Senior Product Designer (User Research) - UK

Jobgether
Full_time

πŸ“ Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (User Research)
Company: Jobgether (on behalf of a partner company)
Location: United Kingdom
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Operations
Date Posted: 2025-11-04
Experience Level: 5-10 Years
Remote Status: Fully Remote

πŸš€ Role Summary

  • Lead end-to-end user research initiatives, translating complex qualitative and quantitative data into actionable product design strategies.
  • Drive the creation of intuitive, user-centered experiences across web and mobile platforms, focusing on elegant design execution and seamless user flows.
  • Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering to define product goals, ensuring designs align with business objectives and sophisticated user needs.
  • Own and optimize the product design process from initial discovery and hypothesis validation through to final execution and delivery.
  • Contribute to and maintain a robust design system, ensuring brand consistency, interaction quality, and scalability across all product touchpoints.
  • Mentor and guide junior designers in user research methodologies, user-centered design practices, and high-quality design execution.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer with a specific emphasis on User Research, indicating a blend of strategic design leadership and deep user advocacy. The "Operations" aspect is derived from the need to manage and optimize the design process, contribute to systems (design system), and ensure consistency and efficiency in product development. The remote nature within the UK and the AI-driven application process are key differentiators.

πŸ“ˆ Primary Responsibilities

  • Spearhead comprehensive qualitative and quantitative user research projects, including ethnography, interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to uncover user insights and validate product hypotheses.
  • Define and articulate product requirements based on research findings, translating them into detailed user personas, user journey maps, and user stories.
  • Design and deliver high-fidelity wireframes, interactive prototypes, and comprehensive user flows for both web and native mobile applications (iOS/Android).
  • Champion user-centered design principles throughout the product development lifecycle, acting as the voice of the user in cross-functional team discussions.
  • Develop and maintain a scalable and consistent design system, including UI components, patterns, and guidelines, to ensure cohesive user experiences across all platforms.
  • Conduct heuristic evaluations and competitive analysis to identify areas for design improvement and innovation.
  • Effectively communicate design rationale, research findings, and strategic recommendations to stakeholders at all levels through compelling presentations and storytelling.
  • Mentor and provide constructive feedback to other designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and design excellence within the team.
  • Collaborate with product managers to refine product roadmaps and prioritize features based on user needs, business impact, and technical feasibility.
  • Ensure the successful implementation of designs by working closely with engineering teams, providing clear specifications and iterative feedback.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on research leadership, cross-functional influence, and end-to-end design ownership. The mention of "SaaS or B2B digital products" suggests a focus on complex workflows and business-oriented user needs, requiring a strategic approach to design and problem-solving beyond typical consumer applications.

πŸŽ“ Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, or a related field is often preferred for senior roles in this domain. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.
Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience in product design, with a significant and demonstrable focus on user research methodologies. Experience designing for SaaS or B2B digital products is highly preferred.

Required Skills:

  • User Research Expertise: Deep proficiency in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative UX research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, surveys, usability testing, ethnographic studies, diary studies).
  • Data Interpretation: Proven ability to expertly interpret and synthesize both qualitative and quantitative data to derive actionable insights and inform design decisions.
  • Cross-Platform Design: Demonstrated experience designing intuitive and effective interfaces for both web and native mobile platforms (iOS/Android).
  • Design Tool Proficiency: Advanced skills in industry-standard design and prototyping tools, such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (XD), or similar.
  • Systems Thinking: Strong ability to analyze complex problems, identify core user needs, and translate them into simple, elegant, and scalable design solutions.
  • Communication & Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to articulate design decisions, present research findings, and effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Marketing).
  • Proactive & Detail-Oriented: A proactive mindset, strong curiosity, meticulous attention to detail, and a genuine motivation to drive tangible user impact.
  • Fluent English: Fluency in both written and spoken English is essential for effective communication.

Preferred Skills:

  • SaaS/B2B Product Design: Specific experience designing digital products for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or Business-to-Business (B2B) environments.
  • Design Systems: Experience contributing to or leading the development and maintenance of design systems.
  • Agile/Scrum Methodologies: Familiarity with working within Agile development frameworks.
  • Information Architecture: Strong understanding of information architecture principles and their application in complex digital products.
  • Mentorship Experience: Previous experience mentoring or guiding other designers.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "SaaS or B2B digital products" suggests the need for designers who can navigate complex information architectures, understand intricate business workflows, and design for professional users with specific goals and efficiency requirements. The AI-driven application process implies that candidates should tailor their CV and LinkedIn profiles to highlight these specific skills and experiences.

