Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: M&T Bank

Location: Buffalo, NY, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: August 21, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design of digital products, encompassing concept development, prototyping, and iterative refinement within a dedicated Experience Design & Innovation team.

• Drive user-centered design methodologies throughout the entire product development lifecycle, ensuring alignment with business goals and end-user needs.

• Collaborate closely with Product Owners and Developers to translate experience visions into tangible, high-quality digital products.

• Mentor junior Product Designers, fostering a culture of design thinking and best practices across product teams, thereby elevating the collective design capability.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer, indicating a need for demonstrated leadership in design processes, mentorship capabilities, and the ability to drive complex design initiatives. The emphasis on collaboration with Product Owners and Developers suggests a strong need for understanding the interplay between design, business strategy, and technical feasibility within a banking context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and refine design processes and approaches to tackle complex product challenges, proactively identifying potential issues and employing established user-centered methodologies.

• Envision and design desired end-states for digital products that effectively meet both business objectives and end-user needs and expectations, informed by thorough user research.

• Champion user-centered design methods throughout the product development lifecycle, defining key deliverables and ensuring the successful realization of user experiences.

• Partner with development teams to ensure a comprehensive understanding of successful user experience standards and industry best practices, facilitating seamless implementation.

• Explore and validate multiple user-centered design concepts through collaborative whiteboard sessions, wireframing, and iterative usability studies to gather critical end-user feedback and continuously enhance the customer experience.

• Collaborate with Product Owners to clearly define product functionality and end-user requirements, ensuring alignment with desired business outcomes and strategic goals.

• Mentor and guide other Product Designers within the team, nurturing their skills and fostering a deeper understanding of design thinking principles and their application within product teams.

• Lead design efforts for one or more specific product spaces, ensuring connectivity to the broader product vision and overarching company strategy.

• Actively plan and contribute design-specific insights and activities to product team meetings, ensuring design considerations are integrated early and often.

• Lead cross-functional teams in design thinking and human-centered design workshops, facilitating collaborative problem-solving and innovation.

• Conduct user and customer research in close partnership with the dedicated Experience Research team to gather actionable insights.

• Explore and integrate new design patterns and practices, continuously enhancing the team's methodological toolkit and staying at the forefront of design innovation.

• Clearly communicate design rationale and strategic thinking to cross-functional partners and stakeholders, fostering buy-in and alignment.

• Adhere to all applicable compliance and operational risk controls in accordance with Company and regulatory standards and policies, ensuring design solutions are robust and secure.

• Promote an inclusive and collaborative environment that supports belonging and authentically reflects the M&T Bank brand identity.

• Maintain M&T internal control standards, including the timely implementation of internal and external audit points and addressing any issues raised by external regulators.

• Complete other related duties as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and a willingness to contribute across various design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a significant emphasis on leadership, mentorship, and strategic design thinking. The expectation to "develop the process/approach for tackling a design problem" and "explore new patterns and practices" indicates a need for an individual who can not only execute but also innovate and improve design methodologies. The mention of "compliance/operational risk controls" and "internal control standards" is critical for a financial services context and requires a designer to be mindful of these constraints.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in UX Design, Human Computer Interaction, Industrial Design, or a closely related field. Alternatively, a combined minimum of 7 years of education and/or relevant product design work experience will be considered.

Experience: A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in product design, UX design, or a similar role is required. A background in the design/user experience field, preferably demonstrated through a robust online portfolio, is essential.

Required Skills:

• User-Centered Design: Proven ability to apply user-centered design methods throughout the entire product development lifecycle.

• Design Thinking & Ideation: Expertise in envisioning desired end-states, exploring multiple concepts through whiteboard sessions, wireframing, and prototyping.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in creating use cases, flow diagrams, prototypes, scenarios, and wireframes within the context of product development.

• Design Tools Proficiency: Hands-on experience with industry-standard design and prototyping tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, InVision, or Figma.

