Principal Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer

Company: Epicor Software Corporation

Location: Bracknell, United Kingdom; Peterborough, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-05-13

Experience Level: 8+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design vision and interaction architecture for a critical product area, ensuring coherence and strategic alignment across features and releases.

• Lead complex, end-to-end design processes from ambiguous problem definition through to shipped, impactful solutions.

• Act as a strategic partner to Product and Engineering leadership, influencing roadmap decisions and architectural trade-offs.

• Elevate design quality and consistency across the product area through rigorous critique, mentorship, and direct contribution.

• Shape the future of design within the organization by mentoring senior and mid-level designers and fostering a culture of innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Principal level, indicating significant autonomy, strategic influence, and leadership responsibilities. The emphasis on "systems of workflows," "cross-product consistency," and "complex operational software" strongly suggests a focus on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or similar complex B2B SaaS environments where operational efficiency is paramount. The mention of AI and its integration into design processes highlights a forward-thinking approach to product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and own the design vision, interaction patterns, and architectural principles for a designated product area, ensuring strategic alignment with business objectives and platform consistency.

• Lead the full design lifecycle for intricate, cross-functional product challenges, from initial problem framing and stakeholder alignment to solution design, prototyping, and outcome measurement.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership as a strategic peer, contributing to roadmap prioritization, investment decisions, and technical trade-offs.

• Champion and enforce high standards of design quality and consistency through active participation in critiques, design reviews, and by directly contributing to key design elements.

• Facilitate and lead design collaboration across multiple teams, ensuring seamless integration of product area patterns with the global design system and adjacent product surfaces.

• Mentor and guide senior and mid-level designers, fostering their strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities beyond execution.

• Translate organizational business goals into actionable design directions and advocate for design-led innovation at the leadership level.

• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of user needs within complex operational domains to inform intuitive and efficient product experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize strategic ownership and leadership beyond typical UI design. The phrasing "solve problems that don't have clear briefs" and "connect your product area's design direction to the broader platform" indicates a need for proactive problem-solving and a systems-level perspective, common in senior operations-focused design roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent knowledge and experience in design principles, UX methodologies, and enterprise software design is crucial.

Experience: 8+ years of product design experience, specifically within enterprise or B2B SaaS environments, with a proven track record of delivering impactful design solutions.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in enterprise interaction design, with a deep understanding of complex workflow systems, data-dense interfaces, role-based experiences, and cross-product pattern consistency.

• Mastery of Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration, coupled with deep fluency in design systems, including token architecture, governance, and scalability across different frameworks.

• Proven ability to lead end-to-end design processes for complex product areas, from ambiguous problem spaces to shipped outcomes, demonstrating strategic foresight and stakeholder alignment.

• Strong strategic communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional leadership, present to senior executives, and articulate design rationale effectively under scrutiny.

• Demonstrated experience in mentoring senior and mid-level designers, elevating their craft and problem-framing capabilities.

• Proficiency in understanding and designing for AI-native products, including shaping team AI usage, understanding AI architecture layers, agents, protocols, and context-aware systems.

Preferred Skills:

• Hands-on experience with "vibe coding" or agent-assisted development for building functional prototypes and validating ideas in code.

• Deep understanding of AI infrastructure relevant to product design, including protocols (e.g., MCP), agent orchestration, tool-use patterns, and context management for AI agents acting on behalf of users.

• Developed philosophical perspective on the evolving role of design in the age of AI, including points of view on taste, craft, originality, and the irreplaceable value of human judgment.

• Experience designing for industries such as manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, or retail operations, or similarly complex, operationally critical domains.

• A pragmatic and experimental disposition, with a track record of shipping to learn, failing fast, and extracting signal from failure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI fluency goes beyond tool usage, requiring an understanding of AI architecture and its implications for product design. The "preferred skills" section is particularly insightful, highlighting a desire for candidates who are not just designers but also thought leaders in the emerging AI-product landscape, capable of experimental approaches and deep domain understanding.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 significant projects demonstrating end-to-end design ownership in enterprise or B2B SaaS contexts.

• Clearly articulate the problem space, your strategic approach, and the design decisions made, emphasizing how they address complex operational workflows.

• Provide detailed case studies that highlight systems-level thinking, cross-product consistency, and interaction architecture.

