Senior Principal UX Designer | Shared Technology (FTC to Mar 2027)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Principal UX Designer | Shared Technology (FTC to Mar 2027)

Company: Xbox Media Solutions (Formerly Activision Blizzard Media)

Location: Stockholm, Sweden / Malmö, Sweden

Job Type: Full time, Temporary (Fixed-term contract to March 25, 2027)

Category: UX/UI Design, Developer Experience, Product Design

Date Posted: August 25, 2026

Experience Level: Senior Principal (10+ years implied)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the transformation of the developer experience within King's Build & Infrastructure teams, focusing on modernizing Continuous Integration (CI) orchestration.

• Conduct in-depth user research to understand game team needs, pain points, and behaviors related to CI workflows.

• Translate research findings into actionable insights, defining prioritized outcomes and "jobs to be done" for an improved CI ecosystem.

• Design, prototype, and evaluate intuitive, efficient CI workflows and end-to-end developer journeys across the King ecosystem.

• Facilitate cross-functional workshops to build consensus, explore solutions, and align engineering and game teams on CI strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a fixed-term maternity cover, ending March 25, 2027. The emphasis on "Shared Technology" and "developer experience" indicates a strong focus on internal tools and platforms that support game development workflows, rather than direct consumer-facing product design. The "Senior Principal" title suggests a need for significant leadership, influence, and the ability to drive complex initiatives with ambiguity.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute comprehensive user research plans for existing CI workflows, employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to uncover critical user insights.

• Articulate user pain points, workarounds, and unmet needs, translating these into clearly defined product outcomes, user stories, or "jobs to be done" frameworks.

• Map current and future state developer journeys, ensuring a cohesive and efficient experience across the CI ecosystem and broader developer tools.

• Collaborate closely with engineers, product partners, and game teams to design, prototype, and iteratively test intuitive and highly efficient CI workflows.

• Facilitate impactful workshops and design sprints to foster shared understanding, generate innovative solutions, and drive alignment on strategic priorities.

• Communicate complex technical systems and design decisions effectively to diverse stakeholders, influencing initiative direction through evidence-based arguments and systems thinking.

• Establish and implement sustainable practices for continuous user feedback and learning as the CI ecosystem evolves.

• Champion best practices in UX design and research, particularly for technical users and complex internal platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of deep research, strategic design, and strong collaboration. The emphasis on "outcomes users need to achieve" and "jobs to be done" signals a need for a user-centric approach that prioritizes impact and value over feature-driven development. The facilitation and stakeholder management aspects are crucial for driving change within a large organization like King.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, UX Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior Principal role.

Experience: Minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in UX design, product design, or service design, with a proven track record of leading complex, high-impact projects.

Required Skills:

• Extensive UX/Product/Service Design Experience: Proven ability to lead complex, high-impact work through expertise and influence in a senior capacity.

• Deep User Research Expertise: Demonstrated skill in planning, conducting, and analyzing substantial user research studies, translating findings into actionable product direction and design decisions.

• Advanced Interaction & Workflow Design: Strong proficiency in designing intuitive and efficient workflows for complex tools, systems, and end-to-end user journeys.

• Outcome-Led Frameworks: Experience applying "jobs-to-be-done" or comparable methodologies to guide product strategy and design.

• Technical Acumen & Collaboration: Confidence in working closely with software engineers, engaging with technical subject matter, and understanding complex systems.

• Exceptional Facilitation & Communication: Superior skills in facilitating workshops, managing stakeholders, and communicating complex ideas clearly to achieve alignment.

• Ambiguity Navigation: Ability to work independently, bring structure to ambiguous problem spaces, and balance user needs with technical and delivery constraints.

Preferred Skills:

• Developer Tool Design: Experience designing tools, internal platforms, or products specifically for technical users.

• CI/CD & Software Development Workflows: Familiarity with continuous integration, continuous delivery, build systems, or common software development workflows.

