Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Axonify

Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada / Canada - Remote

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: October 01, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid / Remote (Canada-wide)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end product design lifecycle, from ideation and user research to prototyping, visual design, and implementation, ensuring user-centricity and business goal alignment.

• Drive design strategy by understanding user needs, behaviors, and pain points through analytics and UX research, translating insights into actionable artifacts like journey maps and personas.

• Own the creation of intuitive user experiences that solve real problems, transforming customer insights, business goals, and technical requirements into effective digital products.

• Champion design excellence and foster a culture of continuous improvement within the Product Design team and across cross-functional departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer, indicating a need for significant autonomy, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor or guide less experienced designers. The emphasis on AI-powered capabilities and a scale-up environment suggests a dynamic and fast-paced work setting.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive UX research, including user interviews, usability testing, and data analysis, to deeply understand user needs, pain points, and motivations.

• Develop and refine user journey maps, workflows, personas, and other key design artifacts to clearly articulate research findings and inform product strategy.

• Apply systems-thinking to design solutions that consider the broader customer journey, platform context, and potential impact on other product areas.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management to analyze research findings, shape product roadmaps, and define product strategy informed by user insights and business objectives.

• Lead the entire design process for assigned projects, from initial concept and wireframing to high-fidelity prototyping, visual design, and ensuring successful implementation with engineering teams.

• Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the company's design system, ensuring consistency in interaction patterns, UI elements, and platform best practices.

• Advocate for the user throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring design decisions are user-informed and align with product vision.

• Develop and refine team processes to enhance design efficiency, quality, and collaboration, fostering a culture of design excellence.

• Proactively share knowledge, design methods, and best practices with the Product Design team to support professional growth and elevate collective expertise.

• Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and other cross-functional teams to define product strategy, align on solutions, and drive product development.

• Utilize clear storytelling and robust design rationale to drive alignment across diverse teams and stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic contribution (driving strategy, shaping roadmaps) and hands-on execution (end-to-end design, prototyping). The senior nature of the role implies leadership in problem-solving and process improvement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is generally expected for senior roles.

Experience: 5+ years of professional experience designing digital products at scale, with a proven track record of delivering successful user experiences.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in end-to-end product design, encompassing UX research, information architecture, interaction design, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design.

• Strong proficiency in user journey mapping, persona development, and workflow analysis to articulate user needs and guide design decisions.

• Demonstrated ability in systems thinking, understanding how individual product components interact within a larger ecosystem and customer journey.

• Experience with user analytics and UX research methodologies to gather insights and validate design solutions.

• Ability to craft compelling design rationale and effectively communicate design decisions through storytelling to cross-functional stakeholders at all levels.

• Experience contributing to or evolving design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability across digital products.

• Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, InVision).

• Experience working in a fast-paced, scale-up environment with the ability to adapt quickly to evolving market and business needs.

• Collaborative mindset and strong interpersonal skills, with a focus on effective teamwork and cross-functional partnership.

• Familiarity with AI-assisted design tools and an understanding of how to design with and for AI. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and working within scrum teams.

• Experience mentoring junior designers or leading design initiatives.

• Understanding of front-end development principles and constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5+ years" experience coupled with the emphasis on "systems thinking" and "driving strategy" suggests a need for candidates who can operate independently and influence product direction, not just execute tasks. The explicit mention of AI in design is a key differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing a range of digital product design projects, with a clear emphasis on end-to-end ownership and impact.

• Detailed case studies demonstrating your process from problem identification and user research through to solution design and outcomes.

• Examples of how you've applied systems thinking to design complex user experiences and ensure scalability.

• Visualizations of user journey maps, workflows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final visual designs.

• Documentation of contributions to design systems or established interaction patterns.

• Metrics and data that illustrate the impact of your design solutions on user behavior, business goals, or key performance indicators (KPIs). Process Documentation:

• Evidence of how you initiate and structure design projects, including research planning and stakeholder alignment.

• Examples of iterative design processes, showing how feedback and data informed design refinements.