• User Research Collaboration: Ability to conduct and/or partner with user research teams to gather end-user feedback and inform design decisions.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Strong ability to establish effective working relationships and collaborate with product owners, developers, and other stakeholders.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Demonstrated ability to mentor other Product Designers and educate product teams on design thinking principles.

• Communication Skills: Excellent ability to communicate design rationale and collaborate effectively with cross-functional peers and partners.

• Web & Mobile Design: Proficiency in industry best practices for desktop, mobile, and web applications, including understanding of accessibility standards, cross-platform issues, and mobile user interfaces.

• Systems Thinking: Capacity to understand and design within complex systems, considering interdependencies and broader impacts.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Systems: Familiarity with and experience in contributing to or utilizing design systems.

• Financial Services Industry Experience: Prior experience working within the financial services sector is a significant plus.

• Workshop Facilitation: Experience conducting remote and in-person design workshops, with strong familiarity with supporting tools like Miro and Webex.

• Customer Centricity: A strong "outside-in" perspective focused on improving the customer experience.

• Resilience & Decisiveness: Ability to respectfully consider diverse opinions while making tough calls and demonstrating a sense of urgency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of technical design skills, strategic thinking, and leadership potential. The explicit mention of specific tools like Adobe, Sketch, InVision, and Figma, alongside Miro and Webex, points to the expected technology stack. The "in lieu of a degree" clause indicates flexibility, prioritizing practical experience and portfolio strength.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: A portfolio showcasing at least 3-5 detailed case studies demonstrating the full product development lifecycle from problem identification to final iteration. Each case study should clearly articulate the design challenge, your role, the process followed, key decisions made, and the quantifiable impact or learnings.

• Process Documentation: Evidence of your ability to document design processes, including user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final UI designs. This should highlight how you translated user needs and business goals into actionable design solutions.

• Problem-Solving Examples: Showcase examples of how you tackled ambiguous design problems, explored multiple concepts, and used research (usability studies, user interviews) to validate and refine your solutions.

• Tool Proficiency Showcase: Include examples of work created using industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision) and collaboration tools (e.g., Miro).

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Examples of creating user flows, journey maps, and information architecture diagrams that illustrate a structured approach to understanding and designing user interactions.

• Iterative Design: Demonstrate your ability to iterate on designs based on feedback from usability testing, stakeholder reviews, and A/B testing results. This could be shown through before-and-after design examples.

• System Integration: If applicable, showcase projects where your designs considered integration with existing systems, APIs, or design systems, highlighting an understanding of technical constraints and possibilities.

• Methodological Toolkit: Evidence of understanding and applying various design thinking methods, user research techniques, and prototyping approaches, explaining why specific methods were chosen for particular projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, particularly in a financial institution, the portfolio needs to go beyond just showcasing final designs. It should demonstrate a strategic understanding of the design process, the ability to lead design initiatives, mentor others, and integrate user needs with business and compliance requirements. Highlighting experience with collaborative tools like Miro is particularly important given the hybrid work environment and the emphasis on cross-functional workshops.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $85,800.00 - $143,000.00 Annual (USD)

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans designed to support employee well-being.

• Retirement Savings Plan: 401(k) plan with company match, offering a strong foundation for long-term financial security.

• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay to ensure work-life balance and employee rejuvenation.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, including training programs, workshops, and potential conference attendance to enhance skills in UX Design, Design Thinking, and related fields.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential support services for employees facing personal or work-related challenges.

• M&T Bank Brand Culture: Contributing to an environment that supports belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.

Working Hours: Standard full-time workweek, typically 40 hours per week. The hybrid work arrangement allows for flexibility in balancing in-office and remote workdays.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Senior Product Designer in the Buffalo, NY area, considering the experience level and the financial services industry. The benefits listed are standard for a large, established financial institution like M&T Bank, with a focus on health, financial security, and professional growth. The hybrid work arrangement offers flexibility, which is a key consideration for many professionals in the design field.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Banking)

Company Size: M&T Bank is a large, established financial institution. This implies a structured environment with robust processes, a significant customer base, and a focus on regulatory compliance. For a designer, this means opportunities to impact a wide audience and work on complex, high-stakes projects, but also a need to navigate established protocols and ensure designs meet stringent security and compliance standards.

