Senior Product Designer (12 Month Fixed-Term Contract)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (12 Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Company: Sonder.io

Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia

Job Type: Contract, Temporary

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-09-18

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design for Sonder's member experience, focusing on mobile-first solutions.

• Drive design initiatives from initial discovery and research through to final product launch and iteration.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering teams to translate complex requirements into intuitive user interfaces and seamless user journeys.

• Leverage and extend existing design systems while contributing to the development of new components and patterns.

• Integrate AI tools into the design workflow to enhance efficiency, creativity, and process optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a critical 12-month fixed-term contract position, emphasizing senior-level expertise in mobile-first product design. The successful candidate will be expected to hit the ground running, demonstrate strong leadership in design thinking, and possess a proven ability to manage projects from ideation to execution within a fast-paced startup environment. The focus on AI tools suggests a forward-thinking organization keen on leveraging cutting-edge technology for design process improvement.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the design process for key member-facing features, from user research and concept development to high-fidelity prototyping and final visual design.

• Conduct user interviews, usability testing, and data analysis to inform design decisions and identify opportunities for improvement in the member experience.

• Develop and maintain design documentation, including user flows, wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes, ensuring clarity and alignment across product and engineering teams.

• Champion design best practices, contributing to the evolution of Sonder's design system and ensuring visual and interaction consistency across all touchpoints.

• Present design concepts, rationale, and outcomes effectively to cross-functional teams, including engineering, product, marketing, and leadership, incorporating feedback to refine solutions.

• Proactively identify and propose innovative design solutions that enhance user engagement, safety, and overall wellbeing within the Sonder platform.

• Collaborate with stakeholders in regulated, high-trust, or health and safety-adjacent spaces to ensure designs meet stringent compliance and user trust requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities highlight a hands-on design role with significant ownership. The emphasis on "full-stack product design" from discovery to shipped product, combined with "mobile interaction craft and visual polish," indicates a need for a designer who can execute across the entire design lifecycle with a high degree of craft. The mention of regulated spaces suggests a need for meticulous attention to detail and an understanding of user trust and safety principles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is often preferred for senior product design roles. Equivalent practical experience will be strongly considered.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in product design, with a significant portion at a senior or staff level, demonstrating a track record of delivering successful digital products.

Required Skills:

• 5+ years of senior or staff-level product design experience.

• Extensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design, with a strong emphasis on mobile interaction design and visual polish.

• Proven experience with design systems: extending existing systems and contributing to new component development.

• Proficiency in user research methodologies, usability testing, and data analysis to drive design decisions.

• Expertise in industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite).

• Strong understanding of AI tools and their application in enhancing the design process.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale to diverse audiences.

• Ability to manage multiple projects, adapt to shifting priorities, and deliver high-quality work in a dynamic environment. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in a fast-moving startup environment, particularly in a design lead capacity.

• Experience building a design system from scratch.

• Hands-on experience embedding AI tools directly into daily design workflows.

• Experience designing for regulated, high-trust, or health and safety-adjacent industries.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5+ years of senior/staff-level experience, coupled with a strong portfolio, indicates that candidates will be evaluated on their demonstrated impact and strategic design thinking, not just technical skills. The emphasis on AI tools and regulated spaces suggests a need for forward-thinking and meticulous candidates.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated selection of case studies demonstrating the full product design lifecycle, from problem definition and user research to ideation, prototyping, user testing, and final shipped product.

• Specific examples of mobile-first design solutions, highlighting interaction patterns, UI polish, and user experience enhancements.

• Demonstrations of your contribution to or development of design systems, including examples of component creation, pattern definition, and system extension.

• Case studies that showcase your ability to integrate AI tools into your design process, detailing how these tools improved efficiency, creativity, or problem-solving.

• Evidence of strong visual design craft and attention to detail, particularly in the execution of UI elements and overall product aesthetics. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your approach to user research and discovery, including methodologies used and how insights were translated into design decisions.

