Product Designer at Propeller

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Propeller

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Enablement

Date Posted: 2026-09-30

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

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

Drive end-to-end product design initiatives, from initial customer discovery and problem framing through to detailed design, delivery, and iterative improvements, with a focus on user experience and business impact.
Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering teams to translate complex customer workflows and technical requirements into intuitive, user-friendly product experiences for data-heavy applications.
Leverage strong systems thinking and design skills to independently conceptualize and validate user flows, prototypes, and interaction designs, ensuring alignment across cross-functional stakeholders.
Act as a key contributor to product strategy and roadmap development, utilizing customer insights, product data, and market analysis to inform design decisions and guide product direction within a new market.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is titled "Product Designer," its emphasis on understanding complex workflows, translating them into intuitive experiences, working with data-heavy products, and collaborating closely with Product and Engineering suggests a significant overlap with Go-To-Market (GTM) operations enablement. The designer will be instrumental in ensuring the product is usable and effective for customers who rely on its data and mapping capabilities, directly impacting adoption and revenue realization. This role requires a strategic design thinker who can bridge the gap between technical capabilities and user needs within a commercial context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

Own the complete product design lifecycle, encompassing customer discovery, problem definition, user research, conceptualization, prototyping, detailed UI/UX design, and collaboration through the delivery and launch phases.
Conduct in-depth customer interviews, user testing, and data analysis to gather actionable insights into complex workflows and user pain points, particularly for technical and data-intensive products.
Develop and iterate on user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups using tools like Figma, ensuring clarity, usability, and alignment with product strategy.
Partner closely with Engineering leads to resolve design-related trade-offs during development, ensuring technical feasibility without compromising the core user experience or product integrity.
Champion a data-driven design approach by using product analytics and user feedback to validate design decisions, measure impact, and continuously improve the product offering, especially as the company expands into new markets.
Lead design reviews and present design concepts, user research findings, and strategic recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders, including Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Sales, to build consensus and drive alignment.
Contribute to defining acceptance criteria and design specifications for engineering teams, ensuring a high-quality implementation of the designed user experiences.
Maintain and evolve the design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across the product suite.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "drive design decision through evidence" and "stay close to customers through ongoing research, using evidence and product data to guide design decisions" is critical for a GTM-aligned product role. This implies the need for the designer to not only create aesthetically pleasing and functional interfaces but also to deeply understand how these designs contribute to customer success, adoption, and ultimately, revenue. The focus on designing "technical or data-heavy products" and operating in a "new market" suggests a need for strong analytical skills and the ability to adapt designs based on performance metrics and evolving customer needs in a competitive landscape.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 3-5 years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record of designing and shipping complex web-based products.

Required Skills:

Deep understanding of UI/UX best practices, user-centered design principles, and interaction design patterns.
Strong proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with a specific emphasis on Figma.
Demonstrated ability in systems thinking, understanding how individual design components contribute to a larger product ecosystem.
Proven experience conducting independent customer discovery, including user interviews, usability testing, and synthesizing research findings.
Experience designing for technical or data-heavy products, demonstrating an ability to simplify complex information and workflows.
Excellent visual design skills, with a strong sense of typography, color theory, and layout.
Proficiency in creating and articulating user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes.
Ability to collaborate effectively with engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders in an agile development environment.
Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design rationale and influence decision-making. Preferred Skills:
Experience with design systems and contributing to their development and maintenance.
Familiarity with front-end development concepts (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better understand technical constraints and possibilities.
Experience designing for SaaS products, particularly in the geospatial, construction, or heavy industry sectors.
Knowledge of data visualization best practices and tools.
Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 3-5 years of experience suggests this is a mid-level role where the candidate is expected to work with a high degree of autonomy. The emphasis on "complex web products" and "technical or data-heavy products" implies the need for a designer who can handle intricate user journeys and abstract concepts, directly relevant to users who rely on Propeller's data-driven mapping solutions for their operational efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Demonstrate end-to-end ownership of at least 2-3 complex product design projects, showcasing your process from problem definition to final delivery and iteration.
Clearly articulate the business problem or user need each project addressed, detailing your specific role and contributions.
Include case studies that highlight your user research methodologies, problem-solving approach, and how you translated insights into tangible design solutions.
Showcase your proficiency in Figma, including examples of wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity UI designs.
Provide evidence of your systems thinking skills, illustrating how your designs fit within a broader product ecosystem or design system.
Quantify the impact of your design work where possible, using metrics related to user engagement, task completion rates, conversion improvements, or customer satisfaction. Process Documentation:
For each portfolio project, outline your design process, including discovery methods, ideation techniques, validation strategies, and collaboration touchpoints with engineering and product.
Explain how you approached understanding complex workflows and translating them into intuitive user experiences, particularly for technical or data-intensive applications.
Describe your experience in iterating on designs based on user feedback, A/B testing, and product data, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.
Detail your approach to collaborating with engineers during the development phase, including how you managed trade-offs and ensured design fidelity.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, especially one with GTM implications, the portfolio is paramount. It's not just about visual polish but demonstrating a strategic approach to problem-solving, user empathy, and the ability to deliver impactful solutions. The emphasis on "complex workflows" and "data-heavy products" means case studies should explicitly detail how the candidate simplifies complexity and makes data accessible and actionable for users.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Product Designer with 3-5 years of experience in Sydney, Australia, the estimated annual salary range is AUD $100,000 - $140,000. This range accounts for the cost of living in Sydney, the hybrid work arrangement, and the specialized skills required for designing complex, data-intensive products.

