Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: bp

Location: Sunbury, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-10-01

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

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design and evolution of bp's enterprise design system, encompassing tokens, components, and patterns to ensure consistency and scalability across digital products.

• Champion accessibility standards (EAA / WCAG AA) throughout the design system lifecycle, embedding compliance into all specifications and component states.

• Drive consistency between design artifacts in Figma and delivered code by partnering closely with frontend engineers, ensuring accurate implementation of design system elements.

• Translate complex user needs and research insights into actionable design solutions, defining end-to-end user journeys and interaction patterns for intricate product workflows.

• Contribute to the broader Developer Experience (DevEx) portfolio, including internal developer platforms and AI-enabled tooling, as the role evolves.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core focus is Product Design, the emphasis on enterprise design systems, developer experience, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering strongly aligns with operational excellence principles, making this role relevant for professionals who bridge design and operational efficiency. The focus on consistency, scalability, and adherence to standards echoes the core tenets of robust operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Ownership: Define, maintain, and evolve the comprehensive enterprise design system, including tokens, components, and patterns within Figma, alongside usage guidance, specifications, and documentation.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with product managers, engineers, researchers, and other designers to ensure cohesive product development and successful adoption of the design system.

• Figma-to-Code Consistency: Act as a design guardian for the design system, ensuring correct component usage across products and actively collaborating with frontend engineers to minimize design-to-build gaps.

• Accessibility Compliance: Ensure all design system components meet EAA / WCAG AA requirements by design, proactively incorporating accessibility into specifications, states, and usage guidance, and meticulously considering edge cases.

• User Research Synthesis: Plan and conduct user research activities such as interviews and usability testing, synthesizing findings into actionable design recommendations, journey maps, and experience principles.

• Experience Design: Develop detailed user journeys, task flows, and interaction patterns for complex product workflows, potentially creating service blueprints to map user interactions and supporting system processes.

• Design Execution & Prototyping: Create wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity interfaces leveraging established design systems and adhering to accessibility standards.

• Design Facilitation: Lead workshops, design critiques, and collaborative discussions to foster shared understanding, improve design outcomes, and drive alignment across product and engineering teams.

• AI-Assisted Design Exploration: Utilize AI-supported tools for design exploration, research synthesis, and documentation, ensuring ethical considerations, accuracy, and inclusivity are maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on process standardization (design system), quality assurance (accessibility), and cross-functional alignment, which are critical operational functions. The emphasis on "ownership" and "guardian" roles suggests a need for individuals who can manage and optimize processes, similar to operations managers.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrated experience in product design, UX/UI, or a related field are paramount.

Experience: Several years (5-10 years suggested) of hands-on product design experience delivering complex digital experiences, with a significant portion dedicated to enterprise design systems.

Required Skills:

• Enterprise Design System Expertise: Proven experience designing, creating, and evolving tokens, components, and patterns for scalable design systems.

• Figma Fluency: Advanced proficiency in Figma, utilizing features such as variants, tokens, componentization, and structured developer handover processes.

• Accessibility Design: Demonstrated application of accessibility standards in design, with a focus on meeting WCAG AA / EAA requirements and accounting for all component states and edge cases.

• Problem-Solving & Ambiguity Navigation: Ability to reason through complex problems, design interactions effectively, and make progress in ambiguous or ill-defined situations.

• User Research & Synthesis: Experience planning or contributing to user research, and the ability to translate research findings into structured design decisions and recommendations.

• Communication & Collaboration: Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain and defend design decisions, and strong collaboration skills with engineering teams for design-to-code handover.

• Portfolio Presentation: A compelling portfolio showcasing problem-solving, interaction design, and a systematic approach to design challenges.

Preferred Skills:

• Workshop Facilitation: Experience facilitating workshops, design critiques, or cross-functional alignment sessions.

• AI-Assisted Tools: Comfort and experience exploring AI-assisted tools and workflows for research synthesis, exploration, or documentation.

