Senior Product Designer @ Podme

Schibsted
Full-timeStockholm, Sweden

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Podme (part of Schibsted)

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX Design

Date Posted: May 28, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

  • Design and refine intuitive, engaging mobile experiences for iOS and Android platforms, focusing on habit formation and user retention.

  • Drive product strategy by identifying user needs and business opportunities through behavioral data analysis and user research.

  • Collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts to shape the product direction, emphasizing user outcomes over mere interface execution.

  • Utilize experimentation and continuous discovery methodologies to validate design decisions and iteratively improve user journeys.

  • Contribute to a strong design culture by raising the bar for UX thinking, systems design, and product craft within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant influence over product direction, not just a task executor. The emphasis on "user outcomes," "habit formation," and "business impact" suggests a strong connection to GTM (Go-To-Market) strategies and revenue-generating activities, making it relevant for operations professionals interested in the product lifecycle's impact on commercial success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Design and iterate on intuitive and delightful mobile user experiences across iOS and Android to foster habit formation and sustained engagement.

  • Craft seamless listening and discovery journeys for premium podcasts and audio experiences, reducing friction and cognitive load.

  • Frame product opportunities by deeply understanding user behavior, motivations, and desired outcomes, translating insights into clear product direction.

  • Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and cross-functional stakeholders to define product vision and strategy.

  • Employ user research, prototyping, experimentation, and data analysis to validate design hypotheses and continuously enhance user satisfaction and business metrics.

  • Proactively identify areas of friction and opportunity within the user journey, proposing innovative solutions that align with user needs and business goals.

  • Contribute to the evolution of design practices, including the exploration of adaptive and AI-supported experiences within the product.

  • Champion a product culture where design is intrinsically linked to measurable business impact and user success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic partnership model where the Senior Product Designer is integral to problem framing and opportunity identification, not just solution design. This implies a need to understand market dynamics, competitive landscapes, and how product design directly impacts user acquisition, retention, and monetization, key GTM operations concerns.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio demonstrating a deep understanding of UX principles and product design methodologies is paramount. Relevant fields include Human-Computer Interaction, Design, Psychology, or related disciplines.

Experience: 5-10 years of hands-on experience in product design, with a significant focus on mobile applications (iOS and Android) and experience designing for user habit formation and retention.

Required Skills:

  • Product Design: Proven ability to design end-to-end user experiences for complex digital products.

  • UX Design: Deep understanding of user-centered design principles, interaction design, and information architecture.

  • Mobile Design (iOS & Android): Expertise in designing for native mobile platforms, understanding platform-specific conventions and best practices.

  • User Research: Experience conducting and leveraging various user research methods (qualitative and quantitative) to uncover insights.

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

  • Systems Thinking: Ability to design in a systems-oriented manner, considering user flows, journeys, and how different product components interact.

  • Behavioral Data Analysis: Comfort working with and interpreting behavioral metrics and user data to inform design decisions and measure impact.

  • Collaboration: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Data).

  • Problem Framing: Ability to identify, define, and prioritize user problems and product opportunities.

Preferred Skills:

  • Audio/Video/Subscription Products: Experience designing for platforms with similar business models or content types.

  • Recommendation/Discovery Experiences: Expertise in designing systems that help users find relevant content.

  • AI-Driven/Adaptive Systems: Familiarity or experience designing for personalized or intelligent user experiences.

  • Behavioral Metrics & Retention: Advanced understanding of key performance indicators related to user engagement, habit formation, and long-term retention.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level and emphasis on systems thinking, behavioral data, and user outcomes indicate a need for a candidate who can operate with a high degree of autonomy and strategic input, aligning with senior roles in product operations and GTM strategy.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Case Studies: Showcase 3-5 detailed case studies demonstrating your product design process, from problem identification and research to solution design and outcome measurement.

  • User Journey Mapping: Examples of how you've mapped complex user journeys to identify friction points and design opportunities.

  • Habit Formation/Retention Design: Specific examples of how your designs have positively impacted user habit formation, engagement, or retention metrics.

  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Evidence of collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers, demonstrating your role in shaping product direction and strategy.

  • Data-Informed Design: Illustrations of how you've used user research and behavioral data to inform and validate design decisions.

Process Documentation:

  • Clearly articulate your design process, including how you approach problem framing, user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

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

  • Showcase your approach to continuous discovery and learning, including how you use experimentation and data to drive product improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role emphasizing user outcomes and business impact, the portfolio should strongly highlight how design decisions directly contributed to measurable improvements in key metrics such as subscriber retention, content consumption, and habit formation. This aligns with the data-driven nature of operations roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Stockholm with 5-10 years of experience, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between SEK 60,000 - 85,000 per month.

Benefits:

  • Comprehensive health and medical insurance.

  • Generous paid time off and vacation policies.

  • Opportunities for professional development, training, and conference attendance.

  • Pension scheme contributions.

