Staff Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer Company: Amber Electric Location: Remote (Ideally Melbourne, Australia) Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / User Experience Date Posted: 2025-11-12 Experience Level: Senior / Staff (10+ years) Remote Status: Hybrid (with flexible WFH arrangements; office hub in Melbourne CBD)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive strategic product direction and elevate design craft for Amber Electric's most critical and ambiguous product challenges.
• Lead user research and discovery to deeply understand customer needs, behaviors, and energy literacy within the context of the energy market.
• Design scalable, high-quality user experiences across mobile and web platforms that influence customer interaction with energy services.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration, acting as a senior individual contributor to influence product and engineering leaders and align on strategic decisions.
• Mentor and elevate the design capabilities of the broader team through example, critique, and shared standards, acting as a multiplier without formal management responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor (IC) leader, focusing on high-impact, ambiguous problems rather than managing a direct team. The emphasis is on influencing strategy, elevating craft, and driving clarity across multiple product streams within a rapidly growing energy technology startup.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the definition and framing of complex, high-priority product challenges with significant customer and business impact, ensuring a clear understanding of the problem before solutioning.
• Lead the end-to-end design process, from initial discovery and user research to crafting thoughtful, scalable, and polished user interfaces and experiences for both mobile and web applications.
• Synthesize diverse inputs, including user research, market signals, data, and qualitative insights, to inform product strategy and connect customer needs with commercial, regulatory, and energy market realities.
• Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering leadership, Data Science, and Operations teams to align on strategic product decisions, facilitate trade-offs, and ensure the quality of execution.
• Act as a design evangelist and thought leader, improving internal design processes, rituals, critique sessions, and design systems to elevate the overall quality of user experience across the organization.
• Mentor and coach other designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, shared standards, and high-quality design craft without direct line management duties.
• Own the outcomes of critical design initiatives, demonstrating autonomy and accountability for raising the bar of product experience quality at Amber Electric.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic problem-solving, exceptional design execution, and organizational influence, typical of a Staff-level IC role. Emphasis on "problem framing," "customer insight," and "org-level influence" points to a need for strategic thinking and a proactive approach to improving design processes and outcomes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design talent and a deep understanding of user-centered design principles is paramount. Equivalent practical experience will be highly valued. Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant portion focused on complex digital products, ideally within technology startups or fast-paced environments. Proven experience in a senior or lead design capacity, influencing product strategy and elevating design quality.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Expertise: Deep understanding and practical application of user-centered design principles, UX/UI design, interaction design, and visual design.
• User Research & Discovery: Proven ability to lead generative and evaluative research, synthesize findings, and translate insights into actionable product strategies.
• Problem Framing & Strategy: Demonstrated skill in structuring ambiguous problem spaces, defining clear product opportunities, and shaping strategic direction.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to effectively collaborate, communicate, and influence Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and other stakeholders to drive alignment and consensus.
• Design Craft & Execution: Exceptional ability to deliver polished, high-fidelity designs across mobile and web, with a keen eye for detail, flow, and visual cohesion.
• Mentorship & Coaching: Experience in guiding and developing other designers, fostering a culture of design excellence and continuous improvement.
• Data Synthesis: Capacity to interpret and leverage quantitative and qualitative data to inform design decisions and product strategy.
• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the energy sector, understanding of energy markets, or related regulated industries.
• Familiarity with designing for complex user needs, such as energy literacy or financial management.
• Experience with developing and maintaining design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency.
• Proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite).
• Experience working within agile development methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+" years of experience requirement, coupled with the emphasis on "Staff" level, indicates a need for seasoned designers who can operate independently and provide strategic guidance. The required skills are standard for senior design roles, but the preferred skills highlight a specific need for domain familiarity and the ability to manage design systems and complex user needs.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of Impact: Showcase 2-3 in-depth case studies demonstrating your involvement in solving complex, ambiguous product challenges from problem framing through to execution and impact.
• Problem Framing & Discovery: Clearly articulate the problem space, the research methodologies employed, and how user insights directly shaped the product strategy and design direction.
• Design Process & Craft: Illustrate your design process, including wireframing, prototyping, user flows, interaction design, and visual design, highlighting the craft and quality of the final output.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Provide examples of how you partnered with Product, Engineering, and other teams, demonstrating your ability to influence decisions and drive alignment.
• Quantifiable Outcomes: Where possible, demonstrate the impact of your design work through metrics, user feedback, or business outcomes. For this role, focus on how your design contributions influenced customer engagement, energy usage patterns, or business objectives.

