Senior Product Designer - Business Banking

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Business Banking
Company: Commonwealth Bank
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Product Design / User Experience
Date Posted: 2025-10-16
Experience Level: 7+ Years
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end product design for the Business Banking division, focusing on enhancing digital and staff experiences for millions of Australians.
• Lead discovery, research, service design, UX/UI design, and delivery within a collaborative, customer-focused agile product team.
• Translate customer insights and business needs into elegant, scalable solutions that deliver tangible customer and business value.
• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Business SMEs, and other cross-functional stakeholders to shape product strategy and roadmap.
• Champion customer-centricity and advocate for best-in-class user experience, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in all designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior Product Designer," the role's emphasis on "Business Banking" and "Financial Services" indicates a need for understanding complex financial products and regulatory environments. The role also leans heavily into GTM strategy by focusing on customer acquisition and retention through improved user experiences.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead discovery initiatives to identify customer pain points and opportunities through research, workshops, and co-design sessions.
• Develop user flows, concepts, and prototypes (from low-fidelity to high-fidelity) to test hypotheses and validate assumptions with stakeholders.
• Create compelling wireframes, prototypes, and UX/UI designs that align with the company's design system and brand guidelines.
• Apply systems thinking and design thinking methodologies to design comprehensive offerings that anticipate future customer and staff needs.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Content Designers, Accessibility Managers, and Legal/Risk teams throughout the agile development lifecycle.
• Advocate for customer-centricity and best-in-class user experience, ensuring products and services are usable by all customers, including those with disabilities.
• Contribute to product strategy and roadmap discussions, grounding decisions in customer insights, user behavior data, and a "test and learn" approach.
• Facilitate and participate in design critiques and workshops, providing and receiving constructive feedback to uphold design standards and improve outcomes.
• Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the company's design system for enhanced consistency, scalability, and efficiency.
• Measure and validate the impact of launched products and features using qualitative and quantitative data to inform iterative improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on the "discovery" and "strategy" phases of product development, indicating that this role is integral to the Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy by ensuring product-market fit and customer adoption. The mention of "business metrics" and "customer value" reinforces the link to revenue generation and operational efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrated experience in a related field (e.g., Human-Computer Interaction, Design, Psychology, Computer Science) will be highly valued.

Experience: A minimum of 7+ years of experience designing digital and staff-facing products end-to-end within cross-functional product teams. Proven ability to lead discovery and delivery activities, demonstrating a deep understanding of human-centered design methodologies and their pragmatic application in fast-paced agile environments.

Required Skills:

• End-to-End Product Design: Proven ability to manage the entire design process from discovery to delivery.
• Human-Centered Design (HCD): Deep understanding and practical application of HCD principles and methodologies.
• User Experience (UX) & User Interface (UI) Design: Excellent interaction and UI design skills with meticulous attention to detail and craft.
• Research & Discovery: Experience leading customer research, workshops, and co-design sessions to uncover insights and inform strategy.
• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in creating various fidelity prototypes and wireframes for concept validation and stakeholder buy-in.
• Agile Methodologies: Proven experience working effectively within agile development teams and ceremonies.
• Systems Thinking & Design Thinking: Ability to approach complex problems holistically and apply structured problem-solving frameworks.
• Collaboration & Communication: Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including technical and executive teams.
• Modern Design Tools: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar.
• Metrics-Driven Development: Experience using data (e.g., A/B testing, usage funnels) to inform product decisions and measure impact.
• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Commitment to designing accessible and inclusive products for all users.

Preferred Skills:

