Principal Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Designer

Company: Oviva

Location: Germany

Job Type: Permanent

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-08-07

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic design vision and direction for Oviva's mobile applications (iOS and Android), ensuring a cohesive and impactful patient experience.

• Own and drive the evolution, governance, and adoption of the company's design system, crucial for scalable, consistent experiences and behavior change.

• Champion design craft and quality by setting high standards, conducting design reviews, and mentoring cross-functional teams.

• Act as the primary design liaison, aligning engineers, product managers, and design peers on UX direction through evidence-based decision-making.

• Integrate AI-native design workflows and tools to enhance the design process and patient outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a senior individual contributor position, requiring a strong strategic mindset and the ability to influence product direction without direct management responsibility. The emphasis on AI-native workflows and behavioral change within digital health is a key differentiator.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and articulate the long-term design vision and strategy for the Oviva mobile app, collaborating closely with Product, Behavioral Science, Clinical, and Engineering teams.

• Ensure the patient experience is engaging, clinically grounded, and measurably effective, with a strong focus on mobile-first principles.

• Lead the evolution, governance, and adoption of Oviva's design system, ensuring its scalability and effectiveness in delivering consistent experiences and facilitating positive behavior change.

• Set the benchmark for design quality and craft at Oviva, modeling excellence in all design outputs and reviews.

• Conduct regular design reviews, define UI/UX standards, and mentor designers, product managers, and builders to elevate visual craft, prototyping, and validation processes.

• Partner with VP of Patient Experience and VP of Marketing to resolve competing objectives and maintain clear design standards when priorities conflict, using data and evidence to support decisions.

• Maintain a current point of view on digital health design and consumer mobile application trends, translating insights into concrete recommendations for product investment.

• Oversee the adoption and strategic integration of AI tools within the design process, ensuring they enhance patient experience and measurable impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic focus on design systems, AI integration, and a strong emphasis on patient outcomes and clinical validation, which are critical in the health tech sector.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A degree in Design, HCI, Interaction Design, or a related field is a plus.

• A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional mobile UI/UX and systemic design thinking is a mandatory requirement. Experience and proven outcomes will take precedence over formal credentials. Experience:

• 10+ years of digital product design experience, with a significant focus on world-class iOS and Android mobile applications.

• Demonstrable, directly attributable influence on a consumer application that has successfully delivered both high engagement and significant behavioral change.

• Hands-on experience with AI-native design workflows, including agentic coding tools, AI-assisted prototyping, and natural-language-driven design processes. Evidence of individual experimentation and a growth mindset is critical if direct shipping experience in this environment is limited. Required Skills:

• Fluency in adjudicating between competing stakeholder objectives (growth, patient experience, brand) using a clear, defensible framework rather than intuition alone.

• A sharp, current point of view on consumer product and digital health innovation, with the ability to translate it into concrete product direction.

• Comfort interpreting product analytics from tools such as Mixpanel, Amplitude, Hotjar, or equivalent, and applying user data directly to design decisions.

• Exceptional communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to align engineers, product managers, and design peers behind a single UX direction and make the case stick.

• Deep understanding of WCAG accessibility standards applied natively to mobile platforms.

• Excellent written and spoken English. Preferred Skills:

• German language proficiency.

• Experience in health tech, digital therapeutics, or behavioral science-driven product domains where clinical validation is critical.

• Understanding of mobile engineering frameworks and how design systems translate into code.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI-native workflows and the requirement for demonstrable influence on behavioral change are critical requirements for this senior role. The preference for health tech experience and German language skills suggests a strategic focus for the company.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing exceptional mobile UI/UX design for both iOS and Android applications.

• Evidence of systemic design thinking, including the creation, evolution, and governance of design systems.

• Case studies demonstrating direct, measurable influence on consumer engagement and behavioral change outcomes.

• Examples of how user data and product analytics (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude) were leveraged to inform and drive design decisions.

• Demonstrations of applying WCAG accessibility standards in mobile design solutions. Process Documentation:

• Examples of defining and driving long-term design vision and strategy for a mobile product.

• Documentation illustrating the process of evolving, governing, and scaling a design system to support feature teams.

• Case studies detailing how competing stakeholder objectives were adjudicated using a clear framework, prioritizing patient outcomes.

