Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Commonwealth Bank

Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-08-27

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end product design for CommSec's digital platforms, encompassing web and app experiences, with a focus on investment origination, wealth growth guidance, and core trading functionalities.

• Collaborate deeply within a customer-focused product team, partnering with Product Managers, Engineers, and Business SMEs in an agile framework to translate customer needs into elegant and scalable solutions.

• Lead discovery initiatives, including research and workshops, to uncover customer problems and validate opportunities, directly informing product strategy and roadmap decisions.

• Champion customer-centricity and advocate for best-in-class user experience, ensuring that design decisions are grounded in customer insights, design thinking, and data.

• Contribute to the evolution and consistency of the company's design system, promoting efficiency and scalability across digital products.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on a blend of strategic product design and hands-on execution within the financial services sector, specifically for CommSec's digital investing platforms. The emphasis on "end-to-end" experience, "discovery," and "service design" indicates a need for a designer who can navigate complex user journeys and business objectives.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead discovery work to uncover customer problems, validate opportunities, and inform product strategy through research, workshops, and co-design sessions.

• Translate research insights into comprehensive concepts, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and final UI designs that are both desirable for customers and feasible for engineering implementation.

• Apply systems thinking and service design techniques to architect offerings that proactively address the needs of both customers and the staff who support them.

• Foster close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers throughout the agile development lifecycle, from initial problem framing and ideation through to successful delivery and ongoing iteration.

• Act as a vocal advocate for customer-centricity and best-in-class user experience, ensuring these principles guide every stage of the product development process.

• Contribute strategically to product strategy and roadmap discussions, grounding decisions with robust customer insights, established design thinking principles, and relevant data.

• Facilitate and actively participate in design critiques, workshops, and agile ceremonies, providing and receiving constructive, actionable feedback to drive continuous improvement.

• Contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of the design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and operational efficiency across all digital products.

• Measure and validate the impact of launched solutions, utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative insights to inform iterative improvements and future design directions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a proactive and strategic role, requiring ownership from initial problem identification through to post-launch analysis. The inclusion of "systems thinking" and "service design" suggests a need for a designer capable of understanding and influencing broader customer journeys beyond isolated features.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong understanding of Human-Centered Design methodologies, UX/UI principles, and product design frameworks is expected, often gained through formal education or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• A minimum of 3+ years of demonstrated experience in designing digital products end-to-end, specifically within cross-functional product teams.

• Proven ability to lead both discovery and delivery activities, effectively engaging with customers, product stakeholders, and engineering teams.

• Experience designing for complex systems, services, or platforms, moving beyond the scope of isolated features. Required Skills:

• Product Design: End-to-end product design lifecycle expertise, from concept to delivery.

• UX/UI Design: Strong interaction and UI design skills, with a keen eye for detail and aesthetic craft.

• Service Design & Systems Thinking: Ability to apply these methodologies to create comprehensive, integrated customer experiences.

• Discovery & Research: Proficiency in leading customer research, workshops, and co-design sessions to uncover needs and validate opportunities.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Skill in creating user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes.

• Agile Methodologies: Experience working effectively within agile product development frameworks.

• Design Tools: Proficiency with modern design tools such as Figma and Adobe Creative Suite.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent skills in collaborating with diverse teams and presenting strategic concepts to stakeholders at all levels.

• Human-Centered Design: Strong understanding and practical application of human-centered design principles.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the Financial Services industry.

• Exposure to design system management and active contribution to design systems.

• Familiarity with metrics-driven product development, including experience with running experiments and A/B testing.

• Basic understanding of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, components, design tokens) to facilitate collaboration with engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "end-to-end" design, "complex systems," and "human-centered design" within an "agile environment" are key indicators for candidates to highlight in their applications. The "nice to have" skills point towards a preference for candidates with direct financial services experience and a data-informed approach to design.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design thinking, demonstrating the candidate's journey from problem identification to solution delivery.

• Case studies that highlight the candidate's ability to translate insights into tangible user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and polished UI designs.

• Evidence of measurable impact achieved through design solutions, supported by quantitative data or qualitative feedback.

• Examples of applying systems thinking and service design techniques to solve complex customer and business problems.

• Demonstrations of collaboration with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers and Engineers, in an agile setting. Process Documentation:

• Showcase how you have led discovery and research activities, detailing methodologies used and insights generated.

• Illustrate your process for translating research findings into actionable design artifacts (user flows, wireframes, prototypes).