• Financial Services Experience: Prior experience designing within the financial services industry or other complex physical/digital service environments.
• Design Systems: Exposure to and contribution to design system management, ensuring consistency and scalability.
• Mentoring: Passion for and experience in mentoring junior designers and uplifting design craft within an organization.
• Front-end Technologies: Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, components, and design tokens to facilitate collaboration with engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of "7+ years" suggests this is a senior individual contributor role with potential for informal leadership or mentorship. The explicit mention of "metrics-driven product development" and "measurable impact" points to a strong need for candidates who can demonstrate ROI of their design efforts, directly impacting GTM success.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design thinking, demonstrating ownership from initial concept to final delivery.
• Highlight case studies that illustrate the application of human-centered and design thinking methodologies.
• Clearly articulate the problem, your process, the solutions you designed, and the measurable business/customer impact of your work.
• Present a strong balance of strategic thinking, user empathy, and exceptional UI/UX craft.
• Include examples of collaboration with cross-functional teams (Product Managers, Engineers, etc.) and how you navigated complex stakeholder environments.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in documenting user journeys, customer flows, and interaction models.
• Provide examples of how you have translated research findings and data insights into actionable design strategies and product requirements.
• Showcase your approach to iterating on designs based on user feedback, A/B testing results, and performance metrics.
• Include evidence of contributions to or usage of design systems, explaining how you ensured consistency and scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role. It should not only showcase design skills but also demonstrate the candidate's ability to influence product strategy and drive measurable business outcomes through design, which is paramount for GTM roles. The emphasis on "measurable impact" and "metrics-driven development" means case studies must quantify results.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, with 7+ years of experience in a major financial institution, the estimated salary range is AUD $150,000 - $200,000 per annum. This range can vary based on specific skills, experience, and performance during the interview process.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary and potential for performance-based bonuses.
• Comprehensive health and wellness programs, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off (annual leave, personal leave, public holidays).
• Superannuation contributions (Australia's mandatory retirement savings scheme).
• Opportunities for professional development, training, and conference attendance.
• Access to employee assistance programs and financial planning services.
• Staff banking benefits and preferential rates on financial products.
• Opportunities for career progression and internal mobility within the Commonwealth Bank Group.
• Modern office facilities and a collaborative work environment.

Working Hours: This is a full-time position, typically requiring approximately 40 hours per week. While a structured work week is expected, Commonwealth Bank often promotes a culture of flexibility, allowing for some adaptability in working hours where operational needs permit, particularly for on-site roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on data from Australian job boards and salary aggregators for similar roles in Sydney, considering the seniority and industry. The inclusion of "Superannuation" and "Staff banking benefits" are specific to the Australian market and the financial sector.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Banking). Commonwealth Bank is one of Australia's largest and most reputable financial institutions, playing a significant role in the national economy and serving millions of customers. This industry context means a strong focus on security, compliance, customer trust, and innovation within a regulated environment.

Company Size: Large Enterprise. As a major bank, Commonwealth Bank employs tens of thousands of people globally, offering significant opportunities for career growth, structured processes, and exposure to large-scale projects.

Founded: 1911. With over a century of history, Commonwealth Bank has a deep-rooted understanding of the Australian market and a commitment to evolving with technological advancements and customer needs.

Team Structure:

• Product Design Chapter: This role is part of a dedicated "Product Design Chapter," indicating a specialized group of designers who share best practices, standards, and provide peer support.
• Agile Product Team: You will be embedded within an agile product team for "Everyday Business Banking," working closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Business SMEs. This structure promotes cross-functional collaboration and rapid iteration.
• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, Senior Product Designers typically report to a Design Lead, Head of Design, or a senior Product Management role within their business unit.

Methodology:

• Human-Centered Design & Design Thinking: Core methodologies for understanding customer needs and developing innovative solutions.
• Agile Development: The team operates within an agile framework, emphasizing iterative development, continuous feedback, and adaptability.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using qualitative and quantitative data, including user behavior metrics and A/B testing, to inform product strategy and design choices.
• Test and Learn Mindset: Encouraging experimentation and iteration to validate assumptions and optimize outcomes.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Product Design Chapter" structure is a common practice in large organizations to foster specialized expertise and maintain design quality and consistency across different product teams. This implies a well-established design practice within CommBank.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor role. It requires a high degree of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to lead design initiatives. While not a management role, it carries significant responsibility for influencing product direction and outcomes.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report to a Design Lead or Head of Design within the Business Banking division. You will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within your agile team, fostering strong collaborative relationships.

