Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: AFCA

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia / Sydney NSW, Australia

Job Type: Contract

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-04-10T04:53:10.922

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Leads the research, design, and delivery of exceptional digital services for AFCA, focusing on enhancing user experience and accessibility.

• Operates across a diverse range of products, from initial experimentation and optimization to feature design and user journey mapping.

• Collaborates with cross-functional teams, including developers, product owners, and business stakeholders, within an agile framework.

• Responsible for building and maintaining a comprehensive design system to ensure brand consistency and scalability across digital platforms.

• Establishes and executes user research programs to gather insights and inform strategic design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is titled "Product Designer," the responsibilities heavily lean into UX/UI design, research, and implementation within a digital product development lifecycle. The emphasis on accessibility, user journey mapping, and design systems aligns with advanced UX/UI roles. The mention of "optimisation" and "experimentation" suggests a data-informed design approach, common in modern product design roles. The inclusion of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE and Power Portals indicates a need for practical application within a specific enterprise CRM ecosystem.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Digital Service Design: Design intuitive, responsive, and accessible digital experiences tailored for both consumers and AFCA Members, ensuring a high standard of user interaction.

• User-Centric Iteration: Build interactive prototypes and conduct rigorous usability testing, systematically refining designs based on direct user feedback and performance data.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Actively engage with developers, product owners, and business stakeholders in a cross-functional, agile team environment to ensure seamless product development and delivery.

• Design System Development & Maintenance: Create, manage, and evolve a robust design system that champions consistency, scalability, and efficiency across all digital touchpoints and platforms.

• User Research Leadership: Establish, plan, and execute comprehensive user research programs, translating findings into actionable design recommendations and strategic product improvements.

• Accessibility Advocacy: Champion and implement modern accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) throughout the design process, ensuring AFCA's digital services are usable by all.

• Agile Workflow Integration: Contribute to and participate in agile ceremonies, providing design expertise and ensuring design deliverables align with sprint goals and product roadmaps.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Effectively communicate design concepts, research findings, and project progress to various stakeholders, building consensus and managing expectations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities outline a hands-on design role with significant strategic input. The emphasis on "design system development," "user research programs," and "accessibility standards" points to a mid-to-senior level of expectation within the design function. The requirement to work with "Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals" is a critical technical skill that should be highlighted for operations teams.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 2-5 years of progressive experience in Product Design, UX/UI Design, or a similar role, with a demonstrable track record of delivering successful digital products.

• Experience working in fast-paced, agile development environments.

• Proven experience in B2C and B2B product design contexts.

Required Skills:

• UI/UX Design Expertise: Deep understanding and practical application of UI/UX best practices, interaction design principles, and visual design aesthetics.

• Accessibility Standards Mastery: Proven knowledge and practical delivery of modern accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA or AAA).

• Prototyping Proficiency: Skilled in creating interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar.

• Usability Testing: Experience planning, conducting, and analyzing usability tests to gather actionable user feedback.

• User Research: Ability to establish and run user research programs, including user interviews, surveys, and persona development.

• Design Systems: Experience in building, maintaining, and scaling design systems for consistency and efficiency.

• Agile Methodology: Familiarity and experience working within agile development frameworks (Scrum, Kanban).

• Stakeholder Management: Strong ability to communicate design decisions, gather requirements, and manage expectations with various internal and external stakeholders.

• Project Management: Competence in managing design projects, timelines, and deliverables within a team setting.

• Creative Thinking & Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to approach design challenges with innovative solutions and a strong analytical mindset.

• Responsive Design: Proficiency in designing for various screen sizes and devices (desktop, tablet, mobile).

Preferred Skills:

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE Experience: Practical experience designing within or for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement.

• Power Portals Experience: Familiarity with designing and optimizing user experiences for Microsoft Power Portals.

• Information Architecture: Solid understanding of information architecture principles for organizing content and navigation.

• Visual Design: Strong visual design skills, including typography, color theory, and layout.

• Cross-functional Teamwork: Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with developers, product managers, and business analysts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualification requirements are comprehensive, emphasizing both design craft and practical application within enterprise systems like Microsoft Dynamics. The "2-5 years" experience level suggests a need for candidates who can work independently but also benefit from collaboration. The explicit mention of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE and Power Portals is a key differentiator for candidates with specific platform experience.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: A portfolio showcasing a minimum of 3-5 detailed case studies demonstrating the end-to-end product design process from problem definition to final solution.

• Process Documentation: Clear articulation of the design process followed for each project, including research methodologies, ideation techniques, wireframing, prototyping, and testing phases.