• Provide examples of how you have applied design thinking principles and user-centered methodologies in practice.

• Detail your approach to collaborating with engineering and product teams throughout the agile development lifecycle.

• Explain how you have contributed to or leveraged design systems for consistency and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio that demonstrates "end-to-end product design thinking, craft, and measurable impact" is critical. Candidates should prepare case studies that clearly articulate the problem, their process, the solution, and the resulting outcomes, ideally with data to back up claims of impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Commonwealth Bank typically offers competitive remuneration packages for Product Designer roles in Sydney, reflecting the experience level and specialized skills required. For a mid-level Product Designer (3+ years experience) in Sydney, a typical annual salary range would be AUD $100,000 - $140,000, depending on the specific responsibilities, qualifications, and the candidate's demonstrated impact.

Benefits:

• Coaching: Access to coaching to support professional development and career progression.

• Learning Budgets: Financial support for continuous learning, skill development, and industry-relevant training.

• Design Community Support: Opportunities to connect with and learn from a broader community of designers within the organization, fostering knowledge sharing and peer support.

• Employee Share Plan: Potential to participate in employee share schemes, aligning personal success with company performance.

• Superannuation: Comprehensive superannuation (pension) contributions as per Australian regulations.

• Health & Wellness Programs: Access to various programs and resources aimed at supporting employee well-being.

• Career Development Opportunities: Clear pathways for advancement and growth within the bank's extensive network.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are typically around 37.5-40 hours per week, with flexibility often available. Specific arrangements will be discussed during the hiring process, but the role is designated as on-site.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on industry benchmarks for mid-level Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, considering Commonwealth Bank's position as a major financial institution. Benefits are drawn directly from the provided text and supplemented with standard offerings for large corporations in the region.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services, specifically focused on digital banking and investment services through CommSec. Commonwealth Bank is one of Australia's largest financial institutions, operating in a highly regulated and competitive market. This context implies a strong emphasis on security, compliance, customer trust, and innovation to stay ahead.

Company Size: Commonwealth Bank is a large enterprise, employing over 40,000 people globally. This scale means opportunities for diverse career paths, but also implies structured processes and a corporate environment. For operations professionals, this can translate to robust systems, established methodologies, and a significant impact potential.

Founded: Commonwealth Bank was founded in 1911, bringing over a century of experience in the Australian financial landscape. This long history suggests stability, deep market understanding, and a legacy of evolving with customer needs and technological advancements.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within CommSec’s Digital and Customer Experience Chapter Area, indicating a specialized focus on enhancing digital customer journeys.

• The designer will join a collaborative product team, working closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Business Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

• The "Chapter Area" structure suggests a matrixed organization where individuals belong to a functional chapter (e.g., Design) while working within agile product teams. This fosters both deep functional expertise and cross-functional collaboration. Methodology:

• The team operates within an agile environment, emphasizing iterative development, close collaboration, and rapid feedback loops.

• A strong focus on human-centered design and customer-centricity guides product development.

• The use of discovery, research, and co-design suggests a robust approach to understanding user needs before ideation and development.

• Data-driven decision-making, including metrics-driven product development and A/B testing, is encouraged to validate and improve solutions.

Company Website: https://www.commbank.com.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context emphasizes a large, established financial institution with a dedicated focus on digital transformation within its CommSec arm. The agile and customer-centric approach within a chapter-based structure is key for understanding the operational environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a mid-level for Product Designers, requiring 3+ years of experience. It involves leading end-to-end design processes, contributing to product strategy, and mentoring junior colleagues implicitly through collaboration and critique. The scope extends beyond UI execution to encompass discovery, research, and service design, indicating a significant level of autonomy and responsibility.

Reporting Structure: The designer will report within the Digital and Customer Experience Chapter Area, likely to a Design Chapter Lead or Manager. They will work daily within a cross-functional agile product team, reporting functionally to their design leadership and project-wise to the Product Manager of their assigned squad.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's impact is crucial for CommSec's digital investing platforms. By improving customer acquisition ("originate"), guiding investment decisions, and streamlining trading experiences, the designer directly influences customer acquisition, retention, engagement, and ultimately, the revenue generated through CommSec's digital channels. Their work is central to achieving business goals related to digital growth and customer satisfaction in the competitive financial services market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in specialized areas like service design, systems thinking, or advanced user research through project work and learning budgets.