• Include examples of how you've influenced product strategy and collaborated with Product and Engineering leadership.

• Demonstrate mastery of Figma and your approach to working with or building design systems, including governance and scalability.

• Showcase your understanding and application of AI in the design process, including any AI-native product design examples or strategic thinking around AI's role.

Process Documentation:

• For each project, clearly outline the design process followed, including user research, ideation, prototyping, iteration, and validation phases.

• Document your approach to problem framing, stakeholder alignment, and managing ambiguous requirements.

• Illustrate how you ensure consistency and coherence across features, releases, and potentially multiple products within a portfolio.

• Detail your experience with design systems, including their creation, maintenance, and application across different product areas or frameworks.

• Provide examples of how you've mentored other designers, detailing your feedback and guidance methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are highly specific for a Principal role, demanding not just execution but also strategic thinking, systems-level craft, and a deep understanding of enterprise UX. The emphasis on AI and design systems is critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Principal Product Designers in the UK with 8+ years of experience in enterprise SaaS, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between £80,000 - £110,000 per annum. This range accounts for the seniority, strategic impact, and specialized skills (e.g., AI design, systems thinking) required for this role. Actual compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and location within the UK.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health and Wellness: A robust package designed to support overall employee well-being.

• Internal Mobility: Significant opportunities for career advancement within the company, with a stated goal of filling 25% of positions internally.

• Mentorship Programs: Structured programs to facilitate professional growth and knowledge transfer.

• Continuing Education & LinkedIn Learning: Access to a wide range of courses and resources for skill development, including free LinkedIn Learning licenses.

• Education Support: Geographically specific programs to assist with the costs of further education and personal development.

• Inclusive Workplace: A collaborative environment that fosters innovation and celebrates diversity.

• Work-Life Balance: Policies built on trust and support, encouraging time off for rest and rejuvenation.

• Global Mobility Support: Comprehensive assistance for international relocations and permanent residency processes.

Working Hours: A standard 40-hour work week is typical for full-time roles in the UK. The hybrid work arrangement suggests flexibility, allowing for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work, accommodating the demands of complex design processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is derived from analyzing Principal Product Designer roles in the UK tech sector, considering the specific requirements for enterprise B2B SaaS and AI expertise. Benefits are directly extracted from the provided text, emphasizing career development and well-being.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software (Enterprise Resource Planning - ERP, Manufacturing Execution Systems, Supply Chain Management, Retail Management). Epicor operates in industries where software is integral to daily operations, highlighting the critical nature of their products.

Company Size: 5,000+ employees globally. This indicates a large, established organization with opportunities for broad impact and structured career paths, but also potential for navigating complex organizational structures.

Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the company's scale and product focus suggest it's a mature player in the enterprise software market.

Team Structure:

• The design team likely comprises various levels of designers, from mid-level to senior and principal, with specializations in UX research, interaction design, and visual design.

• The Principal Product Designer will report into a design leadership role (e.g., Director of Design, VP of Design) and will work closely with Product Management and Engineering leads within their product area.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is implied through the emphasis on measuring outcomes and understanding user needs.

• Agile methodologies are likely employed, given the B2B SaaS context and the need for iterative development and cross-functional collaboration.

• A strong focus on design systems and pattern libraries is evident, ensuring consistency and efficiency across products.

• The integration of AI into the product development and design process is a key strategic focus.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company description positions Epicor as a partner for essential businesses, emphasizing their role in critical operational software. The size and industry suggest a need for robust processes and a strategic approach to design that can scale and integrate across a broad product suite.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the "Principal" level, signifying a senior individual contributor with significant strategic influence and leadership responsibilities. It sits at the top tier of individual contributor roles, often serving as a technical or design leader for a specific product domain.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager, Director of Design, or VP of Design. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads responsible for their designated product area, forming a core cross-functional leadership triad.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is substantial, directly shaping the usability, efficiency, and intelligence of critical operational software used by businesses. By owning the design vision for a product area, this role influences user productivity, operational effectiveness, and ultimately, the business outcomes of Epicor's customers. Strategic design decisions can influence roadmap direction, investment priorities, and the overall competitive positioning of Epicor's products.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization & Leadership: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design, complex enterprise systems, or specific industry verticals (manufacturing, supply chain, retail). Potential to lead larger product areas or multiple product domains.

