Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Centrica

Location: Windsor, United Kingdom (with flexible UK locations and Hybrid working)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) / User Interface (UI)

Date Posted: 2026-05-15

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of key mobile app features for the Hive smart home ecosystem, focusing on enhancing user experience and driving energy efficiency.

• Contribute to and evolve a scalable design system, ensuring consistency and usability across the Hive mobile application.

• Conduct and leverage user research to inform design decisions, translating complex smart home technology into intuitive and accessible digital experiences.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, commercial teams, and brand specialists to deliver high-quality, insight-led designs that meet both customer needs and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within Centrica's Home (B2C) division, specifically for the Hive brand, which focuses on smart home technology and energy saving. The emphasis on "making it greener" and reducing carbon impact highlights a strong sustainability focus within the product's mission. The Senior Product Designer will be crucial in shaping the user experience of the Hive app, acting as a key driver for innovation in smart home energy management.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End Feature Design: Lead the complete design process for new and existing mobile app features within the Hive ecosystem, ensuring alignment with platform guidelines, accessibility standards, and overall product strategy.

• User-Centric Problem Solving: Identify user pain points and opportunities through research and data analysis, crafting intuitive user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes to validate solutions before development.

• Design System Stewardship: Actively contribute to and maintain the Hive design system by creating scalable components, patterns, and documentation, ensuring design consistency and efficiency across the application.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively with product management, engineering teams, UX researchers, commercial, brand, and copywriters to translate business requirements and user needs into cohesive and impactful designs.

• Research & Validation: Plan and execute user research activities, including usability testing and unmoderated studies, and collaborate with dedicated UX Research teams on more complex investigations.

• Insight-Driven Design: Translate research findings and user feedback into actionable design recommendations and iterative improvements for the Hive app.

• Quality Assurance & Delivery: Work closely with engineers throughout the development lifecycle to ensure the accurate and high-fidelity implementation of designs, advocating for user experience and design integrity.

• Mentorship & Team Development: Provide guidance and support to mid-weight and junior designers, fostering a culture of design excellence, continuous learning, and process improvement within the team.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to product strategy discussions by presenting design rationale, navigating trade-offs, and advocating for user-centric solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a comprehensive ownership of the design process, from initial concept and research through to implementation and ongoing iteration. The role requires not only strong design execution skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and a capacity to mentor. The "making complex smart-home technology feel simple and intuitive" objective is a core challenge for this position.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 5-10 years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant focus on mobile application design and development.

• Demonstrated experience in leading end-to-end design projects for complex digital products, showcasing tangible impact.

• Proven experience in contributing to and scaling design systems, understanding component-based design principles.

• Experience designing for Content Management Systems (CMS) and managing content-driven templates.

• Proficiency in conducting various forms of user research, including planning, execution, and synthesis of insights into design decisions.

Required Skills:

• Product Design: Expertise in designing user-centered digital products, from ideation to launch.

• Mobile App Design: Deep understanding of mobile UI/UX principles, patterns, and best practices for iOS and Android.

• Design Systems: Ability to contribute to, maintain, and champion the use of design systems for consistency and scalability.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced skills in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes to test and communicate design concepts.

• User Research: Experience planning and conducting usability testing, user interviews, and other qualitative research methods.

• Accessibility Knowledge: Strong understanding of WCAG guidelines and best practices for inclusive design.

• Interaction Design: Skill in defining and designing intuitive user interactions and navigation flows.

Preferred Skills:

• Motion/Animation Design: Experience creating engaging motion graphics or animations for mobile applications.

• AI Tools Integration: Familiarity with leveraging AI tools within the design workflow to enhance efficiency or user experience.

• Connected Ecosystems: Experience designing for interconnected devices or IoT products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Minimum criteria" section is robust, clearly outlining expected proficiencies. The emphasis on a portfolio showing "impact" is critical, suggesting candidates should prepare case studies demonstrating measurable outcomes. The preference for AI tools and motion design indicates a forward-looking approach to design within the company.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Impactful Case Studies: A comprehensive portfolio showcasing 3-5 detailed case studies that illustrate your end-to-end product design process, focusing on solving complex user problems within mobile applications.

• Mobile-First Approach: Demonstrable experience designing for both iOS and Android platforms, highlighting your understanding of platform-specific conventions and user expectations.

• Design System Contribution: Examples of contributions to or management of a design system, including component design, pattern libraries, and documentation.

• Research Integration: Clear evidence of how user research (usability testing, interviews, etc.) informed your design decisions and led to measurable improvements.