Operations Impact: As a Senior Product Designer, your impact is directly tied to improving the financial health and experience of business customers. This involves designing intuitive digital platforms and staff tools that streamline banking processes, enhance customer acquisition and retention, and ultimately drive revenue growth and operational efficiency for the bank. Your work will influence how businesses interact with CommBank, impacting customer satisfaction, product adoption rates, and the bank's competitive positioning.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership within Design: Potential to take on informal leadership roles, mentor junior designers, and contribute to the evolution of design practices and standards within the Product Design Chapter.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of financial services design, complex systems, or user research.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into related roles such as Senior UX Researcher, Design Lead, or even Product Manager roles within the bank, leveraging your deep understanding of customer needs and product development.
• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to contribute more significantly to product strategy, roadmap planning, and innovation initiatives.
• Industry Exposure: Deepen understanding of the financial services industry, regulatory landscape, and the unique challenges of designing for enterprise-level banking products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities emphasize progression within design leadership and strategic product influence, aligning with typical career paths for senior designers in large, established organizations. The mention of "operational efficiency" and "revenue growth" underscores the role's contribution to GTM objectives.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is specified as "On-site" and located at "11 Harbour Street, Sydney, NSW - CBP South." This suggests a modern corporate office environment typical of a major financial institution.

Office Location(s): Sydney, NSW, Australia. The primary location is in the central business district (CBD), offering accessibility via public transport.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Expect a workspace designed to foster collaboration, with meeting rooms, breakout areas, and potentially open-plan seating arrangements conducive to team interaction.
• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite), collaboration tools, and potentially specialized financial services platforms. The role requires proficiency in these tools.
• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, Business SMEs, and other designers within the Product Design Chapter. This environment encourages knowledge sharing and peer feedback.

