Senior Product Designer (mobile)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (Mobile)

Company: Uptick

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: February 23, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-to-Senior Level (5+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end redesign of Uptick’s mobile application experience, focusing on transforming complex fire safety inspection workflows into intuitive, high-performance interfaces for iOS and Android.

• Drive product innovation through hands-on field research, rapid prototyping, and close collaboration with product and engineering teams to deliver impactful user-centric solutions.

• Contribute to a product-led culture by bridging strategic business objectives with exceptional UI/UX craft, ensuring designs solve core operational problems and enhance user safety.

• Own significant product initiatives within a fast-paced, technically driven SaaS environment, leveraging a bias for action and a builder mindset to iterate and ship features rapidly.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned for a designer ready to step into significant ownership, particularly within the mobile space. The emphasis on "shipping" and "real work" suggests a focus on practical application and tangible results over theoretical design exercises. The "messy, real-world problems" and "field technicians" target audience indicate a need for pragmatic, user-focused design solutions that directly address operational needs in a high-stakes industry.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Mobile Experience Ownership: Take full ownership and drive the direction of the end-to-end mobile app experience, transforming complex fire safety inspection workflows into intuitive, high-performance interfaces for both iOS and Android platforms.

• User Research & Insights: Conduct extensive field research in Australia, the UK, and the US using a dedicated travel budget to understand user behavior and challenges in real-world environments, translating insights into actionable design improvements.

• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration: Develop interactive prototypes quickly, utilizing manual methods or AI tools, to effectively communicate design solutions, motion, and flow, facilitating rapid iteration and user feedback loops.

• Engineering Collaboration: Partner closely with a world-class engineering team to ensure seamless implementation of designs, leveraging the company’s rapid deployment cycle (multiple pull requests merged daily, daily deployments) to see solutions go live swiftly.

• Strategic Design Integration: Collaborate with product leads and leadership to ensure designs align with core operational problems, drive business strategy, and contribute to the company's overall product vision and safety mission.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Work effectively with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to define product requirements, ideate solutions, and ensure successful product launches.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility for "end-to-end journey" and "full ownership" implies a high degree of autonomy and strategic input expected from this Senior Product Designer. The direct involvement in "field research" with a "generous travel budget" highlights a commitment to deep user understanding and practical application, which is critical for designing solutions in a complex, operational industry.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is beneficial. The emphasis is on demonstrated practical experience and a portfolio of shipped work.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5+ years of professional experience in Product Design within a SaaS environment.

• Proven track record of designing and shipping mobile features for both iOS and Android platforms.

Required Skills:

• Mobile Native Design: Deep familiarity with the nuances of iOS and Android design principles, patterns, and best practices for mobile-first user experiences.

• End-to-End Product Design: Ability to own the entire design process from user research and ideation through to prototyping, user testing, and collaboration with engineering for implementation.

• Prototyping Proficiency: Skilled in creating interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar, with an ability to leverage AI tools for efficiency.

• User Research Acumen: Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative user research, including field studies, interviews, and usability testing, to gather actionable insights.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including product managers and engineers.

• Problem-Solving: A strong aptitude for dissecting complex operational problems and translating them into elegant, user-friendly design solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI-driven design tools and workflows.

• Familiarity with motion design principles and tools for creating engaging user experiences.

• Experience working in industries related to building management, safety, or compliance.

• Understanding of agile development methodologies and experience working in rapid deployment environments.

• A portfolio that demonstrates impact, user-centricity, and a builder mindset.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "5+ years of experience in a SaaS environment and a portfolio of mobile features you have actually shipped" strongly indicates that candidates will be evaluated on their ability to deliver tangible, user-facing products rather than just conceptual design work. The emphasis on "mobile native" and "users who are on the move" points to a need for practical, context-aware design solutions.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Shipped Work Focus: A portfolio that prominently features actual mobile features and applications that are live and used by customers, demonstrating real-world impact.