Founded: M&T Bank was founded in 1856, indicating a long history and a deep understanding of the financial industry. This longevity suggests stability, established customer relationships, and a culture that values tradition while also adapting to modern banking needs.

Team Structure:

• Experience Design & Innovation Team: This team is explicitly described as a dedicated group of designers, developers, strategists, and leaders focused on customer-centricity and innovation.

• Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Manager within this team, with potential for direct mentorship of other Product Designers.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role heavily emphasizes collaboration with Product Owners, Developers, and the Experience Research team, indicating a matrixed or project-based approach to team engagement.

Methodology:

• Customer Centricity: The team's core belief is in customer-centricity, using deep human understanding as a foundation for all design work.

• Data-Driven Design: While not explicitly stated as a methodology, the emphasis on user research, feedback, and collaboration with developers suggests designs will be informed by data and validated through testing.

• Human-Centered & Design Thinking: These methodologies are explicitly mentioned as tools for workshops and problem-solving, indicating a commitment to these approaches.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context provided by the description paints M&T Bank as a stable, customer-focused financial institution with a modern approach to design and innovation through its dedicated Experience Design & Innovation team. The emphasis on "customer centricity," "human understanding," and "design thinking" suggests a progressive culture within the broader banking sector.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Product Designer. This level signifies a transition from primarily executing design tasks to leading design initiatives, mentoring junior colleagues, and influencing design strategy within product teams. It requires a strong portfolio, deep understanding of user-centered design principles, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director within the Experience Design & Innovation team. They will also be expected to lead and mentor other Product Designers within their assigned product spaces, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the bank's ability to deliver intuitive, engaging, and effective digital experiences. By leading design efforts and ensuring adherence to user-centered principles, the Senior Product Designer contributes to customer satisfaction, retention, operational efficiency (through intuitive interfaces), and ultimately, the bank's competitive advantage in the financial services market. Their work helps translate the bank's capabilities into "personal, connected, and surprisingly simple banking experiences."

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to move into a Design Lead or Managerial role, overseeing larger teams or more strategic design initiatives.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as Service Design, Interaction Design, or User Research, potentially leading to specialized senior or principal roles.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Gaining deeper experience in financial services product development, which can lead to roles within product management or strategic innovation within the banking sector.

• Mentorship & Training: Continued development of leadership and teaching skills through mentoring junior designers and potentially leading internal training sessions on design thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior Product Designer role at M&T Bank offers a clear path for career progression within design leadership and specialization. The emphasis on mentorship and the opportunity to influence product strategy within a large financial institution provides a solid foundation for long-term career growth.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. This indicates a blend of in-office and remote work, allowing for flexibility while maintaining in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): Primarily based in Buffalo, New York. The hybrid model suggests that while remote work is possible, regular presence in the Buffalo office will be required for team meetings, collaborative sessions, and in-person work.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is likely designed to foster collaboration, with meeting rooms, whiteboarding spaces, and common areas conducive to brainstorming and team interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design and collaboration software (Figma, Sketch, Adobe, Miro, Webex) will be readily available, supporting both individual work and team-based design activities.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with fellow Product Designers, Developers, Product Owners, and Experience Researchers, facilitating knowledge sharing and integrated workflow.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour workweek is expected, with the hybrid arrangement providing flexibility in how and where those hours are spent. This schedule supports the need for focused design work, collaborative sessions, and adherence to project timelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment in Buffalo suggests a modern approach to workplace flexibility within a traditional financial institution. The emphasis on collaborative spaces and tools indicates that M&T Bank values in-person interaction for certain aspects of the design process, such as workshops and team alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter screen to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A crucial stage where candidates present their portfolio, discussing their process, decision-making, and impact. This may be followed by a design exercise or case study to evaluate problem-solving skills and design approach in real-time.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into experience, leadership capabilities, mentorship approach, and strategic thinking related to product design.

