Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: RBS

Location: Manchester, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-09-03

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and optimize end-to-end customer experiences within the Fintech innovation space, focusing on driving measurable customer and commercial outcomes.

• Collaborate closely with Product, Commercial, and Engineering teams to shape priorities, challenge assumptions, and translate customer insights into impactful designs.

• Operate in a fast-paced, agile, and data-driven environment, taking ownership of the design process from user research to high-fidelity prototypes.

• Contribute to leading cross-functional design teams, delivering best-in-class solutions for digital projects and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role emphasizes a strong link between design decisions and tangible business results (acquisition, conversion, activation, customer value), indicating a need for a designer who can quantify their impact through data and testing. The "Fintech innovation space" suggests a focus on cutting-edge digital financial products.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead design thinking initiatives, exploring new ways of working, user research techniques, and innovative product concepts within Fintech.

• Develop and deliver high-quality designs that meet both customer needs and business objectives, ensuring usability and market success.

• Conduct user research, translate findings into actionable design decisions, and prioritize improvements based on behavioural insight and commercial outcomes.

• Produce comprehensive design documentation, including journey maps, UX wireframes, and hi-fidelity UI mockups and prototypes, to secure stakeholder buy-in.

• Facilitate and manage ideation, brainstorming, and critical review workshops involving diverse stakeholders.

• Collaborate effectively with engineering, product, and business teams to resolve design challenges and create customer-appealing solutions.

• Influence stakeholders across Product, Commercial, and Engineering by leveraging evidence to challenge assumptions and champion customer-centric decision-making.

• Validate design solutions through A/B testing, usability testing, and iterative refinement based on performance data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "pushing usability and market success" and "designing with clear hypotheses linked to customer behaviours and commercial outcomes" highlights the need for a results-oriented designer who can articulate the business value of their design choices.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mentioned, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and mastery of design principles is expected. A degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field would be advantageous.

Experience: 5-10 years of experience in product design, with a proven track record of delivering customer-focused designs and optimizing customer journeys. Experience in native mobile design is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in designing and optimizing customer journeys with demonstrable evidence of measurable outcomes (e.g., conversion improvement, adoption, engagement, reduced customer effort).

• Proficient in translating user research and behavioural insight into product decisions and prioritized design improvements.

• Strong command of design tools for producing journey maps, UX wireframes, hi-fidelity UI designs, and interactive prototypes.

• Experience in facilitating and managing ideation, brainstorming, and design critique workshops with diverse stakeholders.

• Ability to work effectively in an agile, fast-paced, and data-driven environment.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present design concepts clearly and persuasively.

• Demonstrated ability to balance customer needs, commercial objectives, and delivery constraints, making informed trade-offs. Preferred Skills:

• Native mobile design experience.

• Experience within the Fintech industry or a strong understanding of financial services digital products.

• Familiarity with Usability Testing methodologies and tools.

• Experience with data analysis tools for understanding user behavior and performance metrics.

• Knowledge of design systems and their implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level suggests a mid-to-senior role where the candidate is expected to lead design efforts and mentor junior designers, rather than simply execute tasks. The "5-10 years" range implies a need for substantial practical experience and a mature approach to design challenges.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design projects, with a clear emphasis on the design process, problem-solving, and outcomes.

• Case studies that detail the initial problem statement, user research conducted, design iterations, and final solutions.

• Projects that demonstrate proficiency in UX wireframing, UI design, and prototyping.

• Evidence of impact and measurable results, such as conversion rate improvements, increased user engagement, or reduced customer effort, directly linked to design decisions.

• Examples of how customer and market insight was translated into design choices. Process Documentation:

• Ability to document design processes, including research methodologies, ideation techniques, and user testing protocols.

• Clear articulation of how design decisions were validated and iterated upon based on data and feedback.

• Examples of how design challenges were resolved by balancing customer needs, commercial objectives, and technical constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job description strongly implies that the portfolio should not just showcase visual design, but also the strategic thinking, user empathy, and data-driven validation behind each design decision. The ability to articulate measurable outcomes is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Product Designer with 5-10 years of experience in Manchester, UK, the estimated salary range is £50,000 - £70,000 per annum. This estimate considers the specific skills required, the company's industry (financial services), and the cost of living in Manchester.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health and wellness programs.

• Generous paid time off and holiday allowance.

• Pension scheme with employer contributions.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and certifications.

• Access to internal design communities and knowledge-sharing sessions.

• Potential for performance-based bonuses or incentives.

• Employee assistance programs and wellbeing support.