Benefits:

Employee Share Options: Opportunity to own a part of Propeller's growth and success.
Professional Development Budget & Leave: Dedicated allowance and time off for continuous learning, attending conferences, workshops, or pursuing certifications relevant to design and product development.
Mentorship Program: Access to experienced mentors within Propeller to guide career growth and skill development.
Mental Health Resources: Comprehensive support for employee well-being, including access to counseling services and mental health initiatives.
Monthly Telephone & Internet Allowance: Financial assistance to support remote work and communication needs.
Paid Primary & Secondary Parental Leave: Generous leave policies to support new parents.
Hybrid Work Arrangements: Flexibility to balance remote work with in-office collaboration.
WFH Equipment Provided: Support for setting up an effective and ergonomic home office environment.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. Propeller offers flexibility within its hybrid model, allowing for adaptable scheduling to accommodate team collaboration and individual work preferences, while ensuring team needs and project deadlines are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research of similar Product Designer roles in Sydney, Australia, considering the specified experience level and the hybrid work arrangement. Benefits are directly drawn from the provided input and highlighted for their value to operations-aligned professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (SaaS, Geospatial Mapping, Construction Technology)

Propeller operates in the burgeoning PropTech and heavy industry technology sectors, providing innovative mapping and survey solutions. The company’s mission to "take the guesswork out of moving dirt" by leveraging data and advanced technology positions it at the intersection of software, hardware, and physical operations. This context means the product designer will be instrumental in enabling operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making for customers in demanding industries.

Company Size: Propeller is a growing company, indicated by its recognition as a "Fast Company and BuiltIn Best Place to Work." While exact numbers aren't provided, such accolades often correlate with mid-sized companies (50-500 employees) that have established processes but retain an agile, startup-like culture. This size generally means opportunities for significant individual impact and cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the company's recognition as a "Fast Company" and "BuiltIn Best Place to Work" suggests it has achieved a level of maturity and success, likely having been in operation for several years. This implies a stable yet innovative environment.

Team Structure:

The Product Designer will likely be part of a Product Squad, a cross-functional team comprising a Product Lead, Engineering Lead, and several engineers, working collaboratively on specific product areas.
Reporting will likely be to a Head of Product or Design Lead, with direct interaction and collaboration with Product Management and Engineering leadership.
Collaboration extends across the entire organization, including Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success, to ensure product-market fit and customer satisfaction. Methodology:
Propeller emphasizes a data-driven approach to product development, utilizing customer insights and product analytics to guide decisions.
The company fosters a culture of creative problem-solving and autonomy, encouraging team members to "approach, own, and solve problems creatively."
Agile methodologies are likely employed for product development, ensuring iterative progress and responsiveness to feedback.

Company Website: https://propellerinc.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's industry and mission suggest that the product designer will be working on solutions with direct, tangible impacts on customer operations, making the role highly relevant to GTM strategy by enhancing product adoption and value realization. The "data nerds who care about impact" culture implies a focus on measurable outcomes and analytical rigor in design.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This Product Designer role is positioned at a mid-level, requiring 3-5 years of experience. This level suggests the individual will be expected to operate with significant autonomy, take ownership of design projects from conception to delivery, and contribute strategically to product decisions. They will be a key individual contributor capable of solving complex problems independently, while also collaborating effectively within a cross-functional team.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report into a Product Management or Design leadership function. They will work within a dedicated Product Squad, collaborating daily with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers. This structure allows for focused work on specific product areas while ensuring alignment with broader company objectives.