• Team/Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with potential peers (other designers, developers, product owners) to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit within the Experience Design & Innovation team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Clearly articulate the narrative behind each project – the problem, your role, the process, the challenges, the solutions, and the outcomes/learnings.

• Process Over Polish: While polished visuals are good, focus on demonstrating your design process, problem-solving methodology, and how you arrived at your solutions. Show your iterations and thought process.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the impact of your designs on user behavior, business goals, or operational efficiency.

• Tailor to the Role: Highlight projects that align with the responsibilities and requirements of the Senior Product Designer role at M&T Bank, especially those involving complex digital products, user research, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Highlight Mentorship: If applicable, include examples or discuss your experience in mentoring junior designers.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Be prepared for challenges that might involve designing for financial services, focusing on security, compliance, and user trust.

• Embrace Ambiguity: The role involves tackling ambiguous problems. Demonstrate your ability to structure your approach and make informed decisions even with incomplete information.

• Think Systemically: Consider how your proposed solutions fit within the broader M&T Bank ecosystem and existing product lines.

• Communicate Clearly: Articulate your thought process, assumptions, and design decisions clearly and concisely, as if presenting to a mixed audience of designers and non-designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Senior Product Designer at a company like M&T Bank will likely be rigorous, with a strong emphasis on portfolio presentation and problem-solving skills. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate not only their design craft but also their strategic thinking, leadership potential, and ability to operate within a regulated industry.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator), InVision. Proficiency in at least one of the primary UI/UX tools (Figma, Sketch) is expected.

• Collaboration & Workshop: Miro, Webex. Essential for remote and hybrid collaboration, brainstorming, and workshop facilitation.

• User Research Support: Tools used by the Experience Research team (specifics may vary, but candidates should be comfortable collaborating with research findings).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly a design tool, familiarity with how design impacts key performance indicators (KPIs) tracked through analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or proprietary banking analytics) is beneficial. Understanding how to interpret data to inform design decisions is key. CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of how design integrates with CRM systems and automated workflows is helpful, though direct proficiency may not be required. The focus is on designing user journeys that are supported by underlying business processes and systems. Other Relevant Tools:

• Design Systems: Experience with or understanding of design systems is preferred, indicating an ability to work with and contribute to a consistent brand and component library.

• Project Management Tools: Familiarity with tools like Jira or Asana for managing design tasks within agile development cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack clearly indicates a modern design team operating within a structured financial institution. Proficiency in Figma or Sketch, coupled with collaboration tools like Miro, is essential. The mention of accessibility standards and systems thinking implies that designers need to be aware of how their work integrates with broader technical and regulatory frameworks.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A foundational value, emphasizing an "outside-in" perspective focused on understanding and improving the customer experience above all else.

• Curiosity: A drive to continuously seek out new ways to enhance the customer experience, encouraging exploration and learning.

• Resilience: The ability to navigate diverse opinions respectfully, make difficult decisions with confidence, and adapt to changing circumstances.

• Drive & Prioritization: Self-motivation, the ability to focus efforts effectively, and the skill to prioritize tasks and say "no" when necessary to maintain focus.

• Challenging Assumptions: A willingness to question existing norms and practices to find better solutions.

• Decisiveness & Leadership: Taking initiative, demonstrating a sense of urgency, and inspiring others to follow a shared vision.

• Accountability: Taking ownership of work and demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility for outcomes.

• Interdependence: Valuing collaboration, actively communicating, convening stakeholders, and reaching across organizational boundaries to achieve goals.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to ongoing learning and seeking opportunities to enhance processes, skills, and outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Emphasis on working closely with Product Owners, Developers, and Researchers to ensure a cohesive and well-informed design process.

• Open Communication: Encouraging open dialogue, the sharing of diverse opinions, and constructive feedback exchange during design reviews and workshops.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that supports sharing best practices, learnings, and insights across the design team and with wider product teams.