• End-to-End Case Studies: Detailed case studies showcasing the entire design process for selected projects, from problem definition and user research to solution design, iteration, and final implementation.

• Process Demonstration: Clear articulation of your design process, including how you approach user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and collaboration with engineering.

• Impact & Outcomes: Evidence of how your designs have solved user problems, improved operational efficiency, or contributed to business goals, ideally with supporting metrics.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Ability to map out and redesign complex operational workflows, particularly for field technicians, to enhance usability and efficiency.

• User Journey Mapping: Creating comprehensive user journey maps to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement within the mobile experience.

• Prototyping & Testing: Documenting the iterative process of prototyping and user testing to validate design solutions before development.

• Cross-Functional Handoff: Demonstrating a clear process for handing off design specifications and assets to engineering, ensuring alignment and smooth implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention that "We don’t need a perfectly polished portfolio: we care about real work and your ability to ship" suggests that authenticity, practical application, and demonstrable results are prioritized. Candidates should be prepared to showcase projects they are proud of, including lessons learned from failures, indicating a preference for growth-oriented individuals.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on market research for Senior Product Designers in Melbourne, Australia, with 5+ years of experience in a SaaS environment, the estimated annual salary range is AUD $120,000 - $170,000. This range accounts for the seniority of the role, the specific demands of mobile design in a complex industry, and the competitive tech market in Melbourne.

Benefits:

• World-Class Mentorship: Opportunity to collaborate with and learn from highly experienced designers in Australia, fostering rapid skill development.

• Global Travel: A dedicated budget for international travel to the UK and US to conduct field research, offering unique professional and personal development experiences.

• Growth Trajectory: Join a rapidly growing (40% year-on-year) "unicorn" company with a clear path towards becoming a major tech player, offering significant career advancement opportunities.

• Full Transparency: Clear salary expectations and complete visibility into company goals, financial performance, and strategic direction.

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Likely includes standard health insurance, potentially with options for dental and optical coverage.

• Professional Development: Support for continuous learning, potentially including access to training, conferences, and certifications relevant to product design and UX.

• Hybrid Work Environment: Flexibility to balance remote work with in-office collaboration, fostering both individual focus and team synergy.

• Employee Stock Options: Potential for equity participation, aligning personal success with company growth.

Working Hours: The standard full-time working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. The hybrid work arrangement offers flexibility, allowing for a balance between focused remote work and collaborative in-office sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in Melbourne. The benefits highlight unique aspects like global travel for research and mentorship from top designers, which are significant draws for senior talent. The emphasis on "full transparency" regarding salary and company trajectory is a key benefit for candidates seeking stability and clear career paths.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software & Technology, specifically focusing on the Building Safety and Fire Protection sector. Uptick provides the operational software for professionals who ensure building safety.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the description of growing at "40% year-on-year" and aiming to be Australia's "next tech giant" suggests a scale-up phase, likely in the range of 100-500 employees, with a rapidly expanding product and engineering team.

Founded: The company was founded by an engineer who still actively codes, indicating a strong technical foundation and a deep understanding of product development from the ground up. This fosters a culture that values innovation and practical problem-solving.

Team Structure:

• Product-Led Culture: The company operates with a strong product-led philosophy, meaning product development and user experience are central to its strategy.

• Technical & Creative DNA: The culture is described as a blend of technical expertise and creative innovation, exemplified by the CEO (engineer) and Group Product Lead (designer).

• Design Integration: Design is a core pillar of the company, with a dedicated team and leadership that understands and champions its value, ensuring designers are integral to strategic decision-making.

• Cross-Functional Teams: The fast-paced environment with daily deployments implies highly collaborative, cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering) working in close proximity.

Methodology:

• Agile & Rapid Iteration: The mention of "500+ pull requests last month" and "two deployments every single day" points to an agile, DevOps-centric approach focused on continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).

• Data-Driven Design: While not explicitly stated, the emphasis on "real-world outcomes" and "solving core operational problems" suggests a data-informed approach to design, where user behavior and performance metrics guide decisions.

