Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: CoStar

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-09-25

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end design initiatives for complex B2B SaaS products, ensuring alignment with product strategy and business goals.

• Drive user-centered design practices by conducting user research, usability testing, and leveraging data insights to inform and validate design decisions.

• Champion design quality and consistency by actively contributing to and evolving the design system, patterns, and standards.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and cross-functional teams to shape product direction and deliver compelling user experiences for users operating under commercial pressure.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on a B2B SaaS product within the Agent Division, specifically for users who rely on the tools for their livelihood (agents, sales teams, principals, admins). The emphasis is on understanding business context and making strategic design decisions, including advocating for what not to build, backed by evidence. This requires a designer capable of deep strategic thinking and strong stakeholder influence beyond just visual execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design initiatives from discovery through to shipped detail, delivering intuitive, user-centered experiences that align with product strategy and business objectives.

• Conduct comprehensive user research, usability testing, and discovery activities to uncover critical insights and validate design decisions.

• Create high-quality wireframes, prototypes, and polished high-fidelity designs that effectively balance customer needs, technical feasibility, and commercial outcomes.

• Champion and uphold design quality and consistency by actively contributing to and evolving CoStar's (Domain's) design system, patterns, and design standards.

• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and other cross-functional stakeholders to influence product direction and shape cohesive solutions.

• Drive continuous improvement within the design team by facilitating design critiques, sharing best practices, and advocating for the adoption of new tools, processes, and innovative ways of working.

• Mentor less experienced designers, contributing to their growth and the overall elevation of design craft across the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description emphasizes "thinking big and getting stuff done," suggesting a proactive approach to process improvement and a willingness to explore and advocate for new methodologies. The role involves significant strategic input, requiring the designer to form and defend a point of view based on evidence, especially regarding feature prioritization.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a closely related discipline. Experience:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in Product Design, UX/UI Design, or a comparable field.

• Proven track record of leading design initiatives and delivering user-centered experiences in a professional setting.

• Experience working within agile development environments and cross-functional teams. Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in Product Design and UX/UI Design principles.

• Advanced proficiency in Figma, including creating wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs.

• Strong capability in conducting user research, usability testing, and synthesizing data insights to inform design decisions.

• Experience in developing and contributing to design systems and scalable design practices.

• Familiarity with accessibility standards, particularly WCAG guidelines.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders in an agile setting.

• Experience designing for B2B SaaS products, with an understanding of user needs in commercial environments. Preferred Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in at least one specialized design area (e.g., interaction design, visual design, user research).

• Experience with agentic workflows or designing for users in real estate or similar fast-paced commercial sectors.

• A strong portfolio showcasing a deep understanding of user-centered design practices and tangible design outcomes that drove business impact.

• Ability to form a strong point of view, back it with evidence, and articulate it persuasively to influence product direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on understanding the "business" of the users and making strategic decisions about what to build or not build, backed by evidence, suggests that candidates with strong analytical and persuasive communication skills will be highly valued. The role requires not just execution but also strategic contribution and leadership within the design discipline.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5+ years of professional product design work, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design practices and measurable outcomes.

• Demonstrate end-to-end design process, from discovery and research through to high-fidelity design and collaboration with engineering.

• Include case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, solutions, and the impact (business outcomes, user satisfaction, efficiency gains).

• Showcase proficiency in Figma, including examples of wireframes, interactive prototypes, and polished visual designs.

• Highlight experience in contributing to or working with design systems and maintaining design consistency.

• Present evidence of user research and usability testing methodologies employed and how insights influenced design decisions. Process Documentation:

• Exhibit understanding of agile development methodologies and how design integrates within these workflows.

• Provide examples of how design decisions were informed by data, user insights, and business objectives.

• Illustrate contribution to or evolution of design patterns and standards within a team or organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should not only showcase design execution but also the strategic thinking behind it, particularly the ability to prioritize, form a point of view backed by evidence, and influence product direction in a B2B SaaS context. Demonstrating how designs led to tangible business outcomes or improved user efficiency is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The salary for a Senior Product Designer in Sydney, Australia, typically ranges from AUD $120,000 to $180,000 per year, depending on experience, specific skills, and the company's compensation structure. CoStar is a global leader, and this role is likely to offer competitive compensation within this range, potentially with performance-based incentives. Benefits:

• Generous compensation package.

