Lead Product Designer (UI/UX)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer (UI/UX)

Company: Homey

Location: Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UI/UX Operations

Date Posted: 2026-10-02

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office, 2 days remote)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end product design strategy for a UK PropTech platform, focusing on UI/UX and AI integration.

• Own the entire user experience lifecycle, from initial research and wireframing to high-fidelity UI and interactive prototypes.

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency across web and mobile applications.

• Drive innovation by designing user-friendly interfaces for complex, regulated processes in conveyancing, mortgages, and sales progression.

• Collaborate directly with founders, product leads, and engineers to rapidly ship impactful features to real users.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is titled "Lead Product Designer," its core functions align with a "Product Design Operations" or "UI/UX Operations" focus due to the emphasis on owning the design system, driving process from problem to launch, and integrating AI into user workflows within a regulated industry. This requires not just creative design skills but also operational rigor in process management and system development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design Direction & Ownership: Define and own the overall visual and interactive design direction for the Homey platform, ensuring a cohesive and intuitive user experience across all touchpoints.

• End-to-End Product Lifecycle Management: Manage the complete design process for new features and improvements, including user research, persona development, user journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping (Figma), high-fidelity UI design, and interaction design.

• Design System Development & Governance: Architect, build, and maintain a robust and scalable design system that serves as the single source of truth for all UI components, patterns, and guidelines, ensuring engineering teams can efficiently utilize it.

• User Research & Validation: Conduct qualitative and quantitative user research, including user interviews, usability testing, and analysis of user behavior data (e.g., PostHog), to inform design decisions and validate solutions with UK-based clients and professionals.

• AI-Powered Product Design: Design intuitive interfaces and workflows for human-AI collaboration, focusing on clarity, trustworthiness, and efficiency in AI-generated content and user-AI interactions within regulated processes.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product management, engineering, legal, and mortgage teams to translate business requirements and technical constraints into exceptional user experiences, ensuring designs are feasible and effectively implemented.

• Design Standards & Critique Culture: Establish and uphold high design standards within the organization, fostering a constructive critique culture to elevate the quality of design work and mentor junior designers as the team grows.

• Problem Simplification: Design elegant solutions for complex processes such as client onboarding, ID verification, document management, case tracking, and professional dashboards within regulated legal and mortgage environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "owning the design system," "shipped product, not slideware," and "designing for AI" suggests a strong operational component to this design role. The successful candidate will be responsible for the operationalization of design processes and standards, not just the creative output.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial. Emphasis will be placed on demonstrable skills and portfolio.

Experience: 6+ years in product, UI, or UX design, with a minimum of 3 years dedicated to digital products for international companies, scale-ups, or clients in regulated markets (UK, US, Europe, Australia).

Required Skills:

• Portfolio Excellence: A compelling portfolio showcasing end-to-end case studies of shipped digital products, detailing problem definition, research methodologies, design exploration, final solutions, and measurable results.

• Expert Figma Proficiency: Mastery of Figma, including advanced component creation, auto layout, variables, interactive prototyping, and version control for efficient design workflow.

• Design System Management: Proven experience in building, maintaining, and scaling design systems that are actively used by engineering teams for both web and mobile applications.

• Visual & Interaction Design Craft: Exceptional aesthetic sensibility, strong understanding of visual hierarchy, typography, color theory, and sophisticated interaction design principles.

• User Research & Usability Testing: Ability to independently plan, conduct, and analyze user research and usability testing sessions to gather actionable insights.

• Complex Application Design: Experience designing intuitive interfaces for both intricate web applications/dashboards and consumer-facing mobile or web flows.

• English Communication: Excellent written and spoken English, with the confidence and clarity to present and articulate design decisions effectively to UK-based stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Regulated Industry Experience: Prior experience designing for PropTech, FinTech, Legal Tech, Insurance, or other highly regulated product environments.

• AI/Conversational Design: Familiarity or experience designing products that incorporate AI-powered features or conversational interfaces.

• Accessibility Expertise: Knowledge of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and experience implementing accessible design solutions.

• Motion Design: Skills in incorporating subtle animations and micro-interactions to enhance user experience.

• Front-End Development Skills: Basic understanding or hands-on experience with front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better collaborate with engineers.

• Leadership/Mentorship: Experience leading design initiatives or mentoring other designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "portfolio you are proud of" and "the portfolio matters more than the CV" indicates that candidates should meticulously curate their case studies to highlight their process, problem-solving abilities, and tangible impact on shipped products, especially those involving complex or regulated domains.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: At least two detailed case studies showcasing the complete product design lifecycle. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and contributions, the research methodologies employed, the design process (iterations, explorations), the final shipped solution, and quantifiable outcomes or lessons learned.

