Lead Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer

Company: illumin

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: May 20, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of sophisticated, workflow-heavy DSP experiences and scalable interaction patterns for a product-led advertising platform.

• Mentor and manage a small team of Product Designers, fostering a collaborative and high-quality design environment.

• Drive consistency and scalability across the platform by owning and evolving the design system, establishing shared component libraries, and consistent interaction models.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering to translate complex business and technical requirements into intuitive, user-centered solutions that influence product direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically focused on B2B SaaS product design within the advertising technology (AdTech) sector, emphasizing complex workflows, data-dense user experiences, and the strategic application of design systems to a large-scale platform. The "Lead" title indicates significant responsibility in team mentorship and design practice elevation, with a hybrid work model requiring consistent on-site presence.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the complete product design lifecycle for complex DSP (Demand-Side Platform) workflows, from initial discovery and problem definition through to final execution and iterative improvements.

• Drive the creation of 0-to-1 initiatives, ensuring seamless integration with existing platform functionalities and user journeys.

• Develop and implement scalable interaction patterns and cohesive workflows that connect experiences across multiple products, enhancing overall platform usability.

• Actively contribute to strategic roadmap discussions, influencing product direction by articulating design rationale, trade-offs, and user-centric solutions to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.

• Mentor and support a growing team of Product Designers, providing constructive feedback, leading design critiques, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and elevated design quality.

• Champion user research and usability testing methodologies to ensure design solutions are deeply rooted in customer needs and observable behaviors, driving data-informed decision-making.

• Own and advance the company's design system, establishing robust standards for shared component libraries, consistent interaction models, and platform-wide visual identity.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering teams to navigate ambiguity, challenge assumptions, and translate intricate business and technical requirements into intuitive, high-impact user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on system thinking, ownership of complex B2B SaaS workflows within AdTech, and leadership in both hands-on design and team mentorship. The role requires influencing product strategy and driving design consistency across a platform, indicating a senior-level position with strategic impact.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for such senior roles, demonstrating foundational knowledge.

Experience: 5-10 years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant portion focused on B2B SaaS or enterprise-level product development. Proven experience in a leadership or mentorship capacity is essential.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring Product Designers within a product-led organization, effectively balancing hands-on design work with leadership responsibilities.

• Deep expertise in designing complex enterprise or B2B SaaS products, particularly those with workflow-heavy or data-intensive environments.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities, with the ability to understand and design how products, workflows, and interaction patterns connect across an entire platform.

• Proficient in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and creating high-fidelity designs, with a proven track record of building and maintaining scalable design systems.

• Expertise in interaction design, information architecture, and UX systems thinking.

• Proven ability to create scalable user experiences that effectively balance usability with critical business and technical requirements.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and business stakeholders to shape solutions and influence product direction.

• Confidence in articulating design rationale, presenting ideas to leadership, asking insightful questions, and navigating differing perspectives while prioritizing user and business goals.

• High degree of curiosity, adaptability, and comfort operating in fast-moving environments with evolving priorities and ambiguous problem spaces.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI-supported workflows or AI-driven product features.

• Familiarity with advanced prototyping tools beyond Figma.

• Exposure to front-end technologies (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better inform design feasibility discussions with engineering.

• Experience within the AdTech or MarTech industry, understanding DSP workflows and campaign management intricacies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on leadership, systems thinking, and specific tool proficiency (Figma, Design Systems) points to a need for a candidate who can not only execute but also elevate the design function. The preferred skills suggest an interest in modern tech trends and industry-specific knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design case studies, detailing the problem, your process, key design decisions, and measurable outcomes.

• Highlight at least one complex B2B SaaS or enterprise product design project, emphasizing workflow complexity and data-dense user interfaces.

• Demonstrate expertise in creating and maintaining scalable design systems, including examples of component libraries, pattern definitions, and their impact on consistency and efficiency.

• Include examples of your leadership or mentorship experience, such as leading design critiques, mentoring junior designers, or contributing to design process improvements.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your design process, including discovery, research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration phases, with specific examples from your portfolio.

• Detail how you approach translating complex business and technical requirements into user-centered design solutions.

