Lead Product Designer - L6

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer - L6

Company: Street Group

Location: Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX

Date Posted: 2026-05-15

Experience Level: 8+ Years (Senior IC level)

Remote Status: Hybrid (up to 4 days WFH)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the design vision and execution for a critical product domain, driving strategic initiatives from ideation through to implementation.

• Elevate the design craft and establish best practices across the team by producing exemplary work and mentoring junior designers.

• Act as a strategic partner to Product and Engineering, influencing roadmap decisions and advocating for user-centric outcomes.

• Integrate AI strategically into both personal design workflows and the product itself, identifying impactful AI features and potential failure modes.

• Drive cross-cutting design challenges, ensuring coherence and consistency in user flows and design patterns across multiple features and surfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor (IC) at the L6 level, emphasizing strategic influence and high-quality design output. While primarily an IC role, there's flexibility for candidates with management experience or interest in line management alongside IC duties. The focus on AI integration and commercial fluency highlights a modern, forward-thinking approach to product design within the PropTech sector.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Domain Ownership: Take full ownership of the design vision and execution for a designated product domain, tackling complex, cross-cutting, and strategically vital design challenges.

• Craftsmanship & Mentorship: Set the benchmark for design quality through your own output, serving as a reference point for excellent design. Mentor and elevate the skills of designers within the domain through critiques, pairing sessions, and by modeling best practices.

• Strategic Influence: Actively participate in and drive roadmap conversations with product and engineering counterparts, ensuring design is a key strategic input rather than a reactive output.

• AI Integration: Strategically drive the incorporation of AI into design workflows (e.g., Claude Code, prototype testing) and product features, providing a strong viewpoint on impactful AI solutions versus superficial applications.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product managers and engineers as a peer, driving the direction and coherence of the domain's experience as a whole, including cross-feature flows and multi-surface patterns.

• User-Centricity & Validation: Proactively engage with users to validate prototypes and design concepts, fostering a data-informed approach to design decisions rather than relying on assumptions.

• Pace & Iteration: Operate effectively at pace, testing strategic ideas through shipping, and iterating rapidly based on user feedback and performance metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate a senior IC role with significant strategic influence. The emphasis on "owning" the design vision, setting the "craft bar," and driving "cross-cutting design problems" indicates a need for a designer who can operate with a high degree of autonomy and strategic foresight. The explicit mention of AI integration as a core responsibility signifies its importance to the company's product strategy.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and mastery of design principles is essential.

Experience:

• Approximately 8+ years of dedicated Product/UX Design experience.

• Proven track record operating at a senior individual contributor (IC) level within a modern product organization.

Required Skills:

• Strategic Design Leadership: Ability to define design vision, drive roadmap conversations, and influence product strategy.

• Advanced UX/Product Design Craft: Exemplary skills in interaction design, visual hierarchy, microcopy, motion design, and overall interaction quality, with the ability to articulate and teach these principles.

• Commercial Fluency: Deep understanding of how products generate revenue and the ability to make design trade-offs informed by commercial viability, not just user preference.

• AI Fluency: Demonstrated comfort using AI tools in design workflows and a strong strategic perspective on integrating AI into product features, understanding both benefits and failure modes.

• Outcome-Oriented Approach: Proven ability to define success measures upfront, ship work, and rigorously analyze results against those metrics (including user feedback, support data, and commercial performance).

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to operate as a peer with product and engineering teams, driving consensus and direction.

• User Research & Validation: Proficiency in conducting user interviews and validating prototypes rapidly and effectively.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the PropTech industry.

• Prior experience in a line management or mentorship capacity, with a desire to potentially take on direct reports.

• Experience with design systems and their implementation.

• Familiarity with A/B testing methodologies for design optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a blend of deep design craft, strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and modern technical fluency (AI). The "outcomes, not artefacts" and "commercial fluency" requirements are particularly critical and suggest candidates should prepare specific examples demonstrating these capabilities. The mention of SaaS or complex product experience is a key differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated Impact: Showcase shipped design work where you defined success metrics before execution and can clearly articulate the results, including what worked, what didn't, and lessons learned. Focus on quantifiable outcomes.

• Strategic Contribution: Include examples where your design thinking directly influenced product strategy, roadmap decisions, or commercial outcomes. Highlight instances where you identified opportunities or problems worth solving.

• Commercial Trade-offs: Present case studies that illustrate instances where you navigated and made design decisions involving commercial considerations, balancing user needs with business objectives.

• AI Integration Examples: Showcase how you've used AI in your design process or how you've strategically considered AI features within a product context.