πŸ“Š Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Research Case Studies: Showcase detailed case studies that clearly articulate a user research problem, the methodologies employed, the insights derived, and how these insights directly influenced design solutions and product outcomes.
  • Design Process Walkthroughs: Present end-to-end design processes, demonstrating your ability to move from discovery and ideation through wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final design execution.
  • Cross-Platform Examples: Include examples of designs for both web and mobile platforms, highlighting your understanding of platform-specific conventions and responsive design principles.
  • System Design Contributions: If applicable, showcase contributions to design systems, including component libraries, pattern documentation, and guidelines that promote consistency and scalability.
  • Problem-Solving Demonstrations: Clearly illustrate how you approached and solved complex user or business problems through design, emphasizing your strategic thinking and decision-making rationale.

Process Documentation:

  • User Research Plans & Reports: Be prepared to discuss or provide examples of user research plans, discussion guides, and synthesized research reports that influenced product decisions.
  • Design Workflow Optimization: Demonstrate an understanding of how to optimize design workflows for efficiency, collaboration, and quality assurance, especially within an Agile context.
  • System Implementation & Maintenance: Discuss your experience with implementing design system components and maintaining their integrity and relevance over time.
  • Metrics & Impact Documentation: Show how you have measured the impact of your design decisions, ideally using relevant metrics (e.g., conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores) to demonstrate ROI and user value.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: Given the "Senior" title and the emphasis on user research, a portfolio that meticulously details the research process and its direct impact on design decisions is crucial. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their research methodologies and explain the "why" behind their design choices, linking them back to user needs and business objectives. The AI screening process also suggests that clear, data-driven evidence of impact within portfolio examples will be highly valued.

πŸ’΅ Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior Product Designer (User Research) with 5-10 years of experience, based in the United Kingdom and working remotely, a competitive salary range is estimated between Β£60,000 and Β£85,000 per annum. This range is an estimation based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in the UK tech sector, factoring in the remote work flexibility and the specialization in user research. The final salary will depend on the specific partner company's compensation structure, the candidate's experience level, and their demonstrated skills.

Benefits:

  • Competitive Salary & Bonus: A competitive base salary, complemented by a performance-based bonus structure, recognizing individual and company achievements.
  • 100% Remote Flexibility: The opportunity to work entirely remotely from any location within the United Kingdom, offering significant work-life balance and flexibility.
  • Professional Development: Access to resources and opportunities for continuous learning, skill enhancement, and professional growth.
  • Mentorship Programs: Participation in mentorship programs designed to foster career development and provide guidance from experienced professionals.
  • Impactful Product Contribution: The chance to work on high-impact products that are designed to shape and improve global workflows, offering a sense of purpose and contribution.
  • Inclusive & Values-Driven Culture: An opportunity to be part of a company culture that prioritizes integrity, innovation, empathy, and collaboration.
  • Collaborative Design Team: Work alongside a talented, user-focused, and supportive team of design professionals.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week. Given the fully remote nature, there is an expectation of flexibility to accommodate cross-functional collaboration with teams potentially in different time zones, though primary communication and core working hours will likely align with UK business hours.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The salary estimation is based on publicly available data for Senior Product Designer roles in the UK, considering the remote aspect and the specialized user research focus. This estimate aims to provide a realistic benchmark. The benefits highlight a strong commitment to employee growth and well-being, which are attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏒 Company Culture

Industry: The partner company operates within the Technology sector, likely focusing on Software Development, SaaS, Talent Matching Platforms, or AI-driven Solutions. Jobgether itself is a Talent Matching Platform, suggesting a focus on efficiency, AI, and connecting talent with opportunities. This indicates a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.
Company Size: The description of Jobgether as a "Talent Matching Platform" and its AI-driven approach suggests a modern, potentially scale-up or established tech company. The partner company could range from a well-funded startup to a larger enterprise, but the emphasis on design and user experience points towards organizations that value product quality.
Founded: Jobgether's founding date is not explicitly stated, but its operational model suggests a company leveraging current AI and platform technologies. The partner company's founding date is also not provided, but the need for a Senior Product Designer implies an established product or a significant new product initiative.