• Prototyping & Interaction: Interactive prototypes or detailed walkthroughs demonstrating complex user flows and interactions.

• Accessibility Focus: Examples that showcase your consideration for accessibility standards and inclusive design principles in your work.

Process Documentation:

• Problem Definition: Clearly articulate the problem space, user needs, and business objectives for each case study.

• Design Process: Document your design methodology, including ideation, sketching, wireframing, prototyping, and iterative refinement.

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: Explain how you collaborated with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders, including how you navigated feedback and trade-offs.

• Outcome & Impact: Quantify the impact of your design solutions using relevant metrics (e.g., conversion rates, task completion times, user satisfaction scores, energy savings).

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily geared towards demonstrating a structured, research-backed, and collaborative design process with a clear emphasis on measurable outcomes. Candidates must be prepared to articulate their role and impact within team projects and showcase how they've influenced product strategy and user experience.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• FlexFirst Hybrid Working: Offers flexibility in where and when work is done, balancing office collaboration with remote autonomy.

• Total Rewards Package: A comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees' varied needs, including financial, physical, and emotional well-being.

• Carers Policy: Support for employees with caring responsibilities.

• Wellbeing Support: Access to resources and programs focused on mental and physical health.

• Pension Scheme: Competitive pension contributions.

• Annual Leave: Generous holiday entitlement.

• Employee Discounts: Potential discounts on Centrica products and services.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for training, conferences, and skill enhancement.

Working Hours:

• The role typically involves a standard 40-hour work week. Specific daily hours can be flexible within the framework of the FlexFirst hybrid working model, encouraging a work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for Senior Product Designers in the UK. The "Total Rewards" and "FlexFirst" benefits indicate a commitment to employee well-being and flexible working arrangements, which are significant draws for experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Energy and Utilities, Technology (Smart Home, IoT)

Company Size: Large enterprise (Centrica operates globally with tens of thousands of employees). This means access to extensive resources, established processes, and diverse career paths, but also potentially more structured decision-making.

Founded: Centrica was formed in 1997, but its heritage traces back much further through British Gas. This blend of a long history with modern innovation is characteristic of the company.

Team Structure:

• Hive Product Design Team: This team sits within Centrica Home (B2C) and is dedicated to the Hive smart home product line. It likely comprises a mix of Senior Designers, Mid-weight Designers, Junior Designers, and potentially UX Researchers.

• Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report into a Design Lead or Head of Product Design for the Hive/Centrica Home division. They will also work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads for specific product squads or features.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role necessitates strong partnerships with Product Management, Engineering, Commercial, Brand, Copywriting, and UX Research teams, reflecting a typical agile product development environment.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: Given the technology focus and product teams, the company likely employs agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) for product development.

• Data-Driven Design: The emphasis on research, validation, and measurable impact suggests a data-driven approach to design decision-making.

• Design System Centricity: The explicit mention of contributing to and using a design system points to a structured, component-based design process aimed at efficiency and consistency.

• User-Centric Focus: The mission to "make it greener" and improve customer control highlights a commitment to addressing user needs and delivering value.

Company Website: https://www.centrica.com/ (Centrica general), https://www.hivehome.com/ (Hive specific)

📝 Enhancement Note: Centrica's position as a large, established energy company with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation via brands like Hive provides a unique context. The "More Than a Career" ethos suggests a company culture that values employee purpose and growth. The "FlexFirst" and "Total Rewards" approach indicates a modern, employee-centric benefits strategy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Product Designer. This level signifies a high degree of autonomy, ownership, and the ability to influence product strategy. It requires not just execution excellence but also mentorship capabilities and a strategic understanding of design's role in business outcomes.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Head of Design within the Hive/Centrica Home division. They will work within product squads, collaborating daily with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially UX Researchers, and will be expected to mentor junior members of the design team.

Operations Impact:

• Product Innovation: Directly influences the user experience and functionality of the Hive mobile app, a key interface for customers managing their energy consumption and smart home devices.

• Customer Engagement & Retention: Designs that are intuitive, efficient, and valuable contribute significantly to customer satisfaction, engagement, and long-term loyalty.

• Sustainability Goals: By enabling users to manage energy more effectively, the designed features directly support Centrica's broader mission of a greener energy future and carbon reduction.

• Brand Perception: The quality of the app's design and user experience is a direct reflection of the Hive brand and Centrica's commitment to innovation and customer care.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to move into Lead Product Designer roles, managing specific product areas or small teams, or progressing into Design Management positions.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas such as connected ecosystems, AI-driven features, motion design, or advanced UX research methodologies.

