Principal Product Designer - 24 Month FTC (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer - 24 Month FTC

Company: Genomics England

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time, Temporary

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-09-17

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years implied)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead design strategy and delivery across a portfolio of products within Genomics England's Adult Population Genomics Programme, focusing on user-centred, data-informed approaches to solve complex product challenges.

• Drive the co-creation of product experience visions and strategies with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, engineers, data scientists, and subject matter experts, ensuring alignment with business objectives and user needs.

• Champion high standards of design quality, consistency, and compliance across multiple product squads, fostering a shared understanding and coordinated approach to design delivery.

• Actively engage with and influence senior stakeholders and decision-makers, leveraging evidence-based recommendations to de-risk product delivery and ensure alignment with regulatory frameworks and Government Service Standards.

• Support the growth and development of other product designers within the team, building domain knowledge and capability in navigating complex design challenges within the healthcare and genomics sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is a 24-month fixed-term contract (FTC) specifically supporting the Adult Population Genomics Programme, which aims to sequence 150,000 adult genomes for optimized prescribing, early disease detection, and personalized interventions. This implies a project-driven focus with a need to deliver tangible outcomes within a defined timeframe. The "Principal" title suggests a senior individual contributor role with significant leadership and strategic responsibility, coordinating the work of other designers and influencing product direction.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic Design Leadership: Lead and coordinate design strategy and execution across a group of products, ensuring cohesive, consistent, and user-centred outcomes that align with the programme's objectives and OKRs.

• User-Centred Product Development: Co-create product experience visions and strategies with Product Managers and squads, employing user-centred, data-informed approaches to shape future experiences and address user needs effectively.

• Complex Problem Solving: Tackle intricate design challenges using a thoughtful, systematic, and principled approach, identifying opportunity areas for exploration based on deep contextual knowledge of the product domain.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Facilitate decision-making and co-creation sessions with multidisciplinary teams (engineering, data, product, research, subject matter experts), internal and external stakeholders, and senior decision-makers.

• Design Research Advocacy: Identify gaps in user understanding, recommend, advocate for, and participate in design research activities to inform hypotheses-led, evidence-based design decisions.

• Risk Mitigation through Design: Build a clear understanding of user and feasibility risks related to product design, working collaboratively to reduce these risks through effective design interventions and ensuring compliance with relevant regulatory frameworks.

• Quality Assurance & Consistency: Maintain a high standard of design quality and consistency across squads, taking responsibility for the quality and compliance of design components and encouraging their shared use across products.

• Mentorship and Capability Building: Support and guide other Design & Research colleagues, helping to build cohesion, connection, shared understanding, and capability in navigating complex design challenges and regulatory environments.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage subject matter experts and decision-makers effectively throughout the design process, building influence through evidence-based recommendations and clear communication.

• Compliance and Standards Adherence: Understand and guide others to work within the regulatory frameworks governing the products, ensuring alignment with Government Service Standards and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "leading design strategy and delivery across a group of products" and "coordinating and supporting the work of other designers" indicates a senior, potentially lead-designer capacity, rather than a sole individual contributor. Responsibilities also highlight a strong need for strategic thinking, product discovery, and influencing product direction, beyond just executing design tasks. The mention of "Government Service Standard" and "regulatory frameworks" points to a highly structured and compliant design process.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio and demonstrable experience in product design, UX/UI, or a related field are implicitly required.

Experience: Significant experience in product design, with a proven track record of leading design strategy and delivery, conducting product discovery, and creating impactful user experiences. A minimum of 5-10 years of relevant professional experience is inferred from the "Principal" title and scope of responsibilities.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Expertise: Extensive experience designing high-quality, impactful product experiences using a variety of methods and approaches.

• Design Strategy & Leadership: Ability to lead product design strategy and delivery across multiple products, coordinating design efforts for cohesive outcomes.

• User-Centred Design Principles: Deep understanding and application of user-centred design methodologies, informed by qualitative and quantitative insights.

• Product Discovery & Alignment: Experience in conducting effective product discoveries and supporting strategic alignment on product direction.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to partner effectively with multidisciplinary teams (engineering, data, product, research, subject matter experts).