• System Implementation: Examples of how design systems were utilized or contributed to, demonstrating an understanding of consistency, scalability, and maintainability.

• Impact & ROI: Quantitative and qualitative evidence of how your designs have positively impacted user experience, business goals, or key performance indicators (KPIs) – e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced support tickets, improved task completion times.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Showcase instances where you have designed or optimized user workflows to improve efficiency and user satisfaction.

• User Research Integration: Demonstrate how user research findings were translated into tangible design improvements and informed strategic decisions.

• A/B Testing & Iteration: Include examples of designs that were iterated upon based on A/B testing results or other data-driven feedback loops.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. The emphasis should be on showcasing the process and impact, not just the final visual output. Highlighting experience with design systems and user research is crucial. For this specific role, demonstrating experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals within a portfolio would be a significant advantage.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Not-for-profit Salary Packaging: Opportunity to boost take-home pay through tax-effective salary packaging.

• Hybrid Working Model: Flexible arrangements combining remote work with access to state-of-the-art offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing.

• Inclusive Leave Options:

  • Flexible public holidays.
  • 20 weeks paid parental leave.
  • Gender affirmation leave.
  • Women's health leave.
  • Paid time off over Christmas.

• Work-Life Balance: Commitment to supporting work-life balance and inclusivity, recognized by accreditations like "Accredited Family Friendly Workplace."

• Professional Development: Opportunities to deepen expertise and grow within a progressive organization.

• Positive Work Environment: Access to modern office spaces in Melbourne and Sydney CBDs.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are typically 40 hours per week. The role offers hybrid flexibility, allowing for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work, accommodating various work styles and personal needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for a contract role in Australia for a mid-level designer with specialized skills. The benefits are extensive and reflect AFCA's commitment to employee wellbeing and inclusivity, as highlighted in the additional information section. The "not-for-profit salary packaging" is a significant financial benefit to mention.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Ombudsman Services / Not-for-profit. AFCA operates as an independent, not-for-profit financial ombudsman, providing a vital service for dispute resolution in Australia's financial sector. This context emphasizes a commitment to fairness, integrity, and public service.

Company Size: Over 1,200 dedicated professionals. This indicates a large, established organization with significant resources and structured operations.

Founded: AFCA was established in 2018, consolidating various financial services dispute resolution schemes. This relatively recent founding suggests a modern organizational structure and potentially a forward-thinking approach to technology and operations.

Team Structure:

• Customer Experience Team: The Product Designer reports into the Senior Manager - Customer Experience, indicating a focus on user-centricity within the organization.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role explicitly requires working within cross-functional teams, suggesting a collaborative environment where designers work closely with product owners, developers, and business stakeholders.

• Specialized Roles: The presence of a dedicated Product Designer role within the Customer Experience team suggests specialized functions focused on digital service delivery and enhancement.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: The role operates within an agile setting, implying iterative development cycles, frequent collaboration, and adaptability.

• User-Centric Design: Emphasis on user research, usability testing, and accessibility standards points to a strong user-centric design methodology.

• Data-Informed Decisions: The mention of "experimentation and optimisation" suggests a culture that values data in informing design choices and driving continuous improvement.

Company Website: https://www.afca.org.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: AFCA's identity as a progressive, not-for-profit financial ombudsman is central to its culture. The "people first" approach, focus on fairness, and commitment to diversity and inclusion are key cultural elements that a Product Designer should understand and align with. The size of the organization suggests opportunities for impact within a large-scale operation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-Level Product Designer. This role is suitable for individuals with 2-5 years of dedicated experience who can independently manage design projects, conduct user research, and contribute to design systems. It requires a solid understanding of UX/UI principles and practical application in an agile environment.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer reports to the Senior Manager - Customer Experience. This suggests a clear reporting line within a team dedicated to enhancing customer interactions and digital services. This structure provides mentorship and guidance from a senior leader in the CX domain.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer plays a critical role in shaping AFCA's digital services, directly impacting the user experience for both consumers and AFCA Members. Their work on accessibility and intuitive design ensures that AFCA can effectively resolve complaints and deliver its services fairly and efficiently, thereby contributing to the organization's core mission and public trust.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as accessibility design, user research methodologies, or design system architecture.

• Leadership Potential: As experience grows, potential to move into Senior Product Designer roles, lead design initiatives, or mentor junior designers within the Customer Experience team.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Working closely with product owners and developers can lead to a broader understanding of product management and software development lifecycles, opening doors to related career paths.

