Principal Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer

Company: Gen Digital Inc.

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-05-18

Experience Level: 10+ Years (Principal Level)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead UX strategy and design execution for a designated product pillar, focusing on next-generation cybersecurity and consumer digital safety products.

• Drive company-level product direction through compelling storytelling and strategic vision, influencing executive leadership and cross-functional teams.

• Establish and champion best practices in interaction design, information architecture, and visual design to ensure product-wide consistency and impact.

• Leverage AI design tools and methodologies to accelerate iteration, unlock new user value, and enhance overall design process efficiency.

• Foster an inclusive, transparent, and collaborative design culture within a globally distributed team, promoting continuous learning and design maturity.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned at a Principal level, indicating significant autonomy, strategic influence, and leadership responsibilities beyond typical senior designer roles. The emphasis on "product pillar" suggests a focus on a specific area of Gen's broad product portfolio, requiring deep understanding and strategic ownership. The explicit mention of AI tools as hands-on requirements signifies Gen's commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology into their design workflows.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic vision and execution for a specific product pillar, ensuring alignment with cross-functional stakeholders in Product, Engineering, and Research.

• Articulate and champion the design vision through impactful storytelling, effectively communicating strategies and rationale to executive leadership.

• Develop research-backed UX strategies, grounding product experiences in a deep understanding of user needs, market trends, and critical business objectives.

• Define and implement best practices for interaction design, information architecture, and visual design to ensure cohesive and impactful user experiences across the product suite.

• Drive the evolution and adoption of the company's design system and standards to support scalable, consistent, and high-quality product development.

• Actively utilize and champion AI design tools and methodologies to accelerate design iteration cycles and identify opportunities for enhanced user value.

• Proactively shape and improve design processes within the product pillar to boost efficiency, elevate quality, and foster stronger cross-functional collaboration.

• Mentor and guide other designers, developing training resources to enhance overall team effectiveness and advance design maturity across the organization.

• Cultivate an inclusive, transparent, and collaborative design culture across geographically dispersed teams and diverse disciplines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, hands-on design craft, and team mentorship. The emphasis on "shaping design processes" and "mentoring designers" points to a leadership role that actively contributes to the growth and development of the design function within Gen Digital. The requirement to "shape next-generation cybersecurity and consumer digital safety products" indicates a forward-looking role focused on innovation.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a closely related field, or equivalent practical professional experience.

Experience: Significant professional experience in product design, with a proven history of successfully shipping high-quality, large-scale B2C products across multiple platforms. A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience is implied for a Principal level role.

Required Skills:

• Strategic Product Thinking: Demonstrated ability to develop product goals, identify key opportunities, and make informed decisions based on user needs and business impact.

• User-Centred Design Expertise: Deep understanding of user-centered design principles and the capability to apply them to complex, ambiguous problems across end-to-end user journeys.

• AI Design Tool Proficiency: Hands-on experience and active utilization of AI design tools and workflows to enhance user experience and streamline design processes.

• Cross-Platform Design: Proven experience designing for multiple platforms (web, mobile, etc.) ensuring consistency and optimal user experience.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to effectively collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and other stakeholders in a distributed environment.

• Design Leadership & Mentorship: Experience in guiding design decisions, mentoring junior designers, and contributing to the growth of a design team.

• Communication & Storytelling: Exceptional ability to articulate design vision, rationale, and impact through compelling narratives to diverse audiences, including executive leadership.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with cybersecurity, identity protection, or financial wellness product domains.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and experience working within those frameworks.

• Expertise in evolving and managing complex design systems at scale.

• Experience in influencing product roadmaps and company-level strategy.

• Familiarity with user research methodologies and integrating research insights into design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+" years of experience, combined with the "Principal" title, strongly suggests a need for candidates who have not only executed design but also significantly influenced product strategy and team development. The explicit requirement for AI tool proficiency is a key differentiator for this role, indicating Gen's forward-thinking approach.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory, showcasing end-to-end product design projects with a focus on B2C products shipped at scale.

• Projects should demonstrate strategic product thinking, user-centered design principles, and the ability to solve complex, ambiguous problems.

• Evidence of leading UX strategy, influencing product direction, and driving design craft and execution for significant product initiatives.

• Examples of how AI design tools were leveraged to enhance user experience or streamline design processes.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process followed, key decisions made, and the quantifiable impact of your work.

• Demonstrate how you established best practices, evolved design systems, and improved design processes for efficiency and quality.

• Showcase your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and communicate design vision to executive stakeholders.