• Demonstrations of collaboration with engineering and product management to ensure design feasibility and successful implementation.

• Artifacts that showcase your approach to problem-solving and how you navigate complex design challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role, a portfolio is critical. It should not only display aesthetic skills but also strategic thinking, process rigor, and quantifiable impact. Case studies are essential to articulate the "why" and "how" behind design decisions.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $129,000 - $179,000 CAD per year. This range is structured to accommodate varying levels of experience and capability within the role, with most new hires expected to join near the midpoint. Actual compensation will be determined by factors including candidate experience, skills, location, and business requirements.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health benefits available from day one, supporting overall employee wellbeing.

• Generous Time Off: 4 weeks of vacation, 7 Life Care Days, and a flexible holiday program allowing employees to choose culturally significant holidays.

• Wellness Spending Account: A dedicated fund to support diverse employee wellbeing activities and preferences.

• Home Office Spending Account: Financial assistance to set up an ergonomic and productive home workspace.

• Family & Future Support: Includes parental top-up, New Parent Days, and matched retirement savings contributions to foster financial security and support for families.

• Professional Development Budget: An allocated budget for continuous learning, skill enhancement, and professional growth.

• Paid Volunteer Time: Opportunities to contribute to community causes through paid volunteer leave.

• In-Office Perks: "Tasty Tuesdays" bi-weekly in the office, fostering community and connection over shared meals.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with a hybrid-flexible work environment. Employees generally choose their work location (home or office) daily, with a designated "Work from Work Wednesdays" for in-person collaboration for those within commuting distance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is presented with a clear progression, indicating that the "Senior" title encompasses a spectrum of expertise from developing capability to full mastery. The benefits package is comprehensive, emphasizing well-being, family support, and professional development, which are attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on AI-Powered Frontline Enablement Platforms for employee training and execution in sectors like retail, grocery, healthcare, and financial services. Axonify aims to bridge the gap between learning and on-the-job performance.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated in the raw data, the mention of "4 million employees across 160+ countries" using Axonify suggests a significant B2B SaaS company with a global reach, likely in the mid-to-large enterprise category. The context of being a "scale-up that is making bold plays in the market" implies a growth-oriented, dynamic environment.

Founded: Not explicitly stated, but the company's current scale and market presence indicate a mature organization with established operations and a forward-looking strategy.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team collaborates closely with Product Management and Development.

• As a Senior Product Designer, there's an expectation of contributing to team processes and potentially mentoring.

• Cross-functional collaboration is a core tenet, involving Engineering, Product Management, and potentially other departments. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging analytics and user research to inform product strategy and design.

• Systems-thinking approach to problem-solving, considering the interconnectedness of product features and user experiences.

• Iterative design and development processes, with a focus on continuous improvement and adaptation.

• Emphasis on AI as a tool to enhance human capabilities and drive impact, integrated into both product offerings and internal processes like hiring.

Company Website: www.axonify.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described as one that "thinks deeply, moves with intention, and embraces new ideas," with a focus on learning, impact, and teamwork. The explicit mention of AI in both product and hiring process is a significant cultural differentiator.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, signifying an individual contributor position with significant responsibility for driving product strategy and user experience. It requires deep expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy. It's a role that demands not just execution but also thought leadership within the design domain.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will be part of the Product Design team and will collaborate closely with Product Management and Development. While the direct reporting manager isn't specified, senior roles typically report to a Design Lead, Director of Product, or a similar leadership position.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's impact is crucial for the success of Axonify's AI-Powered Frontline Enablement Platform. By ensuring the platform is usable, effective, and delightful for users, they directly influence employee adoption, learning effectiveness, and ultimately, real business impacts for Axonify's clients. Their work supports the company's mission to close the gap between learning and execution, a key value proposition.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in AI-assisted design, advanced UX research methodologies, and complex system design. Opportunity to contribute to and influence the company's overall design system and best practices.

• Leadership Potential: Potential to move into a Lead Product Designer role, mentoring junior designers, or taking on more strategic product initiatives. This could involve leading design efforts for major product areas or new feature sets.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Grow influence across product, engineering, and business teams, becoming a key voice in product strategy and roadmap development.