• CI/CD Platform Experience: Direct experience with platforms such as Jenkins, Buildkite, or comparable CI/CD tools.

• Legacy System Simplification: Proven ability to simplify complex legacy systems or support large-scale platform transformations.

• Service Design & Systems Thinking: Knowledge of service design principles and systems thinking, especially in environments with interconnected tools and teams.

• Large-Scale Organization Experience: Experience working within a large-scale engineering or game development organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Must have" skills clearly define the core competencies. The "Particularly valuable" section indicates areas where candidates can differentiate themselves. The note about Jenkins/Buildkite not being essential but requiring curiosity and confidence is a key indicator of the role's focus on adaptability and learning within a technical domain.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of Complex Systems: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your ability to tackle complex technical systems or internal tool design challenges.

• User Research & Insights: Include examples of your user research process, highlighting how you translated findings into impactful design decisions and user outcomes.

• Workflow Optimization: Present examples of workflow redesign projects, illustrating how you simplified processes, improved efficiency, and enhanced user journeys.

• "Jobs-to-be-Done" Application: Demonstrate how you've applied outcome-led frameworks like JTBD to inform design strategy and product direction.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Provide evidence of how you collaborated with engineering and product teams to bring designs to fruition, including challenges faced and overcome.

• Impact & Metrics: Quantify the impact of your designs where possible, using metrics related to efficiency, adoption, or user satisfaction.

Process Documentation:

• Research Methodology: Clearly document your approach to user research, including participant recruitment, study design, and data analysis for complex technical users.

• Design Process: Detail your end-to-end design process, from initial problem definition and ideation through to prototyping, testing, and implementation support.

• Workflow Mapping & Analysis: Showcase examples of how you map, analyze, and redesign complex workflows, highlighting improvements in efficiency and user experience.

• System Thinking Application: Illustrate how you applied systems thinking to understand interconnected components of a larger system and design holistic solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on internal developer tools and complex systems, the portfolio should heavily emphasize problem-solving, research rigor, and the ability to drive tangible improvements in technical workflows. Demonstrating an understanding of the developer lifecycle and the challenges faced by engineers will be critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior Principal UX Designer in Stockholm, Sweden, with 10+ years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is approximately SEK 750,000 - 1,000,000 (gross). This range accounts for the seniority, specialized skills in developer experience and complex systems, and the high cost of living in Stockholm. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in major tech hubs in Sweden and the broader European tech market, considering the fixed-term nature of the contract.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: As detailed above, reflecting senior-level expertise and responsibilities.

• Fixed-Term Contract Benefits: Typically includes paid time off, statutory contributions (pension, social security), and potentially specific contract-related allowances.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for learning and development, potentially including access to training, conferences, and internal knowledge sharing.

• Collaborative Work Environment: Access to a dynamic and experienced team of engineers, designers, and product managers.

• Impactful Work: Opportunity to significantly shape the developer experience at a leading mobile gaming company.

• Employee Assistance Programs: Support services for well-being.

• Potential for Contract Extension/Conversion: While not guaranteed, successful performance in a fixed-term role can sometimes lead to future opportunities.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week in Sweden. While the role is on-site, King often offers some degree of flexibility around start and end times, subject to team and project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on general market data for senior UX roles in Stockholm and the tech industry in Sweden. The fixed-term nature may slightly influence the salary structure compared to a permanent role, but the seniority level warrants a competitive offering. Benefits packages for fixed-term contracts can vary; statutory benefits are generally standard.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Interactive Entertainment / Mobile Gaming / Technology. King is a prominent player in the mobile gaming space, known for highly successful titles like the Candy Crush franchise. This industry demands innovation, agility, and a focus on user engagement.

Company Size: Large. King is part of Microsoft and has a significant global presence with multiple offices and a substantial employee base, indicating a structured environment with established processes and a wide range of specialized teams.

Founded: King was founded in 2003, giving it a long history and deep expertise in the mobile gaming market. Its acquisition by Microsoft in 2016 further solidifies its position and resources.