• Include examples of mentorship or contributions to team effectiveness and design maturity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirement is critical for this Principal-level role. It needs to go beyond showcasing individual UI/UX skills to demonstrating strategic leadership, process improvement, and measurable impact on B2C products at scale. The inclusion of AI tool usage is a specific requirement to be highlighted within portfolio case studies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on current market data for Principal Product Designer roles in London, UK, with significant experience (10+ years) in B2C product design and a hybrid work model, the estimated annual salary range is between £90,000 and £130,000 GBP. This range reflects the seniority, strategic impact, and specialized skills (including AI tools) required for this position.

Benefits:

• Flexible Working Options: Supporting a hybrid work model with flexibility for focused work.

• Time Off: Generous paid time off and holiday allowances.

• Competitive Pay: Including base salary, potential bonuses, and equity (if applicable).

• Well-being Programs: Comprehensive programs focused on physical, mental, and financial wellness.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, training, and skill enhancement.

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive health coverage.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Support for long-term financial planning.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility to accommodate the hybrid model and collaborative needs across different time zones. Some evening work may be required to align with distributed team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for Principal Product Designers in major tech hubs like London, considering the specific requirements for AI tool proficiency and B2C product experience at scale. Benefits are derived from the provided text and standard offerings for senior roles in large tech companies.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Cybersecurity, Digital Freedom, Financial Wellness. Gen Digital Inc. operates in the rapidly evolving digital security and consumer tech space, aiming to empower individuals in their digital and financial lives. This context implies a fast-paced, innovative environment driven by technological advancements and a strong focus on user trust and security.

Company Size: Gen Digital Inc. is a large, global organization, likely employing thousands of individuals across various departments and regions. This scale suggests robust processes, significant resources, and opportunities for impact within a well-established corporate structure.

Founded: Gen Digital Inc. is formed through the combination of established brands with deep heritage in cybersecurity and financial empowerment. This history provides a foundation of expertise and market presence, while the modern iteration focuses on future growth and innovation.

Team Structure:

• The Global Product Design Team is diverse, distributed, and cross-functional, comprising designers, researchers, and product managers.

• This team collaborates across regions, suggesting a matrixed reporting structure where individuals report to design leadership but work closely with product and engineering teams on specific initiatives.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on research-backed approaches to inform product experiences, aligning with user needs, market signals, and business priorities.

• AI Integration: Proactive adoption of AI tools and design methods to accelerate workflows and deliver new value.

• Iterative Development: Application of design principles to complex problems across end-to-end experiences, likely within an agile or similar iterative framework.

• Design System Centricity: Focus on establishing and evolving design systems for scalable and cohesive product experiences.

Company Website: https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/

📝 Enhancement Note: Gen Digital's mission to "power Digital Freedom" and its portfolio of trusted brands (Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion) indicate a strong emphasis on user trust, security, and consumer empowerment. The company's culture is described as "scrappy and relentlessly customer driven," fostering "healthy debate, experimentation and continuous learning." This suggests an environment that values innovation, adaptability, and diverse perspectives.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the Principal level within Product Design. This signifies a senior leadership position responsible for setting strategic direction, influencing company-level product decisions, and driving design excellence across a significant product area. Principal designers are expected to mentor others, champion best practices, and operate with a high degree of autonomy and strategic impact.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Product Designer will likely report to a Director or VP of Product Design. They will work closely with product leadership, engineering leads, and research teams within their assigned product pillar, fostering a collaborative, cross-functional reporting dynamic on project execution.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the user experience of Gen's core products, influencing customer acquisition, retention, and overall satisfaction within cybersecurity, identity protection, and financial wellness domains. By shaping product strategy and design execution, this role contributes significantly to Gen's mission of powering digital freedom and its overall business success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership: Expand influence by leading larger product initiatives or multiple product pillars, contributing more significantly to company-level product strategy and vision.

• Design System Evolution: Take ownership of the broader design system strategy and governance, driving its adoption and impact across the entire organization.

• Mentorship and Team Building: Develop into a recognized design leader, mentoring senior designers, shaping hiring strategies, and contributing to the growth of the global design organization.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific product areas (e.g., AI-driven user experiences, complex security workflows, financial wellness platforms) or design methodologies.

• Cross-Functional Advancement: Opportunities to move into broader product leadership roles or manage design teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Principal title implies a career path that moves beyond individual contribution to strategic influence and leadership. Growth opportunities are focused on expanding this influence, either through leading larger teams, driving broader strategic initiatives, or deepening specialized expertise within Gen's product ecosystem.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Gen operates a hybrid work model, requiring 3 days per week in the London office. This indicates a structured approach to balancing in-office collaboration with remote flexibility. The office environment is designed to facilitate creative conversations, meaningful meetings, quick decision-making, and relationship building.