Team Structure:

  • Design Team: The role involves working within a design team that likely includes other Product Designers, UX/UI specialists, and potentially UX Researchers. The Senior role implies leadership and mentorship within this group.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close collaboration is expected with Product Managers, Engineers (front-end and back-end), and potentially other stakeholders such as marketing, sales, or customer success, depending on the partner company's structure.
  • Reporting: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Head of Design, Design Manager, or a Product Lead, depending on the specific organizational hierarchy of the partner company.

Methodology:

  • User-Centered Design (UCD): The core methodology revolves around deeply understanding user needs through research and translating those insights into user-friendly and effective product designs.
  • Agile Development: It's highly probable that the partner company employs Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) for product development, requiring designers to work iteratively and adapt to changing requirements.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis is placed on using both qualitative (research insights) and quantitative (analytics, A/B testing results) data to inform design strategy and validate hypotheses.
  • Design System Integration: A systematic approach to design is expected, leveraging or contributing to a design system for consistency, efficiency, and scalability.

Company Website: [Jobgether Company Website: jobgether.com] (The partner company's website is not specified.)

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The context provided by Jobgether's platform suggests a tech-forward environment. The partner company likely embraces modern product development practices, with a strong emphasis on user experience and data-informed decision-making. The AI screening process by Jobgether indicates a company that values efficiency and data in talent acquisition.

πŸ“ˆ Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior level position within the product design discipline, specifically focusing on User Research. It signifies a strategic role that requires not only execution skills but also the ability to lead initiatives, mentor others, and influence product direction. It sits above mid-level designers and below lead or principal designer roles, often acting as a subject matter expert in user research and design execution.
Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager, Head of Design, or potentially a Product Lead or Director within the partner company. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads, collaborating as peers on product development teams.
Operations Impact: The role has a significant impact on the "operations" of product development by ensuring that products are designed with a deep understanding of user needs, leading to higher adoption rates, improved user satisfaction, and ultimately, better business outcomes (e.g., increased conversion, reduced churn, enhanced efficiency for B2B users). The design system contributions also streamline the development process and maintain brand integrity.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Lead Designer / Principal Designer: Progression could lead to a Lead Product Designer role, where you take ownership of larger product areas, manage more complex projects, and provide strategic design leadership. Alternatively, a Principal Designer path focuses on deep specialization and technical expertise.
  • Design Management: For those interested in people leadership, there's a potential path into Design Management, overseeing design teams, setting strategic direction, and fostering team growth.
  • Specialization: Further specialization within UX research (e.g., advanced qualitative methods, behavioral science) or product design (e.g., complex SaaS interfaces, enterprise solutions) is also a viable growth avenue.
  • Cross-Functional Leadership: Opportunities to lead design initiatives that span multiple product lines or to contribute to broader product strategy discussions.
  • Continuous Learning: Access to professional development, mentorship, and learning resources facilitates ongoing skill enhancement in both design craft and research methodologies.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The Senior level implies a high degree of autonomy and responsibility. Growth opportunities are geared towards increased strategic influence, leadership, or deeper specialization within the UX and product design fields, aligning with typical career progression in established tech companies.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This role is 100% remote, meaning there is no physical office requirement. The "office" is the employee's home workspace, offering maximum flexibility.
Office Location(s): The role is restricted to individuals based within the United Kingdom. This is likely due to employment law, tax regulations, or time zone alignment for collaboration with other UK-based team members or the primary partner company.

Workspace Context:

  • Home Office Setup: Candidates will need a dedicated, productive home office environment conducive to focused work, research, and virtual collaboration. Reliable high-speed internet is essential.
  • Digital Collaboration Tools: The work environment will heavily rely on digital collaboration tools for communication (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams), project management (e.g., Jira, Asana), design collaboration (e.g., Figma, Miro), and video conferencing (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet).
  • Independent Work & Team Interaction: While much of the work will be performed independently, there will be regular opportunities for team interaction through scheduled meetings, design critiques, research debriefs, and ad-hoc discussions.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is typically 40 hours per week. While fully remote, maintaining effective collaboration with UK-based colleagues and potential international teams may require some flexibility in working hours to attend critical meetings or to ensure timely responses. Core working hours will likely align with UK business hours.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature within the UK is a significant aspect of the work environment, emphasizing self-discipline, effective digital communication, and the ability to manage one's own workspace and schedule efficiently.

