Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Commonwealth Bank

Location: Eveleigh, NSW - 1 Locomotive Street, Sydney CBD, Australia

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-04-16

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design initiatives within a complex, enterprise-level platform, focusing on the "Leads & Opportunities" space.

• Drive product strategy and execution by partnering closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders, translating complex user and business problems into elegant design solutions.

• Champion a product-focused, customer-centric approach to design within a newly formed, cross-functional squad, actively shaping design practices and methodologies.

• Utilize a strong blend of strategic thinking, hands-on execution, and data-informed exploration to deliver measurable improvements in customer experience and commercial performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor, deeply embedded within a product squad. The emphasis on "Leads & Opportunities" suggests a focus on improving lead generation, qualification, and conversion processes within the CommSee platform, impacting both customer acquisition and internal sales/service efficiency. The "complex environment" and "complex systems" indicate a need for a designer experienced in enterprise-scale applications and intricate workflows.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the entire product design lifecycle, from initial problem discovery and research through to solution delivery and iteration within a complex financial services environment.

• Partner collaboratively with Product Managers and Engineers to meticulously frame problems, explore potential opportunities, and clearly define desired product outcomes.

• Define, plan, and conduct comprehensive discovery activities, including user research, stakeholder interviews, usability testing, and data-informed exploration to uncover critical insights and validate strategic direction.

• Translate synthesized insights into clear and compelling design concepts, detailed experience flows, intuitive wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity UI designs that effectively support development and delivery.

• Iteratively refine designs based on continuous feedback loops, rigorous testing, and emergent learnings, ensuring a balanced consideration of user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints.

• Contribute significantly to product strategy by articulating a clear experience vision, identifying strategic opportunities for improvement, and influencing product roadmap prioritization.

• Collaborate effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Operations, and other Design teams to foster alignment, build consensus, and drive momentum for design initiatives.

• Work proficiently within Commonwealth Bank’s established design system, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and adherence to brand standards, while also providing constructive feedback for system enhancements.

• Act as a vocal champion for strong design practices, customer-centered thinking, and a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the squad and broader design community.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on the "discovery" phase, indicating that the role will involve significant upfront research and problem definition. The requirement to "influence prioritization" and "articulate experience vision" points to strategic involvement beyond just execution. The mention of "complex environment" and "complex systems" implies a need for experience in large-scale enterprise applications, likely within the financial sector, requiring a robust understanding of business logic and user workflows.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design (e.g., Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction), or a related field, is typically expected for senior design roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: Proven track record of delivering end-to-end product design solutions within cross-functional product teams, ideally in a fast-paced, agile environment. Minimum 5-10 years of relevant experience in product design, UX/UI design, or a similar role.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in leading end-to-end product design, from problem discovery through to solution delivery.

• Strong proficiency in problem framing, translating complex insights into actionable design strategies and outcomes.

• Experience conducting and synthesizing user research using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., interviews, usability testing, surveys, data analysis).

• Confidence and skill in designing complex workflows, information architecture, and intricate user interactions.

• Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, guide teams from uncertainty toward clarity, and drive design direction.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build strong stakeholder relationships.

• Experience working effectively within and contributing to established design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Proficiency in core design tools and methodologies including interaction design, information architecture, prototyping (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD), and testing.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for financial services or complex enterprise platforms.

• Familiarity with data analysis tools and techniques to inform design decisions.

• Understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and experience designing inclusive interfaces.

• Experience coaching or mentoring junior designers.

• Contributions to design system development or governance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5-10 years" experience level suggests a need for demonstrated leadership and strategic impact. The emphasis on "complex workflows," "ambiguity," and "influencing without authority" are key indicators for senior candidates to highlight in their applications. The preference for financial services experience is a strong plus.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory, showcasing end-to-end product design processes, including discovery, ideation, iteration, and final UI delivery.

• Demonstrate a clear articulation of the problem space, your design rationale, and the user-centered methodologies employed throughout the project lifecycle.

• Highlight specific examples of how your design work has led to measurable outcomes, such as improved customer experience, increased conversion rates, or enhanced operational efficiency.

Process Documentation:

• Portfolio entries should clearly document the discovery phase, including research plans, methods used, and key insights derived from user interviews, testing, or data analysis.

• Illustrate the ideation and concept development stages, showing how initial ideas were explored, refined, and translated into wireframes, user flows, and prototypes.

• Showcase the iterative design process, including how feedback from testing, stakeholders, and engineering was incorporated to improve the final solution.