• Cross-Cutting Solutions: Feature projects that demonstrate your ability to design cohesive experiences across multiple features, flows, or surfaces within a product domain.

Process Documentation:

• User-Centric Workflow Design: Illustrate your process for user research, validation, and how it directly informs design decisions and workflow optimization.

• Agile & Iterative Design: Demonstrate experience working in agile environments, including rapid prototyping, iteration based on feedback, and shipping strategic work at pace.

• Metrics-Driven Analysis: Show how you track and analyze design performance post-launch, using data (user metrics, support tickets, commercial data) to inform future design iterations and improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily focused on demonstrating tangible impact, strategic thinking, and commercial awareness, aligning with the role's emphasis on outcomes over mere deliverables. Candidates should prepare to walk through specific examples that address these points, particularly how they define and measure success and handle commercial trade-offs.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £70,000 - £90,000 per annum, dependent on experience.

• Note: The company explicitly states flexibility for exceptional candidates, indicating that the stated range is a guideline and may be exceeded for individuals with highly relevant experience or unique skill sets.

Benefits:

• Hybrid Working: Flexibility to work from home up to 4 days per week.

• Generous Holiday: £1000 towards a holiday after the first year of employment (tax covered).

• Learning & Development: £500 annual budget for career development.

• Birthday Off: Paid day off for your birthday.

• Volunteering: 2 paid days per year for volunteering activities.

• Family Support: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay.

• Well-being: Comprehensive mental health and well-being support via Health Assured, including regular well-being initiatives.

• Flexible Hours: Flexible working hours to accommodate personal needs.

• Commuting Support: Public transport season ticket loans.

• Menopause Support: Paid menopause leave.

• Holiday Buying Scheme: Option to purchase additional holiday days.

• Office Perks: Comfortable office space, office dogs welcome, fully stocked fridge with Friday afternoon drinks and snacks.

• Team Events: Company and team off-sites, events, and happy hours.

• Sustainable Commuting: Cycle to work scheme and electric car salary sacrifice scheme.

• Climate Positive: The company is climate-positive.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are implied, with flexibility offered. The explicit mention of flexible working hours suggests a focus on output and results rather than strict adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule. A typical 40-hour work week is a reasonable assumption for a full-time role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided, but the company's openness to exceeding it for the right candidate is a significant point. The benefits package is extensive and leans towards employee well-being, work-life balance, and professional development, which are attractive to senior professionals. The explicit mention of flexible working hours reinforces the focus on autonomy and results.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: PropTech (Property Technology), focusing on elevating UK Estate Agencies through technology and creating delightful experiences for property transactions.

Company Size: Street Group is described as one of the fastest-growing PropTech companies in the UK. While an exact number isn't provided, this suggests a dynamic, scaling environment, likely mid-to-large stage growth.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the company's rapid growth implies a relatively modern establishment, likely within the last decade, focusing on current technological trends.

Team Structure:

• Product Domain Focus: The design team is structured around product domains, with Lead Product Designers acting as the most senior ICs within these domains.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Designers work as peers with Product Managers and Engineers, actively participating in roadmap discussions and strategic planning.

• Mentorship & Growth: There's an embedded culture of mentorship, with senior designers expected to raise the bar for those around them. The company is open to senior ICs taking on line management responsibilities.

Methodology:

• User-Centric & Data-Informed: Design decisions are driven by direct user interaction and validation, with a strong emphasis on asking users rather than guessing.

• Agile & Iterative: The company operates at pace, testing strategic ideas by shipping and iterating quickly based on feedback and metrics. Strategy is integrated into the fast-paced development cycle.

• AI Integration: AI is viewed as a strategic tool impacting both internal workflows and external product offerings.

Company Website: https://www.streetgroup.co.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: Street Group positions itself as an innovative, fast-paced PropTech company focused on user experience and strategic impact. The culture appears to value autonomy, data-driven decision-making, and proactive problem-solving. The emphasis on "elevating UK Estate Agencies" provides a clear mission statement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as L6 Lead Product Designer, representing a senior individual contributor position. It signifies a high level of autonomy, strategic influence, and responsibility for design outcomes within a specific product domain. It's positioned beyond a typical "Senior+" role, demanding greater scope, judgment, and ownership.

Reporting Structure: The role is predominantly an IC position. However, there is flexibility for candidates with management experience or a desire to take on line management of one or two designers alongside their IC responsibilities. The Head of UX and Head of Product are identified as key stakeholders in the interview process.