• Cross-Functional Moves: Potential to transition into Product Management or related roles within Centrica, leveraging a strong understanding of user needs and product development.

• Industry Exposure: Continued involvement in the evolving smart home and energy tech sectors, keeping skills cutting-edge.

• Mentorship & Training: Formal and informal opportunities to mentor junior designers and participate in company-sponsored training and development programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: This Senior role is a critical stepping stone, offering substantial growth potential within a large, established company. The impact is directly tied to customer experience, sustainability goals, and the overall success of the Hive brand, providing a clear path for career advancement and skill development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model ("FlexFirst"). This means a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration. The office in Windsor (Millstream) is a primary hub, but other locations like London, Leicester, and Edinburgh are also mentioned, suggesting flexibility in where employees can base themselves within the UK.

Office Location(s):

• Primary: Windsor, United Kingdom (Millstream)

• Other Potential Hubs: Greater London, Leicester, Edinburgh.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: When in the office, the environment is designed to foster collaboration among product, engineering, and design teams, likely featuring open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and breakout spaces.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma), collaboration platforms (e.g., Slack, Teams), and potentially specialized hardware for testing smart home devices.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for face-to-face (or virtual face-to-face) collaboration, brainstorming sessions, design critiques, and team sync-ups. The hybrid model aims to balance team cohesion with individual flexibility.

Work Schedule:

• Standard 40-hour work week with flexibility. The "FlexFirst" model implies that while core hours may exist for team collaboration, there's significant autonomy in structuring the workday around personal needs and team availability. This is beneficial for deep work tasks like design and research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "FlexFirst hybrid working" is a key feature of the work environment, indicating a modern approach to work-life balance. Candidates should inquire about the expected frequency of office visits and the nature of the in-office days to understand the collaborative rhythm.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio, assessing your experience against the minimum criteria.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will likely be asked to present a selection of your work from your portfolio, detailing your process, rationale, and the impact of your designs. This will involve discussing specific case studies.

• Design Challenge: A practical exercise, potentially a take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual whiteboarding session, to assess your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to work within constraints. This might involve critiquing an existing design or proposing solutions for a given problem.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with key stakeholders, including Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially other designers, to evaluate your collaboration skills, communication style, and technical understanding.

• Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Design, Director of Product) to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall alignment with the company's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your expertise in mobile app design, design systems, and user research, aligning with the role's requirements. Prioritize projects with demonstrable impact and clear articulation of your role.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your process, the challenges you faced, your solutions, and the measurable outcomes. Use visuals effectively to illustrate your journey.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced task completion time, increased user satisfaction).

• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with different teams and stakeholders, demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively and navigate trade-offs.

• Showcase Design System Skills: If possible, include examples of your contributions to a design system, or how you've leveraged one effectively.

• Accessibility First: Explicitly mention and demonstrate your commitment to accessibility in your design choices.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem: For any design challenge, take time to fully understand the brief, the target user, and the business goals. Ask clarifying questions.

• Think Aloud: If it's a live exercise, articulate your thought process clearly. Explain your assumptions, hypotheses, and design decisions.

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate a structured approach to problem-solving. Outline how you would gather information, explore solutions, iterate, and validate.

• Consider Constraints: Acknowledge potential technical, business, or time constraints and how you would navigate them.

• Prioritize & Justify: Be prepared to prioritize features or design elements and justify your choices based on user needs and business impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess a broad range of skills, from core design craft and research to strategic thinking and collaboration. Candidates must be prepared to articulate their process and demonstrate tangible impact through their portfolio and any challenges presented.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design and prototyping tool for wireframing, UI design, collaboration, and creating interactive prototypes. Proficiency is a minimum requirement.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's capabilities, familiarity with tools like InVision, ProtoPie, or similar for more advanced prototyping might be beneficial.

• Design System Tools: Tools or platforms used for managing and documenting design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook integrations).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with mobile analytics tools such as Google Analytics for Apps, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Firebase Analytics to understand user behavior and measure feature performance.

• Data Visualization: While not explicitly stated, the ability to interpret data visualizations and reports from these platforms is key to insight-led design.

CRM & Automation:

Other Potential Tools:

• User Research Platforms: Tools like UserTesting.com, Lookback, or Maze for remote usability testing and feedback collection.

• Collaboration Tools: Slack, Microsoft Teams for day-to-day communication and project coordination.

• Project Management Tools: Jira, Asana, Trello for tracking design tasks and project progress.