Working Hours: 35 hours per week. The hybrid work arrangement suggests flexibility in scheduling, allowing for focused work time and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on typical compensation for similar roles in the UK's North West region and the specified experience level. Actual compensation may vary based on the candidate's specific qualifications, interview performance, and RBS's internal compensation structure.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Banking & Financial Services (with a focus on Digital/Fintech Innovation). RBS is a major financial institution undergoing significant digital transformation, aiming to integrate innovative Fintech solutions into its offerings. This context means the design team operates at the intersection of established financial services and emerging technology.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (RBS is a global banking group). This implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities to influence significant digital initiatives and reach a vast customer base.

Founded: 1764 (Royal Bank of Scotland). The company has a long history, suggesting stability and a deep understanding of the financial sector, while its current focus on digital transformation indicates a forward-looking approach.

Team Structure:

• The Product Designer will be part of a cross-functional design team within a larger digital or product development unit.

• Reporting structure likely involves a Design Lead or Head of UX/UI, with close collaboration with Product Managers, Commercial Leads, and Engineering teams.

• The team emphasizes collaboration, knowledge sharing, and a user-centric approach to product development. Methodology:

• Design thinking is a core methodology, encouraging a human-centered approach to problem-solving.

• Agile methodologies are prevalent, requiring adaptability and iterative design processes.

• Data-driven decision-making is crucial, with a focus on measuring the impact of design through user research and performance analytics.

• Emphasis on end-to-end ownership of the design process, from concept to implementation.

Company Website: https://www.rbs.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: RBS's position as a large, established bank with a strong push into Fintech innovation means designers will likely work on products with significant user impact, balancing legacy systems and user expectations with cutting-edge digital experiences.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a mid-to-senior level, suitable for individuals with 5-10 years of dedicated product design experience. It requires not only strong design execution skills but also the ability to lead design thinking, influence stakeholders, and drive strategic product decisions. The role involves end-to-end ownership of design projects and contribution to innovation.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will report to a Design Manager or Lead, working within a matrixed structure alongside Product Managers, Commercial Managers, and Engineering Leads. This fosters cross-functional collaboration and exposure to various business functions.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's impact is directly tied to improving customer acquisition, conversion rates, user engagement, and overall customer value within RBS's digital platforms. By translating customer insights into effective designs, they directly contribute to the company's commercial outcomes and its digital transformation goals.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like native mobile design, complex financial product design, or user research methodologies.

• Leadership: Potential to progress into Senior Product Designer, Lead Designer, or Design Manager roles, taking on more strategic responsibilities and team leadership.

• Skill Development: Access to training, workshops, and conferences to enhance skills in emerging design technologies, user research techniques, and business acumen.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gaining broader business understanding by working closely with Product, Commercial, and Engineering teams, potentially leading to roles in product management or strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for growth within a large organization, allowing for both specialized skill development in product design and broader career progression into leadership or product strategy roles, driven by demonstrated impact and collaboration.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. This arrangement combines remote work flexibility with in-office collaboration, suggesting a modern work environment designed to foster both independent focus and team synergy.

Office Location(s): Manchester, United Kingdom. This location is a major hub for business and technology in the UK, offering a vibrant professional ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to support collaboration through workshops and team meetings, while also providing an environment conducive to focused design work.

• Access to necessary design tools, software, and technology to facilitate the creative process.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with cross-functional teams (Product, Commercial, Engineering) to ensure seamless project execution and alignment.

• A culture that encourages sharing of ideas, peer reviews, and continuous learning within design and product development teams.

Work Schedule: 35 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement that allows for flexibility in managing personal and professional commitments, while ensuring availability for key team meetings and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is typical for large enterprises aiming to balance employee flexibility with the need for in-person collaboration, especially critical for design workshops and stakeholder alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Screening: Initial review of CV and portfolio to assess alignment with required skills and experience.

• Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call: A preliminary discussion to understand career goals, motivations, and assess cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A key stage where candidates present their portfolio, highlighting specific case studies that demonstrate their process, problem-solving skills, and impact. This may be followed by a practical design exercise or a discussion on how they would approach a specific design problem.

• Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with cross-functional team members (Product, Engineering, Commercial) to evaluate collaboration skills, communication, and ability to integrate diverse perspectives.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader, focusing on strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit with RBS's culture and objectives.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best represent your end-to-end design process, problem-solving abilities, and measurable outcomes. Tailor the selection to highlight Fintech or complex digital product experience if possible.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role and process, the challenges faced, your design solutions, and most importantly, the quantifiable results achieved (e.g., "increased conversion by X%", "reduced customer effort by Y%").

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) effectively, but ensure they are contextualized within the narrative of your process and impact.

• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase how you worked with cross-functional teams, managed stakeholder feedback, and influenced decisions.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design rationale, trade-offs made, and how you handle ambiguity or conflicting requirements.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If a design challenge is provided, thoroughly analyze the brief, identify key constraints, and understand the target user and business goals.