• Senior Stakeholder Engagement: Comfort and skill in engaging senior stakeholders and decision-makers, building influence through evidence-based recommendations.

• Agile Delivery Environment: Experience designing and adapting within agile development environments, responding to evolving requirements and user needs.

• Regulatory Understanding: Ability to understand and navigate regulatory frameworks relevant to healthcare or highly regulated sectors.

• Risk Mitigation: Skill in identifying and mitigating risks through design within a product area.

• Design Quality & Consistency: Commitment to maintaining high standards of design quality and consistency across product portfolios.

Preferred Skills:

• Public Sector/Healthcare Design: Experience designing within the public sector, particularly in healthcare or science-related domains.

• Government Digital Service Standard: Familiarity and experience designing to the Government Digital Service Standard.

• Design Systems: Experience with design systems, building repeatability, scalability, and efficiency into design workflows.

• Highly Regulated Contexts: Experience designing in highly regulated, risk-sensitive environments.

• Technical Collaboration: Understanding of engineering constraints and feasibility, with experience working collaboratively with technical colleagues.

• Ethical/Compliance Awareness: Sensitivity to ethical, compliance, and regulatory considerations when designing products that use sensitive data.

• Long-Term Strategy: Ability to balance tactical delivery with longer-term product strategy for scalable solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title strongly suggests a need for leadership, mentorship, and strategic influence beyond individual contribution. The emphasis on "leading design strategy and delivery across a group of products" and "coordinating and supporting the work of other designers" reinforces this. The implied experience level (5-10 years) is derived from the seniority and scope of responsibilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstration of Strategic Design Leadership: Showcase instances where you led design strategy and delivery across multiple products, illustrating your approach to coordination and achieving cohesive outcomes.

• Complex Problem-Solving Case Studies: Present detailed case studies of how you tackled complex design challenges, detailing your process, methodologies, and the impact of your solutions.

• User-Centred Design in Practice: Highlight projects that clearly demonstrate your application of user-centred design principles, supported by research insights (qualitative and quantitative) and user feedback.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Examples: Include examples of your collaboration with diverse teams (engineering, product, data, research) and how you facilitated decision-making and co-creation.

• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence: Provide evidence of your ability to engage senior stakeholders, present evidence-based recommendations, and influence product direction.

• Regulatory Compliance & Risk Mitigation: Showcase projects where you navigated regulatory frameworks or considered ethical/compliance aspects, demonstrating how design mitigated risks.

Process Documentation:

• Discovery & Strategy Documentation: Examples of how you have documented product discovery findings, user needs analyses, and contributed to product strategy development.

• Design Process Workflows: Illustrate your typical design process, including how you integrate research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration, particularly within agile environments.

• Design System Contributions (if applicable): If you have experience with design systems, showcase your contributions, how you ensured consistency, and how they improved efficiency.

• Impact Measurement & Reporting: Demonstrate how you measure and report on the impact of your design work, linking it to user outcomes and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Principal" title and the nature of the role in a regulated sector like genomics, a strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, and end-to-end design process ownership is crucial. The emphasis on regulatory compliance and stakeholder management necessitates clear documentation of how these aspects were handled in past projects.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £71,800 per annum (minimum stated). Given the "Principal" title and London location, a range of £71,800 - £90,000+ is a reasonable estimate for this level of seniority and responsibility in the UK public sector/healthcare technology.

Benefits:

• Generous Leave: 30 days' holiday plus bank holidays, with additional leave for long service.

• International Remote Work: Option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (subject to approval).

• Flexible Working: Blended working arrangements and flexible working options available.

• Family-Friendly Policies: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave benefits.

• Pension: Defined contribution pension scheme with Genomics England matching contributions up to 10% (option to contribute more).

• Life Assurance: 3x salary coverage.

• Salary Sacrifice Schemes: Electric Vehicle scheme and Give As You Earn scheme.

• Professional Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (subject to approval).

• Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition and referral schemes.

• Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.

• Health Services: Eye tests and flu jabs provided.