Operations Impact: The Lead Product Designer is expected to have a significant impact on the product's success by defining its strategic direction, ensuring high-quality user experiences, and driving commercial viability through design trade-offs. The role directly influences the company's ability to achieve its mission of elevating UK Estate Agencies through technology.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Potential to transition into a formal management role, leading a team of designers, alongside continued IC contributions.

• Strategic Influence: Deepen impact by driving more significant product domains, shaping the company's overall design strategy, and contributing to business-level objectives.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in AI integration within product design, PropTech user experiences, or complex SaaS product architecture.

• Career Progression: Clear path from Lead IC to potentially higher levels of design leadership (e.g., Group Lead, Head of Design roles) within a rapidly growing company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The L6 designation is critical, signaling a role that demands experienced leadership in design thinking and execution, with opportunities for both deep IC contribution and potential management. The company's growth trajectory suggests ample room for career advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, with up to 4 days per week allowed for remote work. The company also maintains a physical office space in Manchester which is described as "comfortable" and "relaxed."

Office Location(s): Manchester, England, United Kingdom.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative & Relaxed: The office environment is described as comfortable and relaxed, with a welcoming atmosphere, including allowing office dogs.

• Technology Enabled: As a tech company, it's presumed that designers will have access to the necessary tools and technology to perform their roles effectively, both in-office and remotely.

• Cross-functional Interaction: The hybrid model encourages intentional planning for in-person collaboration, particularly for key design discussions, critiques, and team events, fostering strong relationships with product and engineering peers.

Work Schedule: While a full-time role, the company emphasizes flexible working hours, indicating a focus on productivity and outcomes rather than strict time tracking. This allows for a better work-life balance suitable for complex design tasks and strategic thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model offers a blend of flexibility and in-person collaboration. The "comfortable, relaxed office space" and allowance of office dogs suggest a culture that prioritizes employee well-being and a less corporate atmosphere.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Stage 1: Introduction Call: An initial conversation with the Talent team to assess basic fit, motivation, and alignment with company culture.

• Stage 2: Design Task: A practical exercise designed to evaluate design skills, problem-solving abilities, and approach to design challenges relevant to the role.

• Stage 3: Technical Interview: In-depth discussion with the Head of UX, focusing on design craft, strategic thinking, AI fluency, and commercial acumen.

• Stage 4: Final Interview: Conversation with the Head of Product to assess strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit for the domain and company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Outcome-Focused Narratives: Structure your portfolio case studies around the problem, your strategic approach, the solutions you designed, and most importantly, the measurable outcomes and impact. Clearly state the success metrics you defined upfront.

• Commercial Acumen Examples: Be prepared to discuss specific instances where you made design trade-offs based on commercial realities, explaining your rationale and the impact of those decisions.

• AI Strategy Articulation: Clearly demonstrate how you've leveraged AI in your workflow or how you've strategically considered AI for product features. Explain your thinking on what constitutes a "good" AI feature in a product context.

• Craftsmanship Showcase: Ensure your portfolio visually represents your high standards in interaction design, visual hierarchy, microcopy, and overall polish. Be ready to articulate your design decisions in detail.

• Company Alignment: Research Street Group's mission (elevating UK Estate Agencies) and its PropTech focus. Tailor your examples to show how your experience can contribute to their specific goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Task Strategy: Understand the typical format might involve a take-home task or a live design exercise. Focus on demonstrating your process, not just the final output. Think about how you'd approach a complex problem within the PropTech domain.

• Technical Interview Prep: Brush up on UX principles, design strategy frameworks, AI's role in design, and be ready to discuss your commercial experience and how you measure design success.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and concisely, anticipating questions from Product and Engineering perspectives regarding feasibility, impact, and strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to progressively assess different facets of the candidate's profile, from initial fit to deep technical and strategic capabilities. Preparation should focus on demonstrating tangible results, strategic thinking, and commercial understanding, especially concerning AI.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable standard for modern product design teams), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite. Tools for rapid prototyping and user flow mapping.

• User Research & Validation: Tools for user interviewing, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze), and feedback collection platforms.

• AI Workflow Tools: Explicitly mentioned are tools like "Claude Code," indicating the use of AI assistants for coding, ideation, or content generation within the design process.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or similar platforms to track user behavior, feature adoption, and conversion rates.

• Data Visualization: Platforms for creating dashboards and reports (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker Studio) to communicate design impact and performance metrics to stakeholders.

• Customer Feedback Platforms: Tools for aggregating and analyzing customer feedback from various channels (e.g., Intercom, Zendesk).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not directly a design tool, understanding how design impacts CRM workflows (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) can be beneficial, especially in a B2B SaaS context like PropTech.

