to Diverse Public Problems: Working on a wide array of challenges across different sectors (healthcare, transport, education, etc.).

• Skill Enhancement: Opportunities to refine expertise in user research, interaction design, design systems, and potentially new areas like AI-assisted design.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing leadership skills by mentoring junior team members and potentially leading design efforts on significant projects.

• Industry Engagement: Participating in hackathons and potentially conferences related to government technology and civic innovation.

• Contribution to Open Source: Building and contributing to open-source design tools and systems that benefit the broader community.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the unique context of working in government tech, requiring adaptability and a strong problem-solving mindset. Growth opportunities are tied to the breadth of public service impact and the innovative nature of OGP.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to defend a design decision to a difficult stakeholder. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on communication, rationale, and negotiation skills).

• "Imagine we need to design a new system for [e.g., citizen feedback submission]. Walk us through your initial steps for problem exploration and solution discovery." (Assess design process, user-centricity, and structured thinking).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What motivates you to work in the public sector or on projects with a public good focus?" (Assess alignment with OGP's mission).

• "How do you approach collaboration within a cross-functional team (PM, Eng)?" (Evaluate teamwork and communication style).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Choose Impactful Projects: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and impact.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your specific role, the challenges, your design process (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), key decisions, the final solution, and measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Collaboration: Show how you worked with PMs and Engineers.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, trade-offs, and alternative solutions you considered.

• Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: Be prepared to share screens and show interactive prototypes if requested.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate their design philosophy, demonstrate a user-centric approach, and showcase their ability to translate complex problems into elegant, impactful solutions within a public sector context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 strong case studies that demonstrate your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and impact, with a focus on clarity and storytelling. Tailor your portfolio to highlight experiences relevant to user-centric innovation and public service.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to highlight your 5-10 years of relevant experience, key skills (Figma, user research, cross-functional collaboration), and quantifiable achievements in product design. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design decisions, process, and impact. Prepare to discuss your motivation for working in the public sector and your approach to collaboration. Rehearse presenting your portfolio case studies.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Open Government Products' mission, values, and existing projects. Understand their unique approach to government technology and public good initiatives.

⚠️ 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.

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