• Provide examples of how you've used data (user research, analytics, usability testing) to inform and validate design decisions.

• Illustrate your approach to collaborating with Product Management and Engineering teams throughout the design and development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role, not just demonstrating design execution but also strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of complex B2B SaaS environments. The emphasis on design systems and process documentation is key for a Lead role.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $140,000 - $150,000 CAD per year. This range is competitive for a Lead Product Designer role in Toronto, reflecting the experience level, hybrid work model, and the strategic importance of the position within a transforming company.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health coverage including:

  • Life Insurance
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
  • Long-term Disability Insurance
  • Prescription Coverage
  • Dental Coverage
  • Vision Coverage
  • Mental Health Coverage
  • Professional Health Services

• Additional wellness and support:

  • Workplace Advisor
  • Vitality Wellness App
  • $300 annual Healthcare Spending Account

• Hybrid work perks:

  • Meal credit for in-office days
  • In-house massage with a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) every eight weeks

• Opportunities for professional development and growth.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours with an expectation of 40 hours per week. The hybrid model requires Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to be worked on-site in the downtown Toronto office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range aligns with industry benchmarks for senior design leadership roles in a major Canadian city. The benefits package is robust, with specific perks tailored to hybrid work and employee well-being, indicating a strong focus on employee support and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advertising Technology (AdTech) / Marketing Technology (MarTech). illumin operates within a dynamic sector focused on transforming the advertising landscape through integrated journey planning, execution, and reporting. The company is evolving into a product-led organization with a focus on data, AI, and user-centric design.

Company Size: 100+ skilled professionals. This size indicates a company that is past the startup phase but still agile enough for significant transformation and individual impact. It's large enough to have established processes but small enough for new leadership and initiatives to make a substantial difference.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the company is described as being at a "pivotal moment" with "new leadership guiding our path forward," suggesting a period of significant growth and strategic reorientation.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is described as "small" and growing, reporting to the VP, Product and Design.

• The Lead Product Designer will mentor and support individual contributors within this team.

• Collaboration is highly cross-functional, involving close partnerships with Product Management and Engineering.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is a core tenet, with a focus on leveraging real-time data and AI capabilities.

• Design thinking and user-centered approaches are central to product evolution.

• The company values speed, delivery, and an entrepreneurial mindset, encouraging innovation and experimentation.

• There's a commitment to investing in people and developing skills.

Company Website: https://illumin.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: illumin is positioning itself as a forward-thinking, product-focused AdTech company undergoing significant transformation. The culture appears to value agility, innovation, and employee development, with a clear emphasis on data and user experience as drivers of success.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a significant step into Design Leadership. It's a "Lead" position, meaning it's not just about individual contribution but also about guiding and elevating a team. It sits at the intersection of hands-on design execution, strategic product input, and people management. The scope extends beyond individual features to influencing system-wide design patterns and product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Lead Product Designer reports directly to the VP, Product and Design. This provides a clear reporting line and access to senior leadership for strategic input and mentorship. The Lead will, in turn, manage and mentor a small team of Product Designers.

Operations Impact: The Lead Product Designer will have a direct and substantial impact on the company's product strategy and customer experience. By shaping intuitive, scalable DSP workflows and connecting experiences across the platform, they will influence how marketers plan, execute, and optimize campaigns. This directly drives customer success, adoption, and ultimately, revenue for illumin. The role's influence extends to elevating design practices across the organization.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Design Manager or Director role as the design function expands. This could involve managing a larger team, taking on more strategic oversight, and shaping the broader design vision for illumin.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise within the AdTech industry, specifically in DSP workflows, data visualization, and AI-driven product features, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Strategic Influence: Increase involvement in higher-level product strategy, influencing the company's product roadmap and long-term vision.

• Design System Ownership: Continue to evolve and lead the development of the design system, potentially expanding its scope and impact across new product areas.