• Detail the collaboration process with product managers and engineers, demonstrating how alignment was achieved and how technical constraints were managed.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for a portfolio that "showcases your end-to-end product design process, craft, outcomes, and measurable impact" is critical. Candidates must prepare case studies that go beyond aesthetics, demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and quantifiable results. The mention of "contributions to design systems or cross team design alignment" signifies a need to highlight collaborative impact and system thinking.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, with 5-10 years of experience in a complex financial services environment, the estimated annual salary range would be between AUD $140,000 to $190,000. This estimate accounts for the seniority of the role, the specific industry, and the cost of living in Sydney.

Benefits:

• Flexible Workplace: Commonwealth Bank is committed to supporting work-life balance. Specific arrangements may vary but often include flexible working hours and hybrid on-site/remote options where applicable.

• Inclusive Culture: A focus on fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment where diverse perspectives are valued and employees feel a sense of belonging.

• Career Development Support: Opportunities for professional growth through training, mentorship programs, access to industry conferences, and support for career advancement within the organization.

• Employee Banking Benefits: Access to preferential rates and packages on banking products and services.

• Health and Wellbeing Programs: Comprehensive programs and resources to support physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.

• Superannuation Contributions: Competitive employer superannuation contributions above the mandatory rate.

Working Hours: Typically a standard full-time work week of approximately 38-40 hours. While this role is on-site, there may be some flexibility in daily start and end times, subject to team and business needs. Occasional overtime may be required to meet project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research from Australian job boards (e.g., Seek, LinkedIn Salary) for Senior Product Designer roles in Sydney, considering the finance sector and the "5-10 years" experience bracket. The benefits are inferred from typical large corporate offerings in Australia, particularly within financial institutions, and align with the "Why Join Us" section.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Banking). Commonwealth Bank operates within a highly regulated and competitive landscape, demanding a strong focus on security, customer trust, innovation, and operational efficiency. This context means design solutions must be robust, compliant, and user-friendly for both customers and internal staff.

Company Size: Commonwealth Bank is one of Australia's "Big Four" banks, employing tens of thousands of people globally. This large enterprise structure offers stability, extensive resources, and opportunities for broad impact, but also comes with established processes and a need for careful navigation of internal structures.

Founded: Commonwealth Bank was founded in 1911, bringing over a century of experience in serving Australian customers. This long history means a deep understanding of customer needs and market dynamics, coupled with a continuous drive for modernization.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will be embedded within a cross-functional "CommSee" squad, likely comprising a Product Manager, Engineers (Frontend/Backend), potentially a QA Tester, and other subject matter experts. This squad operates with a degree of autonomy.

• The squad likely reports up through a product or technology leadership hierarchy within the CommSee platform division.

Methodology:

• Commonwealth Bank is increasingly adopting product-focused ways of working, emphasizing agile methodologies, iterative development, and data-driven decision-making.

• Design processes will involve a blend of discovery activities (user research, interviews, data analysis) and iterative delivery (wireframing, prototyping, UI design, testing).

• There's a strategic effort to define and refine methodologies, suggesting an environment where design practices are evolving and can be influenced by senior team members.

Company Website: https://www.commbank.com.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context emphasizes the scale and complexity of Commonwealth Bank, which is crucial for a Senior Product Designer to understand. The "product-focused way of working" and "defining our methodologies" indicate an environment ripe for impact, where a senior designer can shape processes. The "Leads & Opportunities" focus within CommSee suggests the role directly contributes to sales funnel optimization or service efficiency for internal staff.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role. It signifies a mid-to-late career stage, requiring a high degree of autonomy, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead design initiatives independently. The role demands not only strong craft but also the capacity to influence product direction, mentor others, and contribute to the evolution of design practices within the organization.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to a Design Lead, Head of Design, or a Senior Product Manager within the CommSee platform's product organization. They will work closely within a cross-functional squad, collaborating daily with Product Managers and Engineers.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer will have a direct impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the CommSee platform, which is used by over 30,000 Commonwealth Bank staff. By improving the "Leads & Opportunities" space, the role will influence customer acquisition, sales conversion rates, customer service delivery, and ultimately, the bank's commercial performance and customer satisfaction. The design of complex systems directly impacts the productivity and success of front-line staff.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design Practice: Opportunity to influence and shape the design methodologies, processes, and standards within the CommSee team and potentially across the broader design organization at CBA.

• Strategic Product Influence: Grow into a key advisor role for product strategy, driving impactful decisions based on deep customer understanding and design expertise.