• Leadership Potential: Progress towards Senior Product Designer roles, potentially leading design initiatives, mentoring junior designers, or taking on more strategic product vision responsibilities.

• Cross-Functional Movement: Opportunities to move into Product Management or other roles within the broader digital and customer experience domain, leveraging their deep understanding of user needs and product development.

• Design System Mastery: Become a key contributor or lead in the evolution and governance of the design system, a critical component for large organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers substantial growth by moving beyond pure UI/UX to strategic product design, with clear pathways for specialization or broader leadership within a large financial institution. The emphasis on impact on revenue and customer acquisition is a key differentiator for operations-minded candidates.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Sydney, NSW - CBP South, 11 Harbour Street, indicating an on-site work environment within a major corporate office building. This suggests a professional, structured setting conducive to collaboration and focused work.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Sydney, NSW, Australia, specifically at 11 Harbour Street. This is a central business district location, likely offering good accessibility via public transport and proximity to amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The emphasis on working in cross-functional agile teams and participating in design critiques, workshops, and agile ceremonies highlights a highly collaborative workspace. Expect regular interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and fellow designers.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern design tools like Figma and Adobe Creative Suite is standard. While not explicitly stated, a large bank like Commonwealth would likely provide robust IT infrastructure, high-speed internet, and potentially specialized hardware for design work.

• Team Interaction: Daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and feedback sessions will be integral. The presence of a "Design Chapter Area" suggests opportunities for informal knowledge sharing, mentorship, and community building among designers.

Work Schedule: The position is full-time, typically around 37.5-40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, there may be some flexibility regarding start and end times, common in agile environments, but core hours will be expected for team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in a CBD location points to a traditional corporate office setup designed for collaboration. The description emphasizes active participation in team rituals and feedback loops.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess alignment with core requirements and experience.

• Hiring Manager/Chapter Lead Interview: Discussion about your experience, design philosophy, approach to problem-solving, and fit with the team's culture. This may involve presenting a case study from your portfolio.

• Design Challenge/Workshop: A practical exercise, potentially a short design task or a collaborative workshop session, to evaluate your design thinking, problem-solving skills, and collaboration abilities. This might simulate a real project scenario.

• Cross-Functional Team Interview: Meeting with Product Managers and Engineers to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to work within an agile team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader or executive to discuss strategic thinking, impact, and overall fit within the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best represent your end-to-end product design capabilities, specifically highlighting work relevant to financial services or complex digital platforms if possible.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly articulate:

  • The Problem: What was the customer or business challenge?
  • Your Role & Process: What was your specific contribution, and what methodologies did you employ (discovery, research, ideation, prototyping, testing)?
  • The Solution: Show your wireframes, user flows, UI designs, and interactive prototypes.
  • The Impact: Crucially, demonstrate the measurable outcomes (e.g., increased conversion, reduced drop-off, improved user satisfaction) using data and insights.

• Showcase Craft and Detail: Ensure your UI designs are polished and demonstrate a strong eye for detail.

• Highlight Collaboration: Mention how you worked with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders.

• Be Prepared to Discuss: Be ready to walk through your process, explain your design decisions, and answer questions about trade-offs and challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a brief for a design challenge, ensure you fully grasp the problem, target user, and business objectives.

• Prioritize: Focus on demonstrating your core design process and problem-solving approach rather than getting bogged down in excessive detail.

• Communicate Your Thinking: Clearly articulate your assumptions, hypotheses, and design rationale throughout the process.

• Simulate Collaboration: If it's a collaborative exercise, actively engage with others, listen to their input, and contribute constructively.

• Practice Presentation: Be ready to present your work concisely and confidently, highlighting key decisions and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio demonstrating "measurable impact" and the potential for a "design challenge" or "workshop" are key preparation points. Candidates should prepare to articulate their process and results clearly and concisely.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is a must.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Commonly used for graphic design, image editing, and potentially other visual assets. Proficiency in relevant applications (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator) is beneficial.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's capabilities, familiarity with dedicated prototyping tools like InVision or Axure may be advantageous for complex interactions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms used to track user behavior, conversion rates, and engagement metrics.

• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools that help interpret and present data, such as Tableau, Power BI, or even advanced Excel functions, to understand product performance.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Exposure to tools and methodologies for running experiments to test design hypotheses (e.g., Optimizely, VWO).

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design impacts user journeys within a CRM context can be beneficial. Familiarity with how customer data is managed and utilized to inform design decisions is a plus.