Operations Impact: The product designer's work directly influences the usability and effectiveness of Propeller's core technology. By creating intuitive interfaces for complex, data-heavy products, they enable customers to better leverage the platform for operational efficiency, cost savings, and improved decision-making. This directly supports the Go-To-Market strategy by enhancing customer acquisition, retention, and advocacy, thereby driving revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

Specialization: Develop deep expertise in designing for complex technical products, geospatial data visualization, or specific industry verticals (e.g., construction, mining).
Leadership: Transition into a Senior Product Designer role, mentoring junior designers, leading larger design initiatives, or taking on design leadership responsibilities.
Product Strategy: Influence product roadmap decisions more significantly, contributing to strategic planning and market expansion efforts.
Cross-functional Exposure: Gain deeper understanding of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success operations, potentially leading to roles with broader GTM responsibilities or product management.
Skill Development: Leverage the professional development budget and mentorship program to acquire new skills in areas like UX research, data analytics, or emerging design technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities highlight how a Product Designer role can evolve into strategic positions that heavily influence GTM success. The company's focus on data and impact suggests a strong pathway for designers to demonstrate their value through measurable business outcomes.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Propeller offers hybrid work arrangements, indicating a blend of remote and in-office work. This model aims to provide flexibility while fostering collaboration and team cohesion. The office environment is likely designed to support focused individual work and dynamic team interactions.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Specific office details or satellite locations are not provided, but a hybrid model implies the existence of a central office space for team meetings and collaborative sessions.

Workspace Context:

Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model encourages in-person collaboration days for team building, brainstorming, and crucial design reviews, fostering a strong sense of team connection.
Operations Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma), collaboration platforms (e.g., Slack, Jira), and potentially internal tools for user research and analytics.
Team Interaction: Opportunities to engage with product squads, design peers, and cross-functional teams, facilitating knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving. The company culture of "honesty, and each other" suggests an open and supportive environment.

Work Schedule: The role involves standard full-time hours with flexibility. This allows operations professionals to manage their time effectively, balancing deep work on design challenges with the need for communication and collaboration across different time zones and with customer-facing teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work arrangement is a key factor for many operations professionals seeking work-life balance. The mention of WFH equipment and allowances further supports a modern, flexible work environment conducive to focused design work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

Application Screening: Initial review of resume and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with the role requirements. Candidates are strongly encouraged to tailor their application to highlight relevant project experience and design process.
Initial Interview (Recruiter/Hiring Manager): A conversation to understand your background, motivations, and cultural fit. Expect questions about your experience with complex products and your approach to user-centered design.
Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A more in-depth session where you'll present your portfolio, discuss specific case studies, and potentially tackle a design problem relevant to Propeller's products. This is where you'll demonstrate your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to articulate your process and rationale.
Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and how you integrate into a product squad.
Final Interview: Typically with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment, career aspirations, and final cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving abilities, and experience with complex or data-heavy products.
Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, design, testing, iteration), the trade-offs you made, and the impact of your solution. Use visuals effectively to support your narrative.
Highlight Process: Emphasize how you arrived at your solutions, not just the final designs. Detail your research methods, user testing, and how you incorporated feedback.
Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores).
Be Prepared for Figma Questions: Expect to discuss your workflow in Figma, your approach to component libraries, and how you ensure design consistency.
Tailor to Propeller: Research Propeller's products and mission. Be ready to explain why your skills and experience are a strong match for their specific challenges and industry.

Challenge Preparation:

Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, take time to understand the problem space, the target user, and the business goals.
Structure Your Approach: Outline your thought process before diving into solutions. Consider user needs, constraints, and potential solutions.
Focus on Process: Even if time is limited, demonstrate a structured approach to problem-solving rather than just presenting a final design.
Communicate Clearly: Practice articulating your design decisions and rationale concisely and persuasively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex workflows," "data-heavy products," and "customer discovery" means candidates should prepare portfolio pieces and interview responses that specifically address these areas. Demonstrating how you simplify complexity and derive actionable insights from data will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

Figma: The core design tool for UI/UX design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.
Prototyping Tools: Figma's prototyping capabilities are likely primary, but familiarity with other tools like InVision or Adobe XD might be beneficial for broader context.
User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting usability testing, surveys, and interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, SurveyMonkey) may be used.

Analytics & Reporting:

Product Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for understanding user behavior, tracking feature adoption, and measuring product performance.
Data Visualization Tools: While not explicitly mentioned, an understanding of how data is presented and consumed within the product (e.g., charts, dashboards) is important.

