Senior Product Designer at Qantas Group

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Qantas Group

Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / Customer Experience Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-10

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

Lead the design of Qantas's digital support experiences, impacting millions of customers by creating intuitive self-service and AI-powered solutions.
Drive innovation in customer care by designing seamless digital pathways that empower customers to resolve issues quickly and confidently, especially during critical travel moments.
Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, Service Design, and Customer Care teams to deliver impactful, customer-centric support journeys.
Utilize a strong understanding of systems thinking and operational processes to design scalable and effective digital support solutions.
Champion accessibility, inclusion, and customer-centered design principles throughout the product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior Product Designer," the core responsibilities and emphasis on digital support, self-service, AI tools, and seamless handoffs to assisted support teams indicate a strong focus on the operational aspects of customer experience. This role bridges traditional product design with the practical application of support systems and customer service workflows, making it highly relevant to operations professionals interested in optimizing customer journeys. The emphasis on "operational challenges" and "systems thinking" further underscores the operations-centric nature of this design role.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

Design end-to-end support experiences that guide customers through help pathways, ensuring they find accurate information and resolve issues with confidence.
Translate customer research, behavioral insights, and operational challenges into intuitive and practical design solutions for digital support channels.
Prioritize self-service design while ensuring seamless transitions and handoffs to assisted support teams when customer intervention is necessary.
Identify and leverage opportunities to integrate AI, automation, and conversational tools to enhance support scalability and efficiency.
Employ analytics, experimentation, and customer feedback loops to continuously evaluate, iterate, and improve digital support experiences.
Foster strong collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Service Designers, and Customer Care stakeholders to align on priorities and deliver integrated outcomes.
Advocate for and implement accessibility and inclusion standards across all customer support journeys, ensuring equitable experiences for all users.
Design and refine complex digital products and customer-facing platforms with a focus on scalability and operational efficiency.
Develop and maintain journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, and service concepts that clearly articulate user flows and interaction models.
Contribute to and leverage design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency in interaction patterns across Qantas's digital support ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a significant operational focus, requiring the designer to understand and optimize customer support workflows. This includes designing for "self-service first," managing "handoffs to assisted support," and integrating "AI, automation and conversational tools" to improve "support at scale." This indicates a need to think about the entire support operation, not just the front-end user interface.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating a deep understanding of UX principles, design thinking, and practical application in complex digital environments is paramount. Degrees in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or related fields are beneficial but secondary to demonstrable skills and experience.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of proven experience in designing complex digital products, customer-facing platforms, or intricate self-service solutions at scale is required. This experience should span the entire design lifecycle, from research and ideation to prototyping, testing, and implementation.

Required Skills:

Proven experience designing complex digital products or customer-facing platforms at scale.
Strong understanding of self-service, digital support, and customer service experiences.
Experience designing across multiple channels, systems, and touchpoints, demonstrating a holistic approach to customer journeys.
Ability to simplify complex problems and translate customer needs into clear, intuitive, and actionable design solutions.
Hands-on proficiency with essential design tools: Figma, Miro, Jira, and Confluence.
Strong systems thinking capabilities, with an understanding of how digital experiences integrate with and influence operational processes.
Experience working with and contributing to established design systems and scalable interaction patterns.
Demonstrated ability to use analytics, experimentation, and customer feedback to drive design decisions and continuous improvement.
Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale to diverse audiences.
A customer-obsessed mindset with a passion for evidence-based design and data-driven decision-making.
Championing of accessibility and inclusion principles in design. Preferred Skills:
Experience within customer service, support, CRM, or workflow management environments.
Curiosity and enthusiasm for AI, conversational interfaces, and emerging support technologies.
Experience in user research methodologies and translating insights into design.
Familiarity with agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration.
Understanding of backend operational processes that support customer interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "systems thinking," "digital support," "customer service experiences," and "workflow management environments" strongly suggests that candidates with a background that includes understanding operational constraints and efficiency gains will be highly valued. The "5-10 years" experience level for a "Senior" role indicates a need for demonstrated leadership in design strategy and execution within complex environments.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Showcase at least 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating the design of complex digital support or self-service experiences.
Clearly articulate the problem statement, your role, the design process followed, and the challenges overcome.
Highlight your application of systems thinking, detailing how your designs integrated with existing operational processes or influenced them.
Include examples of journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, and final UI designs, emphasizing user-centricity and problem-solving.
Demonstrate how you utilized customer research, data analytics, and user feedback to inform and validate your design decisions.
Quantify the impact of your design solutions where possible, using metrics related to efficiency, customer satisfaction, or issue resolution rates.
Showcase experience with AI-powered tools, conversational interfaces, or automation in support contexts. Process Documentation:
Detail your approach to user research and how it informed the design of support workflows.
Explain your methods for creating seamless handoffs between self-service and assisted support channels.
Illustrate your process for identifying opportunities to leverage AI and automation within customer support.
Document your approach to using analytics and experimentation for continuous improvement of support experiences.
Provide examples of how you collaborated with engineering and operational teams to ensure feasibility and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role with a strong operational component, the portfolio is crucial. It needs to go beyond visual design and demonstrate an understanding of how design impacts operational efficiency and customer support workflows. Case studies should explicitly detail the "systems thinking" and integration with "operational processes."