• Management Track: Transition into design management roles, leading teams of designers and shaping organizational design strategy.

• Strategic Influence: Move into higher-level strategic roles focused on product vision, design operations, or cross-platform coherence.

• Thought Leadership: Become a recognized expert within the company and industry on AI in design, enterprise UX, or specific operational domains, potentially through speaking engagements or publications.

• Cross-functional Advancement: Leverage design leadership skills for broader product strategy or operational leadership roles within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Principal level implies a trajectory towards either deep technical/strategic leadership or a path into management. The emphasis on AI and complex enterprise systems offers opportunities for highly specialized growth.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The "LI-HYBRID" tag indicates a hybrid work model, meaning employees will split their time between working remotely and in the company's physical office locations. This offers a blend of focused remote work and collaborative in-office sessions.

Office Location(s): Bracknell, United Kingdom and Peterborough, United Kingdom. These are the primary physical locations for hybrid work.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model allows for dedicated focus time at home, crucial for deep work in design and AI exploration.

• Office days will likely be structured around collaborative activities, team meetings, design critiques, and strategic planning sessions.

• Access to necessary technology and tools will be provided for both remote and in-office work, supporting seamless workflow across environments.

• The environment is expected to be collaborative, with opportunities to engage with product managers, engineers, and fellow designers.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, the hybrid nature and the nature of design work often allow for some flexibility in scheduling, provided core collaboration hours and project deadlines are met. The focus is on outcomes and effective collaboration rather than strict adherence to hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid arrangement is standard for many enterprise tech roles, balancing flexibility with the need for in-person collaboration essential for strategic design leadership.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio. Be prepared to highlight your most relevant enterprise B2B SaaS and AI design experience.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Expect a session where you present your portfolio, focusing on 2-3 key projects that demonstrate your strategic thinking, systems-level craft, and impact. Be ready to discuss your design process, rationale, and how you’ve handled ambiguous problems.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Management and Engineering leads to assess your ability to collaborate, influence, and align on strategy and technical considerations.

• Design Leadership Interview: A discussion with senior design leadership, focusing on your leadership style, mentorship approach, strategic vision for design, and your perspective on the future of design with AI.

• Final Round: Potentially a session with a senior executive to discuss broader company strategy and how your role fits into the organization's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Strategic Narrative: Structure your portfolio around compelling narratives that clearly define the problem, your strategic approach, the execution, and the measurable impact.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Highlight projects that demonstrate your ability to design for complex systems, cross-product consistency, and interaction architecture, not just isolated screens.

• AI Integration: Explicitly detail your experience and thinking around AI in design, whether it's designing AI-native products, using AI tools strategically, or shaping team AI processes.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs in terms of user efficiency, adoption, or business value.

• Tailor to Role: Emphasize your experience in enterprise/B2B SaaS and your ability to handle complex operational workflows.

Challenge Preparation:

• Problem Framing: Practice articulating ambiguous problems and outlining a structured approach to solving them.

• Design System Application: Be ready to discuss your experience with design systems, including their governance and scalability.

• AI Design Scenarios: Prepare to discuss hypothetical scenarios involving AI integration into enterprise software and how you would approach the design challenges.

• Mentorship Examples: Have examples ready of how you have mentored and elevated other designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to rigorously assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and specialized skills in AI and enterprise design. The portfolio review is a critical component, requiring a narrative that showcases impact and strategic depth.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is explicitly mentioned as a required mastery for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Design Systems: While not a single tool, fluency in working with, contributing to, and understanding the architecture of design systems is critical. This includes concepts like token architecture and governance.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, experience with other advanced prototyping tools or methods, potentially including those for "vibe coding" or agent-assisted development, may be beneficial for rapid validation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, a Principal Product Designer would be expected to leverage analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Pendo, Amplitude, Mixpanel) to understand user behavior, measure the impact of design changes, and inform future design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with CRM systems (like Salesforce, though likely internal Epicor systems are more relevant) and automation platforms might be indirectly beneficial for understanding the broader business context and user workflows within enterprise software.

• Understanding of how design impacts automated workflows and user journeys within ERP and operational systems is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma and Design Systems are core technical requirements. The role also implies a need for analytical thinking and a data-informed approach, even if specific tools aren't listed. The mention of "vibe coding" suggests an openness to cutting-edge development and prototyping tools.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Strategic Partnership: A strong emphasis on collaborating with Product and Engineering as equals to shape strategy and direction.

