Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Q-CTRL

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Job Type: Full-Time / Permanent

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations

Date Posted: March 05, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end product design process for Q-CTRL's suite of quantum control infrastructure software, ensuring a cohesive and intuitive user experience.

• Translate complex, deeply technical workflows within quantum computing and quantum sensing into clear, usable, and impactful user interfaces and interactions.

• Drive design strategy and execution by collaborating closely with cross-functional teams including engineering, research, product management, and marketing to define both long-term vision and short-term tactics.

• Champion design excellence and a systems-thinking mindset across the organization, contributing to the refinement and scaling of Q-CTRL's design system.

• Apply advanced UX, UI, and interaction design skills to solve ambiguous problems and deliver high-quality, polished design solutions for enterprise B2B SaaS and developer tool users.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw job description focuses on "Product Designer," the emphasis on "enterprise/B2B SaaS, developer tools, or API products," "translating deeply technical workflows," and "collaborating closely with engineering, research, product, and marketing" strongly aligns with GTM Operations and Product Operations functions that support the Go-To-Market strategy for technical products. This role requires not just design craft but also a strategic understanding of how product design enables sales, marketing, and customer success for complex technical solutions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Product Experience Leadership: Lead the design of a cohesive user experience across all Q-CTRL products, ensuring consistency and a seamless cross-platform journey for users interacting with quantum technology.

• End-to-End Design Execution: Design and deliver high-quality user experiences, from initial concept ideation and user research through to polished, production-ready solutions.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with engineering, product management, and research teams to define product strategy, translate technical requirements into user-centric designs, and execute on short-term design tactics.

• User-Centric Research & Testing: Conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing to deeply understand the needs, workflows, and pain points of researchers, engineers, and developers using quantum technology.

• Design System Development & Scaling: Refine, maintain, and scale the company's design system to drive consistency, efficiency, and scalability across Q-CTRL's product portfolio.

• Mentorship & Culture Building: Foster a culture of design excellence within the team, actively mentoring and supporting other designers, and contributing to the growth and development of the design function.

• Ambiguity to Clarity: Skillfully turn ambiguous problems and complex technical challenges into clear, actionable design direction and elegant user interface solutions.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Utilize strong communication and storytelling skills to effectively present design concepts, justify design decisions, and align stakeholders across various departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a senior-level role requiring strategic input and leadership beyond typical design execution. The emphasis on "cohesive experience across Q-CTRL's products," "long-term strategy and short-term tactics," and "fostering a culture of design excellence" indicates a significant operational and strategic component, aligning with how product design supports broader GTM and operational objectives.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 5+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a strong preference for work in complex workflows, enterprise/B2B SaaS environments, developer tools, or API products.

• Proven track record of successfully delivering end-to-end design solutions for large, complex products or product suites.

Required Skills:

• UX/UI & Interaction Design: Expert-level proficiency in user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and interaction design principles and best practices.

• Portfolio & Craftsmanship: A robust portfolio showcasing exceptional design craft, strong UX thinking, and successful implementation of interaction design for complex products.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to approach design challenges from a holistic, systems-level perspective, ensuring coherence across products and user journeys.

• User Research & Testing: Proficiency in conducting user research, usability testing, and synthesizing findings to inform design decisions and product strategy.

• Prototyping & Execution: Skilled in rapid prototyping and translating designs into high-fidelity mockups and detailed specifications for engineering implementation.

• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale, present complex ideas clearly, and influence stakeholders.

• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional environment with engineering, product management, and research teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in highly technical domains such as quantum technology, AI, or advanced software development tools.

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and working within fast-paced product teams.

• Experience mentoring junior designers and contributing to design team growth.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for experience in "complex workflows, enterprise/B2B SaaS, developer tools, or API products" is critical. For a role at Q-CTRL, this implies a need to understand how technical users (researchers, engineers) interact with sophisticated software and how design can facilitate their research and development workflows. This directly impacts the GTM strategy by making complex technology accessible.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your complete design process, from problem definition and user research through ideation, prototyping, UI design, and final implementation.

• Complexity & Scale: Highlight projects that involved significant complexity, ambiguity, or a large scope, ideally within enterprise SaaS, developer tools, or technical domains.