Team Structure:

• Shared Technology Department: This role sits within Shared Tech, a division responsible for foundational technologies that power King's live games. This includes data infrastructure, machine learning, payments, and the game engine.

• Build & Infrastructure Teams: The immediate team focuses on the CI/CD ecosystem, the backbone for game development and deployment.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires close collaboration with engineers (Build & Infrastructure, potentially others), product managers/partners, and diverse game teams across King. This implies a matrixed reporting structure and a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication.

Methodology:

• User-Centric Design: A strong emphasis on understanding user needs and translating them into product direction, particularly through "jobs to be done" and rigorous user research.

• Agile Development: Likely operates within an agile framework, requiring iterative design, prototyping, and continuous feedback loops.

• Systems Thinking: Given the complexity of the CI ecosystem and developer tools, a systems thinking approach is crucial for understanding interdependencies and designing holistic solutions.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Research findings and user feedback are expected to drive design decisions and prioritization.

Company Website: king.com

📝 Enhancement Note: King's culture is likely a blend of the creative, fast-paced gaming industry and the structured, process-oriented environment of a large technology company (especially post-Microsoft acquisition). The "Making the World Playful" mission suggests a fun, engaging, but also highly professional atmosphere. The focus on "Shared Tech" means this role is critical for enabling internal teams to be more effective.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Principal UX Designer role, indicating a highly experienced individual contributor with significant leadership and influence capabilities. It's a position focused on tackling the most complex design challenges, driving strategic direction, and mentoring others, rather than people management. The "FTC to Mar 2027" designation means it's a temporary position, but the responsibilities and title suggest it's a high-level assignment.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into a design leadership function within Shared Technology or a related product/engineering group. Direct collaboration will be with engineers and product partners within the Build & Infrastructure teams. Influence will extend to game teams who are the end-users of the CI ecosystem.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant, directly affecting the efficiency, productivity, and satisfaction of King's game development teams. By improving the CI ecosystem, this designer will enable faster iteration cycles, reduce developer friction, and ultimately contribute to the quality and speed of game delivery. This is a critical enabler role within the GTM (Go-To-Market) enablement chain, ensuring development teams can bring products to market more effectively.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Technical Domain Expertise: Opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of CI/CD, build systems, and complex software development infrastructure, a valuable niche skill.

• Strategic Influence: Ability to shape the direction of critical internal technology platforms and influence cross-functional teams at a senior level.

• Leadership of Complex Initiatives: Experience leading high-stakes design projects that have a broad impact across the organization.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers or provide guidance to product and engineering teams on user-centered design principles.

• Networking: Building strong relationships with engineering leaders and game development teams across King.

📝 Enhancement Note: While a fixed-term contract, the "Senior Principal" title means the experience gained will be highly valuable for future senior design roles, particularly in internal tooling, platform design, or technical product management. The focus on developer experience is a growing area with significant career potential.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site. The role is based in King's offices in Stockholm or Malmö, Sweden. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed for in-person teamwork.

Office Location(s): Stockholm (Malmskillnadsgatan) and Malmö, Sweden. These are major Scandinavian tech hubs, offering vibrant working environments and good accessibility.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices are likely equipped with meeting rooms, breakout areas, and open-plan spaces conducive to team collaboration, workshops, and design sessions.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard office technology, design software, and potentially specialized developer tools and platforms relevant to the CI ecosystem.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with engineers, product managers, and representatives from various game teams, fostering a dynamic and communicative atmosphere.

• Gaming Culture: As a gaming company, the environment may incorporate elements of fun and creativity, while maintaining professional standards for core development work.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) with potential for some flexibility. The on-site requirement means active participation in office-based activities and team meetings is expected. The nature of CI/CD work might occasionally require attention outside of core hours if critical issues arise, though this is usually managed through on-call rotations by engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is key. Candidates should be prepared for regular office presence, emphasizing the value King places on in-person collaboration for complex problem-solving and team alignment, especially in a role requiring deep interaction with engineering and diverse user groups.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, interest, and contract details (FTC, dates).