• Mentorship and Team Development: Potential to mentor junior designers, share best practices, and contribute to building a stronger design culture within the bank.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in user experience for complex enterprise systems, financial services, or specific areas like lead management and sales enablement.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop skills in leading design initiatives across multiple teams and influencing senior stakeholders at a strategic level.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant scope for a Senior Designer to not only execute but also to lead and influence. The "shaping our design practices" and "defining our methodologies" aspects are key growth indicators, suggesting a path towards design leadership or principal designer roles. The impact on 30,000+ staff is substantial.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is primarily on-site, with the primary location listed as Eveleigh, NSW. This suggests a modern, collaborative office space designed to foster teamwork and innovation. Commonwealth Bank offices typically offer a professional yet dynamic environment.

Office Location(s): The primary location is 1 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, NSW. A secondary mention of "Sydney CBD, Australia" indicates potential for some interaction or presence in the central business district, though Eveleigh is likely the primary base for this team. Eveleigh is a growing tech and innovation hub in Sydney.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The workspace is designed to encourage interaction and co-creation among squad members and with other teams. Expect open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and informal collaboration spaces.

• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (e.g., Figma), collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Slack), and potentially internal design system platforms.

• Team Interaction: Daily stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives, and design reviews will be integral to the workflow, facilitating constant communication and feedback within the cross-functional squad.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approx. 38-40 per week). While on-site, there may be flexibility in daily start/end times, subject to team needs. The nature of product design involves focused work periods for deep thinking and execution, balanced with collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Eveleigh suggests a focus on in-person collaboration and immersion within a dedicated product team. This is common for roles requiring complex problem-solving and rapid iteration, where spontaneous interaction is valuable. Eveleigh's status as a tech hub adds to the innovative aspect of the environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Screening: Initial review of CV and portfolio against core requirements. The portfolio is paramount.

• Hiring Manager/Recruiter Screen: A brief call to discuss experience, motivation, and alignment with the role.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Presentation: A key stage where candidates will likely walk through 1-2 case studies from their portfolio. This will be an opportunity to demonstrate their end-to-end process, problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and impact. Expect questions about their role, decisions, and outcomes.

• Cross-functional Team Interview: Interview with Product Manager, Engineers, and potentially other designers. This assesses collaboration skills, technical understanding, and cultural fit within the squad.

• Senior Stakeholder Interview: Discussion with a Design Lead, Head of Product, or similar senior leader to evaluate strategic thinking, leadership potential, and alignment with broader organizational goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each case study, clearly outline the problem statement, your role and responsibilities, the discovery and research process, key design decisions and rationale, iterations based on feedback, final solutions, and most importantly, the measurable outcomes and impact.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, user flows, prototypes, final UI, research artifacts) to illustrate your process. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "increased conversion by X%", "reduced task completion time by Y seconds," "improved NPS score by Z points"). If direct metrics aren't available, articulate the intended impact and how success would be measured.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Explain how you worked with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders. Show examples of how you incorporated feedback or navigated differing opinions.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects that showcase experience with complex systems, enterprise platforms, or financial services if possible. Highlight any contributions to design systems or process improvement.

Challenge Preparation:

• Practice Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design process, decision-making, and impact concisely and compellingly for each case study.

• Anticipate Questions: Prepare for questions about trade-offs, challenges encountered, how you handle ambiguity, and how you measure success.

• Understand CBA's Context: Research Commonwealth Bank, its mission, its customer base, and the CommSee platform's role. Understand the challenges of designing for a large financial institution.

• Articulate Design Philosophy: Be ready to discuss your approach to user-centered design, problem-solving, and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to thoroughly assess design craft, strategic thinking, collaboration, and impact. The portfolio review is the most critical component, requiring candidates to be articulate storytellers about their design journey and its tangible results. The emphasis on "measurable impact" and "complex systems" means candidates should prepare examples that directly address these points.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma (highly likely given modern design team trends) is essential. Other tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, or Axure may also be relevant for prototyping and collaboration.

• User Research Tools: Experience with tools for conducting and analyzing user research, such as UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, or survey platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform).

• Collaboration & Project Management: Familiarity with Agile project management tools like Jira and Confluence for workflow tracking, documentation, and team communication. Slack or Microsoft Teams for day-to-day communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary analyst role, understanding how to interpret data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal BI tools) to inform design decisions is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of how design impacts CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and workflow automation, particularly within the context of sales and customer service processes, would be advantageous. This role focuses on the user experience of these systems for internal staff.