• Design System Contribution: Evidence of involvement in building, scaling, or significantly contributing to a design system, ideally demonstrating its impact on design consistency and development efficiency.

• Complex Problem-Solving: Case studies that illustrate your ability to simplify complex user flows and business logic, particularly within regulated or technical environments.

• Impact & Results: Demonstrable evidence of how your design decisions led to positive business outcomes, user adoption, or improved efficiency, supported by data where possible.

Process Documentation:

• User Research & Synthesis: Examples of how you've translated user research findings into actionable design requirements and product strategies.

• Design Workflow & Iteration: Documentation or explanation of your iterative design process, including how you gather feedback and incorporate it into design refinements.

• System Implementation & Collaboration: Insights into how you collaborate with engineers to ensure the accurate implementation of designs and the effective use of the design system.

• Performance Measurement: Examples of how you track and measure the success of design interventions post-launch, potentially using analytics tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on owning the design system and shipping product, the portfolio should clearly delineate the candidate's operational approach to design. This includes how they manage design processes, collaborate with engineering for implementation, and ensure the longevity and scalability of design assets through systems.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: LKR 750,000 - 1,100,000 per month.

Explanation of Estimate: This range is derived from the provided job description and aligns with top-tier compensation for senior/lead design roles in Sri Lanka, especially those requiring international collaboration and specialized skills. The provided figures reflect the company's stated commitment to "pay at the very top of the Sri Lankan market." The mid-point of this range is approximately LKR 925,000 per month.

Benefits:

• Annual Performance Bonus: An additional incentive based on individual and company performance.

• Hybrid Working Model: Flexibility to work 3 days from the Colombo office and 2 days from home, promoting work-life balance.

• Top-Spec Equipment: Provision of a high-performance laptop and other necessary equipment to ensure productivity.

• Design Budget: A dedicated budget for acquiring design tools and software as needed by the role.

• Annual Learning & Conference Budget: Financial support for professional development, including attending industry conferences and pursuing further learning opportunities.

• International Exposure: Opportunity to work with UK-based teams and clients, gaining valuable international experience without relocation.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, with an expectation of regular overlap with UK working hours (approximately 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM Sri Lanka time) to facilitate collaboration. This implies a 40-hour work week with flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and competitive for the Sri Lankan market, indicating a premium for experienced professionals with international exposure and specialized skills like AI design and design system management. The benefits package is also robust, emphasizing professional development and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: PropTech (Property Technology), FinTech (Financial Technology), Legal Tech. Homey operates at the intersection of these sectors, aiming to modernize UK residential property transactions.

Company Size: The description implies a growing scale-up with a lean, agile team, likely in the range of 50-200 employees, but with a focused core product and engineering team. The design team is expected to grow from this initial lead role.

Founded: While the founding date isn't specified, Homey is positioned as an innovative, AI-native platform, suggesting a relatively recent founding and a focus on modern technology and agile development methodologies.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: Currently a single Lead Product Designer role, with a clear path to growing into a Head of Design position.

• Reporting Structure: Direct reporting to the UK-based Product Lead, with direct access to the Founder, indicating a flat hierarchy and high visibility.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close collaboration with UK-based Product Lead, Engineers, UK Legal experts (SRA-authorised firm), and Mortgage Advisors (FCA-regulated broker).

Methodology:

• AI-Native Platform: Central to the company's ethos, driving innovation in user workflows and data processing.

• Agile Development: Implied by the emphasis on shipping quickly and iterative product development.

• Data-Driven Design: Use of analytics tools like PostHog to understand user behavior and inform design decisions.

• User-Centric Approach: Strong emphasis on conducting research with real users to solve complex problems.

Company Website: homey.app

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be fast-paced, innovative, and user-focused, with a strong emphasis on ownership and impact. The regulated nature of their industry (property transactions, mortgages, conveyancing) means that design and operations must prioritize security, compliance, and trustworthiness alongside user experience.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior individual contributor position with significant leadership potential. As "Lead Product Designer," the individual is expected to set the design vision and strategy for the entire platform. The mention of a "clear path to Head of Design as the team grows" signifies a leadership track.

Reporting Structure: The lead designer reports directly to the UK-based Product Lead, ensuring close alignment with product strategy and direct access to the founder. This structure facilitates rapid decision-making and high-impact contributions.

