Senior Product Designer

9fin
Full-timeLondon, United Kingdom

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: 9fin

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / Fintech Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-17T00:00:00

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

  • Drive product and design strategy by partnering closely with customers, Product Managers, and engineers to define the vision and user experience of AI-native financial platforms.

  • Design intuitive and trustworthy interfaces for exploring, understanding, and acting upon complex AI-generated insights and large financial datasets.

  • Own the end-to-end design process, from user research and problem framing to wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI design for sophisticated financial workflows.

  • Contribute to and evolve the company's design system to support advanced, data-heavy, and AI-driven product capabilities within the debt markets.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a Product Designer, its focus on financial markets, complex data, AI-driven workflows, and the need for precision and trust makes it highly relevant to operations professionals interested in the intersection of technology and finance. The candidate will be instrumental in operationalizing AI insights and making complex financial data actionable for users, which directly impacts the operational efficiency and decision-making capabilities of 9fin's clients.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Conduct user research and discovery to identify user needs, understand workflows, and pinpoint areas where technology can deliver significant value in global debt markets.

  • Translate complex financial concepts, proprietary credit data, and AI model outputs into clear, intuitive, and trustworthy product experiences, ensuring source attribution, confidence levels, and user control.

  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Product, Engineering, and Data Science, to iterate on AI-powered experiences, incorporating feedback loops and evaluation workflows.

  • Proactively identify opportunities to apply emerging AI capabilities to solve real customer problems, prototyping novel interaction patterns for AI-native workflows.

  • Own the design of user interfaces and interactions that facilitate the exploration, understanding, and actionability of complex financial data and AI-generated insights.

  • Contribute to the strategic direction of the 9fin platform, ensuring design decisions align with business objectives and user needs in high-precision environments.

  • Develop and maintain high-fidelity UI designs, wireframes, and interactive prototypes that are robust across edge cases and complex data conditions.

  • Actively participate in design critiques, provide constructive feedback, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "AI-native workflows" and "complex financial data" suggests a need for designers who can not only create aesthetically pleasing interfaces but also deeply understand and operationalize complex information systems. This involves designing for trust, transparency, and user control in a domain where errors can have significant financial implications, a critical aspect for operations professionals.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating a deep understanding of UX principles and visual design is paramount. Candidates with degrees in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or related fields may have a foundational advantage.

Experience: 5-10 years of experience in product design, with a significant portion spent in complex, high-stakes domains such as fintech, enterprise SaaS, data platforms, or professional tools. Experience in financial markets is beneficial but not essential; a strong capacity for learning and adapting to new domains is highly valued.

Required Skills:

  • Product Design Expertise: Proven ability to design end-to-end user experiences, encompassing user research, problem definition, wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI design.

  • Systems Thinking: Capacity to design holistic workflows and user behaviors, not just individual screens, and to zoom between high-level strategy and granular interaction details.

  • Figma Proficiency: Fluency in using Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

  • Prototyping Skills: Ability to rapidly create tangible prototypes using various tools, including AI tools, Figma, or even sketches, to validate ideas quickly.

  • User Research & Discovery: Experience conducting user interviews, facilitating workshops, and synthesizing research findings to inform design decisions.

  • AI-Native Design Principles: Understanding of how to design interfaces for AI-generated insights, ensuring trust, transparency, source attribution, and user control.

  • Data Visualization & Complex Data Handling: Ability to design interfaces that effectively present and allow interaction with complex datasets and financial information.

  • Design System Contribution: Experience contributing to or working with design systems to ensure consistency and scalability across product features.

  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively as an embedded partner with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and subject matter experts.

  • Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication for articulating design rationale, facilitating discussions, and aligning stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

  • Fintech or Financial Markets Experience: Direct experience designing for financial services, investment banking, asset management, or related sectors.

  • Enterprise SaaS Design: Experience designing complex B2B software solutions.

  • Generative AI Integration: Familiarity with leveraging generative AI tools within the design process.

  • UI Design & Visual Craftsmanship: A keen eye for detail in visual design, ensuring a polished and professional aesthetic.