• Performance-based incentives and bonuses.

• Additional days of annual leave beyond statutory requirements.

• Leadership development programs designed to foster career growth.

• Access to LinkedIn Learning for continuous skill development.

• Perkbox discounts offering a variety of employee benefits and savings.

• Comprehensive health and well-being programs.

• Opportunities for professional development and training. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, CoStar Group generally fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, which may include opportunities for flexible work arrangements where operationally feasible and aligned with team needs. Specific daily start and end times may vary based on team requirements and local office norms.

📝 Enhancement Note: Based on the provided benefits and the company's positioning as a global leader, it's reasonable to infer a competitive salary and a robust benefits package. The salary estimate is derived from industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, considering the company's market presence and the role's seniority.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Property Technology, Information Services, Online Marketplaces, Real Estate Analytics. CoStar Group is a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, online marketplaces, and 3D digital twin technology. Domain, the specific division, is a leading property technology and services marketplace in Australia.

Company Size: CoStar Group is a large, established global company with thousands of employees worldwide. Domain, as part of CoStar, also operates on a significant scale within Australia. This size implies a structured environment with established processes, resources, and opportunities for career advancement, but also potential for bureaucracy.

Founded: CoStar Group was founded in 1987. Domain became part of CoStar Group in 2025, indicating a recent integration and a combination of established corporate structures with a growing, dynamic marketplace platform.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will be part of the "Skylight Crew" within the Agent Division. This crew is a cross-functional team, likely comprising a Lead Product Designer, Product Manager, Engineers, and potentially other specialists.

• The reporting structure will likely involve reporting to a Lead Product Designer or a Design Manager, with close collaboration with Product Management and Engineering leads within the triad.

• Cross-functional collaboration is central, with the designer expected to partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams to influence product strategy and drive business outcomes. Methodology:

• Data Analysis & Insights: A strong emphasis on using customer insights, data analysis, and user research to inform and validate design decisions and product direction.

• Workflow Planning & Optimization: Focusing on designing for users who operate "at pace and under commercial pressure," requiring efficient, intuitive workflows that optimize user productivity.

• Automation & Efficiency: Exploring and advocating for new tools, processes, and methodologies to improve the efficiency and impact of the design team and the end-user experience.

Company Website: https://www.costargroup.com/ and https://newscentre.domain.com.au/ (for Domain specific news/context)

📝 Enhancement Note: The integration of Domain into CoStar Group suggests a blend of entrepreneurial spirit from Domain with the robust infrastructure and global reach of CoStar. The "Skylight Crew" and "triad" terminology points to an agile, product-focused team structure common in tech companies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a level of autonomy, strategic influence, and mentorship responsibility. It sits above a standard Product Designer and below a Lead Product Designer or Design Director. The role requires not only strong execution but also the ability to shape design direction and mentor junior team members.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Lead Product Designer or a Design Manager within the Agent Division. They will work as a key member of the "Skylight Crew," collaborating directly with Product Managers and Engineering Leads in a "triad" structure, implying close partnership and shared ownership.

Operations Impact: The role is designed to have a significant impact on product value and business outcomes by designing user experiences that meet the needs of B2B users operating under commercial pressure. The designer's ability to prioritize effectively, form strategic viewpoints, and influence product direction directly contributes to the commercial success of CoStar's agent products.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization & Leadership: Opportunity to deepen expertise in a specific design specialization (e.g., interaction design, user research, design systems) or grow into a Lead Product Designer role by demonstrating strategic leadership and mentorship.

• Skill Development: Access to leadership development programs, LinkedIn Learning, and potential for further training and conferences to enhance design craft, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Develop stronger relationships and influence across Product, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams, potentially leading to broader strategic product involvement or opportunities in product management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on mentoring and shaping direction suggests a clear path for growth towards leadership roles. The integration into a larger organization like CoStar offers potential for broader career mobility within the company's diverse portfolio of businesses.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is described as "On-site," indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This suggests a focus on in-person collaboration, team cohesion, and potentially a more structured workday.