• Experimental Approach: Willingness to experiment with new design patterns, methodologies, and tools to drive innovation and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values and collaboration style described reflect a modern, progressive design team operating within a more traditional industry. The emphasis on customer centricity, curiosity, and resilience suggests a culture that encourages innovation and continuous improvement while maintaining a strong sense of responsibility and collaboration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity in a Regulated Industry: Balancing innovative design solutions with the strict compliance, security, and operational risk requirements inherent in financial services. This requires creative problem-solving within defined boundaries.

• Driving Adoption of New Design Patterns: Introducing and gaining buy-in for novel design approaches or technologies within a large, established organization that may have existing standards or processes.

• Integrating Diverse Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing and synthesizing input from various stakeholders (product, engineering, legal, compliance, marketing) to create a cohesive and user-validated design.

• Balancing Customer Needs with Business Objectives: Ensuring that user-centered designs also meet stringent business goals, profitability targets, and operational efficiency demands.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Methodologies: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like service design, behavioral economics in finance, or advanced user research techniques.

• Industry Trends & Conferences: Potential to attend industry conferences (e.g., UXPA, IA Summit, NN/g) and participate in workshops to stay abreast of the latest trends in UX and product design.

• Leadership & Mentorship Development: Formal and informal opportunities to hone leadership skills through mentoring junior designers, leading workshops, and contributing to design strategy.

• Financial Services Domain Expertise: Gaining specialized knowledge of the banking industry, its products, regulatory landscape, and customer behaviors, which can open doors to specialized roles within finance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior design roles in regulated industries. The growth opportunities highlight a strong potential for career advancement, specialization, and leadership development within M&T Bank's Experience Design & Innovation team.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex feature for a regulated industry. How did you balance user needs with compliance requirements?" (Focus on process, risk mitigation, and stakeholder management.)

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers? Can you provide an example of how you've helped someone grow their skills?" (Highlight leadership, coaching style, and impact on team development.)

• "Imagine you're tasked with redesigning a core banking feature with limited user research data. What would be your first steps, and how would you proceed to validate your design?" (Demonstrate structured problem-solving, hypothesis generation, and iterative validation.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about M&T Bank specifically, and how do you see your design philosophy aligning with our focus on customer centricity and innovation?" (Research M&T's recent initiatives, values, and mission.)

• "How do you foster collaboration within a hybrid team environment, and what strategies do you use to ensure all voices are heard?" (Prepare examples of your collaborative approach and experience with tools like Miro.)

• "How do you measure the success of your designs, particularly in terms of user experience and business impact?" (Be ready to discuss metrics, KPIs, and how you tie design work to tangible outcomes.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the Problem, Your Role, Process, Solution, and Results/Learnings. Use visual aids effectively.

• Emphasize Your Thought Process: Don't just show the final designs; explain why you made certain decisions, the trade-offs considered, and how user research or constraints informed your choices.

• Highlight Mentorship/Leadership: If possible, include a project where you led or mentored others, or discuss your approach to fostering design talent within a team.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about specific design choices, the tools you used, and the challenges you faced. Be ready to articulate your rationale confidently.

• Interactive Elements: If your portfolio includes interactive prototypes, be ready to walk through them and explain the user flows and interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation for this role should focus on demonstrating a strong understanding of user-centered design principles, leadership capabilities, and the ability to navigate the complexities of the financial services industry. The portfolio presentation is critical and should highlight strategic thinking and process, not just aesthetic execution.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the M&T Bank careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your online portfolio to prominently feature 3-5 case studies that best showcase your experience in user-centered design, product development lifecycle leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, particularly highlighting any relevant financial services or complex digital product experience.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords and responsibilities mentioned in the job description, such as "UX Design," "Product Design," "Design Thinking," "Prototyping," "User Research," and "Mentorship." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and project outcomes clearly and concisely. Prepare to discuss your approach to mentorship, collaboration in a hybrid environment, and how you handle design challenges within a regulated industry.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with M&T Bank's mission, values, recent product launches, and their commitment to customer experience. Understand how their brand and operational context might influence design decisions.

⚠️ 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.