• Industry Expertise: Develop deeper knowledge within the frontline enablement, AI, and SaaS product spaces, becoming a subject matter expert.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies a career path beyond individual contribution, potentially into team leadership or specialized strategic roles within product design. The company's growth phase offers ample opportunities for impact and advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Axonify offers a hybrid-flexible work environment. For those in commuting distance, there's a physical office in Waterloo, Ontario. The company emphasizes in-person collaboration on "Work from Work Wednesdays."

Office Location(s): While the primary preference is for candidates in Toronto or Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada-wide remote candidates are also encouraged to apply. The Waterloo, Ontario office serves as a hub for hybrid employees.

Workspace Context:

• Flexibility: Employees can choose their work location daily, balancing home office productivity with office-based collaboration.

• Collaboration: "Work from Work Wednesdays" are specifically designed for in-person connection, brainstorming, and team building.

• Resources: The company commits to providing necessary tools and resources for success, regardless of work location (remote or hybrid).

Work Schedule: The standard work week is 40 hours. The hybrid model allows for flexibility in choosing daily work locations, with a structured day for in-person collaboration. This setup aims to balance individual focus time with team synergy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a designated "Work from Work Wednesday" is a specific structure designed to foster collaboration while maintaining flexibility. This is a key aspect for candidates to consider regarding their preferred work style.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application and portfolio by the Talent Acquisition team.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: Discussion focused on your experience, design philosophy, and how you approach product design challenges. This will likely include a review of your portfolio and specific project deep-dives.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a design exercise or present a detailed case study from your portfolio, demonstrating your problem-solving skills, design process, and ability to articulate rationale.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Conversations with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially other stakeholders to assess collaboration style, communication, and alignment with business goals.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss overall fit, strategic thinking, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Focus on 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your skills relevant to this role (end-to-end design, systems thinking, AI integration, SaaS experience if applicable).

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you faced, your design decisions and rationale, and the quantifiable outcomes.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Include visuals—wireframes, user flows, prototypes, final UI, research artifacts—to support your narrative.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify your achievements whenever possible. Use metrics related to user engagement, conversion rates, task success, or business KPIs.

• Address AI: If you have experience designing with or for AI, be prepared to discuss your approach and learnings.

• Tailor to Axonify: Research Axonify's product and target audience. If possible, frame your projects in a way that demonstrates an understanding of their market and user base.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: If given a design challenge, carefully read and understand the problem statement, constraints, and objectives. Ask clarifying questions.

• Outline Your Approach: Before diving into design, clearly outline your proposed approach, including research steps, key assumptions, and deliverables.

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate your thought process, not just the final solution. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Time Management: Be mindful of the time allotted. Prioritize key areas and deliver a polished, well-reasoned solution.

• Presentation Skills: Prepare to present your work clearly and concisely, anticipating questions from the interview panel.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only design skills but also strategic thinking, collaborative abilities, and cultural fit. A strong portfolio that clearly articulates process and impact is paramount. The emphasis on AI means candidates should be ready to discuss their experience or perspective on it.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, as it's industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack.

• User Research & Analytics: Google Analytics, Hotjar, UserTesting.com, Maze, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Tools for analyzing user behavior and product performance, such as Amplitude, Mixpanel, or internal dashboards.

• Proficiency in interpreting data to inform design decisions. CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how design integrates with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation tools can be beneficial for context.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the specific tools aren't listed, a Senior Product Designer is expected to be proficient in leading design and prototyping software, and comfortable leveraging analytics and research tools to inform their work. Experience with design systems is also key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user in all design decisions.

• Impact-Driven: Focus on creating solutions that deliver real business value and positive user outcomes.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on teamwork, open communication, and cross-functional partnership.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture that embraces learning, experimentation, and refining processes to achieve excellence.

• Innovation: Encouragement of new ideas and embracing emerging technologies like AI to enhance product capabilities and user experiences.