Work Schedule: Full-time, on-site. While adherence to standard business hours (approx. 40 hours/week) is expected, the environment may offer some flexibility in daily start/end times, subject to team and business needs. The focus is on achieving project milestones and delivering high-quality design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: An on-site role in a major bank's CBD headquarters implies a structured, professional environment with a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration and adherence to corporate standards.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on your experience and portfolio.
• Portfolio Presentation: You will likely be asked to present a curated selection of your work, focusing on 2-3 key projects. Be prepared to walk through your process, highlight your contributions, and discuss the outcomes and impact.
• Skills-Based Interviews: Expect interviews focusing on your design thinking, user research methodologies, UX/UI craft, collaboration skills, and experience with agile development.
• Case Study/Design Challenge: A potential stage may involve a take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual design challenge to assess your problem-solving abilities and design approach under timed conditions.
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interviews: You may meet with Product Managers, Engineers, and Business SMEs to assess your ability to collaborate effectively and understand business requirements.
• Senior Leadership/Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with the team and company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end process, problem-solving skills, and impact, ideally relevant to complex systems or financial services.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the user needs, your design process, the solutions developed, and crucially, the measurable results and learnings. Quantify impact wherever possible.
• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight how you worked with cross-functional teams and managed stakeholder feedback.
• Demonstrate Craft: Ensure your UI/UX execution is polished and demonstrates a keen eye for detail.
• Address Ambiguity: Be prepared to discuss how you handled ambiguity and complexity in your projects.
• Tailor to CommBank: If possible, subtly align your project selection and narrative with CommBank's focus on customer financial health and innovation in banking.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research CommBank's business banking offerings and target users.
• Focus on Process: Emphasize your thought process, research methods, and decision-making rationale, not just the final visual output.
• Time Management: Practice completing design exercises within realistic time constraints.
• Clear Communication: Be prepared to articulate your design choices clearly and concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review and potential design challenge is standard for senior design roles. For this specific role, demonstrating an understanding of financial products and user needs within that context will be a key differentiator. The ability to articulate quantifiable impact is crucial for a GTM-aligned role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, wireframing, prototyping, and UI design.
• Adobe Creative Suite: Likely used for asset creation, illustration, or other graphic design tasks (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator).
• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency with Figma's prototyping features or dedicated tools like InVision, Axure, or similar.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal CommBank analytics platforms to understand user behavior.
• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or similar for analyzing user data and performance metrics.
• A/B Testing Platforms: Understanding of how to leverage A/B testing results to inform design iterations.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM/automation role, familiarity with how design impacts user journeys within CRM systems and automated workflows is beneficial. Understanding the user experience of staff-facing tools that might integrate with or feed into core banking systems is also valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is paramount. A basic understanding of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS) is also highlighted, indicating a need for designers who can collaborate effectively with engineers and understand design system implementation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A fundamental value, driving all design decisions to ensure the best possible experience for business customers and staff.
• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on teamwork, open communication, and cross-functional partnership to achieve shared goals.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging new ideas, testing hypotheses, and iterating on solutions to stay ahead in a dynamic market.
• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for design outcomes and driving projects to successful completion with a focus on measurable impact.
• Integrity & Trust: Upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct and security, given the nature of financial services.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work seamlessly with Product Managers, Engineers, Business SMEs, and other stakeholders, fostering a shared understanding of product vision and user needs.
• Feedback-Rich Environment: Encouraging constructive feedback loops through design critiques, team reviews, and agile ceremonies to collectively elevate the quality of work.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, insights, and learnings across the Product Design Chapter and wider product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values align with typical best practices for design teams in large, customer-focused organizations, particularly those in regulated industries like finance. The emphasis on collaboration and feedback is key for efficient product development.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complexity: Designing for intricate financial products, regulatory requirements, and legacy systems within a large enterprise.
• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing diverse requirements and perspectives from various business units, product teams, and executive leadership.
• Driving Adoption of New Designs: Encouraging uptake and effective use of new digital tools and features among business customers and internal staff.
• Staying Ahead of Innovation: Keeping pace with evolving digital trends and competitor offerings in the FinTech and banking sectors.
• Ensuring Accessibility & Inclusivity: Consistently applying accessibility standards across all design outputs in a complex environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepening FinTech Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge of business banking products, customer journeys, and the regulatory landscape.
• Advanced Design Methodologies: Further developing skills in areas like service design, journey mapping, and complex systems design.
• Leadership Development: Opportunities to influence design strategy, mentor junior designers, and potentially lead design initiatives.
• Industry Conferences & Training: Support for attending relevant design and FinTech conferences, workshops, and pursuing certifications.
• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Collaborating closely with engineering and product management to gain a broader understanding of product development lifecycles and business strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior roles in large financial institutions, requiring strong problem-solving and stakeholder management skills. The growth opportunities are well-defined for advancing within a design career path.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the discovery phase for a complex product or feature. What methodologies did you use, and how did you translate insights into strategic product direction?" (Focus on research, problem definition, and strategic impact.)
• "How do you balance the needs of diverse stakeholders (e.g., business, engineering, legal, customers) when designing a solution? Provide an example." (Highlight collaboration, negotiation, and finding common ground.)
• "Walk me through a challenging design problem you solved. What was your process, what were the constraints, and what was the measurable impact of your solution?" (Showcase problem-solving, decision-making, and data-driven outcomes.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Commonwealth Bank, and specifically the Business Banking division?" (Research CommBank's mission, values, and recent initiatives in business banking.)
• "How have you contributed to or benefited from a 'Product Design Chapter' or similar specialized design community in your previous roles?" (Discuss your approach to collaboration, knowledge sharing, and design standards.)
• "How do you measure the success of your designs, and how do you use data to iterate and improve?" (Emphasize metrics, A/B testing, and a continuous improvement mindset.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, the user, your specific role and contribution, your design process (research, ideation, iteration), the final solution, and the resulting impact (quantified).
• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Emphasize how your design decisions aligned with business goals and customer needs.
• Showcase Collaboration: Explicitly mention how you worked with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrate Craft: Ensure your UI/UX examples are polished and showcase attention to detail.
• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your process, trade-offs made, and how you would approach similar challenges in the future.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples that align with financial services or complex system design will be highly beneficial. Demonstrating an understanding of "financial health" and "business value" will resonate well with the hiring team.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link: https://cba.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/CommBank_Careers/job/Sydney-CBD-Area/Senior-Product-Designer---Business-Banking_REQ246265
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features end-to-end product design case studies that highlight your problem-solving skills, human-centered approach, and measurable impact, ideally relevant to complex systems or financial services.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 7+ years of experience in product design, proficiency in key tools (Figma), experience with agile methodologies, and your ability to drive business and customer value. Use keywords from the job description.
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and project outcomes clearly and concisely. Prepare specific examples for strategy, collaboration, and problem-solving questions. Rehearse your portfolio presentation.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Commonwealth Bank's mission, values, business banking offerings, and recent digital initiatives to demonstrate your interest and understanding of their context.

⚠️ 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.