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the Senior Product Designer title, the location in Adelaide, and the employer being Qantas Group (a major corporation), the estimated salary range for a Senior Product Designer in Adelaide, Australia, would typically fall between AUD $120,000 and AUD $170,000 per annum, depending on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and the final scope of responsibilities.

Benefits:

Extensive Travel Benefits: Heavily discounted air travel within Australia and internationally for employees, family, and friends. Exclusive deals on accommodation and holidays.
Flexible Leave Options: Including 18 weeks of paid parental leave and the option to purchase additional paid leave.
Employee Rewards Program: Access to discounts across a wide range of partners including shopping, food and wine, insurance, health and wellbeing, leisure, and entertainment.
Salary Packaging Program: Options for salary packaging motor vehicles, portable electronic devices, and professional memberships.
Wellbeing Support: Access to interactive wellbeing apps, tailored nutrition plans, and resources for mental health support.
Professional Development: Hands-on training, coaching, and formal learning programs designed for career growth.
Career Progression: Opportunities to explore new paths and advance within the Qantas Group.

Working Hours: Full-time position, typically aligning with standard business hours (e.g., 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday), with potential for some flexibility depending on project needs and team collaboration schedules. The role is based on-site at the new Product and Innovation Centre in Adelaide.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in major Australian cities, considering the employer's scale and the role's strategic importance. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting Qantas's comprehensive employee offerings, with a strong emphasis on travel and lifestyle perks relevant to the Australian market.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Aviation, Travel, and Tourism. Qantas Group is Australia's largest airline and a globally recognized brand, operating in a highly competitive and regulated industry where customer experience is paramount. The company is undergoing a significant digital transformation, investing in new Product and Innovation Centres to drive agile development and customer-centric solutions.

Company Size: Large Enterprise. Qantas Group is a major corporation with thousands of employees globally, indicating a structured environment with established processes, but also significant opportunities for impact and career advancement.

Founded: 1920. Qantas has a long and rich history, evolving from a regional airline to a global carrier. This legacy suggests a company that values tradition and reliability while adapting to modern technological advancements and customer expectations.

Team Structure:

The role is part of a new Product and Innovation Centre in Adelaide, suggesting a growing, agile, and forward-thinking operational hub.
The Senior Product Designer will likely be part of a product team comprising Product Managers, Engineers, UX Researchers, Service Designers, and potentially Data Analysts.
Collaboration will be cross-functional, involving close partnerships with Customer Care teams, operational departments, and potentially marketing and strategy units.
Reporting is expected to be within a product or design leadership hierarchy within the new centre. Methodology:
Emphasis on agile methodologies for rapid iteration and delivery of digital solutions.
Data-driven decision-making, utilizing analytics, experimentation, and customer feedback.
Customer-centric design approach, prioritizing user needs and seamless experiences.
Systems thinking to ensure integration and efficiency across digital and operational touchpoints.
Continuous improvement culture, with a focus on iterative development and optimization.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The establishment of a new Product and Innovation Centre in Adelaide signifies a strategic investment in digital transformation and agile ways of working. This environment is likely to be dynamic, collaborative, and focused on delivering innovative solutions to complex customer challenges within the aviation sector.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as a Senior individual contributor. It requires a high level of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to mentor more junior designers. The focus on designing complex support systems and influencing cross-functional teams positions it as a key role in optimizing the operational efficiency of customer service.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to a Design Lead, Head of Product, or a similar senior role within the Product and Innovation Centre. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on a day-to-day basis.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on the operational efficiency of Qantas's customer support. By designing effective self-service and AI-driven solutions, the designer can reduce the load on call centres, improve customer satisfaction, decrease operational costs, and enhance the overall customer journey during potentially stressful travel periods. This role is critical in driving digital transformation within customer care operations.