• User-Centric Problem Solving: The core methodology revolves around understanding and solving "messy, real-world problems" for users, particularly field technicians, rather than focusing solely on aesthetics.

Company Website: https://uptick.careers.hibob.com/jobs/424f09a8-f190-41a4-8b19-2a47b576243d (This is the job posting URL, a company website URL is not provided but can often be found by searching "Uptick software").

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's background as an "operating system for people who keep our buildings safe" and its "product-led culture" with an engineer CEO and designer Group Product Lead are critical context. This suggests a company where technical feasibility and user experience are highly valued, and where design is positioned to have significant strategic influence. The rapid pace ("bullet train," daily deployments) is a key cultural indicator.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a mid-to-senior level position with significant responsibility. It's positioned for individuals who are ready to "take the next big step in their career" and "own an entire experience channel." This implies a level of autonomy and strategic contribution beyond typical mid-level roles.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to senior product leads and collaborate closely with the Group Product Lead (who is a designer). The CEO is also actively involved, suggesting a flat hierarchy where contributions are visible to top leadership.

Operations Impact: The work directly impacts the safety of millions of people by providing critical tools for fire safety technicians. Designers are expected to solve "core operational problems" and drive "business strategy," meaning their impact is measured not just in user satisfaction but also in operational efficiency, safety compliance, and business growth. The role bridges the gap between intricate operational needs and user-friendly digital solutions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in mobile-first design for complex SaaS applications, particularly within the critical infrastructure and safety sector.

• Leadership Development: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer role, managing a small team or taking on more strategic product direction, given the company's growth trajectory and emphasis on design leadership.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gain experience working in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment with rapid deployment cycles, enhancing skills in agile methodologies and engineering partnerships.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to a product that has a tangible, positive impact on public safety, offering a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

• Mentorship: Receive guidance from "four of the best designers in Australia," providing unparalleled opportunities for professional growth and learning industry best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly framed as an opportunity for high-potential intermediates to advance. The "unicorn trajectory" and "40% year-on-year growth" suggest ample opportunities for career progression and expanded responsibilities as the company scales. The emphasis on "world-class mentorship" and direct collaboration with leadership indicates a strong commitment to developing talent.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company operates on a hybrid model, indicating a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration. The office is in Melbourne, and the culture encourages in-person gatherings for tackling complex challenges.

Office Location(s): Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The specific office address is not provided, but it serves as the hub for in-person collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The Melbourne office likely serves as a central point for brainstorming sessions, team meetings, and deep work that benefits from in-person interaction.

• Technology-Rich Environment: As a SaaS company with a strong technical and creative culture, expect access to modern design tools, hardware, and collaboration software.

• Direct Team Interaction: The hybrid model ensures regular opportunities for designers to interact directly with product managers, engineers, and fellow designers, fostering a cohesive and efficient working environment.

• Field-Oriented: A significant aspect of the workspace context involves being "out of the office and onto job sites" in Australia, the UK, and the US, providing direct exposure to the user's environment.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with a standard approximate 40-hour work week. The hybrid arrangement allows for flexibility in managing work hours and location, balancing focused individual work with collaborative team sessions. This flexibility is beneficial for deep design work and adapting to project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the work environment is key. While remote flexibility is implied, the emphasis on "getting together in person to solve the hard stuff" and the "Melbourne Based" requirement highlights the importance of in-office collaboration for complex problem-solving and team cohesion, a common characteristic of successful scale-up tech companies.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Intro Call (Group PM): An initial conversation to discuss your background, career aspirations, and alignment with the role and company.

2. Product Demo (Portfolio Walkthrough): A session where you present a specific delivered feature or project from your portfolio. This is a discussion about your experience, process, and decision-making, not an interrogation. Be prepared to articulate your role, challenges, and learnings.

3. Design Challenge: A practical exercise designed to assess your approach to solving real-world problems similar to those faced by Uptick's users. This will likely involve a problem statement and a requirement to propose a solution, potentially including sketches, wireframes, or prototypes.