CRM & Automation:

While not a direct design tool, an understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms are used by Sales and Marketing teams can provide valuable context for designing integrated product experiences.
Project Management Tools: Familiarity with tools like Jira or Asana for managing design tasks, sprints, and collaborating with engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and the need for experience with "complex web products" and "data-heavy products" indicates a need for a designer proficient in modern, robust design software capable of handling intricate interfaces and interactive elements. Understanding how design decisions impact user engagement metrics tracked by analytics tools is also key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

Impact-Driven: A strong focus on delivering tangible results and making a measurable difference for customers and the business. Design decisions should be tied to business objectives and customer value.
Data-Informed: Relying on data and evidence (user research, product analytics) to guide design decisions and validate hypotheses, rather than solely on intuition.
Creative Problem-Solving: Encouraging innovative approaches to tackle complex challenges and finding elegant solutions for intricate workflows.
Collaboration & Honesty: Fostering an open environment where team members can share ideas, provide constructive feedback, and work together effectively across disciplines.
Ownership & Autonomy: Empowering individuals to take responsibility for their work, make decisions, and drive initiatives forward with a high degree of independence.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-functional Integration: Expect close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams. Design is seen as an integral part of the product development process, not an isolated function.
Iterative Feedback: A culture that values continuous feedback loops, where designs are shared early and often for input and refinement.
Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings from user research, and design patterns to elevate the entire team's capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values—"data nerds who care about impact, honesty, and each other"—directly translate into how operations professionals, including designers, are expected to work. This means a focus on measurable outcomes, transparent communication, and supportive teamwork is paramount.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

Simplifying Complexity: Translating intricate, data-rich workflows in industries like construction and surveying into intuitive and user-friendly interfaces presents a significant design challenge.
Data Visualization: Effectively visualizing complex geospatial and operational data in a way that is both informative and actionable for diverse user roles requires deep understanding and creative solutions.
Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Aligning the priorities and expectations of various stakeholders (Product, Engineering, Sales, Customer Success, and end-users) while maintaining design integrity and strategic focus.
Market Expansion: Designing for new market segments or geographies may require adapting designs to different user needs, cultural contexts, or regulatory requirements.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Advanced Design Skills: Deepen expertise in areas like data visualization, interaction design for complex systems, and user research methodologies for technical products.
Industry Expertise: Gain in-depth knowledge of the construction, surveying, and heavy equipment industries, understanding their unique operational challenges and workflows.
Product Strategy Influence: Grow to become a key contributor to product strategy, influencing the roadmap and long-term vision based on design insights and user needs.
Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Enhance understanding of engineering constraints, product management principles, and GTM strategies through close collaboration.
Mentorship: Benefit from Propeller's mentorship program to accelerate career development and gain insights from experienced professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges inherent in designing for complex, data-heavy products in a specific industry offer significant opportunities for a designer to build specialized expertise and a strong portfolio, which can be a significant advantage in the operations and GTM space.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

"Describe a time you had to design for a complex, data-heavy product. What were the main challenges, and how did you approach them?" (Focus on your process, user research, and how you simplified complexity).
"How do you approach customer discovery for a new feature or product? Can you walk us through an example from your portfolio?" (Highlight your methods for understanding user needs and validating problems).
"Imagine we're expanding into a new market with our product. What factors would you consider from a design perspective?" (Demonstrate strategic thinking, user empathy, and adaptability).
"How do you ensure your designs are technically feasible and collaborate effectively with engineering teams?" (Showcase your understanding of the development process and your collaboration skills). Company & Culture Questions:
"What interests you about Propeller's mission and the industries we serve?" (Research Propeller's website, blog, and news. Connect their mission to your passion for impactful design).
"How do you embody our values of 'data nerds who care about impact, honesty, and each other' in your work?" (Provide specific examples of how you use data, focus on outcomes, communicate honestly, and collaborate).
"Describe your experience working in a hybrid or remote team environment." (Highlight your ability to communicate effectively and maintain productivity across different work settings). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
Lead with Impact: Start by clearly stating the problem you solved and the impact of your solution.
Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively. Walk through user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and final designs, explaining your rationale at each stage.
Emphasize Your Process: Detail your research, ideation, testing, and iteration methods. Explain why you made certain design choices.
Quantify Results: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs.
Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, trade-offs, and how you handled challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to translate complex technical requirements into user-friendly solutions that drive business impact. Preparing specific examples related to data-heavy products and customer workflows will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.
Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 projects that showcase your end-to-end design process, your ability to tackle complex problems, and your experience with data-heavy or technical products. Tailor your case studies to highlight user research, problem-solving, and quantifiable impact.
Optimize Your Resume: Highlight your 3-5 years of relevant experience, proficiency in Figma, systems thinking skills, and experience with customer discovery and technical product design. Use keywords from the job description naturally.
Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design philosophy, your process, and the impact of your work clearly and concisely. Practice presenting your portfolio and answering common interview questions related to design strategy, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Research Propeller: Understand Propeller's mission, products, target industries, and company culture. Be prepared to explain why you are a strong fit for their specific challenges and values.

⚠️ 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.

Product Designer