Growth Opportunities:

Leadership Development: Potential to move into a Design Lead or Managerial role, overseeing a team of designers and shaping design strategy.
Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in areas like AI-driven interfaces, conversational design, or advanced customer journey optimization within the support domain.
Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to transition into Product Management, Service Design, or operational strategy roles within Qantas, leveraging a deep understanding of customer experience and operational systems.
Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers, contributing to the growth of the design practice within the new centre.
Industry Exposure: Working on large-scale, complex problems within the aviation industry offers unique challenges and learning opportunities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" designation implies a need for leadership potential, not just design execution. The emphasis on operational impact means candidates should be prepared to discuss how their design work drives efficiency and improves customer support processes, aligning with GTM and RevOps objectives.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based at Qantas's new Product and Innovation Centre in Adelaide. This is likely a modern, collaborative workspace designed to foster innovation and teamwork, potentially featuring open-plan areas, dedicated project rooms, and advanced technology infrastructure.

Office Location(s): Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. This location is specifically highlighted as the base for this new centre, suggesting a focused investment in this region for digital product development.

Workspace Context:

Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic workspace designed for cross-functional teams to work together effectively on complex projects.
Technology Access: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma, Miro, Jira, Confluence) and potentially advanced prototyping or testing equipment.
Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with product managers, engineers, customer care specialists, and other designers, fostering a culture of shared learning and problem-solving.
Innovation Focus: The centre's purpose is to drive innovation, suggesting an environment that encourages experimentation and new approaches to customer challenges.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time, permanent role. While standard business hours are expected, the agile nature of product development may require some flexibility to meet project deadlines and collaborate effectively with teams across different time zones if applicable. The focus is on delivering outcomes rather than strict adherence to hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Product and Innovation Centre" designation implies a modern, agile, and collaborative workspace. For operations professionals, this means an environment conducive to process improvement, cross-functional alignment, and data-driven decision-making.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios. Be prepared to articulate your relevant experience in digital support design and systems thinking.
Technical/Design Interview: This stage will likely involve a deep dive into your portfolio. Expect to walk through 1-2 case studies, explaining your process, design decisions, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss how you approach complex problems, use data, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
Case Study/Design Challenge: You may be given a design challenge to complete, either as a take-home assignment or an in-interview exercise. This will assess your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to work under pressure. Focus on demonstrating your process for optimizing support experiences.
Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with potential peers (other designers, PMs, engineers) and stakeholders (e.g., from Customer Care) to assess cultural fit, collaboration style, and communication skills.
Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit with the Qantas Group's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Focus on Operations Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate how your design solutions addressed operational challenges, improved efficiency, or enhanced customer support workflows. Use metrics wherever possible.
Showcase Systems Thinking: Explicitly detail how you considered the broader system, including integrations with backend processes, handoffs, and the impact on support agents.
Demonstrate Process: Walk through your design process step-by-step, explaining your rationale for each decision and how you incorporated user feedback and data.
Highlight Collaboration: Mention how you collaborated with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders, and how you navigated differing opinions or constraints.
Tailor to the Role: Emphasize experiences related to digital support, self-service, AI, and customer care. Showcase your proficiency with Figma, Miro, Jira, and Confluence.

Challenge Preparation:

Understand the Domain: Research Qantas's current digital support offerings and common challenges faced by airline passengers.
Focus on Efficiency and User Experience: Frame your solutions around improving both customer experience and operational efficiency.
Think Holistically: Consider the end-to-end journey, including self-service, assisted support, and post-interaction processes.
Be Prepared to Justify: Articulate the "why" behind your design choices, linking them to user needs and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and portfolio review for this role will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to connect design with operational outcomes. Candidates should prepare to discuss how their designs impact efficiency, customer support workflows, and overall business objectives, not just aesthetic appeal.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

Figma: For UI design, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows. Proficiency in creating and maintaining design components and systems is expected.
Miro: For ideation, brainstorming, journey mapping, wireframing, and collaborative workshops. Essential for visualizing complex processes and user flows.
Jira: For project management, issue tracking, and workflow management. Understanding how design tasks integrate into agile development sprints is key.
Confluence: For documentation, knowledge sharing, and team collaboration. Essential for maintaining design specifications, research findings, and project documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

Experience with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to understand user behaviour and measure the impact of design changes.
Familiarity with A/B testing tools and methodologies to validate design hypotheses and optimize user flows.
Ability to interpret data and translate insights into actionable design improvements for support experiences. CRM & Automation:
Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and their role in customer support workflows.
Understanding of how automation tools can streamline support processes and enhance self-service capabilities.
Experience designing interfaces that integrate with or trigger automated workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma, Miro, Jira, and Confluence highlights the required technical proficiency. A strong understanding of how these tools facilitate agile development, process documentation, and cross-functional collaboration is essential for operations-minded candidates.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

