Product Designer (Trading)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (Trading)

Company: Trade Nation

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design (FinTech)

Date Posted: 2026-06-08

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years implied)

Remote Status: Hybrid / Telecommute Eligible within Portugal

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the design of Trade Nation's core trading platform, TN Trader, a complex React-based application for CFD and spread betting.

• Drive the user experience for critical trading interfaces including trade tickets, charting, and order management systems, ensuring precision and usability.

• Maintain and evolve a shared Figma design system, adhering to strict design tokens, variables, and atomic design principles.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Product Owners, and front-end engineers to ensure seamless design-to-development handoffs and pixel-perfect implementation.

• Translate deep domain knowledge of financial instruments, order types, and risk displays into intuitive and efficient user interfaces across devices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This is a highly specialized Product Designer role focused on the intricate domain of financial trading platforms. Candidates should possess a strong understanding of fin-tech products, complex UI interactions, and a meticulous approach to design systems and developer collaboration. The "Trading" in the title signifies a deep dive into financial trading functionalities, not general product design.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end design process, from receiving business briefs to final delivery, proactively resolving ambiguity and defining success criteria.

• Deliver high-quality UI designs for the trading interface, adhering to specifications and agreed-upon timelines, with immediate and transparent communication of any schedule risks.

• Meticulously adhere to and extend the existing Figma design system, ensuring consistency with strict design tokens, variables, and naming conventions.

• Create, maintain, and enhance reusable components using atomic design principles to ensure a clean, consistent, and scalable design system.

• Foster a close partnership with front-end developers, producing developer-ready handoffs that cover interaction states, edge cases, and responsive behavior.

• Actively participate in Quality Assurance (QA) to verify that the implemented product accurately matches the design intent.

• Proactively identify and propose solutions for gaps and inconsistencies within the design system.

• Conduct self-reviews and lead design critiques for your work before submission, iterating with speed and a positive, collaborative attitude.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a high degree of ownership, meticulous attention to detail, and strong collaboration with engineering. The focus on "brief-to-delivery pipeline" and "developer-ready handoffs" suggests a Product Designer who is deeply involved in the execution phase, not just conceptualization.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is typically expected for mid-senior level roles in this domain.

Experience: Proven experience delivering production-ready UI reliably, to brief, and on time. Experience designing and launching app and web-based financial products is critical. Experience working with remote development teams and producing spec-quality handoffs is also a key requirement.

Required Skills:

• Deep proficiency in Figma, including advanced use of design systems, components, variants, auto-layout, prototyping, and developer handoff features.

• Strong working knowledge of atomic design methodology for component-based design systems.

• Proven experience designing and launching app and web-based financial products, preferably within trading or regulated environments.

• Demonstrated ability to produce spec-quality developer handoffs.

• Experience embedding customer feedback, analytics (e.g., HotJar, Amplitude), and competitor insights into design thinking.

• Experience validating and refining designs through A/B testing and prototyping.

• A genuine passion for designing simplicity in complex or regulated products. Preferred Skills:

• Experience specifically designing trading platforms or other tightly regulated financial products.

• Working knowledge of HTML/CSS, sufficient to communicate accurately and efficiently with front-end developers.

• Experience with Storybook or similar component documentation tools.

• Exposure to AI-assisted design tooling, such as Figma Make or Claude.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma, atomic design, financial product experience, and analytics tools points towards a designer who is both technically proficient and strategically minded, capable of impacting product decisions through data and user insights. The preferred skills suggest a desire for candidates who can bridge the gap between design and development even further.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 complex web or app-based product case studies, with at least one demonstrating experience in financial services or highly regulated environments.

• Clearly articulate your role and contributions within each project, highlighting ownership of the brief-to-delivery pipeline.

• Demonstrate a deep understanding and application of atomic design principles and the creation/maintenance of design systems, ideally using Figma.

• Include examples of detailed developer handoffs, showcasing interaction states, edge cases, and responsive behavior.

• Present evidence of user research, A/B testing, and the integration of analytics (e.g., HotJar, Amplitude) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Highlight your ability to translate complex requirements (like trading interfaces) into simple, intuitive user experiences. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly outline the design process: problem definition, user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, high-fidelity design, and user testing.

• Detail how you managed ambiguity and collaborated with Product Managers and Engineers throughout the process.

• Showcase your approach to maintaining and evolving a design system, including component creation, documentation, and version control.