Office Location(s): The primary location for this role is London, England, United Kingdom. Specific office address details would be provided upon inquiry or during the interview process. Being based in London offers access to a vibrant tech ecosystem and talent pool.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office serves as a hub for in-person collaboration, team building, and strategic discussions, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

• Technology-Enabled: Access to necessary design tools, software, and potentially emerging technologies like AI accelerators within the office environment.

• Cross-Disciplinary Interaction: Opportunities to interact with colleagues from Product, Engineering, Research, and other departments, facilitating a holistic understanding of product development.

Work Schedule: The work schedule is a standard full-time (approx. 40 hours/week) hybrid model. While 3 days are in the London office, the remaining days offer flexibility for focused individual work. Collaboration across time zones may necessitate some flexibility in working hours to connect with distributed team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model (3 days in office) is a key aspect of the work environment. This suggests that while remote work is supported, Gen values in-person interaction for key collaborative activities and team cohesion, particularly for senior roles requiring strategic alignment and mentorship.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Recruiter and Hiring Manager review CV and portfolio focusing on scope of work, delivered impact, and alignment with role requirements, particularly B2C scale and AI tool usage.

• Recruiter Conversation: A discussion to understand background, motivations, interest in

Gen, and to outline the interview process further.

• Design & Strategy Interviews: Multiple rounds focusing on:

  • Portfolio Review: In-depth walkthrough of selected projects, emphasizing strategic thinking, UX strategy, design craft, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your role, process, and outcomes.
  • Problem-Solving/Case Study: A hypothetical or real-world design challenge, potentially involving AI tools or complex user scenarios, to assess your approach to ambiguous problems.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Scenarios testing your ability to lead, influence, and collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Research.
  • Leadership & Mentorship: Questions assessing your approach to mentoring designers and fostering design culture.

• Executive/Leadership Interview: A final conversation with senior leadership to assess strategic alignment, vision, and overall cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 impactful projects that best represent your Principal-level capabilities, focusing on B2C scale, strategic influence, and ideally, the application of AI tools.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the business context, user problem, your specific role and contributions, the design process, key decisions, and measurable outcomes (quantify impact whenever possible).

• Highlight AI Integration: Explicitly showcase how you leveraged AI tools in your workflow, the benefits achieved (e.g., speed, innovation, user value), and your insights into the future of AI in design.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of how you've influenced product strategy, mentored designers, or improved design processes.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is visually polished, easy to navigate, and clearly communicates your design thinking and execution.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Gen's Portfolio: Research Gen Digital's brands (Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion) and their respective user bases and challenges.

• Anticipate AI Focus: Be prepared for challenges that involve leveraging AI for user experience enhancement or design process optimization within cybersecurity or financial wellness contexts.

• Practice Articulation: Rehearse explaining your design process, strategic rationale, and problem-solving approach concisely and clearly, especially for complex or ambiguous scenarios.

• Focus on Impact: Frame your solutions in terms of user and business value, demonstrating an understanding of how design contributes to revenue, engagement, and customer satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process emphasizes a strong portfolio that demonstrates not only design skills but also strategic leadership, process improvement, and the practical application of AI in design. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their thought process and impact rigorously.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable as industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• AI Design Tools: Explicitly mentioned as a requirement. Candidates should be prepared to discuss experience with AI-powered design assistants, generative design tools, AI-driven user research platforms, or AI for workflow automation within design. Specific tools may vary, but familiarity with the concept and application is key.

• Collaboration Platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics for understanding user behavior and product performance.

• User Feedback Platforms: Tools for gathering and analyzing user feedback (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey).

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or similar for presenting insights.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding of CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms can provide context for user journeys and business objectives.

• Design System Management: Tools or internal platforms for managing and versioning design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for "Hands-on with AI design tools and workflows" is paramount. Candidates should be ready to discuss specific AI tools they've used, how they integrated them into their design process, and the outcomes. This indicates Gen's commitment to exploring and implementing AI in its product development lifecycle.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: Relentlessly customer-driven approach to all design decisions, ensuring user needs are at the forefront.

• Innovation & Experimentation: Encouragement of healthy debate, experimentation, and continuous learning to drive forward-thinking solutions.

• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Fostering an inclusive, transparent environment where diverse experiences, identities, and ideas are valued and respected.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research and analytics to inform strategies and measure the impact of design initiatives.