  • Agile/Scrum Environment Experience: Familiarity with working in iterative development cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement emphasizes "complex, high-stakes domains" and "systems thinking," which are critical for roles involving operational efficiency and data integrity. Proficiency in "AI-native design" and handling "complex data" directly aligns with the need for designers to operationalize AI and make sophisticated information accessible and trustworthy, a key challenge in many GTM and RevOps environments.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Case Studies Demonstrating End-to-End Design: Showcase at least 2-3 detailed case studies that illustrate your process from initial problem identification and user research through to final UI design and iteration.

  • Focus on Complex Domains/Workflows: Highlight projects where you designed for sophisticated users, intricate data, or high-stakes environments (e.g., fintech, enterprise SaaS, data analytics platforms).

  • AI-Driven or Data-Intensive Projects: Include examples where you designed interfaces for AI-generated insights, complex datasets, or analytical workflows. Clearly articulate the challenges and your design solutions.

  • Systems Thinking Examples: Demonstrate your ability to design not just screens but also integrated workflows, user journeys, and interaction patterns that form a cohesive system.

  • Prototyping and Iteration Evidence: Include interactive prototypes or clear descriptions of how you prototyped and iterated on designs based on feedback or testing.

  • Design System Contributions: If applicable, showcase examples of your contributions to design systems or how you leveraged existing systems effectively.

  • Clear Problem/Solution Articulation: Each case study should clearly define the problem statement, your role, the design process, key decisions, and the impact/outcomes achieved.

Process Documentation:

  • Discovery & Research Documentation: Provide examples of how you document user research findings, journey maps, and problem statements.

  • Wireframing & Flow Diagrams: Showcase examples of your wireframes and user flow diagrams that clearly map out user interactions and system logic.

  • High-Fidelity UI & Interaction Design: Present polished UI designs and explain specific interaction patterns, especially those addressing complexity or AI integration.

  • Outcome & Impact Measurement: Detail how you measure the success of your designs, focusing on user adoption, task completion, efficiency gains, or other relevant metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, especially in a company like 9fin, the portfolio is crucial for demonstrating operational impact. The emphasis on "complex domains," "AI-driven projects," and "systems thinking" means candidates need to showcase how their design decisions lead to tangible improvements in user efficiency, data comprehension, and trust – key operational outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in London with 5-10 years of experience, particularly within the fintech sector, the estimated salary range is £75,000 - £110,000 per annum. This range accounts for the competitive market, the seniority of the role, and the company's stated commitment to benchmarking salaries at the top end of the market.

Benefits:

  • Competitive Salary: Benchmark salaries are positioned at the top end of the market.

  • Equity: Opportunity to own a stake in the company's growth.

  • Pension: 9fin matches contributions, with the employee contributing a minimum of 4% and 9fin matching up to 7%.

  • Private Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health coverage.

  • Paid Sick Leave & Income Protection: Support for long-term illness.

  • Group Life Assurance: Financial security for beneficiaries.

  • Season Ticket Loan: Assistance with commuting costs.

  • Cycle to Work Scheme: Encourages sustainable commuting.

  • 25 Holiday Days: Generous annual leave allowance.

  • Public Holiday Exchange: Flexibility to swap public holidays for alternative days.

  • Hybrid Working Model: Flexibility in how, where, and when work is performed.

  • Work Abroad: Option to work remotely from abroad for up to 3 months annually.

  • Paid Sabbatical: 1 month paid leave after 5 years of service.

  • Enhanced Parental Leave: Supportive policies for new parents.

  • Professional Learning & Development Budget: Investment in continuous skill enhancement.

  • Regular Team Socials & Company Events: Opportunities for team building and networking.

Working Hours: The role operates on a standard full-time basis, likely around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid working model allowing for flexibility in location and timing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The listed salary range is an estimate based on London market data for senior-level design roles in the tech/fintech sector. The company explicitly states "Competitive Salary (our salary bands are benchmarked at the top end of the market)," reinforcing this estimate. The benefits package is comprehensive, reflecting a commitment to employee well-being and professional development, which is attractive to operations professionals seeking stability and growth.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (Fintech), specifically focused on the global debt markets. 9fin is disrupting traditional financial data and analysis with an AI-powered platform.