• Illustrate your workflow for rapid prototyping and iterative design, demonstrating how you test and refine concepts with users.

• Provide examples of how you manage design handoffs to engineering and collaborate to ensure accurate implementation.

• Detail your process for extending or building design systems, including governance, documentation, and collaboration strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is crucial for this role. Candidates must clearly articulate their design process, demonstrate strong mobile interaction skills, and provide tangible evidence of their experience with design systems and AI integration. Case studies should not just present the final output but also the strategic thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative efforts involved.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, with 5+ years of experience in a hybrid/tech environment, a competitive fixed-term contract rate would typically range from AUD $150,000 to AUD $200,000 per annum, pro-rated for the 12-month term. This range accounts for the senior-level expertise, contract nature, and location.

Benefits:

• Hybrid and flexible working environment, offering a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work.

• Complimentary access to the Sonder app for employees and their families, providing 24/7 support.

• Comprehensive paid parental leave: 12 weeks for primary carers and 4 weeks for secondary carers, with an attractive return-to-work policy for primary carers (80% pay for 3 months).

• Access to cutting-edge AI tools (Claude, Gemini) to foster experimentation, automation, and efficiency gains across all roles.

• 2 days of dedicated study leave per year to invest in professional development and skill enhancement.

• Opportunities for Salary Packaging and novated leasing.

• Annual wellbeing fund of $250 to support personal wellness choices.

• Free coffee available at the Sydney HQ.

• Dog-friendly office environment at the Sydney HQ.

• 2 days of volunteer leave per year to contribute to community causes.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid work arrangement to manage personal schedules effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for a fixed-term contract role at this seniority level in Sydney. Benefits are comprehensive and reflect a company culture that values employee wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional development, with a unique emphasis on AI tool adoption.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Health Tech / Workplace Wellbeing. Sonder operates at the intersection of technology and health, safety, and wellbeing, providing a mobile platform for real-time support from medical, safety, and mental health professionals. This positions them in a high-growth, high-impact sector.

Company Size: 200+ team members globally. This indicates a well-established scale-up with established processes, but still agile enough to retain startup dynamism.

Founded: 2017. This relatively recent founding date means the company culture is likely still evolving and deeply influenced by its growth trajectory and mission-driven approach.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is likely integrated within cross-functional product squads, working closely with Product Managers and Engineers.

• The Senior Product Designer will report directly to the Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO), indicating a high level of visibility and direct access to leadership.

• Collaboration extends across various departments, including safety, medical, and mental health professionals, to ensure the product meets diverse user needs and regulatory requirements. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on leveraging data from user behaviour, testing, and feedback to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Agile & Iterative Development: Likely employing agile methodologies for rapid iteration and continuous improvement of the product.

• AI-Native Approach: Actively integrating AI tools into workflows to enhance efficiency, automate tasks, and drive innovation across the organization.

Company Website: https://www.sonder.io/

📝 Enhancement Note: Sonder's culture is a blend of a mission-driven health tech company with the agility of a scale-up. The "AI-Native" designation is a significant cultural differentiator, suggesting an openness to technological innovation and efficiency. Reporting to the CPTO implies a strategic design role with direct leadership interaction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior/Staff level Product Designer role, demanding a high degree of autonomy, strategic thinking, and execution capability. The role is crucial for shaping the core member experience and has direct leadership reporting.

Reporting Structure: Direct reporting to the Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO). This provides significant visibility and opportunity to influence product strategy and design direction at the highest level.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the member experience, which is central to Sonder's mission of safety, support, and empowerment. Effective design directly contributes to user adoption, engagement, retention, and the overall success of the platform in delivering critical support.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in mobile-first design, AI-assisted design workflows, and potentially design for regulated industries.

• Leadership Development: Gain experience in leading design initiatives within a cross-functional team and presenting to executive leadership, building towards potential design leadership roles.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to product strategy and vision through design thinking, with the potential to influence the long-term direction of Sonder's member experience.

