Principal Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer

Company: On the Beach

Location: Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX)

Date Posted: 2026-08-03T09:42:33

Experience Level: Senior (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and execution of product design for customer retention initiatives, focusing on the post-booking experience.

• Drive product vision and priorities by partnering with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and Marketing.

• Utilize a deep understanding of unit economics, customer insights, and market data to identify and pursue high-value opportunities.

• Maintain a high standard of design craft, contributing directly to the company's design system and ensuring cohesive end-to-end user experiences.

• Act as a mentor and coach to other designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance design culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Principal" level, indicating significant autonomy, strategic influence, and direct ownership of critical business problems, particularly within the customer retention space. The emphasis on "owning the hardest problems" and "doing the work" suggests a hands-on leadership approach rather than purely managerial. The focus on retention and post-booking experience is a key differentiator for this role within the travel industry.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Partner with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders to define and execute the product vision, with a strong emphasis on customer outcomes and business value.

• Conduct in-depth customer research and data analysis to identify pain points, opportunities, and areas for improvement in the post-booking journey.

• Translate complex user needs and business requirements into intuitive, effective, and visually compelling design solutions across various touchpoints.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the unit economics to ensure design decisions are commercially sound and contribute to profitability.

• Design and iterate on user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups, ensuring alignment with the company's design system and brand guidelines.

• Lead design reviews, provide constructive feedback, and coach junior designers to elevate the overall quality of design output.

• Collaborate with marketing and customer operations teams to build customer loyalty and make repeat bookings feel seamless and desirable.

• Champion user-centered design principles and best practices throughout the organization, influencing product strategy and decision-making.

• Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of implemented designs through testing and data analysis, iterating to optimize for key performance indicators.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on design execution. The emphasis on "partner with," "equal voice," and "hold the end-to-end view" underscores the collaborative and holistic nature of this Principal role. The specific mention of "unit economics" and "commercial and customer picture" signifies a need for business acumen alongside design expertise.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent knowledge and experience in Product Design, UX, or a related field is essential.

Experience: Several years of experience as a senior designer working on customer-facing products, with a proven track record of shaping product direction and partnering on business outcomes. E-commerce experience is a plus, but not a strict requirement.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in customer-facing product design and user experience.

• Strong ability to set strategic direction and drive product vision for key initiatives.

• Demonstrated experience in influencing without authority and aligning cross-functional teams.

• Proficiency in user research methodologies, data analysis, and leveraging customer insights.

• Skill in rapid prototyping and iterative design processes.

• Experience contributing to or maintaining design systems.

• Ability to articulate design decisions and their impact on business metrics.

• Comfort working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with modern tooling.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the e-commerce or travel industry.

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies.

• Experience in mentoring or coaching other designers.

• Understanding of unit economics and commercial drivers.

• Experience with A/B testing and conversion rate optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio is explicitly mentioned, with an emphasis on showcasing the candidate's thinking process and learnings, not just final designs. This indicates a preference for candidates who can demonstrate strategic problem-solving and a reflective approach to design. The "several years" of experience, coupled with "Principal" title, suggests a minimum of 5-10 years in relevant roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of two significant projects that demonstrate end-to-end product design ownership, ideally focusing on customer retention or post-booking experiences.

• Clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and responsibilities, the design process followed, key decisions made, and the rationale behind them.

• Include evidence of how data, user research, and commercial considerations informed your design solutions.

• Detail the impact of your designs, using quantifiable metrics (e.g., conversion rates, engagement, customer satisfaction, retention improvements) to demonstrate business value.

• Present a deep understanding of the user journey and how your solutions addressed specific customer pain points.

• Highlight your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Marketing). Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate a structured approach to design problem-solving, from discovery and ideation to prototyping, testing, and implementation.

• Show how you have leveraged design systems or contributed to their development to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• Illustrate your methods for gathering and synthesizing user feedback and data to drive design iterations.

• Provide examples of how you have influenced product strategy and roadmap based on design insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "thinking and what you learned" in the portfolio suggests a need to go beyond just showcasing polished final outputs. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their design process, challenges encountered, and lessons learned in detail, demonstrating strategic thinking and adaptability.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Principal Product Designers in Manchester, UK, with 5-10 years of experience in a hybrid working environment, the estimated salary range is £65,000 - £90,000 per annum. This estimate considers the seniority of the role, the specific focus on retention, and the company's market position in the travel sector.

Benefits:

• 25 days of annual leave, plus your birthday off.

• Generous discount on holidays booked through On the Beach.

• Two additional days of annual leave specifically for use during an On the Beach package holiday.