• Provide examples of how you ensured pixel-perfect implementation through close collaboration with developers and QA.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is paramount for this role. It needs to go beyond just visual aesthetics to demonstrate a robust design process, technical proficiency with design systems, and a proven ability to deliver complex, user-centric financial products. The ability to articulate impact through data and user feedback is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the Lisbon, Portugal location, mid-senior level Product Designer roles with specialized FinTech experience typically range from €45,000 to €70,000 annually. This estimate considers the specialized nature of financial trading platforms, the required technical skills (Figma, design systems), and the cost of living in Lisbon.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary, and discretionary annual bonus.

• Private healthcare coverage.

• Active Lifestyle allowance to promote wellbeing.

• Annual leave above minimum entitlement, offering more flexibility.

• Up to 3 weeks allowance to work in any location, providing significant remote work flexibility.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work arrangement that allows for flexibility. The "work from any location" benefit further enhances this flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for Lisbon, Portugal, for a mid-senior Product Designer with relevant experience. The specific salary will depend on the candidate's exact experience, skill set, and negotiation. The benefits package is quite attractive, particularly the substantial work-from-anywhere allowance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: FinTech (Financial Technology), specifically focusing on CFD (Contracts for Difference) and spread betting brokerage services. This industry is highly regulated, fast-paced, and requires a strong emphasis on security, reliability, and precision.

Company Size: Trade Nation is a growing global broker. While exact current figures aren't provided, the description implies a significant, established company with multiple international offices and a substantial platform presence. This suggests an environment with established processes but also room for agile development and individual impact.

Founded: 2014. This indicates a company that has matured beyond its startup phase but is still relatively young in the financial services sector, likely fostering an innovative and growth-oriented culture.

Team Structure:

• The role is embedded within the "Trading UIs and Execution vertical," indicating a specialized team focused on the core trading experience.

• This vertical likely includes Product Managers, Product Owners, and front-end engineers, fostering close cross-functional collaboration.

• The broader design team likely operates with a shared Figma design system, promoting consistency and shared ownership. Methodology:

• Data-driven design decisions, leveraging customer feedback, analytics (HotJar, Amplitude), and A/B testing.

• Agile development methodologies are implied through collaboration with engineers and a focus on iterative delivery.

• Emphasis on atomic design principles for building scalable and maintainable design systems.

• Rigorous attention to detail for precision in a regulated financial environment.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Trade Nation's culture appears to value collaboration, precision, and a commitment to customer success in trading. The company's growth and international presence suggest opportunities for exposure to diverse markets and operational scales. The "commitments to each other" section highlights core values of mutual support, challenge, growth, and learning.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-senior Product Designer, likely requiring 5-10 years of experience. It's a specialized role focused on a critical product surface, implying significant autonomy and responsibility. The "ownership" of the brief-to-delivery pipeline suggests a lead-like capacity within the design function for this specific product area.

Reporting Structure: The designer will be embedded within the Trading UIs and Execution vertical, working closely with Product Managers and Product Owners. They will likely report to a Lead Product Designer, Head of Design, or a Product Lead within that vertical.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer will have a direct and significant impact on the core revenue-generating product – the trading platform. Their work will influence user acquisition, retention, trading volume, and overall customer satisfaction by making the complex trading interface more intuitive and efficient. Success in this role directly contributes to the company's market competitiveness and customer trust.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing complex financial trading platforms, becoming a subject matter expert in fin-tech UX/UI.

• Design System Leadership: Take on more responsibility for evolving and governing the Figma design system, potentially leading design system initiatives.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Grow into a role where they can influence product strategy more broadly, bridging design, product, and engineering.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers as the team grows.

• Global Exposure: Work on a platform used globally, potentially gaining insights into diverse market needs and regulations.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for specialization within the high-demand fin-tech design space. The emphasis on design systems and collaborative delivery suggests opportunities for leadership development in process and team management.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Trade Nation offers a hybrid work environment. Candidates can be based in their Lisbon office or offices in South Africa (Cape Town or Johannesburg). The Lisbon office is described as comfortable and inclusive, featuring dedicated wellbeing and communal spaces.

Office Location(s):

• Lisbon, Portugal: Marquês de Pombal area, central with good public transport access and amenities.

• Cape Town, South Africa: Tygervalley, a well-established commercial district with good connectivity.