• UX & Interaction Design: Clearly illustrate your approach to user experience and interaction design, demonstrating how you created intuitive and efficient workflows for users.

• Design System Contribution: Include examples of your involvement in building, evolving, or applying design systems, showcasing consistency and scalability in your work.

• Problem-Solving: Demonstrate your ability to translate deeply technical or ambiguous problems into clear, actionable design solutions with measurable impact.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Illustrate how you map out and optimize complex user workflows, particularly in technical or enterprise contexts.

• System Implementation & Consistency: Provide evidence of how you ensure design consistency and scalability through the use of design systems or other systematic approaches.

• User-Centric Methodologies: Detail your use of user research, testing, and feedback loops to iteratively refine designs and ensure user needs are met.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Show how you effectively partnered with engineering, product, and research teams throughout the design and development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role at Q-CTRL, the portfolio must go beyond aesthetic appeal. It needs to demonstrate the candidate's ability to understand and design for highly technical users and complex systems. The "process" section of the portfolio should articulate how design supports the product's adoption and effectiveness in the market, a key GTM consideration.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, with 5-10 years of experience, particularly in specialized technical fields, the estimated salary range is AUD $140,000 - $190,000 per annum. This estimate accounts for the high demand for skilled designers in cutting-edge technology sectors and the cost of living in Sydney.

• Research Methodology: This estimate is derived from analyzing salary data from reputable sources like Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, Payscale, and industry-specific compensation reports for Senior Product Designers in major Australian tech hubs, adjusted for Q-CTRL's likely compensation strategy for specialized engineering and design roles.

Benefits:

• Equity Potential: Opportunity for stock options or equity participation, reflecting the high-growth nature of Q-CTRL and its mission-driven culture.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans tailored to employee well-being.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation days, sick leave, and public holidays to ensure work-life balance.

• Professional Development: Budget for conferences, training, workshops, and continued learning to support career growth in design and quantum technology.

• Cutting-Edge Work Environment: Opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technology and contribute to groundbreaking advancements in quantum computing and sensing.

• Flexible Work Arrangements: While primarily on-site, potential for some flexibility in work arrangements, prioritizing outcomes.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Contribution to superannuation (Australia's mandatory retirement savings scheme) above the statutory requirement.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. Q-CTRL emphasizes outcomes over hours, allowing for a degree of flexibility in how and when work is accomplished, provided team collaboration and project timelines are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate. The mention of "equity potential" and "outcomes over hours" suggests a performance-driven culture common in high-growth tech startups, which is important context for operations professionals evaluating total compensation and work style.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Quantum Technology / Quantum Computing Software / Quantum Sensing Software

Company Size: Mid-size (likely 100-500 employees, based on Series B funding and global operations). This size indicates a growing company with established processes but still retaining startup agility. For operations professionals, this means opportunities for significant impact and potential for process ownership, alongside structured roles.

Founded: 2017. Founded in 2017, Q-CTRL has evolved from a research-driven startup to a global leader in quantum control infrastructure software, demonstrating a strong trajectory of innovation and commercialization.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: Part of a broader Marketing and Design department, reporting to the VP of Marketing and Design. Likely comprises a mix of brand, product, and industrial designers.

• Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer reports directly to the VP of Marketing and Design, indicating a high level of visibility and direct access to leadership.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Works intimately with Product Management, Engineering, Research, and Marketing teams. This requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to bridge technical and design perspectives.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasizes user research, testing, and data analysis to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Systems Thinking: A core philosophy across the company, applied to product design to ensure coherence and scalability.

• Agile Development: Likely operates within agile frameworks, requiring iterative design processes and close collaboration with development sprints.

• Outcome-Oriented: Focuses on delivering tangible results and making quantum technology useful and accessible.

Company Website: https://q-ctrl.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Q-CTRL is at the forefront of a highly specialized and rapidly evolving industry. The company culture is likely to be intellectually rigorous, fast-paced, and focused on innovation. For operations roles, this means adapting to new technologies and market shifts, and supporting a highly technical product.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor with potential for leadership. This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor, expected to lead design initiatives and mentor others. It offers a clear path towards either deeper specialization in product design or progression into a Design Lead or Manager role, overseeing a team or a specific product area.