Operations Impact: The design operations will have a direct and significant impact on Homey's core business. By simplifying complex property transactions, improving user onboarding, and enhancing professional workflows, the design directly contributes to customer acquisition, retention, operational efficiency for conveyancers and mortgage advisors, and overall platform adoption in a competitive PropTech market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: A clear trajectory to become the Head of Design, responsible for building and managing a design team, defining long-term design strategy, and influencing company-wide product direction.

• Specialized Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in AI-powered product design, designing for regulated industries, and advanced UX/UI practices.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the UK property transaction lifecycle, mortgage brokering, and legal processes through close collaboration with domain experts.

• Strategic Influence: Direct input into product strategy and roadmap through close collaboration with the founder and product lead.

• Learning & Development: Access to a dedicated annual budget for learning, conferences, and tools, encouraging continuous skill enhancement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a unique blend of individual contribution, strategic design leadership, and operational management of design assets and processes, with a defined growth path into a Head of Design role. This is attractive for experienced designers looking to make a significant impact and grow their careers in a specialized tech domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, requiring 3 days per week in the Colombo office. This suggests a modern office space designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka. Specific office details (e.g., accessibility, amenities) are not provided but are typical for a professional workspace in a major city.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office setting is intended for team collaboration, brainstorming, and in-person interaction with colleagues, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

• Technology & Tools: Access to a top-spec laptop and equipment, along with a design budget, ensures designers have the necessary tools to perform their roles effectively.

• International Interaction: The role involves regular interaction with UK-based team members, requiring effective use of communication and collaboration tools to bridge geographical and time zone differences.

Work Schedule: Full-time employment with a requirement for regular overlap with UK working hours (approx. 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM Sri Lanka time). This implies a structured workday that accommodates international collaboration needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model balances the benefits of in-office collaboration and team building with the flexibility of remote work. The emphasis on UK hour overlap highlights the company's global operational structure and the importance of real-time communication for this role.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Introductory Call (5 mins): A brief initial screening to assess basic fit and interest.

• Portfolio Deep-Dive: A detailed session where candidates walk through two selected projects from their portfolio, focusing on their process, problem-solving, and outcomes. No unpaid speculative work is expected.

• Optional Paid Design Challenge: If further assessment is needed, candidates may be offered a paid challenge (LKR 25,000) based on a real Homey problem.

• Final Interviews: Meetings with the Founder, Product Lead, and an Engineer to assess technical skills, cultural fit, and strategic thinking.

• References: Standard reference checks.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select case studies that best represent your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and impact on shipped products, particularly those involving complexity or regulated environments.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives. Clearly articulate the "why" behind your decisions, the trade-offs you made, and the "how" of your process.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes, user flows) effectively. Demonstrate your Figma proficiency by showcasing complex component usage, auto layout, and interactive elements.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics or data that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores).

• Highlight Design System Work: If you have experience with design systems, dedicate a section or case study to its creation, implementation, and benefits.

• Address AI/Regulated Design: If applicable, showcase projects that involved AI integration or designing for regulated industries, explaining your approach and learnings.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem: If a design challenge is offered, ensure you fully grasp the problem statement and business context.

• Think Out Loud: Approach the challenge as an opportunity to demonstrate your thought process, research approach, and problem-solving methodology.

• Prioritize & Scope: Be realistic about what can be achieved within the given time. Focus on key user flows and core functionality.

• Consider Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss the trade-offs you made and why.

• Presentation Skills: Practice presenting your solution clearly and concisely, as you would in the portfolio review.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to be efficient and focused on practical skills and demonstrated experience, with a strong emphasis on the portfolio. The optional paid design challenge is a good sign of a company that values candidate time and expertise.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI/UX design, wireframing, prototyping, and design system management. Expert proficiency is expected.

• PostHog: Used for product analytics, user behavior tracking, and informing design decisions. Familiarity or ability to learn quickly is crucial.

• Prototyping Tools (within Figma): For creating interactive prototypes to test user flows and interactions.

• Collaboration Tools: Tools like Slack, Zoom, or similar for communication and remote collaboration with the UK team.

Analytics & Reporting:

• PostHog: Key for understanding user engagement, feature adoption, and identifying areas for design improvement.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly mentioned for the designer, understanding how design integrates with CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and automation platforms might be beneficial for context. The focus is primarily on the product itself and user interaction with it.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and PostHog indicates the primary technology stack. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these tools and demonstrate how they leverage them for efficient and data-driven design processes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership & Impact: A strong emphasis on taking full ownership of design outcomes and driving tangible impact on the product and business.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of users, particularly in complex and regulated environments.