πŸ“„ Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • AI Screening (Initial): Your application will first be processed by Jobgether's AI, which evaluates your CV and LinkedIn profile against the job requirements. A high match score is needed to proceed.
  • Hiring Manager/Team Review: Shortlisted candidates will have their profiles reviewed by the partner company's hiring team.
  • Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: Expect a stage where you present your portfolio, focusing on relevant case studies, and potentially undertake a design challenge or exercise related to user research and product design.
  • Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and cultural fit.
  • Final Interview: A concluding interview, possibly with a senior leader, to discuss strategic fit and overall alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Highlight Research Impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your research process, key findings, and how these findings directly led to specific design decisions and positive outcomes. Quantify impact where possible.
  • Showcase End-to-End Process: Demonstrate your ability to move from initial research and problem definition through to detailed design solutions and prototypes.
  • Tailor to B2B/SaaS: If you have B2B or SaaS experience, emphasize it. Show an understanding of complex workflows, business objectives, and professional user needs.
  • Figma/Sketch Proficiency: Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates proficiency with tools like Figma or Sketch, showcasing your ability to create high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes.
  • Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Explain the context, your role, the challenges, your approach, the solution, and the results.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Research-Focused Challenge: Be prepared for a design challenge that might involve analyzing a dataset, evaluating an existing interface, or proposing research methods for a given problem.
  • Problem Framing: Practice framing problems clearly and identifying key user needs and business goals.
  • Solution Articulation: Be ready to articulate your proposed solutions and design rationale concisely, justifying your choices with research insights or design principles.
  • Time Management: If a timed challenge is given, practice managing your time effectively to deliver a well-reasoned output.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The AI screening is a critical first step. Candidates must ensure their CV and LinkedIn are optimized with keywords relevant to user research, product design, Figma, SaaS, B2B, and collaboration. The portfolio should be a strong testament to their research-to-design process and its measurable impact.

πŸ›  Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch (Proficiency required; specify preferred tool if known).
  • User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting remote usability testing, surveys, and interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, SurveyMonkey, Typeform).
  • Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural (for collaborative ideation, journey mapping, and workshop facilitation).

Analytics & Reporting:

  • Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (for understanding user behavior on web platforms).
  • Product Analytics: Amplitude, Mixpanel, Pendo (for in-depth feature usage analysis and user behavior tracking).
  • Reporting Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Looker (for visualizing data and creating dashboards, though direct use may be less frequent for designers, understanding their output is key).

CRM & Automation:

  • CRM Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot (Understanding how designs integrate with and impact CRM data and workflows is beneficial for B2B/SaaS roles).
  • Project Management & Workflow: Jira, Asana, Trello (for managing design tasks, sprints, and project timelines).
  • Design System Management: Storybook, Zeroheight (for documenting and managing design system components).

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma or Sketch is explicitly mentioned. The role implies a need to leverage data analytics tools to inform design decisions and measure impact, even if direct manipulation isn't a primary responsibility. Familiarity with B2B/SaaS tools like Salesforce or HubSpot can be an advantage for understanding the ecosystem.

πŸ‘₯ Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • User Centricity: A deep-seated commitment to understanding and advocating for the user in all design and product decisions.
  • Integrity: Upholding ethical standards in research, design, and collaboration, ensuring transparency and honesty.
  • Innovation: A drive to explore new ideas, methodologies, and solutions to solve complex user problems and push product boundaries.
  • Empathy: Cultivating understanding and compassion for users, colleagues, and stakeholders, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.
  • Data-Driven Approach: A reliance on evidenceβ€”both qualitative and quantitativeβ€”to inform strategy, validate hypotheses, and measure success, rather than relying solely on intuition.
  • Efficiency & Quality: Valuing streamlined processes and high-quality execution in both design craft and research methodologies.

Collaboration Style:

  • Cross-Functional Integration: Emphasizing close, proactive collaboration with Product Management and Engineering teams, ensuring alignment and shared understanding throughout the product lifecycle.
  • Open Communication & Feedback: Fostering an environment where constructive feedback is welcomed, shared openly, and used for continuous improvement of designs and processes.
  • Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of research insights, design best practices, and learnings across the team and with other departments.
  • Experimentation: A willingness to experiment with new design approaches, research methods, and tools to find the most effective ways to achieve user and business goals.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes a blend of user advocacy, innovation, and data-driven decision-making, which are crucial for success in a senior product design role, especially within a tech-focused organization. The collaborative style suggests a team that values open dialogue and shared ownership.