• Openness and Creativity: A supportive environment for sharing ideas and exploring novel solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership: Close collaboration with Product Management and Engineering is fundamental, working together from ideation through to launch.

• Alignment: Utilizing clear communication, storytelling, and design rationale to ensure all stakeholders are aligned on product direction and design choices.

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactive sharing of insights, methods, and best practices within the design team to foster collective growth and elevate standards.

• Feedback Integration: An open approach to receiving and giving constructive feedback to improve designs and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company emphasizes a culture of learning, impact, and teamwork, with a specific note on embracing AI and new ideas. Collaboration is framed as a partnership, essential for success in a product development environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Strategy and Iteration: Effectively managing the tension between long-term strategic product vision and the need for rapid, iterative improvements in a scale-up environment.

• Designing for a Diverse User Base: Creating intuitive experiences for a broad range of frontline workers across different industries (retail, grocery, healthcare, financial services), each with unique needs and technical proficiencies.

• Integrating AI Seamlessly: Designing AI-powered features that genuinely enhance user experience and productivity without feeling intrusive or replacing essential human judgment.

• Maintaining Design System Scalability: Ensuring the design system remains robust, scalable, and adaptable as the product suite and company grow.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Navigating complex stakeholder landscapes to drive design decisions and ensure buy-in across Product, Engineering, and business units.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in leveraging AI tools for design research, ideation, and workflow optimization, potentially becoming a go-to person for AI-related design challenges.

• Strategic Product Thinking: Develop a more profound understanding of product strategy, market dynamics, and business objectives, influencing product roadmaps at a higher level.

• Mentorship and Leadership: Gain experience in mentoring junior designers, leading design initiatives, and potentially stepping into formal leadership roles.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of UX/UI trends, especially within the SaaS and AI product spaces, through professional development budgets and company-supported learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in growing tech companies, focusing on complexity, scale, and emerging technologies. The growth opportunities align with advancing expertise, leadership, and strategic influence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used user research and analytics to significantly influence a product roadmap or strategy. What was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, data interpretation, and impact.)

• "How do you approach designing for a complex system with multiple interconnected features? Walk us through an example from your portfolio." (Highlight systems thinking, information architecture, and user flow design.)

• "Axonify is an AI-Powered Frontline Enablement Platform. How would you approach designing a new AI-driven feature to enhance employee learning or execution?" (Demonstrate understanding of AI's role, user needs, and potential ethical considerations.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Axonify and our mission to enable frontline workers?" (Show research into the company's market, product, and values.)

• "How do you foster collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers when design visions might differ?" (Emphasize communication, empathy, and finding common ground.)

• "Describe your experience working in a fast-paced, scale-up environment. How do you adapt to changing priorities?" (Highlight flexibility, resilience, and efficient workflow management.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each case study, use a clear narrative: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Outcome/Impact.

• Visuals: Use high-quality visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes, user flows) to illustrate your design decisions and process.

• Rationale: Clearly articulate the "why" behind every significant design decision. Connect your choices back to user needs, business goals, or research findings.

• Metrics: Quantify the impact of your work with data. If direct metrics aren't available, discuss anticipated impact or proxy metrics.

• AI Integration: Be prepared to discuss how AI was used in your projects (either as a tool you used or a feature you designed) and your philosophy on AI in design.

• Conciseness: Practice delivering your presentations within a set timeframe, focusing on the most critical aspects of each project.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, collaborative capabilities, and a deep understanding of the design process, particularly in the context of AI and a growing SaaS company.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.gem.com.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating end-to-end design ownership, systems thinking, and experience with digital products at scale. If applicable, showcase any experience with AI-assisted design or SaaS products.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5+ years of relevant experience, using keywords from the job description (e.g., UX research, journey mapping, systems thinking, prototyping, design systems, AI-assisted design). Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and project outcomes. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and be ready to discuss your approach to designing with AI.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Axonify's AI-Powered Frontline Enablement Platform, its target industries, and its company values. Understand their approach to hybrid work and AI.

⚠️ 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.

---