4. Culture and Vision (Team & CEO): A final meeting with the broader team and the CEO to assess cultural fit, shared vision, and mutual alignment. This is a two-way conversation to ensure the candidate and company are a good match.

5. The Offer: If successful, Uptick moves quickly to extend an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Showcase projects where your design decisions led to measurable improvements in user experience, operational efficiency, or business outcomes. Use metrics where possible.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, explain the problem, your approach, the decisions you made (and why), the challenges you faced, and the final results. Highlight your specific contributions.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Include visuals of prototypes, key screens, and user flows. If possible, link to live features or provide video demonstrations.

• Embrace Imperfection: As Uptick values "real work," don't shy away from projects where you learned hard lessons. Discussing these demonstrates self-awareness and a growth mindset.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize your mobile design experience, your ability to handle complex workflows, and your experience in SaaS environments.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the User: Research the fire safety inspection industry and the typical challenges faced by field technicians. Think about the constraints and high-stakes nature of their work.

• Process & Methodology: Be ready to articulate your design process clearly and efficiently, explaining how you would approach a given problem statement.

• Rapid Prototyping: Practice creating quick, low-fidelity prototypes or wireframes to communicate your ideas effectively under time pressure.

• Strategic Thinking: Frame your solutions not just as UI designs but as responses to operational problems that drive business value and user safety.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to be thorough yet efficient. The emphasis on a "Product Demo" of delivered work, rather than a purely theoretical design challenge, means candidates should curate their portfolios to highlight shipped mobile features. The "Culture and Vision" interview with the CEO underscores the importance of strategic alignment and cultural fit for this senior role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, as it's an industry standard for collaborative design and prototyping), Sketch, Adobe XD. The company encourages leveraging AI tools for prototyping efficiency.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting remote usability testing, surveys, and interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Lookback).

• Collaboration Tools: Slack for daily communication, Jira/Confluence for project management and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior, feature adoption, and conversion rates within the mobile app.

• BI Tools: Potentially Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for deeper data analysis and visualization, though this might be more on the Product Manager side.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not explicitly mentioned for designers, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) might inform user segmentation or product strategy could be beneficial.

• Integration Tools: Familiarity with how different software systems integrate and share data can be helpful when designing for complex workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't explicitly list tools, the emphasis on a modern SaaS environment, rapid deployments, and collaborative design strongly suggests proficiency in industry-standard tools like Figma for design and prototyping, and Slack/Jira for collaboration. The mention of "AI" in prototyping implies an openness to exploring innovative tools.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Builder Mindset: A strong bias for action, building, and shipping tangible products. This means valuing execution and iteration over perfection.

• Deep Curiosity: A drive to understand the "why" behind problems and user behaviors, focusing on real-world outcomes and operational impact.

• High Autonomy & Bias for Action: Encouragement to take initiative, make decisions, and drive projects forward without constant oversight.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on how work directly contributes to user safety, operational efficiency, and company growth.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, shared knowledge, and clear visibility into company goals and performance.

• Technical Excellence & Creative Innovation: A culture that respects deep technical understanding and fosters creative problem-solving.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers work side-by-side with engineering and product management, fostering a tightly integrated development process.

• Fast-Paced Iteration: Collaboration is geared towards rapid development cycles, with frequent feedback loops and quick decision-making.

• Open Communication: A culture where ideas are shared freely, and constructive feedback is welcomed to improve designs and processes.

• Problem-Focused: Team efforts are directed towards solving complex, real-world problems for users, ensuring that collaboration is always purposeful and outcome-oriented.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a proactive, results-oriented, and user-focused approach. The "builder mindset" and "bias for action" are particularly important for understanding the pace and expectations within the team. This culture is ideal for designers who are self-starters and thrive in dynamic environments.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Domain: Designing for a critical, high-stakes industry like fire safety requires a deep understanding of regulations, operational workflows, and potential failure points.

• Mobile Constraints & Diverse Users: Balancing the needs of field technicians who are often on the go, potentially in challenging environments, with the technical constraints of iOS and Android platforms.