⚑ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Navigating the inherent tension between deep user advocacy and the strategic objectives and constraints of the business, particularly in B2B/SaaS environments.
  • Managing Ambiguity: Working effectively in a fast-paced environment where requirements may evolve, requiring adaptability and strong problem-framing skills.
  • Remote Collaboration Effectiveness: Ensuring seamless communication, collaboration, and team cohesion in a fully remote setting, mitigating potential isolation or miscommunication.
  • Influencing Stakeholders: Effectively persuading and aligning stakeholders with diverse perspectives and priorities around user-centered design recommendations.
  • Continuous Learning: Keeping pace with evolving UX research methodologies, design tools, and industry trends in a dynamic technological landscape.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Advanced Research Techniques: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specialized areas of UX research (e.g., behavioral economics, advanced statistical analysis, generative AI for research).
  • Design System Leadership: Potential to take a leading role in evolving and expanding the design system, impacting product consistency at scale.
  • Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gaining deeper insights into product management, engineering processes, and business strategy through close collaboration.
  • Industry Conferences & Training: Access to attend leading UX and product design conferences, workshops, and online courses for continuous skill development.
  • Mentorship & Peer Learning: Engaging in formal or informal mentorship, and learning from experienced colleagues within a collaborative team environment.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in the tech industry, requiring strong problem-solving, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills. The growth opportunities are aligned with advancing expertise, leadership, and broad understanding of the product development lifecycle.

πŸ’‘ Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "Describe a time you uncovered a critical user insight through research that significantly changed the direction of a product. What was your process, and how did you communicate it to stakeholders?" (Focus on research methodology, insight generation, communication, and impact.)
  • "How do you approach designing for complex B2B workflows, considering the needs of multiple user roles and business objectives simultaneously?" (Focus on B2B/SaaS experience, systems thinking, and balancing needs.)
  • "Walk me through your process for creating and maintaining a design system. What are the key components, and how do you ensure its adoption and evolution?" (Focus on design systems, consistency, scalability, and collaboration.)
  • "Imagine you're tasked with designing a new feature for our [mention a hypothetical product area]. What would be your first steps in terms of research and design?" (Focus on problem framing, research planning, and initial design thinking.)

Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What interests you specifically about this role and our company's mission (or the mission of our partner company)?" (Research Jobgether and any known details about the partner company's industry/product.)
  • "How do you contribute to a positive and collaborative team culture, especially in a remote environment?" (Highlight your collaboration style, communication skills, and proactive engagement.)
  • "Describe a situation where you had to disagree with a stakeholder or team member on a design decision. How did you handle it?" (Focus on communication, negotiation, and user advocacy.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the research conducted, key insights, design solutions, your rationale, and the measurable outcomes.
  • Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., "increased conversion by X%", "reduced task completion time by Y%").
  • Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (screenshots, prototypes, user flows) to illustrate your design process and final solutions effectively.
  • Focus on Research-Design Link: Explicitly draw connections between your research findings and the design decisions you made. This is critical for this role.
  • Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your process, challenges, and alternative approaches you considered.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on demonstrating a strong command of the user research-to-design process, especially for complex B2B/SaaS products. Candidates should be ready to speak to their experience with design systems and their ability to thrive in a remote, collaborative, and data-informed environment.

πŸ“Œ Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

  • Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.
  • Optimize Your Profile for AI Screening: Ensure your CV and LinkedIn profile are meticulously updated and keyword-rich, highlighting experience in User Research, UX Design, Figma/Sketch, SaaS/B2B products, qualitative/quantitative data analysis, and cross-platform design.
  • Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best showcase your user research expertise, end-to-end design process, and measurable impact, tailored to B2B/SaaS environments if possible. Ensure clear documentation of research methodologies and their influence on design.
  • Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your experience, skills, and motivations clearly, drawing specific examples from your portfolio that align with the role's requirements and the company's values. Practice presenting your case studies concisely and compellingly.
  • Research the Context: Understand Jobgether's AI-driven platform and research the likely industry and product focus of their partner company to tailor your application and prepare for potential company-specific questions.

⚠️ 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.

Application Requirements

5+ years of experience in product design with a focus on user research is required. Expertise in UX research methodologies and proficiency with design tools like Figma or Sketch is essential.