• Design System Management Tools: Experience with tools or platforms used to manage and distribute design system components and guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite is explicitly required. The inclusion of analytics and A/B testing under "Nice to Have" suggests a strong preference for data-informed design practices, which candidates should be prepared to discuss.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A core value, driving all design decisions to meet and exceed customer needs and expectations. This translates to empathy, user advocacy, and a focus on delivering value.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on teamwork, cross-functional partnership, and open communication. Expect active participation in team ceremonies and a culture of shared ownership.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to iterative design, learning from feedback, and constantly seeking ways to enhance product experiences and processes. This includes embracing a "growth mindset."

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing insights derived from research, analytics, and experimentation to inform design strategies and validate outcomes.

• Impact & Accountability: A focus on delivering tangible business and customer value, with a sense of ownership and accountability for the outcomes of design work.

Collaboration Style:

• Agile & Iterative: Working in sprints, with regular feedback loops and adaptions based on new learnings.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are embedded within product teams, working daily alongside Product Managers and Engineers, fostering a holistic approach to product development.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging design critiques and open discussions to foster constructive feedback and continuous improvement of both designs and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that supports sharing best practices, learnings, and design system updates across the broader design community within CommBank.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values align with modern digital product development, emphasizing user focus, teamwork, data, and continuous improvement. The collaborative style within an agile, cross-functional framework is central to how the team operates.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Complexity: Navigating the inherent complexity of financial services products and regulations while delivering simple, intuitive user experiences.

• Stakeholder Management: Effectively communicating design rationale and managing expectations across diverse stakeholders with varying priorities and technical understanding.

• Ambiguity & Pace: Thriving in a fast-paced, agile environment where requirements can evolve, and quick, informed decisions are necessary.

• Design System Adoption: Championing and contributing to the design system to ensure consistent application and drive efficiency across a large organization.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Skill Development: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like service design, UX research, accessibility standards, or advanced prototyping through project exposure and dedicated learning budgets.

• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences, workshops, and gain insights into emerging design trends and technologies, particularly within FinTech.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Engaging with senior designers for mentorship, and opportunities to mentor junior designers, building leadership capabilities.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining a deeper understanding of product management, engineering principles, and business strategy through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a designer in a large, regulated industry. The growth opportunities are strong, focusing on specialization, leadership, and cross-functional learning within a major financial institution.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the discovery phase for a new product feature or service. What methods did you use, and what were the key outcomes?" (Focus on your process, research skills, and how insights informed strategy).

• "How do you balance customer needs with business goals and technical constraints when designing a complex digital product?" (Prepare examples of trade-offs and your decision-making process).

• "Walk me through a challenging design problem you solved, from initial concept to final delivery. What was your role, what were the key decisions, and what was the impact?" (This is where your portfolio case study shines). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about CommSec and Commonwealth Bank, and how do you see your skills contributing to our digital transformation goals?" (Research CommBank's digital strategy and CommSec's market position).

• "How do you approach collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers in an agile environment?" (Highlight your experience with agile ceremonies and cross-functional teamwork).

• "How do you ensure your designs are customer-centric and deliver measurable business value?" (Connect your design process to outcomes and metrics). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the business and customer problem you aimed to solve.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, user flows, prototypes, final UI) to illustrate your design process and solution.

• Explain Your Rationale: For each design decision, explain the underlying thinking, user insights, or constraints that led to it.

• Quantify Impact: Present data (e.g., conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores) to demonstrate the success of your solutions. If quantitative data isn't available, use strong qualitative feedback.

• Highlight Collaboration: Briefly mention how you worked with your team and incorporated feedback.

• Keep it Concise: Focus on the most critical aspects of each case study to respect time constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, collaborative skills, and a data-informed approach, all supported by strong portfolio evidence.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided career portal link.

• Customize Your CV: Tailor your resume to highlight your 3+ years of end-to-end product design experience, specific achievements in discovery, UX/UI, and service design, and any relevant financial services exposure. Use keywords from the job description like "human-centered design," "agile," "Figma," and "measurable impact."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select and refine 3-4 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your end-to-end product design thinking, craft, and measurable impact. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your process, the solution, and quantifiable results. Provide a direct link to your online portfolio.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, key decisions, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and agile methodologies.

• Research Commonwealth Bank & CommSec: Understand their digital strategy, market position, and company values. Prepare thoughtful questions about the team, the product roadmap, and the design culture.

⚠️ 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.