• Access to the Learnerbly learning platform for professional development, including workshops, courses, and qualifications.

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, and adoption pay.

• Comprehensive family-friendly support.

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offering free access to counselling services.

• Simplyhealth Optimise Health Plan for health and wellbeing.

• Company Sick Pay scheme.

• Regular wellbeing events to promote employee health.

• Gym discount.

• Share Incentive Plan (SIP), offering company shares.

• Death in Service cover.

• Onsite subsidised coffee shop.

• Access to "The Sandbox," the company's own bar.

• Food and drink discounts across various Manchester city centre venues.

• Regular social events organised by the company.

• Cycle to Work scheme for sustainable commuting.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are 37.5 per week, with flexible working patterns encouraged. Core collaboration hours are between 10 am and 4 pm to facilitate teamwork and social interaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on typical market rates for a Principal Product Designer in the UK, considering the location and experience level. Actual compensation may vary based on the candidate's specific qualifications, experience, and negotiation. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting a commitment to employee wellbeing and professional growth, which is attractive to senior-level talent.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Online Travel Agency (OTA) / E-commerce. On the Beach operates within a highly competitive digital travel market, emphasizing technology, customer experience, and proprietary platforms to differentiate itself. The focus on retention and repeat bookings is critical for sustainable growth in this sector.

Company Size: The company description implies a growing, dynamic organization, likely falling into the mid-to-large enterprise category (e.g., 250-1000+ employees) given its scale of operations (two million holidaymakers annually) and structured benefits. This size typically allows for both established processes and opportunities for individual impact.

Founded: Founded in 2003, On the Beach has a solid history in the travel industry, indicating a blend of established operational expertise with an ongoing commitment to innovation and adaptation in the digital space.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is led by a Director of Product Design.

• The Principal Product Designer will work closely within cross-functional "squads" or "pods," which typically include Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and potentially Marketing specialists.

• Seniority is measured by the ability to own and solve complex problems directly, rather than by the size of a managed team, though some people management may evolve.

• Collaboration is a key aspect, with designers expected to be "equal voices" in setting direction and priorities. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is a core tenet, with emphasis on using data, customer insights, and market analysis to guide strategy and design.

• Agile methodologies are likely employed, given the fast-paced nature of digital product development and the mention of "moving fast from idea to tested prototype."

• A strong focus on customer outcomes and understanding the "unit economics" suggests a performance-oriented approach to product development.

• Design system utilization and contribution are integral to maintaining design quality and efficiency.

Company Website: https://careers.onthebeach.co.uk

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity, and a hands-on approach. The "Principal" title implies a high degree of autonomy and responsibility, with a focus on direct impact rather than hierarchical management. The hybrid model and core working hours suggest a balance between flexibility and collaborative engagement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the "Principal" level, signifying a senior individual contributor with significant strategic influence and ownership. It represents a career pinnacle for many designers, focused on tackling the most impactful problems and shaping the product's future direction. It sits above Senior Designer and typically precedes or parallels a Head of Design role, depending on the organization's structure.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Product Designer reports directly to the Director of Product Design. They will work closely within cross-functional product teams, collaborating daily with Product Managers, Engineers, and Researchers. While direct line management is secondary, there is potential for this to evolve, offering a pathway into leadership roles.

Operations Impact: The role's primary focus on customer retention and the post-booking experience directly impacts customer lifetime value (CLV) and revenue. By ensuring seamless holiday experiences and effective self-service options, this role contributes to increased customer loyalty, repeat bookings, positive reviews, and ultimately, the company's profitability and market share. Understanding "unit economics" is crucial for measuring and demonstrating this impact.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in retention strategies, UX research for complex customer journeys, and advanced design system implementation. Opportunity to lead design initiatives for critical business areas.

• Leadership Development: Potential to transition into people management if the team structure evolves, or to take on broader strategic leadership within the design function. Mentoring junior designers provides early leadership experience.

• Industry Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge within the dynamic online travel industry, understanding its unique challenges and opportunities. Access to the Learnerbly platform and other professional development resources supports continuous learning.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Develop strong partnerships across Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing, enhancing understanding of the broader business operations and strategic decision-making processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "seniority here is about owning the hardest problems, not the size of your team" is a critical insight into the company's definition of leadership and growth. This role offers a path for high-impact individual contributors to grow their influence and strategic contributions without necessarily needing to manage a large team initially.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company operates a hybrid work model, requiring employees to work from both home and their central Manchester office. The office, located at "Aeroworks" on 5 Adair St, Manchester, M1 2NQ, serves as a hub for collaboration, team building, and in-person meetings.