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the VP of Marketing and Design. This provides direct mentorship from senior leadership and high visibility into strategic decision-making processes. The individual will also work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer plays a crucial role in making Q-CTRL's complex quantum technology accessible and usable. This directly impacts the Go-To-Market strategy by:

• Enhancing Product Adoption: Intuitive design lowers the barrier to entry for researchers and developers, driving adoption of Q-CTRL's software.

• Improving Customer Retention: A positive user experience leads to higher satisfaction and retention rates.

• Supporting Sales Enablement: Clear product interfaces and workflows can be leveraged in sales pitches and demonstrations.

• Driving Innovation: By understanding user needs, the designer can identify opportunities for new features and product improvements that align with market demands.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to grow into a Design Lead position, managing design projects and mentoring junior designers.

• Strategic Design Influence: Contribute significantly to product strategy and roadmap definition, shaping the future direction of Q-CTRL's offerings.

• Domain Expertise: Develop deep expertise in quantum technology and its applications, becoming a valuable asset in a niche, high-demand field.

• Design System Mastery: Become a key contributor to or owner of a sophisticated design system, a highly sought-after skill in the industry.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain exposure to cutting-edge research, engineering challenges, and business operations within a pioneering tech company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Impact" section is framed through the lens of how product design supports GTM objectives, underscoring the operational significance of this role beyond pure design craft.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Modern, collaborative office space in Sydney, designed to foster innovation and teamwork. Q-CTRL emphasizes a high-performance culture, likely reflected in its office design which supports both focused work and collaborative sessions.

Office Location(s): Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This location places the role within a vibrant tech hub, facilitating networking and access to talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is expected to be conducive to spontaneous discussions, whiteboarding sessions, and team meetings, crucial for the iterative design process.

• Advanced Technology: Access to the latest design tools and potentially internal quantum computing simulations or demonstrations, providing a unique working environment.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities to interact with a diverse team of world-class researchers, engineers, designers, and business professionals.

Work Schedule:

• Primarily on-site in Sydney, reflecting a commitment to in-person collaboration and team cohesion. Q-CTRL's philosophy of "outcomes over hours" suggests that while the office is the primary location, there may be some flexibility for focused work or personal needs, as long as productivity and team collaboration are maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "on-site" work in Sydney suggests a company culture that values in-person interaction for complex problem-solving and team building, which is typical for organizations working on highly innovative and collaborative projects.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio, discussing key projects, design process, and problem-solving approaches. This may be followed by a take-home design challenge or an in-person/virtual design exercise.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially other Designers to evaluate technical design skills, collaboration abilities, and strategic thinking.

• Leadership Interview: A final discussion with the VP of Marketing and Design or other senior leadership to assess overall fit, leadership potential, and alignment with company vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling is Key: Structure your portfolio around compelling narratives for each case study. Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the challenges faced, your design process, the solutions, and the outcomes.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes, user flows) to illustrate your design decisions and their impact.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics or data that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., user engagement, task completion rates, conversion improvements, reduction in support tickets).

• Focus on Complexity: Highlight projects that showcase your ability to handle ambiguity, complex workflows, and technical constraints, especially relevant for Q-CTRL's domain.

• Design System Examples: If applicable, clearly show how you've contributed to or utilized design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Tailor to Q-CTRL: Research Q-CTRL's products and target audience (researchers, engineers). Frame your work to demonstrate how your skills can address their specific needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with quantum computing concepts and Q-CTRL's specific offerings. Think about the user experience for someone learning or working with such advanced technology.

• Process Focus: Be prepared to articulate your design process explicitly. How do you approach problem definition, research, ideation, iteration, and collaboration?

• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate an understanding of how design contributes to business goals and product strategy, not just aesthetics.

• Communication: Practice clearly explaining your thought process and design decisions, anticipating questions from both design and non-design stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review and interview process for a Senior Product Designer at a company like Q-CTRL will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to translate complex technical concepts into user-friendly experiences, a critical aspect for GTM success in specialized tech markets.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP (or similar advanced prototyping tools). Figma is often a preferred tool for its collaborative features.

• User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, Hotjar, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Google Analytics. While not directly a design tool, understanding how to interpret product analytics is crucial for informing design decisions.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI (less common for designers but useful for understanding data context).