2. Hiring Manager/Team Lead Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager or lead designer to delve into experience, research methodology, leadership style, and fit with the team's goals.

3. Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A crucial stage where candidates present their portfolio, focusing on relevant case studies. This may be combined with a design challenge or a deep dive into a specific problem related to CI workflows or developer experience. Expect to discuss your process, decisions, and impact.

4. Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders, including engineers, product partners, and potentially representatives from game teams, to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to influence.

5. Final Interview: Possibly with a senior leader to discuss strategic fit and overall candidacy.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your experience with complex systems, developer tools, workflow optimization, and user research. Prioritize projects that show impact and your senior-level influence.

• Structure Your Narratives: For each case study, clearly articulate: The Problem (Pain Points, Business Context), Your Role & Responsibilities, Your Process (Research, Design, Iteration), The Solution, and The Impact (Quantifiable results if possible).

• Highlight JTBD/Outcome Focus: Explicitly show how you identified and addressed user "jobs to be done" or prioritized outcomes over features.

• Demonstrate Technical Empathy: Show how you engaged with engineers and understood technical constraints and possibilities.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design decisions, trade-offs, research findings, and how you handled ambiguity or conflict.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand CI/CD Basics: Familiarize yourself with common CI/CD concepts, tools (like Jenkins, Buildkite), and the general developer workflow. While not an engineer, understanding the domain is critical.

• Think Systems: Practice thinking about how different components of a development pipeline interact.

• Problem Decomposition: If given a challenge, practice breaking it down into smaller, manageable parts.

• User-Centric Approach: Always frame your solutions from the perspective of the developer user. What are their goals? What are their frustrations?

• Communicate Your Thought Process: Clearly articulate your assumptions, reasoning, and proposed solutions, even if they are not fully fleshed out.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review and potential design challenge are critical. Given the technical nature of the role, candidates must demonstrate not just design skills but also the ability to understand and engage with complex technical domains and processes. Emphasizing the "Senior Principal" aspect means showcasing leadership and strategic thinking.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Design & Prototyping Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure RP (or similar industry-standard tools for wireframing, prototyping, and UI design).

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting remote usability testing, surveys, and qualitative interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Lookback).

• Collaboration & Documentation: Jira, Confluence, Miro, Mural (for project tracking, documentation, and collaborative whiteboarding/workshops).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: While not a data analyst role, familiarity with tools used to analyze user behavior and system performance (e.g., basic SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Google Analytics for internal tools if applicable) can be beneficial.

• Reporting Dashboards: Experience working with or contributing to dashboards that track user adoption, task completion rates, and system efficiency.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable: This role is focused on internal developer tools and infrastructure, not customer-facing CRM systems. However, understanding how internal tools integrate and automate workflows is key.

• CI/CD Platforms: Direct or indirect familiarity with platforms like Jenkins, Buildkite, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions is highly valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis here is on tools that support the UX design and research process, as well as familiarity with the technical landscape of CI/CD. The ability to work effectively with engineers and understand their tools is paramount.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of internal users (game developers) to enhance their productivity and experience.

• Excellence in Craft: Striving for high-quality design, robust research, and impactful solutions that elevate the developer experience.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Valuing open communication, shared learning, and collective problem-solving across diverse teams (Design, Engineering, Product).

• Impact & Results: Focusing on delivering tangible improvements that drive efficiency, reduce friction, and contribute to the success of game development.

• Continuous Improvement: Embracing iterative design, learning from feedback, and adapting to evolving technical landscapes and user needs.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership with Engineering: Working hand-in-hand with Build & Infrastructure engineers, fostering mutual respect and shared ownership of solutions.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Facilitating workshops and discussions to ensure alignment between different departments and user groups.

• Transparent Communication: Openly sharing research findings, design rationale, and project progress with all relevant stakeholders.