Customer Obsession: A deep commitment to understanding and solving customer problems, particularly in high-stress travel situations. This translates to designing support experiences that are empathetic, efficient, and reliable.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing evidence from analytics, user research, and experimentation to guide design choices and measure impact. This aligns with an operations focus on measurable outcomes.
Collaboration & Teamwork: A strong emphasis on working effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Customer Care) to deliver integrated solutions. This requires open communication and a willingness to share insights and expertise.
Continuous Improvement: A proactive approach to iterating on designs, seeking feedback, and optimizing processes to enhance both customer experience and operational efficiency.
Innovation & Agility: Embracing new technologies like AI and automation to transform support and deliver solutions quickly in a dynamic environment.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, Service Design, and Customer Care. This involves regular communication, shared problem-solving sessions, and a mutual understanding of team goals.
Process Review Culture: An environment where designs are openly reviewed by peers and stakeholders, with constructive feedback sought and incorporated to refine solutions and improve overall operational effectiveness.
Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing of best practices, research insights, and design patterns across teams to foster collective learning and maintain consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "customer obsession," "data-driven decision making," and "continuous improvement" strongly aligns with the core tenets of effective revenue and sales operations. Candidates who can demonstrate these values in their previous roles will be well-suited for this position.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

Designing for High-Stress Scenarios: Creating intuitive and calming support experiences for customers during critical travel disruptions (flight delays, cancellations, lost luggage) requires deep empathy and robust design.
Integrating AI and Automation: Effectively implementing AI and conversational tools to genuinely enhance support without alienating users or creating new operational complexities.
Balancing Self-Service with Assisted Support: Designing seamless handoffs and ensuring a consistent experience when customers transition between self-service digital channels and human agents.
Scaling Solutions Across a Large Enterprise: Ensuring design consistency and operational feasibility across a complex organization like Qantas with diverse customer segments and legacy systems.
Navigating Evolving Technologies: Staying abreast of rapid advancements in AI, conversational interfaces, and support technologies to continuously innovate Qantas's digital support offerings.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Deep Dive into Aviation Operations: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the operational intricacies of the aviation industry and how digital solutions can optimize them.
AI & Conversational Design Specialization: Opportunities to lead projects involving cutting-edge AI and conversational interface design for customer support.
Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhancing skills in product management, service design, and operational strategy through close collaboration.
Leadership and Mentorship: Developing leadership capabilities by mentoring junior designers and contributing to the strategic direction of the Product and Innovation Centre.
Industry Conferences & Training: Access to resources for attending relevant design, technology, and customer experience conferences, as well as formal training programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are directly related to optimizing operational efficiency and customer experience within a complex service industry. Candidates should prepare to discuss how they would approach these challenges, showcasing problem-solving skills relevant to operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

"Describe a time you designed a complex digital support or self-service experience. What were the operational challenges, and how did your design address them?" (Focus on systems thinking, user needs, and measurable outcomes.)
"How would you approach designing a seamless handoff between a self-service AI chatbot and a live customer support agent for a flight rebooking scenario?" (Assess understanding of user journeys, operational workflows, and communication design.)
"Imagine Qantas wants to leverage AI to proactively inform customers about potential travel disruptions. What design considerations would be paramount, and how would you ensure it's a positive experience?" (Evaluate foresight, user empathy, and integration with operational communication systems.) Company & Culture Questions:
"What excites you about designing for the aviation industry and specifically for Qantas's customer support?" (Demonstrate research into Qantas, industry challenges, and personal passion.)
"How do you ensure accessibility and inclusion are integrated into your design process, especially for a diverse customer base like Qantas has?" (Showcase commitment to ethical design and broad user needs.)
"Describe your experience working within an agile product team. How do you contribute to sprint planning and collaboration with engineering?" (Highlight experience with iterative development and cross-functional teamwork.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
Structure for Impact: For each case study, start with a clear summary of the problem and your solution's impact. Then, dive into your process, highlighting key decisions and trade-offs.
Quantify Results: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs in terms of user satisfaction, task completion rates, efficiency gains, or cost reduction.
Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, prototypes, user flows) effectively to illustrate your design thinking and problem-solving approach.
Emphasize Operational Integration: Explicitly discuss how your designs considered and improved underlying operational processes and workflows.
Practice Your Narrative: Rehearse your presentation to ensure a clear, concise, and compelling delivery within the allotted time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating how design thinking directly contributes to operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and business objectives. Candidates should be ready to discuss their experience with tools like Jira and Confluence in the context of agile workflows.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.smartrecruiters.com.
Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience in digital support design, self-service platforms, AI integration, systems thinking, and proficiency with Figma, Miro, Jira, and Confluence. Quantify achievements with relevant metrics.
Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your ability to design complex, scalable digital support experiences and showcase your systems thinking. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your role, process, solutions, and impact.
Prepare for the Interview: Practice articulating your design process, your approach to operational challenges, and your understanding of the Qantas brand and aviation customer needs. Be ready to present your portfolio with confidence.
Research Qantas: Understand Qantas's current digital offerings, their brand values, and the challenges within the aviation industry. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.

Senior Product Designer