• Industry Impact: Contributing to the design of services for a leading financial ombudsman offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on consumer protection and fairness in Australia.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth trajectory for a Product Designer at AFCA, given its mission and scale, likely involves deepening expertise in UX/UI, accessibility, and potentially contributing to strategic product decisions. Understanding the impact on a not-for-profit organization is key to career progression here.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: AFCA offers state-of-the-art offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing, supporting a hybrid working model. This suggests modern, well-equipped workspaces that facilitate both focused work and team interaction.

Office Location(s): Offices are located in Melbourne and Sydney CBDs. These are central, accessible locations within major Australian cities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The offices are designed to encourage collaboration, likely featuring open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and breakout zones conducive to team discussions and brainstorming.

• Technology Integration: As a modern organization, expect access to up-to-date technology and tools necessary for design work, including reliable internet, design software, and collaboration platforms.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model means opportunities for in-person interaction with colleagues on designated office days, fostering team cohesion and knowledge sharing.

Work Schedule:

• The role is full-time (typically 40 hours/week) with a hybrid work arrangement. This offers flexibility in managing work hours and location, balancing personal needs with project demands and team collaboration requirements. The focus is on output and effective collaboration rather than strict adherence to a physical location.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "state-of-the-art offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing" and "hybrid working" paints a picture of a modern, employee-centric work environment. For a designer, access to well-designed physical spaces and robust digital tools is essential.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and portfolio to assess alignment with the role's requirements and experience level.

• Skills Assessment / Technical Interview: This stage likely involves a deeper dive into your UX/UI expertise, design process, and problem-solving abilities. You may be asked to discuss your portfolio in detail or participate in a design exercise.

• Cross-Functional Team Interview: An opportunity to meet with potential colleagues, including developers, product owners, and other stakeholders, to assess collaboration style and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the Senior Manager - Customer Experience to evaluate your experience, approach, and fit within the team and AFCA's mission.

• Final Interview / Offer: Potentially a final discussion with senior leadership or HR, followed by an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest case studies that best represent your skills in UI/UX, accessibility, user research, and design systems.

• Storytelling is Key: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the solutions you designed, and the measurable outcomes or impact. Use visuals effectively to showcase your work.

• Highlight Process: Detail your research methods, user testing approaches, and how you iterated on designs based on feedback. This demonstrates your problem-solving capabilities.

• Showcase Design System Contribution: If you have experience building or contributing to design systems, highlight this aspect, explaining how it improved consistency and efficiency.

• Accessibility Focus: Explicitly call out how you incorporated accessibility best practices into your designs.

• Tailor to AFCA: While showcasing your breadth, subtly align your examples with AFCA's mission of fairness and user-centricity, and mention any experience with similar platforms if applicable.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design exercise (take-home or live) that may involve solving a user problem relevant to AFCA's services or optimizing an existing digital flow. Focus on demonstrating your process, not just a polished final output.

• Scenario-Based Questions: Anticipate questions about how you would handle common design challenges, such as conflicting stakeholder feedback, tight deadlines, or user research constraints.

• Technical Platform Questions: If you have experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals, be ready to discuss specific design challenges and solutions within those environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely multi-stage, typical for a mid-level design role in a larger organization. The portfolio review is critical, and candidates should be prepared to articulate their process and demonstrate impact. Highlighting experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals within portfolio examples or during technical discussions would be highly beneficial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision (or similar industry-standard tools). Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes is essential.

• User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, or similar platforms for remote usability testing and feedback collection. Survey tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms.

• Design System Management: Tools that support the creation and maintenance of design systems (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or internal documentation platforms).

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Trello, Asana, or similar for agile workflow management and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

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

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for in-depth user behavior analysis and feature adoption tracking.

• Dashboarding: Tableau, Power BI, or similar for visualizing data and presenting insights to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE (Customer Engagement) is a key system. Experience designing within or integrating with this platform is highly desirable.

• Portal Development: Microsoft Power Portals (or similar portal technologies) experience is beneficial for designing user-facing portals connected to Dynamics 365.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE and Power Portals is a significant technical requirement. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these platforms, particularly from a design and user experience perspective. Proficiency in modern design and collaboration tools is expected.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Fairness & Integrity: Core to AFCA's mission, this value translates to a commitment to equitable processes, transparent communication, and ethical decision-making in all aspects of work, including design.

• Customer-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and serving the needs of consumers and AFCA Members, driving the design of intuitive and accessible digital services.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: AFCA values working together across teams and functions to achieve shared goals, fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed and leveraged.