• Constructive Feedback Culture: Encouraging and providing constructive feedback to continuously refine designs and processes.

• Empowering Developers: Designing tools and workflows that empower game teams to be more autonomous and effective.

📝 Enhancement Note: King, as part of Microsoft, likely emphasizes values around collaboration, user focus, and driving impact. For this specific role, the culture will be heavily influenced by the engineering-centric environment of Shared Technology, requiring a pragmatic and collaborative approach.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Legacy Systems: Navigating and simplifying years of accumulated technical debt and complex CI workflows.

• Diverse User Needs: Balancing the varied requirements and technical proficiencies of different game teams.

• Technical Domain Learning Curve: Rapidly acquiring a deep understanding of CI/CD, build systems, and related technologies.

• Influencing Technical Stakeholders: Effectively communicating UX principles and design rationale to experienced engineers and driving adoption of new workflows.

• Ambiguity and Scope: Defining clear objectives and deliverables in a project that involves significant system modernization.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Developer Experience (DevEx): Becoming an expert in designing for technical users and optimizing development pipelines.

• CI/CD & DevOps Practices: Gaining practical knowledge of DevOps principles and tools essential for modern software development.

• Systems Design & Architecture: Developing a stronger understanding of how complex technical systems are architected and maintained.

• Service Design & Enterprise UX: Applying service design principles to internal platforms and workflows.

• Strategic Influence & Leadership: Honing skills in driving complex, cross-functional initiatives through expertise and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant and directly tied to the nature of modernizing complex technical infrastructure. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a chance to develop highly sought-after skills in developer experience and technical platform design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to simplify a complex, legacy system for users. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on process, research, and impact).

• "How would you approach understanding the 'jobs to be done' for developers using our CI system, given you're new to the domain?" (Highlight research methods, collaboration, and learning strategy).

• "Imagine you've identified a significant pain point in the CI workflow. How would you present this to engineering leadership and gain buy-in for a redesign?" (Focus on communication, data, influence, and stakeholder management).

• "How do you balance user needs with technical constraints and delivery timelines when designing complex systems?" (Demonstrate pragmatic problem-solving and trade-off analysis). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working at King, specifically within the Shared Technology division and on CI modernization?" (Show research into King's games, mission, and the importance of internal tech).

• "How do you see your role contributing to 'Making the World Playful' from an internal developer experience perspective?" (Connect internal efficiency to external game quality).

• "Describe your experience working in large, matrixed organizations. How do you navigate competing priorities and build consensus?" (Highlight collaboration and influence skills). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the business problem and user pain points your project addressed.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (screenshots, mockups, journey maps) to illustrate your design process and solutions.

• Emphasize Your Role: Be specific about your contributions, especially if it was a team project.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your design (e.g., reduction in task time, increase in adoption, decrease in errors).

• Discuss Trade-offs and Learnings: Be prepared to talk about challenges, what you would do differently, and what you learned.

• Connect to Developer Experience: Frame your case studies through the lens of improving the developer workflow and ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a blend of deep UX expertise, strong research capabilities, the ability to navigate technical complexity, and excellent stakeholder management skills. Demonstrating an understanding of the developer lifecycle and the impact of CI on game delivery will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in UX design, user research, complex systems design, developer tools, and workflow optimization. Use keywords from the job description such as "Developer Experience," "CI/CD," "Systems Thinking," and "Jobs-to-be-Done." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 high-impact case studies that best showcase your ability to tackle complex technical challenges, conduct rigorous research, and drive measurable improvements in user workflows. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates your process, role, and outcomes.

• Prepare Your "Story": Be ready to articulate your career journey, your passion for user-centered design, and why this specific fixed-term role at King appeals to you. Practice presenting your portfolio case studies concisely and effectively.

• Research King and the Role: Understand King's games, mission, and the strategic importance of the Shared Technology division and CI modernization. Familiarize yourself with basic CI/CD concepts to demonstrate your technical curiosity.

⚠️ 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.