• Evidence of elevating design craft and quality through design reviews, standard setting, and cross-functional mentorship.

• Examples of integrating AI-native design workflows and tools into the product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio must not only showcase design skills but also strategic thinking, data-driven decision-making, and experience with scalable design systems and emerging technologies like AI within a health-focused context.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

While a specific salary range is not provided, this is a Principal Designer role at a growing health tech company, Oviva, operating in Germany. Based on industry benchmarks for similar senior individual contributor roles in Germany, and considering the 10+ years of experience required, the estimated salary range would be between €80,000 and €110,000 annually, depending on exact location within Germany, candidate experience, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Training and development opportunities to foster professional growth.

• A personal learning allowance for continuous skill enhancement.

• Flexibility and embrace of remote working arrangements.

• A home working allowance to help set up an optimal personal workspace.

• Competitive Salary.

• Company pension scheme.

• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption leave policies. Working Hours:

The role is listed with an estimated 40 hours per week, reflecting a standard full-time commitment. Oviva emphasizes flexibility, suggesting that the specific daily schedule can be adapted to suit individual needs and preferences, particularly with remote working options.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for Principal Designer roles in Germany requiring extensive experience and specialized skills in AI and digital health. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a particular focus on professional development and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Health / Health Technology. Oviva operates in the rapidly growing chronic care sector, leveraging AI and digital platforms to provide personalized, sustainable, and clinically effective care. This industry demands a strong focus on patient outcomes, data privacy, and clinical validation.

Company Size: Oviva is a significant player in the European digital health market, having supported over one million people. While exact employee numbers aren't specified, the company's reach and AI-powered platform development suggest a scale of operations that likely involves several hundred to over a thousand employees across multiple European countries. This size implies a structured environment with opportunities for cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: Oviva was founded with a mission to make chronic care accessible. Its founding principles likely revolve around innovation, patient-centricity, and leveraging technology to improve health outcomes. This history informs its current AI-driven approach and commitment to personalized care.

Team Structure:

• The design team, while potentially small, is central to Oviva's product strategy. This Principal Designer will likely be the lead design voice, working closely with Product Management, Patient Experience, Behavioral Science, Clinical teams, and Engineering.

• The role reports to a senior leadership position (e.g., Head of Product, VP of Product, or VP of Patient Experience), indicating high visibility and influence.

• Cross-functional collaboration is paramount, with the Principal Designer expected to align diverse teams around a unified design vision and strategy. Methodology:

• Data analysis and insights are driven by product analytics tools (Mixpanel, Amplitude, Hotjar) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Workflow planning and optimization are key, especially concerning the design system's efficiency and adoption by development teams.

• Automation and efficiency practices are expected, particularly through the integration of AI tools in the design and development processes.

Company Website: https://www.oviva.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Oviva's mission-driven approach in digital health, combined with its AI focus and European presence, creates a unique and dynamic work environment for a Principal Designer. The emphasis on patient outcomes and cross-functional alignment is critical.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Principal Designer role, representing a senior individual contributor position. It signifies a high level of expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead and influence across product development without direct people management. The focus is on setting vision, standards, and driving complex initiatives like design system strategy and AI integration.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Designer will likely report to a senior executive such as the VP of Product, Head of Product, or VP of Patient Experience. This direct reporting line to leadership underscores the strategic importance of the role and provides opportunities for significant influence on product direction.

Operations Impact: The role has a profound impact on Oviva's core mission by shaping the patient experience of its AI-powered chronic care platform. Success in this role directly contributes to user engagement, behavioral change, clinical effectiveness, and ultimately, the company's ability to scale its impact and achieve its business objectives in the digital health market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in AI-native design workflows, advanced user research methodologies for behavioral change, and leading design system strategy at scale.

• Industry Specialization: Become a recognized expert in health tech design, digital therapeutics, and the application of AI in patient care.

• Leadership Potential: Transition to leadership roles such as Head of Design, Design Director, or Product leadership positions, potentially with people management responsibilities, or continue as a Principal/Distinguished individual contributor.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path for a Principal Designer at Oviva is geared towards deep specialization and strategic influence within the health tech domain, with potential avenues into broader leadership or continued expert individual contribution.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Oviva embraces flexibility and remote working. While they may have office locations in Germany and other European countries, the role is presented as hybrid, allowing for a mix of remote work and potential in-office collaboration. This suggests a modern, agile work environment.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Germany, with specific office locations likely available for those who prefer or need to work from an office. The company also offers a home working allowance, reinforcing the remote-friendly aspect.