Office Location(s): The primary office is the Aeroworks building in Manchester city centre. This location is typically well-connected by public transport and offers accessibility to city amenities. The hybrid model means employees are expected in the office one day every two weeks, with the option to come in more frequently if desired.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office setting is designed to facilitate collaboration, with opportunities for spontaneous interactions and structured team meetings. The core working hours (10 am - 4 pm) are intended to maximize this collaborative time.

• Tools & Technology: While not explicitly detailed, it's assumed that the company provides standard professional tools and technology necessary for design work, including access to modern design and prototyping software, and robust IT infrastructure.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model and core hours are structured to ensure regular interaction with colleagues, fostering team cohesion and knowledge sharing, particularly important for a Principal Designer who mentors others and collaborates across functions.

Work Schedule: The standard work week is 37.5 hours, with flexibility in daily working hours outside of the 10 am - 4 pm core period. This allows individuals to manage their schedules effectively while ensuring necessary overlap for team collaboration and meetings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a specific office cadence (one day every two weeks) is a key aspect of the work environment. Candidates should consider their preference for in-office versus remote work and how this structure aligns with their working style and collaboration needs. The "Aeroworks" office in Manchester suggests a modern, professional workspace.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Stage 1: Intro Call (20 mins): Initial screening with the Talent team to discuss basic fit, career aspirations, right-to-work status, and salary expectations. This is an opportunity for candidates to ask early questions about the role and benefits.

• Stage 2: Hiring Manager Interview (1 hour): Conversation with the Director of Product Design. Includes an informal walkthrough of selected portfolio pieces (approx. 15 mins) and a deeper discussion about the role, company, and candidate's background.

• Stage 3: Project Walkthrough (1 hour): Presentation of one or two key projects to a cross-functional panel (peers from Product, Engineering, etc.) for about 30 minutes, followed by Q&A. This assesses design skills, process, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Stage 4: Leadership Interview (45 mins): Discussion with senior leaders from Product, Data, Engineering, and People teams. Focuses on strategic thinking, leadership potential, cultural alignment, and impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 1-3 projects that best demonstrate your capabilities in solving complex problems, particularly those related to customer retention, post-booking experiences, or e-commerce.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies to clearly outline the problem, your specific role and contributions, the design process, key decisions, trade-offs, and quantifiable outcomes. Emphasize your thought process and learnings.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify the success of your projects using metrics such as increased conversion rates, reduced churn, improved customer satisfaction scores (CSAT/NPS), or enhanced user engagement. Clearly link your design work to business value and unit economics.

• Showcase Collaboration: Illustrate how you partnered with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and other stakeholders.

• Demonstrate Craft: Ensure your presentation is polished, visually appealing, and reflects a high standard of design execution and attention to detail.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Focus: Be prepared to discuss how you approach complex, ambiguous problems with a focus on customer retention and business value.

• Think Strategically: Anticipate questions about how you set product direction, influence stakeholders, and measure the success of your designs against business objectives and unit economics.

• Prepare Examples: Have specific examples ready to illustrate your problem-solving skills, design process, collaboration style, and ability to drive impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to assess a range of skills, from basic fit and portfolio presentation to strategic thinking and leadership potential. The emphasis on an "informal walkthrough" of work in the hiring manager interview and the dedicated "Project Walkthrough" stage highlight the importance of tangible design examples and the ability to articulate design rationale effectively.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), and prototyping tools like InVision or ProtoPie is expected. Figma is often a strong preference in modern design teams for its collaborative features.

• User Research & Testing Platforms: Experience with tools for user interviews, surveys, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze), and session recording (e.g., Hotjar, FullStory).

• Collaboration & Project Management: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks within agile workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms to understand user behavior and track key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Data Visualization & BI Tools: Familiarity with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for exploring data and presenting insights, though direct use might be by data analysts, understanding their outputs is key.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how design impacts CRM data (e.g., customer segmentation, loyalty programs) and marketing automation workflows is beneficial. Experience with e-commerce platforms and their underlying systems would be advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires strong hands-on skills with modern design and prototyping tools, particularly those that facilitate collaboration. A strong understanding of how design integrates with analytics and data platforms is crucial for a data-driven approach and for demonstrating impact. Given the focus on retention, familiarity with customer journey mapping and potentially CRM-adjacent concepts would be beneficial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A relentless focus on understanding and serving the customer, ensuring that all design decisions prioritize user needs and enhance the holiday experience.

• Data-Driven Innovation: Utilizing data, analytics, and customer insights to inform strategy, validate hypotheses, and drive continuous improvement in product design.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Working effectively across cross-functional teams, fostering open communication, and sharing knowledge to achieve shared goals.

• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for design outcomes, embracing challenges, and driving projects to successful completion with a focus on measurable impact.

• Curiosity & Learning: An ongoing desire to explore new ideas, technologies, and approaches to design, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership: The Principal Product Designer is expected to act as an equal partner with Product Management, Engineering, and other key functions, contributing to strategic discussions and decision-making.

• Influence & Coaching: Ability to influence stakeholders through strong rationale, data, and design expertise, while also mentoring and uplifting other designers within the team.

• Agile Teamwork: Integration into cross-functional agile teams, participating actively in ceremonies and contributing to a shared understanding of objectives and progress.

• Feedback Culture: Openness to giving and receiving constructive feedback to improve designs, processes, and team dynamics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's culture appears to value autonomy, impact, and collaboration. The emphasis on "entrepreneurial spirit" and "curiosity" suggests an environment where initiative is encouraged. The values align with a modern, tech-forward organization focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences through a blend of creativity and analytical rigor.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively navigating the inherent tension between delivering optimal user experiences and meeting commercial objectives, particularly within the context of unit economics and retention targets.

• Driving Change in a Growing Company: Influencing product direction and design standards across multiple teams in a dynamic, evolving organization requires strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Measuring Impact in Complex Journeys: Accurately attributing improvements in retention and customer loyalty to specific design interventions within the multifaceted post-booking experience.

• Maintaining Design Quality at Pace: Ensuring that rapid iteration and development cycles do not compromise the quality, consistency, and usability of the design output, especially while contributing to a design system.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Design Leadership: Developing advanced skills in product strategy, influencing senior leadership, and shaping long-term product roadmaps.

• Domain Expertise: Deepening understanding of the online travel industry, customer behavior in travel planning and post-booking, and the specific business drivers of a successful OTA.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Honing leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and potentially leading design initiatives or small teams.

• Access to Learning Resources: Leveraging the Learnerbly platform, internal workshops, and potentially external conferences or courses to stay abreast of the latest design trends, tools, and methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a senior role focused on a critical business area like retention. They offer significant opportunities for professional growth by requiring the development of strategic thinking, advanced influence skills, and robust analytical capabilities. The growth opportunities are clearly linked to advancing within the design leadership track or becoming a deep domain expert.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining the product vision and strategy for customer retention in a travel booking platform?" (Prepare to discuss frameworks, data sources, and prioritization methods.)

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders with differing opinions on a design direction. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on influencing without authority, data utilization, and collaboration.)

• "Walk us through how you would identify and prioritize opportunities to improve the post-booking experience, considering both customer value and unit economics." (Demonstrate analytical thinking, customer empathy, and business acumen.)

• "How do you ensure your design decisions are data-informed and validated? Can you share an example of a design iteration driven by data or user testing?" (Highlight your process for A/B testing, user research, and metric analysis.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about On the Beach and this specific Principal Product Designer role?" (Research the company's mission, recent news, and tailor your answer to show genuine interest.)

• "How do you see yourself contributing to our design culture and mentoring other designers?" (Discuss your approach to collaboration, feedback, and knowledge sharing.)

• "How do you balance the fast pace of a digital company with the need for thoughtful, high-quality design?" (Address your ability to work with ambiguity and modern tooling while maintaining standards.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process, key decisions, and the results (quantified where possible). Aim for a narrative flow.

• Focus on "Why": Explain the rationale behind your design choices. Why did you choose a particular solution? What trade-offs did you make?

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively, but ensure they support your narrative rather than replacing it. Show wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and final designs.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Be ready to answer detailed questions about your process, tools, challenges, and learnings. The interviewers will want to understand your thinking thoroughly.

• Connect to On the Beach: Where possible, subtly relate your experiences or insights to the travel industry or the company's specific context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes strategic thinking, hands-on design skills, and cultural fit. Candidates should prepare to discuss their experience in terms of impact, process, and collaboration, using specific examples from their portfolio. The "Project Walkthrough" and "Leadership Interview" are key stages where demonstrating strategic acumen and leadership potential will be critical.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the On the Beach careers site.

• Tailor your CV: Highlight experience and skills directly relevant to customer-facing product design, retention strategies, e-commerce, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 1-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your ability to solve complex problems, drive impact, and articulate your design process. Ensure it addresses the post-booking experience and retention if possible.

• Prepare your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies concisely, focusing on storytelling, impact, and your thought process. Be ready to discuss your learnings and how they apply to On the Beach.

• Research On the Beach: Understand their business model, target audience, recent developments, and company values to tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.