Process Documentation:

• Your portfolio should implicitly or explicitly demonstrate your ability to document and communicate design processes, user research findings, and design decisions effectively.
• Evidence of contributing to or establishing design standards, patterns, or design system components will be highly regarded, showcasing your ability to scale design quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is a Staff Designer role, the portfolio is crucial. It's not just about showcasing aesthetics but demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to drive significant product outcomes through design, especially in complex domains like energy. The emphasis on "problem framing" and "org-level influence" suggests a need for case studies that go beyond individual feature design to strategic product initiatives.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: AUD $180,000 - $220,000 per annum (base salary, excluding superannuation). Superannuation: Standard Australian superannuation contributions will be made in addition to the base salary. Share Options: All full-time roles at Amber Electric include employee stock options, providing ownership and potential upside in the company's growth.

Benefits:

• Flexible Working Hours: Enjoy flexibility in your work schedule to better manage work-life balance.
• Equitable Gender-Neutral Parental Leave: Comprehensive parental leave policies supporting all parents.
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP): Access to confidential mental health and well-being support services.
• Annual Learning & Development Budget: A dedicated budget to support your professional growth through courses, conferences, or certifications.
• Additional Paid Time Off (PTO): Extra paid leave days provided between Christmas and New Year.
• Hybrid Work Model: A blend of working from the Melbourne CBD hub and remotely, offering flexibility.

Working Hours: While specific daily hours are flexible, a standard full-time commitment (typically 40 hours per week) is expected, with flexibility for time zone alignment if working from other Australian locations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Staff Product Designer in Australia. The inclusion of "employee stock options" is a significant draw for startup roles, offering long-term financial upside. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on well-being, professional development, and work-life balance, aligning with a progressive tech company culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Energy Technology / Renewable Energy / FinTech (Energy Trading) Company Size: 175+ employees. This indicates a mid-stage startup environment where processes are formalizing but still agile, offering significant opportunities for impact and growth. Founded: Amber Electric was founded with a vision to revolutionize energy consumption and sales through technology. The company's mission is deeply rooted in accelerating the transition to 100% renewable energy.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is part of a larger Product & Engineering organization. As a Staff Designer, you will be the most senior IC designer, working closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads.
• You will collaborate across multiple product streams, rather than being embedded in a single one, requiring strong stakeholder management and the ability to navigate different team priorities.
• The company culture is described as diverse, inclusive, and focused on people enjoying their work to build a better world.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A strong emphasis on using data, research, and customer insights to inform product strategy and design.
• Agile Development: While not explicitly stated, the context of a fast-growing tech startup suggests an agile or iterative product development approach.
• Customer-Centricity: A core belief in putting customers first and designing solutions that are rewarding and easy to use, particularly concerning energy management.
• Innovation in Energy: A commitment to exploring new technologies and business models (like V2G, smart charging, real-time wholesale pricing) to disrupt the traditional energy market.

Company Website: https://amber.com.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: Amber Electric operates at the intersection of energy, technology, and finance, aiming to disrupt the traditional energy retail model. The company's culture appears to be mission-driven, focused on sustainability and innovation, with a growing team structure that values collaboration and individual impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role, one step below Principal or Director level in many organizations. It signifies a designer who is a recognized expert, capable of tackling the most challenging problems, influencing strategy, and mentoring others without formal management. Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Staff Product Designer typically reports to a Head of Design, VP of Product, or a senior Product leader. In this role, you'll work closely with Product and Engineering leaders across different streams, acting as a peer and influencer. Operations Impact: The Staff Product Designer will have a direct and significant impact on Amber Electric's core mission by shaping the user experience of products that drive renewable energy adoption, optimize energy usage, and enhance customer value. This role is critical in translating complex energy market dynamics and technological capabilities into intuitive and engaging user journeys.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the product vision and strategy for Amber's most critical initiatives, including emerging areas like vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
• Design Leadership: Develop leadership skills through mentoring, raising design standards, and influencing design practices across a growing organization, preparing for potential Principal or management tracks if desired in the future.
• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in the burgeoning energy tech and renewable energy sectors, a rapidly growing and impactful field.
• Cross-Functional Development: Gain exposure to and collaborate closely with leaders in Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, and Operations, broadening business acumen.
• Entrepreneurial Environment: Contribute to the growth of a scaling startup, experiencing firsthand the challenges and rewards of building a disruptive company.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth within the design discipline as a senior IC, focusing on increasing strategic impact and mentorship. The "Staff" title suggests a trajectory towards principal-level contributions or potentially leadership roles, depending on individual career aspirations and organizational evolution. It's a prime opportunity for designers looking to make a significant mark on a mission-driven company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid model with a central hub in Melbourne CBD. This suggests a modern office space designed for collaboration, with amenities to support flexible working. Office Location(s):