  • Employee assistance programs.

  • Potential for stock options or performance-based bonuses.

  • Access to Schibsted's broader employee benefits and networks.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility for hybrid work arrangements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research of similar Senior Product Designer roles in Stockholm, Sweden, considering the cost of living and typical compensation structures within the tech and media industries. Schibsted, as a large media group, likely offers robust benefits packages.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Media, Streaming Services, Subscription Platforms. Podme operates within the fast-growing digital audio and subscription content market, leveraging Schibsted's extensive media expertise.

Company Size: Podme is a team of over 80 people, operating as a distinct brand within the larger Schibsted Media group. This offers the agility of a focused product team with the backing and resources of a major Scandinavian media conglomerate.

Founded: Podme was founded to focus on premium podcasts and audiobooks, becoming part of Schibsted Media in 2021. This integration provides stability and a broader ecosystem for growth.

Team Structure:

  • The Senior Product Designer reports to the UX Manager at Podme.

  • This role is part of a product team that includes Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts, fostering a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

  • Podme emphasizes a culture where design is deeply integrated into product strategy and decision-making. Methodology:

  • Podme focuses on creating "effortless, inspiring, and habit-forming audio and product experiences."

  • The company prioritizes understanding user behavior and creating direct connections between design and business outcomes.

  • Continuous discovery, experimentation, and data-driven iteration are core to their product development process.

Company Website: https://schibsted.teamtailor.com/sv/jobs/7812983-senior-product-designer-podme and https://www.podme.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: As part of Schibsted, Podme benefits from established corporate structures and a strong market presence, while maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit. The focus on habit formation and user outcomes suggests a data-driven culture that aligns well with operations principles.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor role, implying a high level of autonomy and influence. The position is suited for designers who are ready to take ownership of significant product areas and contribute to strategic product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report directly to the UX Manager at Podme. This provides a clear reporting line and mentorship opportunities within the design discipline.

Operations Impact: The role's success is measured by its direct impact on user outcomes, such as increased repeat listening, habit formation, and subscriber retention. This connection to core business metrics makes the role highly relevant to understanding and influencing GTM success.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Product Strategy Leadership: Opportunity to influence the strategic direction of Podme's product roadmap and user experience.

  • Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like behavioral design, AI-driven experiences, or subscription product optimization.

  • Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design culture.

  • Cross-functional Advancement: Develop a strong understanding of product management, engineering, and data analysis, opening doors to broader product leadership roles within Schibsted.

  • Industry Exposure: Gain experience in the dynamic digital media and subscription content space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career path for a Senior Product Designer in this context often leads to Lead Product Designer, Design Manager, or even Product Management roles, especially within larger organizations like Schibsted where cross-functional development is encouraged.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Podme operates a hybrid work model, allowing for a blend of in-office collaboration and remote flexibility. The Stockholm office likely offers a modern, collaborative workspace.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Kungsbron 13, Stockholm, Sweden. This central location is accessible and situated in a business hub.

Workspace Context:

  • Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model encourages intentional in-office time for team meetings, design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and building team cohesion.

  • Tools & Technology: Access to modern design tools, research platforms, and data analytics dashboards will be provided to support effective work.

  • Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and other designers to ensure alignment and foster innovation.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with flexibility to manage personal schedules around core collaborative hours and project deadlines. This allows for effective management of design projects and data analysis tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the work environment is crucial for operations roles, as it balances the need for focused individual work with essential in-person collaboration for strategic alignment and problem-solving.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess experience and fit.

  • Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A deep dive into your portfolio, focusing on case studies that demonstrate your problem-solving approach, design process, and impact. Expect to discuss your role in framing problems and driving outcomes.

  • Design Challenge/Exercise: A practical exercise to evaluate your design thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to apply design principles to a given scenario.

  • Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially the UX Manager to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and strategic thinking.

  • Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership, potentially focusing on cultural fit, long-term vision, and alignment with Podme's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business and user outcomes achieved through your designs. Quantify results with metrics wherever possible.

  • Showcase Process: Detail your design process, highlighting how you used research, data, and collaboration to arrive at your solutions.

  • Problem Framing: Emphasize your role in identifying and defining the right problems before jumping to solutions.

  • Systems Thinking: Demonstrate how you approach design holistically, considering user journeys and system interactions.

  • Conciseness: Present your work clearly and concisely, focusing on the most relevant and impactful projects.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Understand the Business: Familiarize yourself with Podme's business model, target audience, and key value propositions.

  • Think Holistically: Consider user needs, business goals, technical constraints, and market context.

  • Articulate Your Rationale: Be prepared to explain the reasoning behind your design decisions and how they address the challenge.

  • Practice Presentation: Rehearse presenting your approach and solutions clearly and confidently.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on user outcomes and business impact, interviewers will likely probe deeply into how your design work directly contributed to revenue, retention, or habit formation. Portfolio case studies should explicitly address these connections.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator). Figma is increasingly the industry standard for collaborative design.

