Senior Product Designer - Navigation Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Navigation Systems Company: Advanced Navigation Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Hybrid) Job Type: Salaried Full-Time Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Date Posted: 2025-07-11T11:58:46.529 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years) Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of a unified user experience across Advanced Navigation's software suite, encompassing developer tools, configuration UIs, and analytics dashboards.
• Translate complex technical requirements and user needs into clear interaction models and intuitive designs, ensuring a consistent user experience across diverse industries like defense, autonomy, maritime, and energy.
• Define, establish, and maintain a comprehensive design system to ensure scalability, consistency, and alignment across the AdNav product family.
• Drive UX discovery, user journey mapping, persona development, and workflow definition through cross-functional workshops, contributing significantly to product strategy and roadmap planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a foundational "first designer" for the AdNav platform, indicating a significant opportunity for the individual to shape the UX direction and potentially grow the design function. The hybrid nature suggests a balance between collaborative in-office work and focused remote design activities.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the design vision for the AdNav user experience across all software touchpoints, including SDKs, configuration tools, analytics interfaces, and dashboards.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and customers to deeply understand technical requirements and user needs, translating these into effective interaction models and user-centered designs.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a robust design system that fosters consistency, scalability, and cross-platform alignment for the AdNav software suite.
• Conduct user research, build and validate prototypes with real users, and iterate on designs based on feedback to ensure optimal usability and effectiveness.
• Partner with engineering teams throughout the development lifecycle to guarantee high-quality implementation of designs and provide continuous design support.
• Facilitate and lead cross-functional UX discovery workshops to map user journeys, define personas, and articulate workflows for various customer segments.
• Contribute to strategic product roadmap planning by identifying UX gaps, usability opportunities, and areas for product cohesion improvement.
• Take a lead role in hiring and mentoring future designers as the design function within Advanced Navigation expands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize ownership and leadership, particularly in establishing a new UX system. This implies a need for strong strategic thinking, cross-functional influence, and the ability to mentor others, common in senior-level operations and product roles focused on GTM efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Degree in Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), UX Design, or a related field; or equivalent professional experience demonstrating a strong foundation in design principles and practices.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in designing user interfaces for technical, enterprise-grade software, or complex B2B applications, showcasing a proven ability to handle intricate workflows and demanding user requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in building or significantly contributing to a design system, including establishing component libraries, style guides, and usage patterns.
• Experience in industries such as automotive, aerospace, defense, or industrial software is highly desirable, providing context for the technical nature of AdNav's products.
• Proven track record of mentoring or leading other designers, indicating leadership potential and the ability to guide junior team members.

Required Skills:

• Advanced proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar platforms, enabling the creation of wireframes, interactive prototypes, and detailed visual specifications.
• Strong UX research practices, including user interviews, surveys, and a solid understanding of usability testing methodologies to validate design decisions and gather actionable insights.
• Expertise in creating wireframes, interactive prototypes, and detailed visual specifications to effectively communicate design intent to stakeholders and development teams.
• Clear and effective communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex design decisions and rationale to both technical and non-technical audiences, fostering alignment and buy-in.
• Solid understanding of responsive design principles and awareness of front-end development constraints to ensure designs are technically feasible and performant.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with product managers, engineers, and customers, fostering a shared understanding of user needs and design goals.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for complex B2B applications or platforms within technical sectors like automotive, aerospace, or defense.
• Familiarity with analytics interfaces and dashboard design, understanding how to present complex data in an intuitive and actionable manner.
• Knowledge of SDK design principles for developer tools, ensuring ease of integration and usability for technical users.
• Experience in driving UX discovery workshops, mapping user journeys, and developing personas to inform design strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on experience with technical or enterprise-grade software, coupled with a strong understanding of front-end development constraints, points towards a need for a designer who can bridge the gap between user needs and technical implementation, a critical skill in operations-focused product development.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design projects, with a strong emphasis on complex B2B or technical software applications.
• Demonstrate a clear process for user research, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and user testing, highlighting how you translated user needs into successful design solutions.
• Include examples of how you've contributed to or built design systems, illustrating your understanding of scalability, consistency, and component-based design.
• Showcase case studies that highlight your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams (product, engineering, customer success) and effectively communicate design decisions and rationale.
• Provide examples of your work with analytics dashboards or complex data visualization, demonstrating your ability to make intricate information accessible and actionable.
• Present projects that exhibit your problem-solving skills, particularly in areas of workflow simplification, user efficiency improvements, and the creation of intuitive user experiences for technical tools.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of your design process, clearly outlining stages from initial discovery and requirement gathering through to final implementation and iteration.
• Examples of how you've documented design specifications, interaction models, and user flows to ensure clear communication and alignment with development teams.
• Demonstrate your approach to iterative design, including how you gather feedback, conduct usability testing, and incorporate insights to refine designs and improve user outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role like this, a portfolio is crucial for demonstrating not just aesthetic skill but also a structured, process-driven approach to solving complex design challenges. This aligns with operations' focus on repeatable processes and measurable outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Given the Senior Product Designer title, the hybrid work arrangement in Sydney, Australia, and the 5+ years of experience required, the estimated annual salary range is AUD $120,000 - $170,000. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior UX/Product Designers in major Australian tech hubs, considering the specialized nature of navigation systems and the foundational aspect of the role.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and potential for performance-based bonuses.
• Hybrid work model offering flexibility between home and office environments.
• Opportunity to shape the UX strategy and design direction for core product offerings.
• Contribution to cutting-edge technology in the defense, autonomy, maritime, and energy sectors.
• Potential for professional development, including training, conferences, and mentorship opportunities.
• Standard employee benefits package, likely including health insurance, paid time off, and superannuation contributions as per Australian regulations.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, likely around 38-40 hours per week. The hybrid nature may offer some flexibility in daily scheduling, but core working hours will be expected for team collaboration and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation considers the "Senior" level, specific location in Sydney (a high-cost-of-living area), and the specialized technical domain. Benefits are inferred based on typical offerings for full-time roles in Australian tech companies.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advanced Navigation operates within the advanced technology sector, specifically focusing on Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), GNSS, and related software solutions for autonomous vehicles, maritime, defense, and energy applications. This context implies a need for precision, reliability, and a deep understanding of complex technical requirements. Company Size: Advanced Navigation is a growing company, likely in the small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) range, given the description of this role as the "first designer" dedicated to the platform. This suggests a dynamic, potentially fast-paced environment where individual contributions have a significant impact. Founded: Advanced Navigation was founded in 2012, indicating a company with established expertise and a track record in its specialized field, now looking to mature its software user experience.

Team Structure:

• The design function is nascent, with this Senior Product Designer being the first dedicated hire for the AdNav platform. This means the role will likely involve significant collaboration with existing product management and engineering teams.
• The reporting structure is expected to be within a product or engineering department, potentially reporting to a Head of Product, CTO, or Engineering Lead.
• Cross-functional collaboration will be key, working closely with product managers to define requirements, engineers for implementation, and customer-facing teams to gather user feedback and understand market needs.

Methodology:

• The company's focus on complex technological solutions suggests an approach that values data-driven decision-making, rigorous testing, and continuous improvement in both hardware and software.
• Emphasis will likely be placed on agile development methodologies, with design integrated into sprints and product development cycles.
• A strong focus on user-centered design principles will be essential to translate complex technical functionalities into usable and efficient software experiences.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on high-tech, precision-based industries suggests a culture that values technical expertise, innovation, and a problem-solving mindset. The "first designer" aspect implies an opportunity to establish processes and influence direction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is firmly positioned at the Senior level, requiring significant autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to lead design initiatives from conception to execution. It's a key individual contributor role with potential for future leadership within the design team. Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a senior leader within Product or Engineering, such as a Head of Product, Director of Engineering, or CTO. This structure offers visibility to leadership and direct involvement in strategic decision-making. Operations Impact: The designer's work will have a direct impact on the usability and adoption of AdNav's software products. By creating intuitive and efficient user experiences, they will enhance customer satisfaction, reduce support overhead, and ultimately contribute to the company's market competitiveness and revenue growth by making complex systems more accessible.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: As the first dedicated designer, there's a clear path to grow into a Design Lead or Head of Design role, responsible for building and managing a team, defining design strategy, and overseeing all UX initiatives.
• Specialization: Deepen expertise in UX for complex technical domains, autonomous systems, or specific industry verticals (defense, maritime, energy) that Advanced Navigation serves.
• Cross-functional Influence: Develop strong relationships and influence across product management, engineering, and customer success to drive user-centricity throughout the organization.
• Process Establishment: Play a pivotal role in defining and refining the design processes, tools, and best practices within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth potential for a designer eager to establish a UX function, influence product strategy, and potentially lead a team in a specialized, high-growth technology sector.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work environment, allowing for a blend of in-office collaboration and remote focus. This suggests a modern approach to work-life balance and employee well-being. Office Location(s): The role is based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, with the expectation of working from the company's Sydney office for a portion of the week. Workspace Context:

• The workspace will likely foster collaboration, with opportunities to engage directly with product managers, engineers, and potentially other technical stakeholders.
• Access to necessary design tools and software will be provided, enabling efficient workflow and creation.
• The environment is expected to be dynamic, reflecting the innovative nature of the company, with opportunities for hands-on involvement in product development.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time work schedule, likely with some flexibility in daily hours due to the hybrid arrangement, provided core collaboration times are met. This allows for focused work sessions and participation in team meetings and design reviews.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model in Sydney indicates a contemporary workplace that values both collaboration and individual productivity, fitting for a role requiring deep concentration and strategic thinking.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, skill alignment, and design approach. Be prepared to articulate your core strengths and relevant project experience.
• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager (likely Head of Product or Engineering Lead) and potentially a senior engineer or product manager. This will focus on your experience, design philosophy, and how you approach complex problems.
• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A key stage will involve presenting a selection of your most relevant portfolio pieces, explaining your process, decisions, and impact. You may also be given a design challenge that simulates a real-world problem AdNav faces, requiring you to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and communication abilities within a given timeframe.
• Cross-functional / Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with representatives from engineering and product management to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and cultural fit.
• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Choose 3-4 projects that best showcase your end-to-end design process, particularly those involving complex technical systems, design systems, or enterprise software.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the challenges faced, your design process, the solutions you developed, and the measurable impact or outcomes. Use visuals effectively.
• Highlight Process: Emphasize your UX research methodologies, ideation techniques, prototyping strategies, and how you incorporated user feedback.
• Showcase Design System Work: If you have experience with design systems, detail your contribution, the principles you followed, and how it drove consistency and efficiency.
• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improvements in task completion time, reduction in errors, increased user satisfaction).
• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design decisions, trade-offs made, and how you handle constructive criticism or conflicting stakeholder opinions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Advanced Navigation's products, target industries, and the challenges of designing for complex technical systems.
• Focus on Process: Demonstrate a structured approach to the challenge. Outline your steps, assumptions, and how you'd gather information if this were a real project.
• Prioritize: If the challenge is broad, identify key areas to focus on and justify your prioritization.
• Communicate Clearly: Articulate your thought process, design rationale, and any trade-offs you're making.
• Consider Constraints: Be mindful of technical feasibility and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio presentation and potential design challenge suggests a company that values a practical, process-driven approach to design, common in operations-oriented roles where efficiency and demonstrable results are key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Advanced proficiency in tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar industry-standard software for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and creating detailed visual specifications.
• User Research Tools: Familiarity with tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze).
• Collaboration Tools: Experience with tools like Jira, Confluence, Slack, or Microsoft Teams for project management, communication, and cross-functional collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Analytics Platforms: While not a primary focus for a designer, an understanding of how product analytics (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) are used to inform design decisions is beneficial.
• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools used for dashboard creation and data presentation would be advantageous, given the mention of analytics dashboards in the role description.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the designer role, but understanding how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and business automation tools impact customer workflows and data can provide valuable context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core requirement for design tools like Figma highlights the need for a designer proficient in modern, collaborative design workflows, which often integrate with engineering and product management tools.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Precision: A strong emphasis on developing cutting-edge technology with a high degree of accuracy and reliability, reflecting the demanding nature of navigation systems.
• Customer Focus: Understanding and addressing the complex needs of customers in specialized industries like defense, maritime, and energy, ensuring the product solutions are robust and effective.
• Collaboration: A culture of working closely across disciplines (engineering, product, sales, customer support) to deliver integrated solutions.
• Problem-Solving: A proactive approach to identifying and solving technical and user experience challenges.
• Growth Mindset: Encouraging continuous learning and adaptation in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Collaboration Style:

• Expect a highly collaborative environment where designers work hand-in-hand with product managers to define requirements and engineers to ensure successful implementation.
• Open communication and feedback loops are crucial for iterating on designs and ensuring alignment across teams.
• Cross-functional workshops and regular sync-ups will be standard practice to maintain project momentum and shared understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values likely mirror those found in high-tech engineering firms, emphasizing technical excellence, customer outcomes, and collaborative problem-solving, all of which are critical for successful operations and product delivery.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New UX System: As the first dedicated designer, a significant challenge will be defining and implementing a consistent design language and system from the ground up for a diverse software suite.
• Complexity of Technical Domain: Designing for navigation systems and autonomous technology requires a deep understanding of complex technical concepts and user workflows, demanding careful user research and iterative validation.
• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent UX vision and implementation across multiple software products and teams requires strong communication and influence skills.
• Balancing User Needs with Technical Constraints: Effectively translating sophisticated technical capabilities into user-friendly interfaces while respecting engineering limitations and development timelines.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to build and own a design system, setting standards and best practices for the entire organization.
• Industry Expertise: Develop in-depth knowledge of navigation systems and the specific needs of industries like defense, autonomy, maritime, and energy.
• Mentorship and Team Building: Potential to mentor junior designers and contribute to building out a design function within the company.
• Strategic Impact: Directly influence product strategy and user experience for critical company offerings, gaining exposure to high-level decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a senior individual contributor role tasked with establishing a new function or system, offering substantial opportunities for professional growth and impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach establishing a design system for a complex software suite like AdNav's, given it's a new initiative?" (Focus on your methodology, phased approach, and stakeholder engagement.)
• "Describe a time you had to translate highly technical requirements into an intuitive user experience. What was your process, and what were the outcomes?" (Highlight your problem-solving skills and user-centric approach.)
• "How do you balance user needs with technical constraints and business goals when designing?" (Discuss your decision-making process and how you manage trade-offs.)
• "What are your strategies for conducting effective UX research and usability testing, especially with users in technical fields?" (Detail your research methods and how you gather actionable insights.)
• "How would you collaborate with product managers and engineers to ensure successful design implementation and adoption?" (Emphasize your communication and partnership skills.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you specifically about Advanced Navigation and our work in navigation systems?" (Show you've researched the company and understand its mission.)
• "How do you envision contributing to the growth of a design function within a growing tech company?" (Discuss your leadership aspirations and process-building experience.)
• "How do you stay updated on the latest UX trends and best practices, particularly in technical software design?" (Demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with a brief overview of your career and the projects you'll present. For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the impact.
• Visuals: Use high-quality mockups, prototypes (if shareable or recorded), user flows, and any relevant research artifacts.
• Narrative: Craft a compelling story around each project, highlighting your critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and how you drove positive outcomes.
• Interaction: Be prepared to walk through interactive prototypes or explain complex interactions clearly.
• Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs, and how you would handle challenges specific to AdNav's context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for these types of questions and presentation strategies will demonstrate your strategic thinking, operational excellence in design, and ability to communicate value, which are key for senior operations-aligned roles.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Advanced Navigation careers page.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio highlights projects relevant to technical software, enterprise applications, or complex B2B products. Tailor your case studies to show end-to-end process and measurable impact.
• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your experience in UI/UX design for technical domains, design system development, cross-functional collaboration, and any leadership or mentoring experience. Use keywords from the job description.
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, presenting your portfolio effectively, and preparing for potential design challenges. Research Advanced Navigation's products and target markets thoroughly.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Advanced Navigation's technologies, mission, and the industries they serve. Understand their existing software offerings and identify potential areas for UX improvement.

⚠️ 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.