• Johannesburg, South Africa: Rosebank, near a major commercial hub and accessible via Gautrain.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Offices designed with communal spaces to support collaboration and connection. The hybrid model necessitates strong virtual collaboration tools and practices.

• Tools & Technology: Access to a shared Figma design system is central. Implies modern design and development tooling will be available.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for in-person interaction in office hubs, balanced with remote collaboration. Emphasis on close partnerships with Product Managers and engineers.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 40 per week. The hybrid arrangement and the "work from any location" benefit (up to 3 weeks) offer significant flexibility, allowing designers to manage their time effectively around core collaboration needs and personal commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and international office options provide flexibility. The description of the Lisbon office suggests a focus on employee wellbeing and collaborative spaces, important for a design team that needs to interact effectively.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call to assess basic qualifications, experience alignment, and cultural fit. Portfolio presentation will likely be requested early on.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where candidates present 1-2 key case studies from their portfolio. Expect deep dives into your process, decision-making, role, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your experience with financial products, design systems, and remote collaboration.

• Technical/Design Challenge: This could involve a short design exercise or a take-home task focusing on a specific aspect of the trading interface, or a discussion around a hypothetical design problem. The focus will be on your problem-solving approach, Figma proficiency, and ability to incorporate trade-offs.

• Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Product Owners, and potentially senior engineers to assess collaboration style, domain understanding, and strategic thinking.

• Final Interview: Likely with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Design, Head of Product) to discuss cultural fit, long-term aspirations, and overall alignment with Trade Nation's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Quantify your contributions whenever possible (e.g., "improved conversion by X%", "reduced error rate by Y%").

• Showcase Process: Clearly articulate why you made certain design decisions, linking them back to user needs, business goals, and data.

• Highlight Design Systems: Demonstrate your understanding of component-based design and your ability to work within or extend a design system. Explain your approach to consistency and scalability.

• Detail Collaboration: Explain how you partnered with PMs and engineers. Be ready to discuss challenges and how you overcame them.

• Domain Relevance: If possible, tailor your presentation to highlight your experience with financial products or complex, regulated interfaces.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research common trading interfaces, order types, and financial instruments.

• Practice Figma: Be ready to demonstrate advanced Figma skills, including auto-layout, components, variants, and prototyping.

• Think Systematically: For any challenge, focus on defining the problem, identifying constraints, exploring solutions, and justifying your choices based on user needs and business objectives.

• Communicate Clearly: Practice articulating your thought process and design rationale concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical application of design skills, understanding of the financial domain, and strong collaborative capabilities. A well-prepared portfolio that clearly demonstrates these aspects will be critical for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is the core design tool. Proficiency is non-negotiable, including advanced features like design systems, components, variants, auto-layout, prototyping, and developer handoff.

• Design Systems: Experience with creating, maintaining, and extending component-based design systems using atomic design principles. This includes understanding and working with design tokens and variables.

Analytics & Reporting:

• HotJar: Expected to be used for user behavior analysis, heatmaps, and session recordings.

• Amplitude: Likely used for product analytics, user journey tracking, and measuring feature adoption and conversion rates.

• A/B Testing Tools: Candidates should be familiar with validating designs through A/B testing.

CRM & Automation: While not explicitly mentioned for the design role, understanding how CRM and automation tools (like Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo) influence the user journey and data flow can be beneficial for context.

Other Potential Tools:

• Storybook: Preferred for component documentation.

• AI-assisted design tooling: Such as Figma Make or Claude.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping is key, but familiarity with others is a plus.

• Basic understanding of HTML/CSS: Crucial for effective communication with developers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily focused on modern design tooling (Figma) and data-driven approaches (analytics, A/B testing). Proficiency in these areas, especially Figma and design systems, is essential.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• We have each other’s backs / There when we need each other most: Emphasizes mutual support, reliability, and teamwork, crucial for collaborative design work.

• We challenge each other / Be more creative, more curious, more bold: Encourages innovation, critical thinking, and pushing boundaries in design and product development.

• We thrive together / Taking our work to the next level: Focuses on collective growth, high performance, and achieving ambitious goals.

• We form strong bonds / Through team building and social events: Promotes a positive and connected team environment.

• We don’t judge / Instead, we teach and are open to learning: Cultivates a safe space for learning, feedback, and continuous improvement.

• We step up / Taking ownership and supporting each other to do the same: Highlights accountability, proactivity, and a willingness to take initiative.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Strong emphasis on close collaboration with Product Managers, Product Owners, and front-end engineers, working within a unified vertical.