• Mentorship: Experience supporting the growth of other designers through mentoring, pairing, or providing constructive feedback.

• Frontend Familiarity: Sufficient understanding of frontend technologies to engage in productive feasibility conversations with engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "structured design decisions," "systematic approach," and "developer handover" points to a need for candidates who understand process and efficiency, key operational competencies. The "ambiguity navigation" skill is also highly valued in operations roles where challenges often require structured problem-solving.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Studies: Showcase specific examples of designing, building, and maintaining enterprise design systems, detailing the process from concept to implementation and adoption.

• Problem-Solving Demonstrations: Present case studies that clearly articulate complex problems, the design process undertaken, and the resulting solutions, highlighting the impact and rationale.

• Accessibility Integration: Include examples that demonstrate a deep understanding and practical application of accessibility standards (WCAG AA / EAA) within component design and usage guidance.

• Figma Proficiency Showcase: Demonstrate advanced Figma skills, including component libraries, variants, tokens, and structured documentation for developer handover.

• User-Centruicity: Provide evidence of user research integration, showing how insights were synthesized and translated into tangible design improvements.

Process Documentation:

• Design System Documentation Standards: Evidence of creating clear, comprehensive documentation for design system tokens, components, and patterns, including usage guidelines and accessibility specifications.

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Showcase how you have mapped out and improved user workflows or design processes, demonstrating efficiency gains or enhanced user experiences.

• Design-to-Code Handover Processes: Illustrate your methods for ensuring seamless handover of designs to engineering, including specifications, prototypes, and collaborative communication strategies.

• Accessibility Compliance Documentation: Examples of how accessibility requirements were documented and integrated into the design and development process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for detailed process documentation and case studies demonstrating systematic approaches to design systems, accessibility, and developer handover is directly analogous to the process documentation and project portfolio expected in operations roles, particularly in areas like process improvement and system implementation.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on market research for Senior Product Designers in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 5-10 years of experience, the typical salary range is approximately £60,000 - £90,000 per annum. This estimate considers the senior level, the specific industry (energy/technology), and the location in the Greater London area.

Benefits:

• Flexible Working Options: Support for work-life balance through flexible scheduling and arrangements.

• Generous Paid Parental Leave Policy: Comprehensive leave provisions for new parents.

• Excellent Retirement Benefits: Competitive pension scheme and long-term financial planning support.

• Potential for Hybrid Working: A blend of office-based collaboration and remote work flexibility.

• Employee Assistance Programs: Access to support services for personal and professional well-being.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for learning, training, and career advancement.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered in how these hours are structured due to the hybrid work arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The estimated salary range is based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in the UK. The benefits listed are common for large corporations like bp and are designed to support employee well-being and long-term commitment, aligning with typical operational considerations for talent retention.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Energy (with a significant technology and digital transformation focus). bp is a global energy company undergoing a significant transition towards low-carbon energy solutions, leveraging technology and digital innovation extensively.

Company Size: bp is a large multinational corporation, indicating a complex organizational structure with numerous teams and departments, offering diverse opportunities for collaboration and impact. This size also implies established processes and a need for standardized operational frameworks.

Founded: bp was founded in 1909, signifying a long history of innovation and adaptation in the energy sector. This longevity suggests a culture that values resilience, long-term vision, and continuous evolution.

Team Structure:

• Design System Federation Model: The role operates within a design system federation model, emphasizing collaboration and shared ownership across multiple product areas and teams.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close partnership with product managers, engineers, researchers, and other designers is central to the team's operational model.

• Reporting: While not explicitly detailed, senior roles often have clear reporting lines within a design or product engineering function, with informal leadership and mentorship responsibilities.

• Broader Engagement: Potential collaboration extends to content, operations, and support teams, indicating an integrated approach to product development that considers the full user and operational lifecycle.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The team values informed design decisions, synthesizing insights from user research and behavioral observations.