• Motion Design Tools: Adobe After Effects, Principle for creating UI animations if this skill is utilized.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is highlighted as a primary tool. The emphasis on analytics and research tools underscores the data-driven nature of this role. While direct CRM/automation tool use might not be expected, an understanding of their role in the user journey is valuable.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and serving customer needs, particularly in managing home energy efficiently and sustainably.

• Sustainability: A core value driving product development and company mission, aiming to create an energy system that doesn't rely on fossil fuels.

• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas and approaches to solve complex energy challenges and enhance smart home technology.

• Collaboration: Valuing teamwork and cross-functional partnerships to achieve shared goals.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to learning, iterating, and refining processes and products based on feedback and data.

• Integrity: Operating with honesty and transparency in all dealings.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work seamlessly with product managers, engineers, and commercial teams, acting as integral members of product squads.

• Open Communication: Encouraging open dialogue, constructive feedback, and a willingness to discuss trade-offs and different perspectives.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Collaborating to use data and research findings to guide decisions, rather than relying solely on intuition.

• Mentorship & Support: A culture where senior team members actively support and develop junior colleagues, fostering a learning environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of a large corporate structure with a modern, agile approach to product development, driven by strong values around sustainability, customer focus, and innovation. The "More Than a Career" slogan suggests an emphasis on purpose and employee well-being.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively designing for user needs (e.g., ease of use, energy saving) while meeting business objectives (e.g., adoption of new features, commercial viability).

• Simplifying Complex Technology: Making advanced smart home technology and energy management concepts accessible and intuitive for a broad consumer audience.

• Evolving Design System: Keeping a large-scale design system up-to-date and scalable as the product grows and new features are introduced.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Navigating diverse stakeholder priorities and ensuring design vision is maintained throughout the development process.

• Driving Innovation: Staying ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving smart home and energy tech landscape, incorporating new technologies (like AI) effectively.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Skills: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like motion design, AI-driven UX, or complex ecosystem design.

• Leadership Training: Development programs focused on mentoring, team management, and strategic design leadership.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Support for attending relevant industry events (e.g., UX conferences, design system summits) and pursuing certifications.

• Cross-Departmental Exposure: Opportunities to learn about other areas of the business, such as product management, engineering, or commercial strategy, to gain a holistic view.

• Mentorship Programs: Formal or informal mentorship relationships with senior leaders within Centrica.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to designing for a complex, evolving product category within a large organization. The growth opportunities are well-defined, offering clear paths for both technical and leadership development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to simplify a complex technological concept for users. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on user empathy, simplification techniques, and impact measurement).

• "How do you balance user needs with commercial objectives when designing a feature? Provide an example." (Highlight your understanding of business strategy and how design contributes to it).

• "Walk us through your process for contributing to or evolving a design system. What are the key considerations?" (Demonstrate your understanding of design system principles, scalability, and collaboration).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Centrica's mission to 'energise a greener, fairer future' and specifically about the Hive brand?" (Research the company's sustainability initiatives and Hive's role).

• "How do you see your role as a Senior Product Designer contributing to our team's culture and process improvements?" (Emphasize your collaborative spirit and commitment to mentorship).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem statement, your specific role and contributions, the design process undertaken, key decisions made, challenges overcome, and the final outcomes/impact (quantified where possible).

• Visual Storytelling: Use high-quality visuals (mockups, prototypes, user flows) to illustrate your points. Ensure clarity and conciseness.

• Focus on "Why": Be ready to explain the rationale behind your design decisions at every step. Why this solution? Why this pattern? Why this research method?

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Explicitly mention how you collaborated with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your process, your rationale, alternative solutions you considered, and how you would iterate on the design further.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a strong understanding of the user-centered design process, the ability to translate complex ideas into simple solutions, experience with design systems, and a clear impact on product success. Researching Centrica's sustainability goals and Hive's market position will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Navigate to the Centrica careers portal via the provided URL and complete the online application form.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful mobile app design projects. Ensure they clearly demonstrate your end-to-end process, your role, your problem-solving approach, and measurable outcomes. Prioritize projects that highlight design systems, user research, and accessibility.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to mobile app design, design systems, user research, cross-functional collaboration, and any experience in the energy or smart home sectors. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on a clear narrative, strong visual aids, and the ability to articulate your design rationale and impact. Be ready to discuss your process and answer in-depth questions.

• Research Centrica & Hive: Familiarize yourself with Centrica's mission, sustainability efforts, and the Hive product line. Understand their market position and target audience to better tailor your application and interview responses.

⚠️ 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.