• Structure Your Approach: Outline your proposed design process, including research, ideation, and validation steps.

• Focus on Process: Emphasize your thought process and how you would arrive at a solution, rather than just presenting a polished final design.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss why certain design decisions were made and what alternatives were considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "design challenge" and "portfolio presentation" indicates that candidates will be evaluated not only on their past work but also on their ability to think critically and apply their design skills to new problems under evaluation.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP. Candidates are expected to be proficient in at least one major design tool for wireframing, UI design, and prototyping.

• User Research & Testing: Tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Trello, Asana, Miro, Mural for managing workflows, documenting processes, and facilitating collaborative sessions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with analytics platforms such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar for understanding user behaviour and tracking key metrics.

• Ability to interpret data to inform design decisions and measure the impact of design changes. CRM & Automation:

• While not a primary tool for a Product Designer, an understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms integrate with customer-facing digital experiences can be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools like Figma or Sketch is essential. Familiarity with collaborative tools like Miro and project management software like Jira is also highly valued for seamless integration into agile teams.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user, ensuring their needs are at the forefront of all design decisions.

• Collaboration: A strong belief in working closely with Product, Engineering, and Commercial teams to achieve shared goals and create cohesive user experiences.

• Innovation: Encouraging the exploration of new ideas and technologies to drive Fintech innovation and deliver cutting-edge digital solutions.

• Data-Driven: Utilizing data and insights from user research and analytics to inform design choices and measure their effectiveness.

• Excellence: A dedication to producing high-quality, well-crafted designs that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, meeting business objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Seamlessly working with diverse teams, actively participating in discussions and contributing design perspectives to product strategy.

• Constructive Feedback: Open to receiving and providing feedback through design critiques, peer reviews, and collaborative workshops to improve designs.

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactive in sharing insights, best practices, and learnings within the design team and across other departments to foster a collective learning environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Fintech innovation space" suggests a culture that embraces experimentation and is comfortable with rapid iteration, while the "large enterprise" context implies a need for strong communication and alignment across various departments.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation with Legacy Systems: Integrating cutting-edge Fintech designs into a large, established banking infrastructure may present technical and user adoption challenges.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Managing diverse stakeholder expectations and priorities across Product, Commercial, and Engineering to ensure design cohesion and buy-in.

• Data Interpretation: Effectively translating complex customer data and behavioural insights into actionable design improvements within a data-rich financial environment.

• Pace of Change: Adapting to the fast-paced evolution of digital technologies and customer expectations in the Fintech sector.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Access to workshops and courses focused on advanced UX research, native mobile design patterns, and emerging design technologies.

• Industry Conferences: Opportunities to attend leading design and Fintech conferences to stay abreast of industry trends and network with peers.

• Mentorship: Potential to be mentored by senior design leaders or to mentor junior designers, fostering leadership skills.

• Cross-functional Projects: Engaging in projects that expose the designer to different aspects of the business, broadening their understanding of the financial services landscape.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for designers working in large, regulated industries undergoing digital transformation. The growth opportunities are geared towards continuous learning and career advancement within the organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led design thinking for a new product or feature. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your methodology, user research, and quantifiable results.)

• "How do you balance customer needs with commercial objectives and technical constraints? Provide an example." (Highlight your ability to make informed trade-offs and articulate your rationale.)

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for a mobile banking app that aims to increase customer engagement?" (Outline your process, including research, ideation, and validation strategies.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for RBS, particularly within our Fintech innovation space?" (Research RBS's digital strategy and recent innovations.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers?" (Emphasize your communication, feedback, and cross-functional partnership skills.)

• "How do you measure the success of your designs, and what metrics do you focus on?" (Discuss your experience with user research, A/B testing, and key performance indicators like conversion, engagement, and customer effort.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the business problem or user need your project addressed.

• Showcase Your Process: Walk through your steps—research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, testing—explaining your decisions at each stage.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify your achievements with data and metrics. Use clear visuals to demonstrate the evolution of your design and the final solution.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, challenges, and how you handled feedback or disagreements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a strategic, data-driven, and collaborative approach to product design, with a clear understanding of how design contributes to business outcomes, especially within the Fintech context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link, ensuring your CV and portfolio are up-to-date and readily accessible.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your experience in end-to-end design, user research, and measurable outcomes, ideally with relevance to digital products or Fintech.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience with UX/UI design, prototyping, user research, stakeholder management, and working in agile, data-driven environments, using keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on explaining your design process, problem-solving approach, and the quantitative impact of your work. Prepare to discuss how you would tackle design challenges specific to financial services.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research RBS's digital initiatives, its position in the Fintech space, and its company values to articulate your interest and demonstrate 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.