• Impact & Efficiency: A focus on delivering meaningful results, leveraging AI and optimized processes to achieve greater efficiency and user value.

Collaboration Style:

• Distributed & Cross-Functional: Working effectively with globally distributed teams across Product, Engineering, and Research.

• Transparent Communication: Open dialogue and sharing of ideas, feedback, and progress.

• Constructive Debate: Encouraging healthy discussions to arrive at the best solutions, valuing different perspectives.

• Mentorship & Support: A culture of mutual support, where team members mentor and uplift each other to enhance collective skills and maturity.

📝 Enhancement Note: Gen's stated values emphasize a modern, agile, and people-centric approach. The "AI as a teammate" philosophy suggests a forward-looking culture that embraces technological augmentation. The emphasis on diversity and inclusion is also a key cultural pillar.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Tackling complex, ill-defined problems within the cybersecurity and financial wellness domains, requiring strong strategic thinking and problem-framing skills.

• Balancing Scale & Innovation: Designing for a massive global user base (nearly 500 million users) while introducing innovative features and next-generation products.

• Cross-Time Zone Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and leading within a geographically distributed team, requiring strong asynchronous communication and coordination skills.

• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Finding optimal ways to integrate AI tools into the design process and user experience without compromising user trust or security.

• Influencing Executive Stakeholders: Persuasively communicating design vision and strategy to senior leadership to secure buy-in and drive product direction.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design Mastery: Deepening expertise in cutting-edge AI design tools and their strategic application in product development.

• Strategic Leadership Growth: Developing skills in influencing company-level strategy, leading larger initiatives, and potentially managing design teams.

• Cross-Disciplinary Expertise: Gaining deeper insights into cybersecurity, identity protection, and financial wellness domains.

• Design System Leadership: Opportunities to shape the future of Gen's design system, impacting product consistency and development efficiency across the organization.

• Industry Engagement: Potential opportunities to attend industry conferences, workshops, and training sessions relevant to product design and AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a Principal-level role in a large tech company operating in sensitive domains. Growth opportunities are geared towards expanding strategic influence, mastering emerging technologies like AI, and developing leadership capabilities within the design function.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led UX strategy for a complex product pillar. What was your process, how did you align stakeholders, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your strategic approach, leadership, and measurable impact.)

• "How do you use storytelling to influence executive leadership on design vision and strategy? Provide an example." (Prepare a compelling narrative demonstrating your ability to communicate complex ideas effectively to senior stakeholders.)

• "Discuss your experience with AI design tools. How have you integrated them into your workflow, and what benefits did they provide? What do you see as the future of AI in product design?" (Be ready to showcase hands-on experience and forward-thinking perspectives.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your research, what do you believe are the biggest design challenges Gen Digital faces, and how would you approach them?" (Demonstrate your understanding of the company's industry, products, and potential user needs.)

• "How do you foster an inclusive and collaborative design culture, especially within a distributed, cross-functional team?" (Connect your approach to Gen's stated values and team structure.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an executive summary of the project's impact, then delve into the problem, your role, process, key decisions, and finally, the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Key Contributions: Clearly articulate your specific responsibilities and decision-making authority, especially for Principal-level work.

• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Explain the why behind your design choices, linking them to user needs, business goals, and strategic objectives.

• Emphasize AI Application: Dedicate a section or highlight within your case studies where AI tools were used, detailing the tools, your methodology, and the resulting improvements or innovations.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your projects (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction scores, reduced task completion times).

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about trade-offs, challenges, alternative solutions, and how you would adapt your approach to Gen's specific context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on aligning your experience and approach with Gen's stated values and the specific requirements of the Principal Product Designer role, particularly regarding strategic leadership, AI integration, and B2C product scale.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby HQ.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 3-4 of your most impactful B2C product design projects. Ensure these examples clearly demonstrate your strategic thinking, leadership in UX strategy, hands-on design craft, and quantifiable impact. Specifically highlight any projects where you leveraged AI design tools.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to align with the job description's keywords and responsibilities. Emphasize your experience in leading design initiatives, influencing product strategy, mentoring designers, and working with large-scale B2C products. Quantify your achievements whenever possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, strategic rationale, and problem-solving skills. Prepare detailed case studies for your portfolio walkthrough, focusing on demonstrating your leadership, collaboration, and innovative use of AI tools. Research Gen Digital's brands and mission thoroughly.

• Company Research: Gain a deep understanding of Gen Digital's products (Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion), their mission to "power Digital Freedom," and their culture. Consider how your design philosophy and experience align with their customer-driven and innovation-focused approach.

⚠️ 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.