• Systemic Thinking: Emphasis on designing scalable product patterns and ensuring consistency with established systems, reflecting a structured operational approach.

• Collaborative Design Practices: Thoughtful discussion, constructive feedback, and knowledge sharing are core to the team's methodology, fostering an environment of continuous improvement.

• Agile Development Support: The role supports teams in navigating ambiguous problem spaces and delivering consistent design outcomes, aligning with agile development cycles.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on digital transformation within the energy sector means that operational efficiency and standardized processes are critical. The "design system federation model" highlights a need for strong operational governance and consistent application of standards across disparate teams, a common challenge in large organizations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a mid-to-senior level position requiring significant autonomy, expertise, and the ability to influence design strategy and execution. At this level, the focus shifts from solely individual contribution to also encompassing mentorship, process improvement, and driving adoption of best practices across teams.

Reporting Structure: The role operates within a design system federation model, implying collaboration with various product teams and potentially reporting into a Design Lead or Head of Design. Partnership with frontend engineers is central.

Operations Impact: While not a traditional operations role, the Senior Product Designer significantly impacts operational efficiency by creating and maintaining a robust design system. This system reduces redundant design efforts, accelerates development cycles, ensures product consistency, and improves user experience, all of which contribute to smoother operations and better business outcomes. The designer's work directly enables engineering teams to build products more efficiently and effectively.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to lead the strategic direction and evolution of bp's enterprise design system, potentially growing into a Design System Lead or Architect role.

• Broader DevEx Contribution: Transitioning to contribute to the broader Developer Experience portfolio, including internal developer platforms and AI tooling, offering exposure to new technological domains.

• Mentorship & Team Development: Formal or informal opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead workshops, and foster design best practices across multiple teams, developing leadership and coaching skills.

• Specialization in Accessibility: Deepen expertise in accessibility standards and their practical application, becoming a subject matter expert within the organization.

• Cross-Functional Impact: Gain experience collaborating across diverse functions within a large energy corporation, understanding broader business objectives and operational challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities highlight a path towards specialized operational leadership (design systems, accessibility) and broader influence within the company's digital transformation efforts, mirroring career progression in operations roles focused on process optimization and strategic implementation.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as hybrid, meaning it will involve a combination of working from the office and remotely. The office location is currently Sunbury, with a planned move to Timber Square, Southwark, from Q4 2027. This suggests a modern office environment designed for collaboration.

Office Location(s):

• Current: Sunbury, United Kingdom (ICBT)

• Future (from Q4 2027): Timber Square, Southwark, London, United Kingdom.

The future location in Southwark indicates a central London office, likely with excellent transport links and access to urban amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment is expected to facilitate collaboration through shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and common areas, supporting the team's workshop and discussion-heavy methodology.

• Technology & Tools: Access to standard office technology, design software (Figma), and potentially other internal developer tools and platforms relevant to the role.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for in-person interaction with designers, engineers, and product managers, crucial for design system alignment and effective handovers.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is likely 40 hours per week. The hybrid nature of the role offers flexibility in structuring these hours, allowing for focused work at home and collaborative sessions in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work arrangement and planned office move to a central London location are typical for large corporations aiming to attract talent and foster a dynamic work environment. For operations professionals, understanding office dynamics and hybrid policies is crucial for team cohesion and productivity.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of application and portfolio to assess essential qualifications and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, discussing key projects, design process, problem-solving approach, and contributions to design systems and accessibility. This stage assesses strategic thinking and communication skills.

• Skills-Based Assessment: Potentially a design challenge or case study, focusing on problem-solving, interaction design, and application of design system principles. This may involve translating requirements into design solutions or critiquing existing patterns.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Discussions with product managers, engineers, and potentially other designers to evaluate collaboration style, technical understanding (frontend feasibility), and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: Typically with a hiring manager or senior leader to discuss career aspirations, leadership potential, and final alignment with bp's values and objectives.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly showcase your experience in designing, building, and maintaining enterprise design systems. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., reduction in design debt, increase in adoption rate).