• Rapid Deployment Pressure: Working within a system that deploys code multiple times daily requires efficient design processes, clear communication, and the ability to iterate quickly without compromising quality.

• Balancing Innovation and Stability: Ensuring that new features and design improvements enhance usability and efficiency without introducing new risks or disrupting critical operations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in the fire protection and building safety technology sector.

• Advanced Mobile Design: Hone skills in designing for mobile-first, performance-critical applications across different operating systems.

• Strategic Product Influence: Grow from a Senior Designer to a Lead role, influencing product strategy and potentially managing design initiatives or team members.

• Mentorship: Benefit from direct guidance from highly skilled senior designers, accelerating professional development.

• Global Exposure: Gain international work experience through field research trips, broadening perspective and understanding of diverse user needs.

• Scale-Up Experience: Contribute to the growth of a rapidly scaling tech company, learning valuable lessons about product development, team building, and market expansion.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the nature of the product and the company's operational model. Successfully navigating these challenges presents significant opportunities for growth, particularly in developing specialized expertise and strategic design leadership within a high-impact industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• User Problem Framing: "Describe a complex operational problem you've solved through design. How did you define the problem, what was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your ability to tackle "messy, real-world problems" and translate them into user-centric solutions.)

• Mobile Design Philosophy: "How do you approach designing for mobile users who are in the field, often with limited connectivity or under pressure? What are the key considerations for iOS vs. Android?" (Highlight your "Mobile Native" expertise and understanding of users "on the move.")

• Collaboration & Iteration: "Tell me about a time you worked closely with engineers. How did you ensure your designs were implemented effectively, especially in a rapid deployment environment like ours?" (Emphasize your "Engineering Partnership" and "Bias for Action.")

• Ownership & Autonomy: "Describe a project where you took full ownership from concept to launch. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you navigate them independently?" (Showcase your "High Autonomy" and "Builder Mindset.")

Company & Culture Questions:

• Product Vision Alignment: "What interests you most about Uptick's mission to build the operating system for building safety?" (Demonstrate your understanding of the company's purpose and your alignment with it.)

• Pace & Culture Fit: "How do you thrive in a fast-paced, iterative environment? Can you give an example of how you've adapted to rapid changes or feedback?" (Address the "bullet train" pace and "daily deployments.")

• Design Value: "How do you advocate for design within a technically-minded organization? How do you ensure design solutions align with business strategy and operational needs?" (Showcase your ability to "Bridge Strategy and Craft.")

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Relevant Projects: Prioritize 1-2 mobile projects that best demonstrate your skills in solving complex operational problems and your ability to ship features.

• Focus on Process & Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), the challenges, and the measurable outcomes.

• Showcase User Journeys: Illustrate how your designs improve the user experience and streamline workflows for field technicians.

• Be Ready for "Lessons Learned": Discuss a project where you faced significant challenges or made mistakes, and what you learned from it. This demonstrates self-awareness and a growth mindset.

• Keep it Concise and Engaging: Aim for a clear, narrative-driven presentation that highlights your problem-solving abilities and design craft.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating practical application, problem-solving skills, and a proactive, autonomous approach. Candidates should be ready to speak to specific instances of shipping mobile features and how their designs addressed real-world operational challenges within a fast-paced SaaS environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Uptick's careers page.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 1-2 key mobile projects that showcase your ability to design for complex workflows and demonstrate tangible outcomes. Ensure these highlight your end-to-end process and shipped work.

• Tailor Your Resume: Emphasize your 5+ years of SaaS experience, your specific mobile design skills (iOS/Android), and any experience in operational or high-stakes industries. Quantify your achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Product Demo: Rehearse walking through a chosen project, focusing on the problem, your solution, your process, challenges, and impact. Be ready to discuss lessons learned.

• Research Uptick: Understand their mission, their product space (fire safety/building operations software), and their company culture (product-led, fast-paced, technical).

⚠️ 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.