Working Hours: Implied 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through blended and flexible working arrangements. The minimum office attendance is typically 2 days per month, but this can vary by role and team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary provided (£71,800) is explicitly stated as a "Salary from," indicating it's a minimum. For a Principal Product Designer in London with the responsibilities outlined, a higher figure towards the upper end of the £70k-£90k range is realistic, depending on precise experience and negotiation. The benefits package is comprehensive, reflecting a commitment to employee well-being and professional growth, which is a strong selling point for experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology, Genomics, Life Sciences, Public Sector. Genomics England operates at the intersection of cutting-edge scientific research, national healthcare infrastructure, and digital transformation.

Company Size: Genomics England is a growing organization, likely falling into the 250-1000 employee range, which offers a balance of established processes and the agility of a developing entity. This size allows for significant impact while fostering a connected work environment.

Founded: Genomics England was established in 2013 to lead the 100,000 Genomes Project, indicating a history rooted in ambitious, large-scale national projects and a commitment to advancing genomic medicine.

Team Structure:

• Design & Research Department: The role sits within the Design & Research department, suggesting a dedicated function for user experience, research, and product design.

• Cross-Functional Squads: The Principal Product Designer will work within product squads, likely comprising Product Managers, engineers, data scientists, and potentially clinical/research specialists, fostering a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.

• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, a Principal Product Designer typically reports to a Head of Design, Director of Product, or similar senior leadership role within the Design & Research or Product function.

Methodology:

• User-Centred & Data-Informed: The company emphasizes user-centred design principles, integrating qualitative and quantitative insights to inform product direction and decision-making.

• Agile Delivery: Operations are conducted within agile delivery environments, requiring adaptability, iterative development, and responsiveness to changing requirements.

• Government Service Standards: Adherence to Government Service Standards implies a focus on usability, accessibility, security, and efficiency in digital product development.

• Risk Management: A strong emphasis on identifying and mitigating risks, particularly concerning sensitive healthcare data and regulatory compliance.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Genomics England's mission is intrinsically linked to societal impact and scientific advancement. The culture is likely driven by a strong sense of purpose, collaboration, and a commitment to rigorous, evidence-based practices, especially given its public sector and healthcare context. The role's focus on the Adult Population Genomics Programme underscores a current strategic priority.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Principal Product Designer. This level signifies a senior individual contributor with significant strategic influence, often mentoring junior staff and leading design initiatives across multiple products or complex domains. It bridges the gap between Senior Designer and Design Lead/Manager.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report into a Head of Design, Director of Product, or a similar senior leader within the Design & Research or Product organization. Collaboration will be extensive with Product Managers, engineering leads, and other senior stakeholders across the program.

Operations Impact: The Principal Product Designer has a direct impact on the success of the Adult Population Genomics Programme by ensuring that the digital products and services are usable, effective, safe, and compliant. This directly influences the ability to optimize prescribing, improve disease detection, and enable personalized interventions, ultimately impacting patient outcomes and advancing genomic medicine nationally.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to hone leadership skills by coordinating other designers, influencing product strategy, and mentoring junior team members.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in genomics, genomic medicine, and healthcare technology, a rapidly growing and impactful field.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to shaping national healthcare initiatives and gain experience working with government service standards and regulatory bodies.

• Design System Advancement: Potential to contribute to or lead the development and evolution of design systems, enhancing scalability and efficiency.

• Career Progression: Potential pathways to Design Lead, Head of Design, or specialized UX/Product Strategy roles within Genomics England or the broader healthcare technology sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title suggests that this role is designed for individuals who can operate autonomously, lead strategic initiatives, and mentor others. The FTC nature means the focus will be on delivering within the 24-month period, but the experience gained in a high-impact, cutting-edge program is significant for long-term career growth.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Genomics England operates a blended working model, indicating a hybrid approach. While specific office types aren't detailed, the company has office locations in Cambridge, Leeds, and London. The London office is likely a modern, collaborative workspace.

Office Location(s): London (primary for this role), Cambridge, Leeds. The London office is mentioned as a location, suggesting proximity to key stakeholders and potentially a central hub. The specific address within London would need to be confirmed.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Atmosphere: The blended working model and emphasis on cross-functional squads suggest an environment that values collaboration, open communication, and knowledge sharing.