Office Location(s): Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This location offers a vibrant urban setting with access to a strong professional network and amenities.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is expected to be collaborative, facilitating close interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and other designers within the "Skylight Crew" and potentially the broader Domain/CoStar design community.

• Access to necessary design tools and technology, including Figma, will be standard. The company's investment in employee development (e.g., LinkedIn Learning) suggests a commitment to providing resources for professional growth.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with team members will be frequent, fostering a culture of shared learning, design critiques, and collective problem-solving.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected, with the specific daily hours likely determined by team norms and operational needs. While on-site, the emphasis on innovation and efficiency may allow for some flexibility in how the workday is structured to maximize productivity and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests a preference for fostering team dynamics and spontaneous collaboration, which can be particularly beneficial for complex design challenges and mentorship within a product-focused team.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your application and portfolio to assess initial fit against the requirements. Be prepared to articulate your experience and highlight key projects.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Expect a session where you present a selection of your work, focusing on case studies that demonstrate your end-to-end design process, strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and impact on business outcomes. Be ready to discuss your rationale, challenges, and learnings.

• Design Exercise/Challenge: A practical exercise may be given, either take-home or in-situ, to assess your design skills, problem-solving approach, and ability to work within constraints. This might involve critiquing an existing design, proposing solutions for a given problem, or creating a small design artifact.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineers to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to work effectively within a triad and an agile team.

• Final Interview: Often with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Design, Director of Product) to evaluate cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 projects that best showcase your end-to-end process, B2B SaaS experience, and impact on business goals. Tailor selections to highlight skills relevant to this role (e.g., user research, design systems, complex workflows).

• Structure Case Studies: For each project, clearly define the problem, your specific role and contributions, the design process (research, ideation, iteration, testing), the final solution, and most importantly, the measurable outcomes and business impact. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Emphasize how you made decisions, prioritized features, and influenced product direction. Be ready to discuss trade-offs and the rationale behind your choices, especially in challenging scenarios.

• Showcase Collaboration: Demonstrate how you partnered with Product, Engineering, and stakeholders. Include examples of how you incorporated feedback and navigated differing opinions.

• Demonstrate Craftsmanship: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, visually polished, and easy to navigate. High-fidelity mockups and prototypes should be clean and professional.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research CoStar, Domain, and the property technology/commercial real estate industry to understand user needs and business drivers.

• Focus on Process: Even if time is limited, articulate your assumed process for tackling the challenge. Outline your steps, potential research methods, and how you would validate your solutions.

• Communicate Assumptions: Clearly state any assumptions you make. This shows critical thinking and an understanding that real-world design requires navigating ambiguity.

• Practice Articulation: Rehearse presenting your work and your thought process concisely and persuasively. Be prepared to answer "why" questions about your design choices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on forming a point of view and arguing it with evidence suggests that interviewers will probe deeply into your decision-making process. Be prepared to defend your design choices with data, user insights, and strategic alignment.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for wireframing, prototyping, high-fidelity design, and collaboration. Advanced proficiency is required.

• Design System Tools: Experience with tools or processes for managing and contributing to design systems (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or Figma's own component libraries).

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, ProtoPie) might be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research & Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Hotjar, FullStory, Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Amplitude for understanding user behavior and validating design impact.

• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau or Power BI could be useful for interpreting business data and user trends.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms can provide context for B2B product design.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello for agile workflow management and documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a hard requirement. Experience with design system management and user behavior analytics tools will significantly strengthen a candidate's profile, as these are critical for driving consistency and demonstrating impact in a product design role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Quality & Consistency: A commitment to high-quality design execution, maintaining alignment with the design system, and continuously improving design patterns.

• Business Impact: A focus on understanding customer insights and collaborating to develop solutions that drive product value and achieve business outcomes.

• Thinking Big & Getting Stuff Done: An entrepreneurial spirit that encourages exploration of new tools and processes to improve efficiency and impact, coupled with a results-oriented approach.

• Collaboration & Influence: A culture that values teamwork, active participation in critiques, and the ability to influence peers and stakeholders through evidence-based design thinking.