• Melbourne CBD: The primary hub for those based in Melbourne, offering a collaborative workspace.
• Remote (Australia-wide): The company is open to considering the right candidate anywhere within Australia, with remote workers utilizing co-working spaces (e.g., Sydney) or working from home.
• Amber aims to remain Melbourne-based but maintains flexibility between office and WFH.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The Melbourne office likely serves as a space for team syncs, workshops, and fostering in-person connections, crucial for complex problem-solving and team building.
• Flexible Technology: As a tech company, expect access to modern design tools and communication platforms (e.g., Figma, Slack, Jira) to facilitate seamless remote and in-office collaboration.
• Cross-Functional Interaction: Opportunities to engage with colleagues from various departments (Product, Engineering, Data, Marketing, Operations) in both formal meetings and informal settings.

Work Schedule: Flexible working hours are offered, though a standard full-time commitment is expected. This flexibility allows individuals to better manage personal commitments while ensuring alignment with team needs and project deadlines, particularly important for a role that bridges multiple product streams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and flexible work environment at Amber Electric is designed to support a distributed workforce while maintaining a collaborative culture. The Melbourne hub is central, but the company's willingness to hire across Australia underscores its commitment to attracting top talent regardless of location, provided they can align with the company's operational rhythm.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Talent Team Screening: An initial conversation to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and alignment with the role's core requirements.
• Hiring Manager Intro Call: A deeper dive into your experience, design philosophy, and how you approach complex product challenges, likely with the Head of Design or a senior Product leader.
• Take-Home Case Study Assignment: A practical exercise designed to evaluate your problem-solving skills, design process, and ability to deliver thoughtful solutions within a realistic timeframe. This will allow you to showcase your craft and strategic thinking.
• Case Study Interview: A follow-up session with cross-functional team members (e.g., Product Manager, Engineering Lead) to discuss your case study, delve into your design decisions, and assess your collaborative approach.
• Final Cultural Chat: A conversation with executive leadership (e.g., CEO, CPO) to ensure alignment with Amber Electric's mission, values, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process, and most importantly, the impact of your work. Quantify results wherever possible.
• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate how you framed the problem, conducted research, and made strategic design decisions that led to successful outcomes.
• Highlight Ambiguity Navigation: For this role, specifically show examples where you tackled ill-defined problems and brought clarity and direction.
• Illustrate Craftsmanship: Ensure your portfolio pieces are polished, well-documented, and showcase high-fidelity design execution across relevant platforms.
• Tailor to Amber's Mission: Briefly explain how your past work or design philosophy aligns with Amber's mission of transforming energy usage towards renewables.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Amber's Business: Research Amber Electric's products, mission, and position in the energy market. Consider the unique challenges of designing for energy consumers and the renewable energy transition.
• Prepare for "Why": Be ready to explain the "why" behind every design decision you present, referencing user insights, business goals, and technical constraints.
• Practice Articulating Trade-offs: The role involves working with complex constraints. Be prepared to discuss how you navigated trade-offs between user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility.
• Case Study Rehearsal: Practice presenting your case studies concisely and engagingly, anticipating questions about your process, decisions, and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hiring process is structured to assess a candidate's strategic thinking, design craft, collaboration skills, and cultural fit. The take-home case study is a significant component, requiring candidates to demonstrate their ability to apply their skills to a relevant problem. Thorough preparation, focusing on impact and strategic rationale, will be key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in industry-standard tools like Figma is highly expected, given its prevalence for collaborative design and prototyping. Experience with Sketch or Adobe Creative Suite may also be relevant.
• User Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Dovetail).
• Project Management & Collaboration: Experience with tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello for task management, documentation, and team collaboration.
• Communication: Proficiency in communication platforms such as Slack and Zoom is essential for remote and hybrid collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a direct analytics role, understanding how to interpret data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to inform design decisions is valuable.
• Familiarity with dashboard tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker) for understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to product engagement and business outcomes.

CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and how user data flows can inform product design, particularly regarding customer lifecycle and engagement.
• Awareness of automation concepts within product development and user journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack for a Staff Product Designer at a tech startup like Amber Electric will likely be modern and collaborative. While the primary focus is on design tools, an understanding of how design integrates with development, analytics, and CRM systems is crucial for effective cross-functional collaboration and delivering impactful solutions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to Amber's purpose of accelerating the renewable energy transition and building a better world. This value drives decision-making and fosters a sense of shared purpose.
• Customer-Centricity: Placing the customer at the heart of all product development and business decisions, aiming to provide tangible value and positive experiences.
• Innovation & Agility: Embracing new ideas, technologies, and flexible approaches to disrupt the energy market and adapt quickly to evolving needs.
• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where all voices are heard, respected, and valued, promoting teamwork across all levels and functions.
• Excellence & Craft: A dedication to high standards in all aspects of work, from product design and engineering to customer service and operational efficiency.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: A strong emphasis on close collaboration between Product Design, Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, and Operations teams to ensure holistic product development.
• Influence and Example: The design team, particularly at the Staff level, is expected to lead through influence, sharing expertise, providing constructive critique, and demonstrating best practices.
• Open Communication: Encouraging transparent and direct communication, with a focus on sharing insights, feedback, and progress openly.
• Shared Ownership: A collective responsibility for product success, where designers contribute not just to the user experience but also to the strategic direction and overall quality of the product.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amber Electric's culture appears to be a blend of a mission-driven startup with a focus on sustainability and innovation, combined with a commitment to people, inclusivity, and high standards of craft. The collaborative style emphasizes influence and cross-functional partnership, crucial for a Staff Designer role.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Tackling high-priority, ill-defined product challenges requires strong problem-framing skills and the ability to create clarity in complex situations.
• Balancing Diverse Needs: Designing for a complex energy market involves balancing customer needs, regulatory requirements, energy market dynamics, and business objectives.
• Scaling Design Practice: As Amber Electric grows, maintaining and elevating design quality and consistency across an expanding product portfolio and team requires strategic thinking and proactive system development.
• Influencing Without Authority: Effectively leading and influencing product direction and design quality across various product streams without direct management requires strong communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen Domain Expertise: Gain profound knowledge of the energy sector, renewable energy technologies, and the intricacies of energy markets, a rapidly evolving and critical field.
• Strategic Design Leadership: Hone skills in product strategy, problem framing, and influencing organizational direction, preparing for Principal Designer or leadership roles.
• Mentorship and Coaching: Develop leadership capabilities by guiding and supporting junior and mid-level designers, refining coaching and feedback techniques.
• Innovation Exposure: Contribute to cutting-edge initiatives like vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, staying at the forefront of energy innovation.
• Cross-Functional Acumen: Enhance understanding of business operations, product management, and engineering challenges through close collaboration with cross-functional leaders.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges in terms of strategic complexity and organizational influence, which are also the primary sources of growth. The opportunity to work on impactful, ambiguous problems in a critical industry like renewable energy, while mentoring others, offers a rich development landscape for a senior designer.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you tackled a highly ambiguous product problem. How did you frame the problem, what research did you conduct, and how did you arrive at a solution?" (Prepare a case study focusing on problem framing and user discovery.)
• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives and technical constraints, especially in a regulated or complex market like energy?" (Think about trade-offs and prioritization.)
• "What is your approach to ensuring design quality and consistency across multiple product streams or a growing organization?" (Discuss design systems, standards, and critique processes.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Amber Electric's mission to transform the energy sector?" (Research Amber's mission, values, and recent news.)
• "How do you approach mentoring and elevating the craft of other designers?" (Prepare examples of your mentoring style and impact.)
• "Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders without direct authority. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on communication and collaboration skills.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives, clearly outlining the context, challenge, your role, process, solution, and impact.
• Visual Clarity: Ensure your presentation is visually clean, easy to follow, and effectively showcases your design craft and the user experience.
• Focus on Rationale: Be prepared to deeply explain the "why" behind every design decision, linking it back to user insights, business goals, or strategic objectives.
• Demonstrate Impact: Quantify the success of your projects with metrics, user feedback, or business outcomes. For this role, emphasize how your design work contributed to Amber's goals in renewable energy adoption or customer value.
• Interactive Elements: If possible, use interactive prototypes or mockups to better convey the user experience and flow.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should heavily emphasize understanding Amber's unique position in the energy market and demonstrating how your design leadership can contribute to their mission. Be ready to discuss strategic problem-solving, influence, and your ability to elevate design standards within a growing organization.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever.co link.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful case studies that best demonstrate your experience with complex problem framing, strategic design thinking, high-quality craft, and cross-functional influence. Tailor your portfolio to highlight relevant experience in user research and translating complex needs into intuitive solutions.
• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 10+ years of experience, focusing on leadership in product design, experience with startups or scaling companies, and any relevant domain expertise (energy, sustainability, fintech). Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design philosophy, your approach to complex challenges, and how you mentor and influence others. Practice presenting your portfolio case studies concisely and compellingly.
• Research Amber Electric: Thoroughly understand Amber's mission, products, target audience, and recent developments. Consider how your skills and experience align with their goals, particularly in accelerating the renewable energy transition.

⚠️ 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.