• Design System-Centric: Collaboration revolves around a shared Figma design system, ensuring consistency and shared understanding of UI components and patterns.

• Feedback-Oriented: A culture of design critiques and constructive feedback is encouraged for continuous improvement and iteration.

• Data-Informed: Collaboration is informed by user feedback, analytics, and A/B testing results, leading to data-driven design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated commitments highlight a culture of support, challenge, and growth. For a designer, this means an environment where collaboration is key, feedback is constructive, and there's a drive for continuous improvement and innovation within a regulated industry.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Trading Domain: Designing intuitive interfaces for highly complex, regulated financial instruments and trading processes requires deep domain understanding and meticulous attention to detail.

• Maintaining Design System Rigor: Upholding strict design tokens, variables, and naming conventions within a shared Figma system across a growing platform is an ongoing challenge that requires discipline.

• Balancing Simplicity and Functionality: Creating a user experience that is both simple and easy to understand, while also providing all the necessary functionality for sophisticated traders, is a core design challenge.

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating with remote development teams to ensure pixel-perfect implementation and seamless handoffs requires strong communication and process.

• Pace of FinTech: The financial technology sector evolves rapidly, requiring continuous learning and adaptation to new trends, tools, and regulations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• FinTech Specialization: Become a highly sought-after expert in designing for the trading and brokerage sector.

• Advanced Design Systems: Gain experience managing and scaling complex design systems in a fast-paced environment.

• Data-Driven Design Mastery: Deepen skills in leveraging analytics, A/B testing, and user research to drive product strategy.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Develop leadership skills by influencing product direction and collaborating effectively across departments.

• Global Product Exposure: Work on a platform with international reach, understanding diverse user needs and market requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant intellectual challenges related to domain complexity and design system management, offering substantial growth potential for designers who excel in these areas and are passionate about FinTech.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for taking a complex trading feature from initial brief to final implementation. How do you ensure clarity and alignment with stakeholders?" (Focus on your brief-to-delivery pipeline, ambiguity resolution, and communication.)

• "How do you approach maintaining consistency and scalability within a design system, especially when working with a remote development team?" (Highlight your Figma, atomic design, and handoff experience.)

• "Walk me through a time you had to simplify a highly complex or regulated user flow. What was the challenge, your approach, and the outcome?" (Prepare a case study demonstrating your design thinking and problem-solving for complexity.)

• "How do you incorporate user feedback and analytics (like HotJar or Amplitude) into your design process? Provide a specific example." (Showcase your data-driven approach.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Trade Nation and specifically this Product Designer role within our trading platform?" (Research Trade Nation's mission, values, and recent developments.)

• "How do you contribute to a collaborative team environment, especially in a hybrid or remote setting?" (Refer to their values like "We have each other's backs" and "We thrive together.")

• "How do you balance the need for speed and iteration with the meticulous attention to detail required for financial products?" (Demonstrate an understanding of trade-offs and prioritization.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, typically starting with an overview of Trade Nation and the role, then diving into 1-2 detailed case studies.

• Storytelling: Frame your case studies as narratives: the problem, your role and process, the solutions you designed, the challenges you faced, and the impact of your work.

• Visuals: Use high-fidelity mockups, prototypes, and clear diagrams to illustrate your designs and process. Include screenshots of your Figma system if possible.

• Metrics: Be ready to discuss any quantifiable results your designs achieved. If not available, explain how you would measure success.

• Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, reasoning, collaboration, and experience with financial products. Be prepared to discuss your preferred tools and methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating a deep understanding of the trading domain, mastery of Figma and design systems, and a collaborative, data-driven approach to design. Be ready to articulate your process and impact with confidence.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Workable application link provided.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience with Figma, atomic design, design systems, financial product design, and any fin-tech specific projects. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Curate your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio showcases 2-3 strong case studies that demonstrate your end-to-end design process, particularly for complex web/app products. Prioritize examples that align with financial services or highly regulated environments.

• Prepare for the Portfolio Review: Practice presenting your case studies, focusing on your process, decision-making, collaboration, and the impact of your designs. Be ready to discuss your experience with design systems and developer handoffs.

• Research Trade Nation: Understand their mission, values, product offerings, and target audience. Familiarize yourself with their existing platform to identify potential areas for design contribution.

⚠️ 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.