• Project Management: Tools like Jira, Asana, Trello for managing design tasks, sprints, and cross-functional workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed beyond "Claude Code," a strong understanding of industry-standard design software (Figma), prototyping tools, user research platforms, and product analytics is essential. The mention of AI tools highlights a forward-looking technology stack.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Strategic Impact: A core value is driving meaningful impact through design, influencing product direction and business outcomes, not just executing tasks.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving users, validated through direct interaction and feedback. "We don't guess; we ask."

• Pace & Execution: A culture that embraces speed, iteration, and shipping strategic work efficiently. Strategy is not a separate, slower track.

• Commercial Awareness: Design decisions are informed by business objectives and commercial realities, with an understanding of how the product makes money.

• Continuous Learning & AI Integration: Embracing new technologies like AI to enhance workflows and product offerings, fostering a culture of experimentation and adaptation.

Collaboration Style:

• Peer-to-Peer: Designers collaborate as peers with Product Managers and Engineers, fostering a flat, integrated approach to product development.

• Open Communication: Encourages direct user engagement and a proactive approach to seeking feedback and validation.

• Mentorship & Support: A culture where senior designers actively mentor and elevate the skills of those around them, fostering mutual growth.

• Data-Driven Dialogue: Discussions and decisions are grounded in data, user feedback, and measurable outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Street Group emphasizes a culture of proactive contribution, user focus, and strategic alignment. The values suggest an environment where designers are empowered to take ownership, make informed decisions, and drive tangible results in a fast-paced setting.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining Strategic Direction: Identifying and championing the most impactful design initiatives within a dynamic product domain, especially in a fast-growing company.

• Balancing User Needs with Commercial Goals: Navigating complex trade-offs between ideal user experiences and business viability/technical constraints.

• Integrating AI Effectively: Strategically embedding AI into products and workflows in a way that genuinely adds value, avoiding superficial or gimmicky implementations.

• Maintaining Design Quality at Pace: Ensuring high standards of craft and user experience are upheld while operating at the company's fast-paced iteration cycle.

• Mentorship and Influence: Effectively mentoring other designers and influencing cross-functional teams without direct authority, particularly in a Lead IC capacity.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Design Leadership: Gaining experience in shaping product strategy and influencing executive-level decisions.

• AI in Product Design: Deepening expertise in leveraging AI tools and designing AI-powered features within a real-world product context.

• PropTech Domain Expertise: Developing a deep understanding of the property technology landscape and its unique user challenges.

• Cross-functional Acumen: Enhancing collaboration and influence skills with product management and engineering leadership.

• Potential Management Track: Opportunity to develop leadership and people management skills if desired.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents significant intellectual challenges related to strategic thinking, AI integration, and balancing competing priorities. These challenges are framed as opportunities for substantial professional growth and skill development within a high-impact role.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you influenced a product roadmap based on a design insight. What was the insight, how did you communicate it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your strategic thinking and data-driven approach.)

• "How do you define success for a design project before you start working on it? Provide an example of a project where you did this and the metrics you used." (Demonstrate your outcome-oriented mindset.)

• "Walk us through a challenging commercial trade-off you had to make in a design. What were the options, what was your recommendation, and why?" (Highlight your commercial fluency and decision-making process.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Street Group's mission to elevate UK Estate Agencies, and how do you see design contributing to that?" (Research the company's mission and values.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration dynamic with Product Managers and Engineers. How do you ensure design is a strategic partner?" (Articulate your cross-functional collaboration style.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling with Data: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your strategic approach, the solution, and the quantifiable impact. Use visuals effectively but prioritize explaining the why and the results.

• Highlighting Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss any commercial or technical trade-offs made and your rationale.

• AI Showcase: Dedicate a section or clearly integrate examples of your AI usage in your workflow or product design considerations.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Practice presenting your work efficiently, focusing on the most impactful aspects and being prepared for deeper dives into specific areas.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, commercial acumen, AI fluency, and a proven track record of delivering measurable outcomes. Candidates must be ready to articulate their process, rationale, and impact with specific examples.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your strategic impact, commercial fluency, AI integration, and outcome-driven design approach. Ensure success metrics are clearly defined and results are quantified.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your 8+ years of experience, senior IC contributions, SaaS/complex product background, and achievements related to design strategy, user validation, and commercial trade-offs. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly research Street Group's mission, PropTech industry, and values. Practice articulating your experience and thought process for the types of strategy, culture, and portfolio questions outlined above.

• Company Research: Understand Street Group's business model, target audience (estate agencies), and their stated goal of elevating the property industry. Prepare to discuss how your design leadership can contribute to this mission.

⚠️ 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.