• Accountability & Resilience: Taking ownership of work, delivering on commitments, and adapting to challenges with a proactive and solutions-oriented mindset.

• Progressive Thinking: Encouraging innovation, embracing change, and seeking continuous improvement in processes, services, and technology.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The Product Designer is expected to be a proactive collaborator, working closely with product owners, developers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure design solutions are technically feasible, align with business objectives, and meet user needs.

• Open Communication: A culture of open dialogue, constructive feedback, and knowledge sharing is encouraged, making it easier to iterate on designs and solve problems collectively.

• Agile Partnership: Working in an agile framework means close, continuous collaboration with the development team throughout the sprint cycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: AFCA's values are deeply embedded in its not-for-profit mission. A candidate should demonstrate how their design approach aligns with these values, particularly fairness, user-centricity, and collaborative problem-solving.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Diverse User Needs: Designing for both consumers (B2C) and financial service providers (B2B) requires understanding and accommodating different user goals, technical proficiencies, and expectations within a single platform or ecosystem.

• Complex Domain: Navigating the intricacies of financial dispute resolution and regulatory requirements to create clear and usable designs.

• Legacy Systems Integration: Potentially integrating new designs with or working within the constraints of existing enterprise systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE.

• Driving Design Adoption: Championing user-centric design principles and advocating for best practices within a large organization, potentially with varying levels of design maturity across departments.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Opportunities to attend workshops, webinars, or courses focused on advanced UX/UI techniques, accessibility standards, or specific design tools.

• Industry Exposure: Gaining experience in the financial services and ombudsman sector, understanding its unique challenges and user needs.

• Mentorship: Learning from senior design leaders and cross-functional colleagues within AFCA's Customer Experience and technology teams.

• Contribution to Design Systems: Deepening expertise in the principles and practice of scalable design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a designer working in a regulated industry with specific enterprise system dependencies. Growth opportunities are framed around skill enhancement and contributing to a mission-driven organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design Process: "Walk me through your design process for a complex digital product you worked on. How did you approach user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing?" (Focus on demonstrating your structured approach and user-centricity.)

• Accessibility: "How do you ensure accessibility is integrated into your design process from the outset, rather than being an afterthought? Can you provide an example?" (Be ready to discuss WCAG, inclusive design principles, and practical implementation.)

• Microsoft Dynamics/Power Portals: "Describe your experience designing for or integrating with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals. What were the key design considerations or challenges?" (If you have this experience, be detailed. If not, focus on transferable skills in complex system design.)

• Design Systems: "What is your experience with design systems? How have you contributed to or utilized them in previous roles?" (Highlight benefits like consistency, scalability, and efficiency.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• AFCA's Mission: "What interests you about working for AFCA, and how do you see your design skills contributing to our mission of fairness and accessible dispute resolution?" (Research AFCA's purpose and values.)

• Collaboration: "Describe a time you had to collaborate with challenging stakeholders or developers. How did you navigate that situation?" (Showcase your communication and problem-solving skills.)

• User-Centricity: "How do you advocate for the user when faced with business priorities or technical constraints?" (Demonstrate your commitment to the user.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Impactful Projects: Choose projects that clearly demonstrate your skills in UI/UX, user research, accessibility, and any relevant system experience (e.g., Dynamics 365).

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, follow a clear story: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Outcome/Impact.

• Quantify Results: Use metrics (e.g., improved conversion, reduced errors, increased satisfaction) whenever possible to demonstrate the positive impact of your design work.

• Explain Your "Why": Be ready to articulate the rationale behind your design decisions at every stage.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate deep dives into specific design choices, challenges encountered, and how you overcame them.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating your design process, demonstrating your user-centric approach, and highlighting any experience with enterprise systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE. Tailoring your responses to AFCA's mission and values will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided SmartRecruiters link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and clearly showcases case studies that highlight your UI/UX expertise, user research capabilities, and experience with accessibility standards. If you have experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE or Power Portals, specifically tailor examples to showcase this.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize keywords from the job description, such as "Product Designer," "UI/UX," "Accessibility," "Design Systems," "Agile," "User Research," and any relevant platform experience (e.g., "Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE"). Quantify your achievements with data where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, research methodologies, and problem-solving approaches. Prepare to discuss specific projects from your portfolio in detail, focusing on the impact and rationale behind your design decisions. Research AFCA's mission and values to align your responses.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research AFCA's website, mission, values, and recent news. Understand their role in the Australian financial landscape and how their services impact consumers and businesses. This will help you demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit during interviews.

⚠️ 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.