• Efficiency & Simplicity: A drive to make complex processes simple and intuitive through elegant design solutions.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing analytics and research to inform design choices and validate hypotheses.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture of learning, iteration, and striving for excellence in design and product development.

• Trust & Transparency: Essential for working in regulated industries and fostering strong team collaboration.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Respectful: Expectation of open communication and constructive feedback, especially in discussions with UK stakeholders and engineers.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Close partnership with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Mortgage teams to achieve shared goals.

• Agile & Iterative: A collaborative approach that embraces iterative development and rapid feedback loops.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing insights, best practices, and learnings across the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values are geared towards building a high-performing, innovative team that can navigate the complexities of a regulated industry. The emphasis on ownership and impact is critical for a lead role in a growing scale-up.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Regulation: Navigating the complexities and constraints of designing for regulated industries like conveyancing and mortgages, where compliance, security, and trustworthiness are paramount.

• AI Integration Complexity: Designing effective and trustworthy human-AI interaction models for critical tasks, ensuring clarity and user confidence.

• Bridging Time Zones & Cultures: Effectively collaborating with a UK-based team, managing communication across significant time differences and potentially different cultural nuances.

• Scaling a Design System: Building and maintaining a design system that can effectively scale with the growth of the platform and team.

• Balancing Innovation with Stability: Introducing new features and AI capabilities while ensuring the core platform remains stable, reliable, and compliant.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Leadership Growth: Opportunity to shape the future of design at Homey, grow into a Head of Design role, and build a design team.

• Specialized Domain Expertise: Deep dive into the intricacies of PropTech, FinTech, and Legal Tech industries.

• AI Product Design Mastery: Gaining hands-on experience designing cutting-edge AI-driven product features.

• International Product Development: Exposure to best practices in global product development and stakeholder management.

• Professional Development Budget: Access to funds for courses, certifications, conferences, and learning resources to continuously enhance skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but offer substantial opportunities for professional growth and skill development, particularly in specialized and high-demand areas of product design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a highly regulated industry. What were the key challenges and how did you address them?" (Focus on compliance, user trust, and simplifying complexity.)

• "How would you approach designing an interface for a user collaborating with an AI agent for a critical task, like reviewing legal documents?" (Discuss clarity, trust, error handling, and user control.)

• "Walk us through your process for building or evolving a design system. How do you ensure adoption by engineering teams?" (Highlight methodology, componentization, documentation, and collaboration.)

• "How do you balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints when making design decisions?" (Showcase your trade-off analysis and prioritization skills.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Homey's mission and the PropTech industry?" (Research Homey's website, mission, and recent news.)

• "How do you envision contributing to our company culture, particularly in fostering design standards and a collaborative environment?" (Discuss your approach to design critiques, mentorship, and team building.)

• "How do you stay updated on the latest design trends, tools, and AI advancements?" (Demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: For each project, clearly define: Problem, Your Role, Research, Solution (showcasing iterations), Impact/Results.

• Highlight Figma Skills: Be ready to demonstrate complex Figma usage (variants, auto layout, prototyping) if asked.

• Explain Your 'Why': Articulate the rationale behind your design decisions, not just the final output.

• Quantify Outcomes: Use data to support the success of your designs. If exact metrics aren't available, discuss qualitative feedback and observed user behavior.

• Showcase Design System Work: If applicable, dedicate time to explaining your contributions to design systems and their benefits.

• Be Ready for Speculation: While they don't want unpaid spec work, they might ask hypothetical questions about how you'd approach a Homey problem. Think aloud your process.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss their experience with regulated industries and AI design in detail, as these are key differentiators for this role. Demonstrating a structured, data-informed, and collaborative design process will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Curate Your Portfolio: meticulously select 2-3 end-to-end case studies that best showcase your UI/UX process, design system experience, and ability to solve complex problems. Prioritize shipped products with demonstrable impact.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 6+ years of relevant experience, specifically mentioning experience with international clients, scale-ups, and any regulated industries. Tailor your skills section to include keywords like Figma, Design Systems, User Research, and AI Product Design.

• Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your selected case studies, focusing on telling a compelling story about the problem, your process, and the results. Be ready to articulate your design rationale and demonstrate your Figma skills.

• Research Homey: Familiarize yourself with Homey's mission, product, and the PropTech/FinTech/Legal Tech space. Understand their AI-native approach and the challenges of UK property transactions.

⚠️ 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.