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

  • Wireframing & Flow Tools: Tools to map out user flows and create low-fidelity wireframes.

Analytics & Reporting:

  • Data Analysis Tools: Proficiency with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or similar platforms to understand user behavior and product performance.

  • Data Visualization: Ability to interpret and present data from dashboards and reports, potentially using tools like Tableau or Power BI.

CRM & Automation:

  • While not directly a CRM role, an understanding of how product design impacts customer journeys and retention metrics is crucial. Familiarity with customer data platforms (CDPs) or marketing automation principles might be beneficial.

  • Project Management: Familiarity with agile project management tools such as Jira, Asana, or Trello.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this is a design role, proficiency with data analysis and understanding of how design impacts key business metrics (retention, conversion, habit formation) is critical. This overlap with operations' focus on data-driven decision-making is a key differentiator.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs, ensuring that design decisions prioritize user experience and outcomes.

  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Reliance on research and behavioral data to inform design choices, validate hypotheses, and measure impact.

  • Collaboration: A strong emphasis on working effectively with cross-functional teams, fostering open communication and shared ownership.

  • Impact-Oriented: A focus on designing solutions that drive measurable business results, such as increased engagement, retention, and subscriber growth.

  • Continuous Improvement: A culture of learning, experimentation, and iterative refinement to constantly enhance the product and user experience.

Collaboration Style:

  • Cross-functional Partnership: Actively engaging with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts to co-create solutions and ensure alignment from concept to launch.

  • Iterative Design Feedback: Participating in regular design critiques and feedback sessions to refine designs and elevate product craft.

  • Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share insights, best practices, and learnings across the team and broader organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of user-centricity, data-driven decision-making, and impact-orientation are directly aligned with the core principles of revenue and GTM operations.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively designing experiences that delight users while also driving key business metrics like retention and subscription growth.

  • Driving Habit Formation: Designing features that genuinely help users build and maintain consistent habits around content consumption.

  • Navigating Ambiguity: Contributing to product strategy in a fast-paced, evolving market and helping to define direction where it's not yet clear.

  • Measuring Design Impact: Establishing clear metrics and attribution models to demonstrate the ROI of design initiatives.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Advanced Behavioral Design: Deepen expertise in psychological principles and design patterns that drive habit formation and long-term engagement.

  • Subscription Monetization: Gain insights into strategies for optimizing subscription models and increasing customer lifetime value.

  • Data Science & Analytics: Enhance skills in interpreting complex user data and leveraging analytics for product decisions.

  • Product Strategy: Develop a stronger strategic perspective by working closely with product leadership on roadmap planning and opportunity identification.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities directly relate to key operational concerns such as customer lifecycle management, monetization strategies, and data-driven growth.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "How would you approach designing an experience to encourage users to listen to a new podcast series daily?" (Focus on habit formation, user motivation, friction reduction).

  • "Describe a time you used behavioral data to significantly change a product's direction or improve a key metric." (Focus on data analysis, hypothesis testing, impact attribution).

  • "How do you balance user needs with business objectives when designing for a subscription product?" (Focus on strategic trade-offs, value proposition clarity, and revenue impact). Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What excites you about Podme's vision and its position in the market?" (Research Podme's mission, target audience, and competitive landscape).

  • "How would you contribute to Podme's culture of continuous discovery and data-driven design?" (Highlight your collaborative style, experimentation mindset, and data literacy).

  • "How do you see your role impacting user retention and habit formation at Podme?" (Connect your experience and approach to these specific business outcomes). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Start with the Problem: Clearly articulate the user problem or business opportunity your case study addresses.

  • Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, prototypes, and user flows to illustrate your design solutions.

  • Quantify Impact: Present key metrics and outcomes achieved, explaining your role in driving them.

  • Explain Your Process: Detail your methodology, including research, ideation, and iteration steps.

  • Be Prepared for 'Why': Be ready to explain the rationale behind every significant design decision.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to discuss how your design work directly contributes to business objectives, particularly around user acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization, as these are core concerns for GTM and Revenue Operations.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the provided link on the Schibsted Teamtailor careers page.

  • Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies demonstrating experience with mobile design, user habit formation, and data-informed decision-making. Tailor your case study selection to highlight relevant skills for Podme's product.

  • Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize achievements related to user outcomes, retention metrics, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords like "UX Design," "Product Design," "Mobile," "Habit Formation," and "Data-Driven."

  • Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work. Prepare specific examples for behavioral and situational interview questions.

  • Company Research: Thoroughly research Podme, Schibsted, their product, and their market position. Understand their mission and how user experience contributes to their business success.

⚠️ 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.

Application Requirements

Candidates must have strong experience in mobile product design and a systems-thinking approach to user journeys. Proficiency in using research and data to inform design decisions and the ability to handle ambiguity are essential.