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving Process: For each project, articulate the problem, your thought process, the design decisions made, and the rationale behind them. Use flowcharts or journey maps to visualize complex workflows.

• Showcase Accessibility Integration: Explicitly detail how you incorporated WCAG AA / EAA standards into your designs, including specific examples of components, states, and guidance.

• Detail Figma Proficiency: Provide examples of complex Figma usage, such as component libraries, auto-layout, variants, and structured documentation for developer handover.

• Emphasize Collaboration & Handover: Include examples of how you collaborated with engineers and other stakeholders, and how you facilitated design-to-code handover.

• Address Ambiguity: Be prepared to discuss how you navigate unclear requirements or complex problem spaces, demonstrating a structured approach.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Application: Practice applying existing design system components or patterns to new scenarios, or identifying gaps and proposing solutions.

• Accessibility Auditing: Be ready to review designs or components for accessibility issues and propose improvements.

• Interaction Design: Prepare to wireframe or prototype a user flow for a given scenario, focusing on usability and efficiency.

• Communication: Practice articulating your design decisions clearly and concisely, and defending them with user-centered reasoning and an understanding of technical constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio presentation and design challenges aligns with operational roles that require demonstrating process knowledge, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to articulate complex solutions. The focus on "design-to-code handover" and "accessibility integration" highlights the need for structured, standardized processes, much like in operations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary tool for design creation, prototyping, and design system management. Advanced proficiency with features like variants, tokens, auto layout, and component libraries is essential.

• Design System Management Platforms: Experience with tools or methodologies for managing and distributing design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook for documentation, or internal bp systems).

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in Figma's prototyping capabilities, or potentially other tools like InVision, Axure, or similar for advanced interaction design.

Analytics & Reporting:

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

• Analytics Tools (Indirect): While not directly designing them, understanding how product analytics (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) inform design decisions and measure impact is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Collaboration & Communication Tools: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence for team communication, project tracking, and documentation.

• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Familiarity with emerging AI tools for research synthesis, content generation, or design exploration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and design system management tools points to the need for candidates proficient in specific operational technologies that enable standardization and efficiency. Understanding how these tools integrate and support development workflows is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Consistency & Scalability: A core value driven by the design system, ensuring that all digital products maintain a unified look, feel, and user experience, enabling efficient scaling.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Relying on user research, behavioral data, and performance metrics to inform design choices and validate solutions, mirroring an analytical approach in operations.

• Efficiency & Optimization: Continuously seeking ways to streamline design processes, improve developer workflows, and enhance user journeys through thoughtful design and system improvements.

• Inclusivity & Accessibility: A commitment to designing for everyone, ensuring that digital products are usable by individuals of all abilities, reflecting a principle of broad stakeholder consideration.

• Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing: Valuing open communication, constructive feedback, and the sharing of insights and best practices to foster collective growth and improved outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Federated & Partnership-Oriented: Working within a federation model requires strong partnership with product teams, engineers, and researchers to ensure alignment and co-ownership of design outcomes.

• Constructive Feedback Culture: Encouraging thoughtful discussion and providing/receiving constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement in design quality and process.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively engaging with various disciplines (content, operations, support) to ensure holistic product experiences that consider all aspects of user interaction and system support.

• Proactive Communication: Maintaining clear and consistent communication regarding design decisions, system updates, and potential challenges to ensure all stakeholders are informed and aligned.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of consistency, scalability, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making are fundamental to operations. The collaborative style emphasizes the importance of cross-functional alignment and clear communication, critical for successful operational execution.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Maintaining Design System Integrity: Ensuring consistent adoption and correct usage of the design system across a large, diverse organization with many product teams.

• Balancing Innovation with Standardization: Integrating new design trends or features while adhering to established design system patterns and accessibility standards.