Workspace Context:

• A collaborative environment is fostered, where designers work closely with product managers, engineers, behavioral scientists, and clinical experts.

• Access to operations tools and technology is assumed, including design software, prototyping tools, analytics platforms (Mixpanel, Amplitude), and AI-powered design assistants.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with design peers and cross-functional teams are provided, whether in person or through virtual collaboration tools.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is approximately 40 hours per week, but Oviva emphasizes flexibility. This allows operations professionals to manage their time effectively, balancing core working hours with personal needs, which is particularly beneficial for deep work sessions required for design strategy and system development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and flexible work model, coupled with a home working allowance, indicates a commitment to employee well-being and productivity, catering to the needs of a senior, strategic role.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio, focusing on experience with mobile applications, AI-native design, and demonstrable impact on behavioral change.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to present a detailed case study from your portfolio, focusing on a complex problem you solved, your design process, the AI tools or methodologies you employed, and the measurable outcomes achieved. This will likely involve presenting how you'd approach a specific Oviva challenge.

• Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially members of the Clinical or Behavioral Science teams to assess your collaboration style, strategic thinking, and ability to align diverse perspectives.

• Leadership Interview: A final discussion with senior leadership (e.g., VP of Product) to evaluate your overall vision, strategic alignment with Oviva's mission, and suitability for the Principal Designer role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase AI Integration: Clearly articulate how you've used or experimented with AI-native design workflows, prototyping tools, or natural language processing in your design process.

• Quantify Impact: For each case study, provide concrete data on engagement metrics, behavioral change achieved, or other relevant KPIs. Detail the specific framework or methodology used to adjudicate competing stakeholder objectives.

• Design System Expertise: Include examples of your involvement with design systems, detailing your approach to their strategy, evolution, governance, and adoption.

• Mobile-First & Accessibility: Ensure your portfolio prominently features world-class iOS and Android app designs, with a clear demonstration of applying WCAG accessibility standards.

• Storytelling: Frame your projects as compelling narratives, highlighting the problem, your unique approach, the challenges overcome, and the impactful results.

Challenge Preparation:

• Oviva's Mission: Research Oviva's mission, AI-powered chronic care platform, and target patient populations. Understand the unique challenges of designing for behavioral change in digital health.

• AI in Design: Be prepared to discuss your perspective on the future of AI in design and how it can be ethically and effectively integrated into product development.

• Design System Strategy: Think about how you would approach leading and evolving a design system for a growing health tech company.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Prepare examples of how you have successfully navigated competing priorities and aligned diverse teams on a design vision.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process emphasizes practical demonstration of skills through a portfolio and case studies, with a specific focus on AI, behavioral change, and design system leadership.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), Protopie, InVision. Emphasis on advanced Figma capabilities for collaborative design systems.

• AI-Native Design Tools: Agentic coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot for design-related tasks), AI-assisted prototyping platforms, natural language interfaces for design generation or iteration.

• Design System Management: Tools for component libraries, style guides, documentation platforms (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook), and version control.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Hotjar, Google Analytics. Proficiency in interpreting user behavior data to inform design decisions.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or built-in dashboarding within analytics tools for presenting insights to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design integrates with user journeys managed by CRM or marketing automation platforms could be beneficial. Experience with tools like Salesforce Marketing Cloud or HubSpot for user segmentation and communication strategies might be a plus.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Slack, Microsoft Teams for cross-functional team communication and workflow management.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with modern design tools and a strong understanding of product analytics are essential. Experience with AI-native design workflows and tools is a key differentiator for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Patient First: A core value at Oviva, meaning all design decisions must prioritize patient outcomes, engagement, and the clinical effectiveness of the platform. This translates to user-centric design with a deep understanding of health needs.

• Empower Our Teams: Fostering an environment where individuals feel trusted and capable. For a Principal Designer, this means empowering them to lead strategically, take ownership of design direction, and influence product decisions.

• Make It Happen: A bias for action and delivering results. This value emphasizes the importance of shipping impactful product experiences efficiently, especially within the context of AI-driven workflows and scalable design systems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Highly collaborative, working seamlessly with Product, Engineering, Behavioral Science, and Clinical teams to achieve shared goals. This involves active listening, clear communication, and a shared understanding of objectives.