• Mentorship Development: Hone leadership and mentorship skills, becoming a pivotal figure in developing design talent within illumin.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career progression from a senior individual contributor to a recognized design leader. The impact is significant, touching product strategy, user experience, and team development, making it an attractive opportunity for ambitious designers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role requires working Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on-site in illumin's downtown Toronto office. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed for team interaction, brainstorming, and focused work, balanced with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The office is conveniently located minutes from St. Andrew and Union subway stations, indicating excellent accessibility via public transit.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The on-site days are intended for collaboration, team meetings, design critiques, and cross-functional work sessions with Product Management and Engineering.

• Tools and Technology: Access to necessary design software (Figma), collaboration tools, and potentially internal resources for AI-supported workflows or prototyping.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with the VP, Product and Design, fellow Product Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers, fostering a strong sense of team and shared purpose.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a hybrid arrangement. While core hours are expected, the hybrid nature offers some flexibility. The expectation is to be present in the office for specific days, facilitating in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment, balancing the benefits of in-person collaboration for design leadership and team building with remote flexibility. The location's transit accessibility is a practical consideration for candidates.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Virtual Interview with Talent Advisor: Initial screening to assess overall fit, interest, and background. This conversation will be recorded using BrightHire, an AI-powered video interview tool.

2. Virtual Interview with VP, Product and Design: A deeper dive into your experience, leadership philosophy, approach to design collaboration, and understanding of the team and role expectations.

3. Take-Home Design Exercise: A practical challenge reflecting the role's responsibilities, designed to showcase your design thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, and ability to balance user needs with business objectives.

4. In-Person Collaboration Session: Presentation of your design exercise to the VP, Product and Design, and members of the Product Design team. This session involves walking through your thought process, decision-making, and provides an opportunity for team interaction and cultural assessment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure is Key: Organize your portfolio with clear case studies. For each, outline the problem statement, your specific role and responsibilities, the design process followed, key challenges encountered, your solutions, and measurable outcomes/impact.

• Highlight Leadership & Systems Thinking: Ensure your portfolio prominently features examples of your leadership in design, mentorship, or contributions to design systems. Showcase how you approach complex, interconnected problems.

• Demonstrate Process: Clearly articulate how you arrived at your solutions. Show your exploration of different ideas, your use of research and testing, and your collaboration with stakeholders.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. This could include improvements in conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores, or adoption rates.

• Tailor to illumin: Research illumin's platform and target audience. If possible, subtly tailor your presentation to address how your skills and experience align with their specific challenges in AdTech and product-led growth.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Analyze the take-home design exercise thoroughly. Identify the core problem, the target users, and the business objectives.

• Showcase Your Process: Don't just present the final solution. Detail your thought process, the rationale behind your design decisions, and any assumptions you made.

• Practice Your Presentation: Be prepared to articulate your thinking clearly and concisely during the in-person session. Practice explaining your design choices, trade-offs, and how your solution addresses the problem.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, trade-offs, collaboration style, and how you handle ambiguity or conflicting feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is multi-stage and includes a practical design exercise, emphasizing the company's commitment to evaluating candidates' actual design capabilities and collaborative potential. The portfolio review is a critical component, requiring candidates to showcase leadership and systems-level thinking.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for all aspects of design, from wireframing and prototyping to high-fidelity design and collaboration.

• Design Systems: Experience in building, maintaining, and scaling design systems is critical, likely involving component libraries, style guides, and pattern documentation.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other advanced prototyping tools could be an asset for more complex interactions or simulations.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Although not explicitly listed, a Lead Product Designer should be comfortable interpreting and utilizing data from:
  • User Analytics Platforms: (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to understand user behavior and feature adoption.
  • Usability Testing Tools: (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback) for qualitative feedback.
  • Product Management Tools: (e.g., Jira, Asana) for understanding product backlogs and development progress.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly designing CRM systems, understanding how the product interacts with or integrates into marketing and sales workflows (which often involve CRMs) is beneficial.

• Familiarity with concepts of workflow automation within the product itself is important, given the DSP context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and design systems is non-negotiable. The role requires a designer who can leverage data and analytics to inform their work, even if they aren't directly managing those tools. Understanding the broader MarTech/AdTech ecosystem is also a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Bias for Speed and Delivery: Emphasis on moving quickly, iterating, and delivering value, rather than striving for unattainable perfection.

• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Encouraging initiative, ownership, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizing real-time data and insights to inform product development and design choices.

• People Investment: Commitment to developing employees' skills, knowledge, and abilities.

• Innovation and Experimentation: Encouraging new ideas, exploring emerging technologies (like AI), and fostering a culture where experimentation is valued.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Strong emphasis on close collaboration between Design, Product Management, and Engineering to ensure alignment and achieve shared goals.

• Challenging Assumptions: A culture where thoughtful pushback and constructive debate are encouraged to arrive at the best solutions.

• User-Centricity: Keeping the customer's needs and experience at the forefront of all design and product decisions.

• Transparency: Open communication regarding compensation, company direction, and opportunities for growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be dynamic and growth-oriented, reflecting its current transformation phase. Key values revolve around agility, data, innovation, and empowering employees, which are crucial for success in a product-led AdTech environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: The company is transforming, meaning priorities may shift, and problem spaces may not always be clearly defined. The Lead Product Designer must be comfortable operating in such environments.

• Balancing Leadership and Execution: Effectively managing and mentoring a small team while remaining hands-on with complex design work requires strong time management and delegation skills.

• Scaling Design Systems: Ensuring the design system remains robust, scalable, and consistently applied across a growing platform with evolving feature sets.

• Technical Complexity: Designing for sophisticated DSP workflows and data-dense interfaces within AdTech demands a deep understanding of user needs and technical constraints.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Formal opportunities to develop leadership skills through mentorship, team management, and strategic input.

• AdTech Specialization: Deepen understanding of the advertising technology landscape, DSP functionalities, and AI applications in marketing.

• Product Strategy Contribution: Influence the product roadmap and gain exposure to broader business strategy decisions.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Enhance collaboration skills by working closely with Product Management and Engineering leaders.

• Design Practice Evolution: Contribute to shaping and refining the design function's processes, tools, and methodologies within illumin.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges related to navigating change and managing complex design problems, but these are directly tied to substantial growth opportunities in leadership, industry expertise, and strategic influence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to lead a design team through a period of significant change or ambiguity. How did you maintain focus and quality?" (Assesses leadership, adaptability, process management)

• "Walk us through your process for designing a complex, workflow-heavy B2B SaaS feature. How did you ensure scalability and user adoption?" (Assesses systems thinking, B2B SaaS expertise, process rigor)

• "How do you approach balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders (e.g., Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing) when designing a new product or feature?" (Assesses collaboration, negotiation, stakeholder management)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of illumin's transformation, what do you see as the biggest design challenges and opportunities for this role?" (Assesses research, strategic thinking, alignment with company goals)

• "How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within a design team?" (Assesses leadership style, team building, cultural fit)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame your case studies as narratives. Start with the problem, introduce your role and the constraints, walk through your problem-solving journey, and conclude with the impact and learnings.

• Emphasize Process, Not Just Pixels: Clearly articulate why you made certain design decisions. Show your research, your iterations, and how you incorporated feedback.

• Quantify Impact: Use data wherever possible to demonstrate the success of your designs. Even estimates or projected impact are better than no metrics.

• Highlight Leadership: For your leadership examples, focus on how you empowered others, improved team processes, or elevated the overall quality of design.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your technical choices, design rationale, and trade-offs made in your portfolio projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, a deep understanding of complex B2B design challenges, and a data-informed, iterative approach. Candidates should be ready to articulate their process and impact clearly, both verbally and visually through their portfolio.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on the illumin careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in B2B SaaS, complex workflows, design leadership, and proficiency with Figma and design systems. Use keywords from the job description to align with ATS scanning.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features end-to-end case studies demonstrating systems thinking, leadership, and tangible impact. Prioritize complex B2B examples and include details on your design process and any mentorship activities.

• Prepare for the Design Exercise: Understand the likely scope of a design challenge for this role (e.g., designing a new feature for a DSP, improving a complex workflow). Practice articulating your thought process and rationale.

• Research illumin: Familiarize yourself with illumin's platform, their current transformation phase, and their position in the AdTech market. Understand their product-led approach and values.

⚠️ 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.