Collaboration Style:

• Triad Partnership: Close, integrated collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers, forming a "triad" with shared ownership of product outcomes.

• Design Critiques: Active participation in design critiques as both a presenter and a reviewer, fostering a culture of constructive feedback and continuous improvement.

• Cross-functional Integration: Working seamlessly with Go-to-Market teams and other stakeholders to ensure design solutions are well-understood, supported, and aligned with broader business strategies.

• Mentorship: A willingness to mentor less experienced designers, sharing knowledge and elevating the overall design craft within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "arguing it" and "bringing your triad with you" highlights a culture that values strong opinions backed by data, but also emphasizes collaborative influence rather than top-down direction within the immediate product team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Prioritization in a New Product: The product offering is relatively new, meaning the challenge lies in deciding what to build from a vast pool of insights, requiring ruthless prioritization and strategic decision-making.

• Balancing User Needs and Commercial Pressure: Designing for B2B users who operate "at pace and under commercial pressure" requires a deep understanding of their business context and balancing their immediate needs with the company's commercial goals.

• Evolving the Design System: Contributing to and extending an existing design system rather than working around it, ensuring scalability and consistency across a growing product suite.

• Influencing Product Direction: Effectively advocating for design-led solutions and potentially challenging existing product roadmaps with well-supported evidence.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Craft Enhancement: Opportunities to refine skills in user research, interaction design, visual design, and prototyping through hands-on project work and internal knowledge sharing.

• Strategic Thinking Development: Gaining experience in product strategy, business analysis, and cross-functional influence, crucial for advancing into senior and lead design roles.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Developing leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and taking ownership of significant design initiatives.

• Industry Exposure: Access to industry best practices through resources like LinkedIn Learning and potential participation in relevant conferences or workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are strategic and process-oriented, requiring a designer who is not only skilled in execution but also adept at navigating ambiguity, making tough decisions, and influencing product roadmaps.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to make a difficult prioritization decision for a product feature based on user insights and business goals. How did you arrive at your decision, and what was the outcome?" (Assesses strategic thinking, prioritization, and impact.)

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for a B2B SaaS product where users are under significant commercial pressure? What steps would you take to ensure the design is efficient and valuable?" (Assesses understanding of B2B context and user-centric design for high-pressure environments.)

• "Tell me about your experience contributing to or evolving a design system. How do you balance consistency with the need for new patterns or functionalities?" (Assesses design system expertise and adherence to standards.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about CoStar Group and the Domain platform, specifically within the context of property technology and B2B SaaS?" (Assesses research and genuine interest.)

• "Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders (Product, Engineering, etc.) to adopt your design recommendation. How did you build consensus and present your case?" (Assesses collaboration and influence skills.)

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers, and what do you believe are the key qualities of a strong design mentor?" (Assesses leadership potential and team contribution.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on "Why": For each project, clearly articulate the "why" behind your design decisions. Be prepared to defend your choices with data, user research, and strategic rationale.

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

• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight how you worked with Product and Engineering. Discuss challenges encountered during collaboration and how you overcame them.

• Tell a Story: Frame your case studies as narratives. Start with the problem, walk through your journey, and end with the resolution and impact. Make it engaging and easy to follow.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your process, trade-offs, challenges, and alternative solutions you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect questions that probe your ability to form a point of view, back it with evidence, and argue it persuasively. The interview process will likely assess not just your design skills but also your strategic acumen and collaborative abilities within a product triad.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the CoStar Careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Carefully curate your portfolio to highlight 3-4 key projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end product design process, B2B SaaS experience, and quantifiable impact on business outcomes. Tailor your case studies to address the specific needs of designing for users under commercial pressure.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5+ years of experience in Product Design/UX/UI, specifically mentioning proficiency in Figma, user research, design systems, and agile methodologies. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on explaining your strategic rationale, design decisions, and the measurable impact of your work. Prepare to discuss your experience with prioritization and influencing cross-functional teams.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research CoStar Group and the Domain platform. Understand their market position, target users (agents, sales teams), and the property technology landscape to demonstrate genuine interest and contextual understanding during interviews.

⚠️ 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.