• Familiarity with design system management tools or platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the de facto standard for many modern design teams, so proficiency here is almost certainly expected. The emphasis on "discovery activities," "data-informed exploration," and "measuring impact" means candidates should be comfortable working with data and understanding how their designs integrate into broader enterprise systems and workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A core value driving all design and product decisions, ensuring that user needs and experience are at the forefront.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Emphasis on working effectively within cross-functional squads and with other departments to achieve shared goals. Open communication and mutual respect are key.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: A drive to explore new ideas, challenge the status quo, and constantly seek ways to improve processes, products, and customer experiences.

• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for design outcomes, from conception to delivery, and being accountable for the impact of one's work.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Utilizing data and insights to guide design choices, validate hypotheses, and measure success, rather than relying solely on intuition.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role is deeply embedded in a squad, requiring constant, fluid collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers to ensure design solutions are viable, feasible, and desirable.

• Feedback-Rich Environment: An expectation of constructive feedback exchange during design reviews, critiques, and retrospectives, fostering a culture of shared learning and improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement to share learnings, best practices, and insights across teams, contributing to the growth of the design community within CBA. This might include participation in design guilds or internal workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: Commonwealth Bank, like most large organizations, will have defined values that permeate its culture. The emphasis on "customer-first," "collaboration," and "innovation" are standard but crucial. For this role, the "data-informed" aspect and "accountability for impact" are particularly important, aligning with the need to demonstrate measurable results.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complexity: Designing for a large, established financial institution with intricate systems, legacy components, and numerous stakeholders presents significant complexity. Balancing user needs with business rules and technical constraints will be ongoing.

• Ambiguity and Shifting Priorities: Working in a dynamic environment means adapting to evolving business needs and market conditions, requiring resilience and the ability to drive clarity from uncertainty.

• Influencing Across Silos: Gaining buy-in and alignment from diverse stakeholders across different departments (e.g., Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Operations) can be challenging and requires strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Balancing Design System and Innovation: Effectively leveraging the existing design system while also identifying opportunities for its enhancement or proposing new patterns requires a delicate balance.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Financial Services UX: Gain specialized knowledge in designing user experiences for complex financial products and internal operational tools.

• Mastering Enterprise Design: Develop advanced skills in designing for large-scale, critical systems with high demands for reliability, security, and compliance.

• Product Strategy and Leadership: Hone strategic thinking and product development skills, potentially moving towards product leadership or principal designer roles.

• Mentorship Programs: Access formal or informal mentorship opportunities within CBA's extensive network of experienced professionals.

• Industry Exposure: Opportunities to attend industry conferences, workshops, and training sessions focused on UX, product design, and financial technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges listed are typical for senior roles in large, complex organizations. The growth opportunities are framed to leverage these challenges into development pathways, emphasizing specialization and leadership. The role is positioned as one where a designer can significantly impact both product outcomes and their own career trajectory.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the end-to-end design process for a complex feature or product. What was the problem, your approach, the outcome, and what did you learn?" (Focus on discovery, problem framing, iteration, and impact).

• "How do you approach working with product managers and engineers when there are differing opinions on design direction or priorities?" (Highlight collaboration, negotiation, and data-driven rationale).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Commonwealth Bank and the CommSee platform specifically?" (Research CBA's mission, values, and the role of CommSee in their operations).

• "How do you contribute to fostering a customer-centric culture within a product team?" (Provide examples of how you advocate for users and ensure their needs are met).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling is Key: Structure your case studies as narratives with a clear beginning (problem), middle (process/solution), and end (outcome/impact).

• Quantify Your Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs. If quantitative data is unavailable, articulate the intended impact and how you would measure it.

• Showcase Your Process: Don't just show final screens. Include artifacts like user flows, wireframes, research insights, and prototypes to illustrate your thinking and methodology.

• Emphasize Collaboration: Explain how you worked with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders, highlighting your ability to influence and build consensus.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect questions about specific design choices, trade-offs, and your role within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and tangible impact. Candidates must be ready to defend their design decisions with rationale and data, demonstrating their ability to navigate complex organizational landscapes. The portfolio presentation is the central piece, requiring practice and clear articulation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Commonwealth Bank careers portal. Ensure your CV is up-to-date, highlighting relevant experience and skills.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest end-to-end product design case studies that best showcase your process, problem-solving, collaboration, and measurable impact, ideally with examples relevant to complex systems or enterprise environments.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords from the job description, such as "end-to-end product design," "user research," "problem framing," "complex systems," "stakeholder management," and "design systems." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear storytelling, concise explanations of your process, and articulating the impact of your work. Be ready to answer detailed questions about your contributions.

• Research Commonwealth Bank: Understand the company's mission, values, and its position in the financial services industry. Familiarize yourself with the CommSee platform's purpose and the challenges of designing for internal banking operations.

⚠️ 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.