CRM & Automation:

• While the Senior Product Designer may not directly use CRM or automation tools daily, understanding their role in the customer journey and sales process is beneficial. Familiarity with Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar platforms from a user perspective can be advantageous.

• Design System Management: Tools like Zeroheight or Storybook for documenting and sharing design system components.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern collaborative design tools like Figma is expected. The ability to work with analytics platforms and understand CRM/automation workflows demonstrates a broader understanding of the product lifecycle and GTM operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Excellence: A drive to push the boundaries of technology and design, striving for the highest quality in all outputs.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and teamwork are essential for tackling complex challenges.

• Impact & Purpose: A strong belief in the mission to make quantum technology useful and drive real-world impact.

• Curiosity & Learning: A continuous desire to learn, explore new ideas, and stay at the forefront of design and technology.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of researchers and developers.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Design is not siloed but is deeply integrated with product management, engineering, and research from ideation through to launch and iteration.

• Iterative & Feedback-Driven: A culture that encourages constructive feedback, rapid iteration, and continuous improvement based on user insights and team input.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing best practices, design patterns, and learnings across the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a culture of high achievement, intellectual rigor, and a strong sense of purpose, which is typical of companies operating in cutting-edge scientific fields. This requires operations professionals to be adaptable and driven.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Novelty: Translating the intricacies of quantum computing and sensing into intuitive interfaces for users who may be experts in their field but new to Q-CTRL's specific tools.

• Balancing Technical Depth with Usability: Ensuring that powerful, complex features are accessible and usable without oversimplifying or losing critical functionality.

• Scaling Design Systems: Maintaining consistency and scalability across a growing product suite and evolving technology.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively communicating design vision and rationale to diverse stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds.

• Pioneering a New Field: Contributing to the definition of design best practices in a nascent industry like quantum technology.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Quantum Technology Immersion: Gaining deep knowledge of quantum computing and sensing, becoming an expert in a highly sought-after field.

• Advanced Design Skills: Opportunities to hone skills in complex system design, interaction design for technical users, and design system architecture.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing leadership capabilities through mentoring junior designers and contributing to strategic design decisions.

• Industry Exposure: Attending conferences, workshops, and engaging with the broader quantum and tech design communities.

• Career Path Progression: Potential to move into senior individual contributor roles with specialized expertise or into management tracks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are specific to the innovative and technical nature of Q-CTRL's work, requiring a proactive and adaptable mindset from operations professionals.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a highly technical audience with complex workflows. How did you approach understanding their needs and translating them into a usable product?" (Focus on research, user empathy, and complexity management).

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for Q-CTRL's quantum control software, assuming you have limited initial information about user needs?" (Focus on ambiguity handling, iterative design, and hypothesis testing).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Q-CTRL and the quantum technology space?" (Demonstrate genuine curiosity and research).

• "How do you foster collaboration and give/receive constructive feedback within a design team and with cross-functional partners?" (Highlight teamwork, communication, and openness to critique).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Curate Wisely: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your end-to-end process, problem-solving skills, and ability to handle complexity relevant to Q-CTRL.

• Tell a Story: For each project, frame it as a narrative: the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the impact.

• Highlight Technical Acumen: Explicitly discuss how you approached understanding and designing for technical users and complex systems.

• Showcase Design System Work: If applicable, clearly articulate your contributions and the benefits of the design system you worked with.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills but also strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and an understanding of how design supports business objectives in a highly technical domain.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever job portal link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and specifically highlights projects demonstrating your experience with complex workflows, enterprise/B2B SaaS, developer tools, or API products. Tailor your project selection and descriptions to align with Q-CTRL's mission and target users.

• Resume Optimization: Craft your resume to emphasize keywords related to product design, UX/UI, interaction design, design systems, user research, B2B SaaS, and experience with technical products. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly research Q-CTRL, its products, and the quantum technology landscape. Practice articulating your design process, problem-solving approach, and how your skills can contribute to the company's success. Prepare to present your portfolio with confidence.

• Company Research: Understand Q-CTRL's market position, funding, recent achievements (like the Series B funding and quantum advantage delivery), and company values. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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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