• Bridging Design-to-Code Gaps: Continuously working to minimize discrepancies between designs in Figma and the actual implementation by engineering teams.

• Navigating Ambiguity in New Domains: Contributing to evolving areas like Developer Experience or AI-enabled tooling, which may involve less defined problem spaces.

• Driving Adoption: Persuading and enabling various product teams to adopt and effectively utilize the design system, overcoming potential resistance or differing priorities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Accessibility: Becoming a recognized expert in EAA/WCAG AA compliance and its practical implementation within large-scale design systems.

• Exposure to DevEx & AI: Gaining hands-on experience with internal developer platforms and AI-enabled design/development tools.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing skills in leading design initiatives, mentoring junior designers, and facilitating cross-team alignment.

• Industry Best Practices: Staying current with advancements in design systems, UX/UI trends, and AI technologies through conferences, webinars, and continuous learning.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Expanding understanding of engineering principles, product management strategies, and broader business operations within the energy sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented (maintaining integrity, bridging gaps, driving adoption) are highly relevant to operations roles focused on process implementation, standardization, and change management. The growth opportunities offer paths to specialized operational expertise and leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a new component for our design system that needs to accommodate multiple states and user permissions?" (Focus on process, documentation, and stakeholder input).

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for accessibility standards with an engineering team or product manager. What was your approach and the outcome?" (Focus on communication, persuasion, and impact).

• "Walk us through your process for translating complex user research findings into actionable design recommendations and then into tangible product features." (Focus on research synthesis, workflow, and iterative design).

• "How do you ensure consistency between your Figma designs and the code delivered by engineers? What are common challenges, and how do you mitigate them?" (Focus on handover processes, collaboration, and quality control). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about bp's transition towards a more sustainable energy future and how do you see design playing a role?" (Focus on alignment with company mission and values).

• "How would you contribute to fostering a collaborative design culture within our distributed teams, especially as we transition to Timber Square?" (Focus on team dynamics and communication).

• "Describe your experience working with or contributing to an enterprise design system. What makes a design system successful in your opinion?" (Focus on understanding of operational frameworks).

• "How do you stay updated on emerging technologies like AI, and how might you see them impacting product design workflows or developer experience?" (Focus on forward-thinking and adaptability). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around key themes like "Design System Leadership," "Problem-Solving in Complex Environments," or "Driving Accessibility."

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process followed, the decisions made, and the measurable outcome or impact. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Process, Not Just Pixels: Emphasize your design methodology, research integration, collaboration with stakeholders, and how you navigated challenges.

• Demonstrate Design System Expertise: Dedicate specific slides or sections to showcase your experience with designing, building, or maintaining design systems, including examples of tokens, components, and documentation.

• Showcase Accessibility: Explicitly detail how accessibility was integrated into your projects, referencing WCAG AA/EAA standards.

• Engage Your Audience: Be prepared to answer questions about your design choices, your process, and how you'd apply your skills to bp's context. Practice your delivery to be clear, concise, and engaging.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on demonstrating process-oriented thinking, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills, which are crucial for operations roles. The portfolio presentation advice emphasizes showcasing systematic approaches and quantifiable impact, mirroring requirements for operations candidates.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application: Complete and submit your application through the bp Careers portal.

• Tailor your Resume: Ensure your resume highlights experience relevant to enterprise design systems, Figma proficiency, accessibility standards, and cross-functional collaboration. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select case studies that best demonstrate your experience in the areas mentioned above, with a strong emphasis on design system contributions and problem-solving. Ensure it's well-organized and easy to navigate.

• Prepare your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on articulating your process, decision-making, and impact clearly and concisely. Be ready to discuss how your skills align with bp's needs.

• Research bp: Familiarize yourself with bp's current digital initiatives, their commitment to sustainability, and their evolving organizational structure, especially the planned move to Timber Square. Understand their values and how they apply to design and operational excellence.

⚠️ 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.

---