• Contract-to-Permanent Potential: While a fixed-term contract, exceptional performance could lead to opportunities for permanent roles within the growing Sonder organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a significant opportunity for a senior designer to make a substantial impact within a mission-driven company. The direct reporting line to the CPTO and the focus on core member experience provide a platform for strategic influence and career advancement, even within a contract duration.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working environment, combining remote flexibility with in-office collaboration. The Sydney HQ is described as dog-friendly.

Office Location(s): Sydney, NSW, Australia. This provides a central hub for team meetings, collaborative sessions, and access to office amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The Sydney office serves as a central point for in-person collaboration, team building, and knowledge sharing, fostering a strong sense of community.

• Technology-Enabled: As an "AI-Native" organization, expect access to modern design tools, AI assistants, and robust digital collaboration platforms to support both remote and in-office work.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: Opportunities to work closely with product managers, engineers, and potentially health/safety/mental health professionals, fostering a diverse and dynamic work environment.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule (likely 40 hours/week) is expected, with the flexibility afforded by the hybrid model to optimize personal productivity and work-life integration. This allows for dedicated focus time on design tasks while accommodating collaborative needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is designed to balance the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work. The "AI-Native" aspect suggests a technologically advanced and efficient work environment, even for a contract role.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and portfolio to assess alignment with the role's core requirements, particularly experience level and mobile design craft.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A dedicated session where you will present 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, decision-making, and outcomes. Expect in-depth questions about your approach to problem-solving, collaboration, and your experience with design systems and AI tools. This stage often involves the CPTO and key product/engineering leads.

• Design Challenge (Potential): You may be asked to complete a short design exercise or critique, either take-home or live, to assess your design thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to work within constraints.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineering leads to evaluate your collaboration style, communication skills, and technical understanding.

• Final Interview: Likely with the CPTO or other senior leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic alignment, and overall suitability for the fixed-term contract.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant case studies that showcase end-to-end product design, mobile interaction, and design system contributions. Prioritize projects that align with Sonder's mission and industry.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (discovery, ideation, testing, iteration), the solutions you designed, and the impact/outcomes achieved. Use visuals effectively to illustrate your points.

• Highlight Mobile Craft: Dedicate specific attention to showcasing your expertise in mobile interaction design, UI polish, and user flows.

• Demonstrate AI Integration: If possible, include a case study or specific examples where you leveraged AI tools to enhance your design process, explaining the benefits and outcomes.

• Explain Design System Work: Clearly articulate your experience with design systems – whether extending, contributing to, or building them. Show examples of components, patterns, and how you ensured consistency.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design rationale, trade-offs you made, how you handled feedback, and your approach to collaborating with engineers and product managers.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Sonder's Product: Familiarize yourself with Sonder's platform, its mission, target users, and the competitive landscape.

• Focus on Core Responsibilities: Anticipate challenges related to designing for mobile, working with design systems, and potentially incorporating AI features.

• Practice Presenting Your Process: Rehearse explaining your design process concisely and clearly, emphasizing problem-solving and user-centricity.

• Consider AI's Role: Think about how AI could be applied to enhance Sonder’s member experience or streamline internal processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to be thorough, assessing not only design skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and cultural fit. The portfolio presentation is a critical component, requiring candidates to articulate their design process and impact effectively.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely, given industry trends and portfolio requirements), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

• Collaboration: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides).

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello (or similar for tracking tasks and workflows).

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Google Analytics (for understanding user behaviour and product performance).

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Looker, or internal dashboards for reporting on key metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms feed into or interact with the product experience can be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is almost a given for a modern product design role. The emphasis on an "AI-Native" organization suggests that familiarity with AI tools integrated into design workflows (e.g., AI assistants for content generation, image creation, code generation, or design exploration) will be highly valued.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Safety & Support: A core value driving all product decisions, ensuring users feel secure and well-cared for.

• Empowerment: Designing experiences that empower members to manage their wellbeing and safety effectively.