• Evidence-Based Design: Decisions are driven by data, user research, and clinical validation, rather than solely by intuition. This fosters a culture of rigorous design critique and continuous improvement.

• Mentorship and Quality Focus: A collaborative approach to elevating design standards across the organization, involving design reviews, knowledge sharing, and mentoring junior designers and product managers.

📝 Enhancement Note: Oviva's core values are directly applicable to the Principal Designer role, emphasizing patient-centricity, proactive problem-solving, and collaborative innovation within a data-driven framework.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation with Clinical Rigor: The primary challenge is to innovate rapidly with AI and new design trends while ensuring all design decisions are clinically sound, evidence-based, and compliant within the regulated health tech space.

• Scaling Design Systems: Evolving and maintaining a robust design system that supports multiple product teams and diverse feature sets, ensuring consistency and efficiency at scale.

• Integrating AI Ethically: Strategically adopting AI tools in design workflows in a way that enhances creativity and efficiency without compromising user experience, data privacy, or ethical considerations in healthcare.

• Navigating Competing Priorities: Effectively mediating and resolving conflicts between growth targets, patient experience needs, brand consistency, and technical constraints, using a clear, data-driven framework.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design Specialization: Opportunities to become a thought leader in the application of AI to product design within the digital health sector.

• Health Tech Design Mastery: Deepen expertise in behavioral science, digital therapeutics, and the unique challenges and opportunities of designing for chronic care management.

• Strategic Leadership: Develop strategic planning and influencing skills through close collaboration with senior leadership, potentially leading to future leadership roles.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Access to leading industry events and potential certifications related to UX, AI, or digital health.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a pioneering role in digital health, offering significant opportunities for specialized skill development and strategic impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you defined a long-term design vision for a mobile product. How did you align stakeholders and translate that vision into actionable steps?" (Focus on your process, evidence used, and stakeholder management.)

• "How have you leveraged AI-native design workflows or tools in your work? What was the impact on efficiency, quality, or patient outcomes?" (Be prepared to discuss specific tools and measurable results.)

• "Oviva has competing objectives: growth, patient experience, and clinical effectiveness. Describe your framework for adjudicating between these when they conflict, and provide an example." (Highlight your data-driven approach and patient-centricity.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What is your perspective on the role of AI in transforming chronic care, and how can design contribute to Oviva's mission?" (Showcase your understanding of Oviva's business and your strategic vision.)

• "How would you approach leading the evolution and adoption of a design system for a growing, cross-functional organization like Oviva?" (Discuss governance, scalability, and collaboration with engineering.)

• "Describe your experience with WCAG accessibility standards. How do you ensure accessibility is integrated into the mobile design process from inception?" (Demonstrate your commitment to inclusive design.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation around 2-3 key projects that best showcase your expertise in mobile design, AI integration, design system thinking, and impact on behavioral change.

• Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your unique approach (especially AI/data utilization), the challenges faced, your decision-making process, and the quantifiable outcomes.

• Design System Focus: If applicable, dedicate time to explaining your approach to design systems, their architecture, and their role in achieving scale and consistency.

• AI Integration: Be ready to dive deeper into any AI tools or workflows used, explaining their benefits and limitations in your context.

• Q&A Readiness: Anticipate questions about your design philosophy, how you handle feedback, and your vision for the future of digital health design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on articulating your strategic thinking, quantifying impact, demonstrating AI proficiency, and aligning your experience with Oviva's mission and values.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Designer position:

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

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight your strongest mobile UI/UX projects, specifically those demonstrating AI integration, design system leadership, and quantifiable impact on user engagement or behavioral change. Ensure it's easily navigable and visually compelling.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 10+ years of digital product design experience, emphasizing your work on iOS/Android apps, AI-native workflows, and success in driving behavioral change. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare Case Studies: Select 2-3 key projects for in-depth presentation. Be ready to walk through your process, design decisions, stakeholder management, and the measurable outcomes achieved, paying close attention to how you would address Oviva's specific challenges.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Oviva's mission, product offerings, AI strategy, and company values. Understand the digital health landscape and Oviva's position within it. This will enable you to articulate your alignment with their goals and culture.

⚠️ 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.

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