• Technology & Tools: Access to standard design and research tools, likely including collaboration platforms and potentially specialized software for user research and prototyping. The company's focus on digital systems implies a tech-forward environment.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with design peers, product teams, and senior leadership, both in person and virtually, to drive project success.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is implied, with flexibility offered through the blended working model. Minimum office attendance is typically 2 days per month, allowing for a balance between remote work and in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The blended working model is a key feature, offering flexibility while maintaining team cohesion. Candidates should expect a structured environment that values both independent work and collaborative sessions, aligning with the demands of a large-scale, regulated program.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process: The interview process will likely involve several stages, designed to assess design expertise, strategic thinking, collaboration skills, and cultural fit.

• Initial Screening: A review of CV and portfolio to assess baseline qualifications and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion focused on experience, motivations, and understanding of the role and company.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Presentation: A practical exercise or presentation of portfolio work to demonstrate design skills, problem-solving approach, and communication abilities. This will likely focus on how you've handled complex design problems, stakeholder engagement, and navigated regulatory constraints.

• Team/Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with potential collaborators (Product Managers, engineers, other designers) to assess teamwork and communication style.

• Senior Stakeholder Interview: A final discussion with senior leadership to evaluate strategic thinking, leadership potential, and alignment with company vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Strategic Impact: Prioritize projects where you led design strategy, influenced product direction, or solved complex problems with significant business or user impact.

• Detail Your Process: Clearly articulate your design process, including how you integrated user research, data, and stakeholder feedback, especially in regulated environments.

• Highlight Leadership & Collaboration: Provide examples of how you've coordinated design efforts, mentored others, and collaborated effectively with diverse teams and senior stakeholders.

• Address Regulatory & Risk Context: If possible, include projects where you navigated compliance, ethical considerations, or risk mitigation through design. Explain your approach.

• Be Concise and Focused: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best align with the requirements of this role. Clearly state your role, the problem, your process, and the outcomes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Programme: Research the Adult Population Genomics Programme and Genomics England's mission to frame your thinking.

• Focus on User-Centred Problem Solving: Be prepared to articulate how you would approach a design problem within the healthcare/genomics context, emphasizing user needs and data-informed decisions.

• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Think about how design contributes to product and business OKRs, and how you would align design efforts with strategic goals.

• Prepare to Discuss Collaboration: Be ready to explain how you build relationships, influence stakeholders, and work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

• Consider Regulatory Nuances: If given a scenario, think about how regulatory requirements and data sensitivity would influence your design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Principal" implies a need to demonstrate strategic thinking and leadership potential, not just execution skills. Case studies that show how you've influenced product direction and managed complex stakeholder relationships will be highly valued.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools: While not explicitly listed, a Principal Product Designer at Genomics England would likely utilize:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP.

• User Research: UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, Hotjar, Google Analytics, or similar platforms for qualitative and quantitative data gathering.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams.

• Design Systems: Tools for managing and contributing to design systems (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (for understanding user behaviour on digital platforms).

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or similar for presenting research insights and performance metrics to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation: While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and automation platforms integrate with user journeys might be beneficial, especially concerning data flow and user management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires proficiency in standard design and prototyping tools. Given the emphasis on data-informed design and working within an agile, digital-first organization, familiarity with analytics and project management tools is also essential. The specific stack will depend on the existing infrastructure at Genomics England.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values: Genomics England emphasizes four key behaviours that shape its culture:

• Purpose-Driven: A strong collective mission to improve genomic healthcare and enable discoveries. This drives a commitment to impactful work.

• Collaborative: Working well together, sharing feedback, and fostering a supportive environment across teams and departments.

• Data-Driven: Utilizing evidence, research, and data to inform decisions and measure impact.

• Efficient & Effective: Striving for optimal processes and outcomes to accelerate progress towards the company's mission.

• Ethical & Responsible: A deep awareness of the sensitive nature of genomic data and a commitment to ethical practices, compliance, and regulatory adherence.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: A strong emphasis on working within multidisciplinary squads, integrating design with product management, engineering, data science, and research.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging the open sharing of work, seeking feedback, and fostering continuous learning and improvement among colleagues.