Company Size: Scaling startup, indicating a dynamic, fast-paced environment with opportunities for significant impact and growth. The company is actively expanding, suggesting a growing team and evolving processes.

Founded: While the founding date isn't explicitly stated, the company's description as a "scaling startup" with "proven product-market fit" implies it has moved beyond its early stages and is in a growth phase.

Team Structure:

  • Cross-functional Product & Engineering Teams: Designers work embedded within these teams, collaborating closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Scientists.

  • Specialization: While teams are cross-functional, there's likely a specialization in AI, financial data, workflow automation, and transaction intelligence.

  • Reporting: The Senior Product Designer will likely report into a Head of Product, Design Lead, or Product Manager, with close interaction across engineering and product leadership.

Methodology:

  • AI-Powered Innovation: A core methodology revolves around leveraging AI to transform financial markets, focusing on data centralization, deep analysis, and workflow automation.

  • Customer-Centricity: Strong emphasis on partnering with customers to understand their needs and deliver high-value solutions.

  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Implied by the nature of the financial industry and the use of AI, design decisions are expected to be informed by data and user feedback.

  • Agile & Iterative Development: Common in tech startups, suggesting a process of rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration.

Company Website: https://9fin.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture at a scaling fintech like 9fin is typically characterized by innovation, speed, and a strong focus on problem-solving. For operations professionals, this translates to an environment where process improvement, efficiency, and data-driven insights are highly valued, and where new technologies like AI are actively integrated into daily workflows.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a Senior individual contributor position within the Product Design function, focusing on strategic product development and execution. For individuals transitioning from or adjacent to operations, this role offers a unique opportunity to influence the operational tools and platforms used by financial professionals.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will work within cross-functional product and engineering teams. They will likely report to a Design Lead or Head of Product, working closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads. This structure encourages direct collaboration and rapid decision-making.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's work directly impacts the operational efficiency and decision-making capabilities of 9fin's clients. By designing intuitive interfaces for complex financial data and AI-driven insights, they enable users at leading financial institutions to perform their jobs faster, more accurately, and with greater confidence. This translates to improved operational outcomes for clients, driving adoption and success for 9fin.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Leadership in Design: Opportunity to take on more complex product areas, mentor junior designers, and influence the overall product design strategy.

  • Domain Expertise Development: Deepen knowledge of financial markets, debt capital markets, and AI applications within finance, becoming a subject matter expert.

  • Strategic Product Influence: Contribute significantly to product vision and roadmap, impacting the direction of a category-defining platform.

  • Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop skills in leading design initiatives across engineering and product teams.

  • Potential for Management: As the design team grows, opportunities for moving into a Design Manager role may arise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities here are significant for someone interested in operationalizing complex systems. The ability to shape the "AI-native products" and "complex financial workflows" directly translates to influencing how sophisticated financial operations are conducted, offering a path to becoming a key player in the fintech operational landscape.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: 9fin operates a hybrid working model, suggesting a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration. This model is designed to offer flexibility while still fostering team connection and innovation.

Office Location(s): The primary office is located in London, United Kingdom. Specific details about the office space would likely be shared during the interview process, but it can be assumed to be a modern, collaborative workspace typical of a scaling tech company.

Workspace Context:

  • Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and cross-functional team structure encourage collaboration, with opportunities for in-person brainstorming, workshops, and team meetings.

  • Technology-Rich: As a tech company, expect access to modern design tools, collaboration software, and potentially AI-powered internal tools to aid productivity.

  • Dynamic & Fast-Paced: The startup environment means a focus on agility, problem-solving, and continuous improvement, offering a stimulating workspace.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, likely around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model provides flexibility, allowing individuals to balance their work and personal lives effectively. This flexibility is beneficial for operations professionals who may need to manage complex schedules or focus during specific periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment, offering flexibility that is highly valued in modern professional roles, including those in operations. This flexibility, combined with a collaborative and tech-forward workspace, creates an environment conducive to focused work and team engagement.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio. Be prepared to articulate your relevant experience and why you're a good fit for 9fin.

  • Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will likely present a curated selection of your work, focusing on 2-3 key case studies that demonstrate your skills in handling complexity, AI integration, and systems thinking. Be ready to discuss your design process, decision-making rationale, and the impact of your work.

  • Technical/Design Challenge: Expect a practical exercise, potentially involving a design problem related to financial data or AI workflows. This could be a take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual workshop. Focus on demonstrating your problem-solving approach and ability to translate requirements into design solutions.

  • Cross-functional Interviews: Meet with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other stakeholders to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to integrate into a cross-functional team.

  • Final Interview: Typically with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Product or CTO) to discuss overall strategic fit, career aspirations, and cultural alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Curate Strategically: Select case studies that best highlight your experience with complex domains, AI-native design, and systems thinking. Tailor your selection to the 9fin role.

  • Tell a Story: Structure each case study as a narrative: problem, your role, process, challenges, solutions, and outcomes. Emphasize why you made certain design decisions.

  • Quantify Impact: Where possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved user efficiency, task completion rates, adoption metrics).

  • Showcase Process: Clearly articulate your design process, including research methods, ideation techniques, prototyping, and iteration.

  • Highlight AI & Data: Explicitly call out how you've handled AI-generated insights and complex data, explaining your approach to ensuring trust and usability.

  • Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, how you handle ambiguity, your collaboration style, and your approach to working with AI.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Understand the Domain: Research 9fin's platform, the debt markets, and common challenges faced by financial professionals.

  • Focus on Process: Demonstrate a structured problem-solving approach. Even if you don't arrive at a "perfect" solution, your methodology will be key.

  • Consider AI & Data: If the challenge involves AI or data, ensure your proposed solutions address trust, transparency, and usability.

  • Think About Scale & Edge Cases: Consider how your design would scale and handle various edge cases and error states.

  • Practice Articulation: Be prepared to clearly explain your thought process and design decisions under time pressure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical application and strategic thinking. For operations-minded candidates, this is an opportunity to showcase how design thinking can solve operational challenges in finance, particularly in areas like data interpretation and AI utilization. A strong portfolio demonstrating these capabilities is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Figma: The core tool for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.

  • Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, ProtoPie) may be beneficial.

  • AI Tools for Design: Experience utilizing generative AI tools (e.g., Midjourney, Stable Diffusion for ideation, or AI-powered design assistants) within the design workflow is preferred.

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

Analytics & Reporting:

  • Product Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to understand user behavior and measure design impact.

  • Data Visualization Tools: While not a primary design tool, understanding how data is presented and consumed (e.g., Tableau, Power BI concepts) can be helpful for designing data-rich interfaces.

CRM & Automation:

  • Collaboration & Project Management Tools: Proficiency with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks within sprints and collaborating with engineering.

  • Documentation Tools: Tools like Notion, Confluence, or Google Workspace for documenting research, design decisions, and system specifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and AI tools highlights the modern tech stack. For operations professionals, understanding how these tools integrate into a product development lifecycle, particularly for data-intensive and AI-driven applications, is key. This stack supports the operationalization of product features and user workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Precision & Trust: In the financial domain, accuracy and reliability are paramount. Designs must instill confidence and be free from errors.

  • Data-Driven Approach: Decisions are informed by user research, product analytics, and market data, ensuring that design efforts are aligned with business objectives and user needs.

  • Efficiency & Optimization: A core drive to streamline complex workflows, automate processes where possible, and make information easily accessible to improve user productivity.

  • Innovation & Curiosity: A culture that encourages exploring new technologies, especially AI, and applying them to solve challenging problems in the financial markets.

  • Collaboration & Transparency: Working effectively in cross-functional teams, communicating design rationale openly, and seeking feedback to achieve collective goals.

Collaboration Style:

  • Embedded Partnership: Designers are integrated within product and engineering teams, fostering tight collaboration and shared ownership.

  • Iterative Feedback Loops: Regular design reviews, critiques, and feedback sessions with peers, Product Managers, and Engineers.

  • Customer-Centric Dialogue: Active engagement with customers to gather insights and validate design solutions.

  • Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings, and new ideas across the team and wider organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of "Precision & Trust" and "Efficiency & Optimization" resonate strongly with operations professionals. These values underscore the importance of robust processes, reliable data, and streamlined workflows, which are central to any successful operations function.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Designing for Complexity & Ambiguity: Translating intricate financial concepts, large datasets, and emerging AI capabilities into intuitive and trustworthy user experiences.

  • Building Trust in AI: Designing interfaces that clearly communicate AI outputs, including source attribution, confidence levels, and potential limitations, to foster user trust.

  • Balancing Sophistication with Usability: Catering to sophisticated financial professionals while ensuring the platform remains accessible and efficient.

  • Rapid Iteration in a Scaling Environment: Adapting quickly to evolving product requirements and market demands within a fast-growing startup.

  • Defining New Interaction Patterns: Creating novel design solutions for AI-native workflows where established best practices may not yet exist.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Deep Domain Expertise: Gain profound knowledge of global debt markets, financial instruments, and the operational intricacies of financial institutions.

  • AI & Machine Learning Application: Develop expertise in designing for cutting-edge AI technologies within a real-world financial context.

  • Strategic Product Influence: Contribute to high-level product strategy and roadmap planning, shaping the future of a significant financial technology platform.

  • Mentorship & Leadership: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and take on leadership roles within design projects and initiatives.

  • Industry Exposure: Engage with professionals and institutions at the forefront of the financial industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are directly related to operationalizing complex technology in a high-stakes industry. For operations-minded individuals, these challenges represent opportunities to apply process improvement, data management, and strategic thinking to product design, driving tangible operational improvements for users.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "Describe a time you designed a complex workflow or system. What were the key challenges, and how did you ensure it was intuitive and efficient for users?" (Focus on your process, problem-solving, and impact.)

  • "How do you approach designing for AI-generated insights, particularly regarding trust, transparency, and user control? Can you share an example?" (Highlight your understanding of AI ethics and user confidence in automated outputs.)

  • "Walk me through a project where you had to synthesize large amounts of complex data into a user-friendly interface. What was your methodology, and what was the outcome?" (Emphasize data interpretation and visualization skills.) Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What interests you about 9fin and the debt markets specifically? How do you see your design skills contributing to our mission?" (Show genuine curiosity and alignment with the company's purpose.)

  • "How do you integrate user feedback and data into your design process, especially in a fast-paced startup environment?" (Demonstrate your adaptability and user-centric approach.)

  • "Describe your experience working within cross-functional teams. How do you collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers to achieve shared goals?" (Focus on communication, alignment, and collaborative problem-solving.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Start with the 'Why': Clearly articulate the problem you were solving and the business/user objectives.

  • Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (screenshots, prototypes, flow diagrams) to illustrate your process and solutions.

  • Explain Your Decisions: For each step, explain the rationale behind your choices. Why this approach? Why this interaction?

  • Quantify Impact: If possible, present metrics or evidence of how your design improved user experience, efficiency, or achieved business goals.

  • Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design elements, edge cases, and alternative approaches you considered.

  • Tailor to 9fin: Connect your past work to the challenges and opportunities at 9fin, particularly concerning AI and financial data.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for these questions means framing your design experience through an operational lens – how your designs improve efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making for users in complex financial scenarios. Demonstrating this understanding is key for operations-minded candidates.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the provided Ashby link.

  • Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your experience with complex domains, AI-native design, and systems thinking. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your process, your role, design decisions, and measurable outcomes.

  • Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to complex B2B SaaS, fintech, data platforms, and AI-driven products. Emphasize skills in user research, systems thinking, Figma, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

  • Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio case studies. Be ready to articulate your design rationale, discuss challenges, and explain the impact of your work, focusing on how your designs improved operational efficiency or decision-making for users.

  • Research 9fin: Understand their platform, mission, and the challenges within the debt markets. Consider how your design philosophy aligns with their focus on AI, data, and precision in financial services.

⚠️ 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.


Application Requirements

The ideal candidate has experience designing for complex, high-stakes domains such as fintech or enterprise SaaS. You must be a systems thinker proficient in Figma with a strong ability to translate complex data into intuitive, trustworthy user experiences.