• Design Excellence & Craftsmanship: A commitment to high-quality design, attention to detail, and a continuous effort to raise the bar for design standards.

• Innovation & Future-Forward Thinking: A drive to explore and integrate emerging technologies like AI into the design process and product offerings.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on delivering design solutions that have measurable positive outcomes for users and the business.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Designing for complex systems that are efficient, scalable, and maintainable, often through robust design systems.

• Mentorship & Team Development: A culture that values knowledge sharing and the growth of design talent within the organization.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional: Seamless collaboration across Product Management, Engineering, and other design team members is expected.

• Critique-Oriented: A culture of constructive critique and feedback is essential for driving quality and alignment.

• Influence & Advocacy: Designers are expected to advocate for user needs and design best practices, influencing decisions at various levels.

• Transparent Communication: Open and clear communication is vital for aligning stakeholders on design direction and rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes strategic collaboration, high craft, and a proactive approach to innovation, particularly with AI. This is a culture that values thought leadership and measurable impact.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Ambiguity & Complexity: Navigating unclear problem statements and designing for highly complex, interconnected operational systems.

• Balancing Strategic Vision with Execution: Ensuring long-term design vision is translated into actionable, short-term development cycles.

• AI Integration Nuances: Effectively integrating AI capabilities into user experiences while maintaining trust, control, and transparency, and discerning genuine value from hype.

• Cross-Product Cohesion: Maintaining design consistency and coherent user experience across a broad suite of enterprise products.

• Influencing Organizational Decisions: Driving design-informed decisions at senior leadership levels amidst competing priorities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design Specialization: Deep dive into AI architecture, agent development, and designing for AI-native products.

• Enterprise System Mastery: Gain in-depth knowledge of manufacturing, supply chain, and retail operations to inform design strategy.

• Design Leadership Skills: Develop advanced mentorship, strategic influencing, and team development capabilities.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of UX innovation, particularly in enterprise software and AI applications.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Broaden understanding of business strategy, product roadmapping, and engineering trade-offs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a Principal role in a complex enterprise software environment, especially with the added layer of AI integration. Growth opportunities are directly tied to overcoming these challenges and deepening expertise.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you owned the design vision for a complex product area. What was your process, how did you align stakeholders, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on strategic framing, stakeholder management, and impact.)

• "How do you approach designing for systems of workflows and ensuring cross-product consistency? Provide an example." (Highlight systems thinking, pattern definition, and design system utilization.)

• "Discuss your perspective on the role of AI in enterprise software design. How do you shape your team's approach to using AI tools and designing AI-native products?" (Demonstrate AI fluency beyond tools, focusing on strategic application and critical judgment.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Epicor's mission and the industries we serve?" (Research Epicor's market position, key industries, and strategic initiatives.)

• "How do you see your role contributing to Epicor's operational excellence through design?" (Connect your skills to the company's focus on operational software.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each project, frame it as a narrative: problem -> your strategic approach -> execution -> impact.

• Focus on "Why": Clearly articulate the rationale behind your design decisions, especially when addressing complex operational challenges.

• Highlight Systems & AI: Explicitly call out examples of systems thinking, design system application, and your experience with AI in design.

• Quantify Outcomes: Use metrics to demonstrate the tangible results of your work.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, trade-offs, and decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic depth, leadership, and specialized knowledge in enterprise design and AI, supported by concrete examples from your portfolio.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the application form through the provided link on the Epicor careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful enterprise B2B SaaS projects. Ensure each project clearly articulates the problem, your strategic design process, the solutions, and quantifiable outcomes, with a strong emphasis on systems thinking and any AI integration.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight 8+ years of relevant experience, focusing on keywords such as "Principal Product Designer," "Enterprise UX," "B2B SaaS," "Design Systems," "Figma," "AI Product Design," and "Strategic Design Leadership." Quantify achievements whenever possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies concisely and compellingly, ready to discuss your design rationale, collaboration methods, and leadership approach. Be prepared to articulate your vision for AI in design.

• Research Epicor: Thoroughly research Epicor Software Corporation, understanding their product suite, target industries (manufacturing, supply chain, retail), company values, and recent news. Prepare thoughtful questions about their design culture and product strategy.

⚠️ 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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