• Knowledge Sharing: Promoting practices that facilitate knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving across the design and research team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is built around its mission-driven nature and the collaborative environment required to tackle complex scientific and healthcare challenges. Candidates should expect a culture that values rigor, ethical considerations, and teamwork.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Regulatory Complexity: Working within highly regulated healthcare and genomics sectors requires a deep understanding of compliance, data privacy (e.g., GDPR), and ethical considerations, which can be complex to design for.

• Balancing Strategic Vision with Tactical Delivery: As a Principal Designer, you'll need to balance the immediate needs of the 24-month FTC programme with longer-term strategic goals for product evolution.

• Coordinating Design Across Multiple Products: Leading design for a group of products necessitates ensuring consistency, quality, and efficient workflows across different teams and potentially different product lifecycles.

• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Effectively communicating design rationale and gaining buy-in from senior stakeholders, who may have varied technical and domain expertise.

• Bridging Research and Clinical Care: Translating complex scientific and clinical needs into user-friendly digital experiences that benefit both patients and healthcare professionals.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialization in Genomics: Gaining deep expertise in a cutting-edge field with significant future potential in healthcare.

• Government Digital Standards: Developing experience in designing for public sector digital services, a valuable skill in many organizations.

• Advanced Design Leadership: Enhancing skills in leading design strategy, mentoring designers, and influencing organizational direction.

• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Working closely with world-class scientists, clinicians, and technologists, fostering a broad understanding of the healthcare ecosystem.

• Professional Development Budget: Utilizing the individual learning budget for courses, conferences, or certifications relevant to design, genomics, or leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly linked to the high-impact and complex nature of Genomics England's work. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a chance to develop expertise in a critical and evolving field while honing leadership and strategic design skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led design strategy for a complex product or a group of products. What was your approach, and what were the outcomes?" (Focus on leadership, strategic alignment, and coordination.)

• "How do you balance user needs with regulatory requirements and business objectives in a highly sensitive domain like healthcare or genomics?" (Prepare to discuss trade-offs, ethical considerations, and risk mitigation.)

• "Walk me through a product discovery process you led. How did you identify user needs and feasibility risks, and how did you translate those into a design vision?" (Highlight your research methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and strategic foresight.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What attracts you to Genomics England and this specific programme? How do your skills and experience align with our mission?" (Research the company's mission, values, and the Adult Population Genomics Programme.)

• "How do you foster collaboration and build relationships within multidisciplinary teams, especially when working in a blended environment?" (Prepare examples of your collaborative style and how you handle differing opinions.)

• "How do you measure the impact of your design work, and how would you demonstrate ROI for your contributions to this programme?" (Think about key metrics and how design contributes to programme OKRs.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role and responsibilities (especially leadership aspects), your process (emphasizing research, strategy, and collaboration), the solutions, and quantifiable outcomes.

• Highlight Strategic Contributions: Emphasize instances where you influenced product strategy, led design initiatives, or navigated complex challenges.

• Showcase Regulatory Awareness: If applicable, discuss how you incorporated regulatory constraints or ethical considerations into your designs.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your decision-making process, trade-offs considered, and how you adapted to feedback or changing requirements.

• Connect to Genomics England: Whenever possible, draw parallels between your experience and the challenges and goals of Genomics England and the Adult Population Genomics Programme.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely probe your ability to operate at a Principal level – demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, and the capacity to navigate complex, regulated environments. Be prepared to articulate your process, influence, and impact with concrete examples.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the application form on the SmartRecruiters platform, ensuring all fields are accurately filled.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your most impactful projects that demonstrate strategic design leadership, complex problem-solving, user-centred methodologies, and experience in regulated environments. Tailor your portfolio presentation to highlight relevance to genomics and healthcare.

• Optimize Your CV: Highlight keywords such as "Product Design," "Design Strategy," "User-Centred Design," "Agile," "Stakeholder Engagement," "Regulatory Compliance," and "Healthcare/Public Sector Design." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare for the Interview: Research Genomics England, the Adult Population Genomics Programme, and their culture. Practice articulating your design process, leadership approach, and how you measure impact, using the STAR method for behavioural questions.

• Anticipate Portfolio Presentation: Prepare a concise presentation of your portfolio, focusing on strategic contributions, problem-solving, and collaboration, ready to discuss your work in detail.

⚠️ 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.