• Innovation: Embracing new technologies, including AI, to continuously improve the product and user experience.

• Collaboration: Fostering a team environment where open communication, feedback, and shared ownership are encouraged.

• Impact: A focus on delivering tangible positive outcomes for members and the organization.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Strong emphasis on close collaboration between design, product, and engineering teams to ensure cohesive product development.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: A culture that values continuous feedback and iteration, encouraging designers to present work early and often.

• Data-Informed, Human-Centric: Balancing data insights with a deep understanding of user needs and empathy to create meaningful experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Sonder's values are deeply intertwined with its mission. A candidate who can demonstrate how their design approach aligns with these values, particularly concerning safety, support, and innovation (including AI), will resonate well.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Near-Term and Long-Term Vision: The need to deliver immediate, ship-ready work while also contributing to future product strategy. This requires strong prioritization and strategic thinking.

• Designing for Regulated/High-Trust Spaces: Navigating the complexities of user trust, data privacy, and potential regulatory requirements in health and safety domains.

• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Finding effective and ethical ways to integrate AI tools into the member experience and internal design processes without compromising usability or trust.

• Fast-Paced Startup Environment: Adapting to rapid change, evolving priorities, and the need for quick, effective solutions.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Tool Mastery: Opportunity to become highly proficient in leveraging advanced AI tools for design, potentially becoming an internal expert.

• Industry Expertise: Gaining specialized knowledge in health tech, workplace wellbeing, and design for high-trust environments.

• Strategic Design Influence: Direct exposure to CPTO-level discussions and product strategy, offering insights into business-level decision-making.

• Portfolio Enhancement: A 12-month contract offers a significant opportunity to add impactful, high-visibility projects to your portfolio.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in innovative tech companies. The growth opportunities are significant, especially for a designer interested in AI and mission-driven product development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the design of a complex mobile feature from discovery to launch. What was your process, what challenges did you face, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on end-to-end ownership, mobile craft, and impact.)

• "How do you approach extending or contributing to a design system? Can you walk me through an example from your portfolio?" (Assess understanding of design systems, consistency, and collaboration.)

• "How have you used AI tools to enhance your design process? What are your thoughts on the future of AI in product design?" (Gauge your familiarity with AI and forward-thinking approach.)

• "Describe a situation where you had to balance conflicting stakeholder requirements or shifting priorities. How did you manage it?" (Evaluate prioritization, communication, and adaptability.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Sonder's mission and our work in health, safety, and wellbeing?" (Demonstrate genuine interest and alignment with the company's purpose.)

• "How do you see your role contributing to an 'AI-Native' organization like Sonder?" (Connect your skills to the company's technological direction.)

• "What is your preferred collaboration style when working with product managers and engineers?" (Showcase your teamwork and communication skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the measurable impact. Use visual aids effectively.

• Highlight Mobile Interaction: Dedicate specific screens or explanations to showcasing your mobile interaction design skills and UI polish.

• Explain Design System Contributions: Clearly articulate your work on design systems, showing examples of components, patterns, and how you ensured consistency.

• Detail AI Integration: If you have relevant examples, explain how AI tools were used and the benefits they provided.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, trade-offs, and problem-solving approaches. Practice articulating your rationale concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a holistic understanding of product design, from strategic thinking and user empathy to technical execution and collaboration, with a specific emphasis on mobile, design systems, and AI integration.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Greenhouse.

• Customize Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of senior/staff-level product design experience, emphasizing mobile-first design, design systems, and any experience with AI tools or regulated industries. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate 2-3 impactful case studies that showcase your end-to-end product design process, particularly focusing on mobile interaction craft and visual polish. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your contribution and impact.

• Research Sonder: Familiarize yourself with Sonder's mission, product, target audience, and their "AI-Native" approach. Understand their values and how they relate to health, safety, and wellbeing.

• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear communication of your design process, rationale, and outcomes. Be prepared to discuss your experience with design systems and AI tools in detail.

⚠️ 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.