Senior Product Designer - Consumer (B2C) - FTC 12-months

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Consumer (B2C) - FTC 12-months

Company: Zoopla

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: CONTRACTOR

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-08-26

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on end-to-end product design for Zoopla's consumer-facing platform, requiring a strong grasp of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design principles.

• The Senior Product Designer will be instrumental in translating consumer insights and data into intuitive, high-impact digital experiences across web and mobile touchpoints.

• A key aspect involves driving product growth and business value through a data-informed, experimental design approach, aligning design efforts with broader product and business objectives.

• This position demands strong product thinking, systems thinking, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to influence strategy and deliver measurable outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Product Designer," the responsibilities emphasize a broad scope including problem framing, user research, data analysis, experimentation, and influencing strategy, which aligns with senior-level operations-adjacent roles focused on user-centric product development and optimization. The "FTC 12-months" designation indicates a contract role with potential for permanency.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the design process end-to-end for assigned product areas, from initial problem definition and user research through to delivery, iteration, and ongoing optimization.

• Translate complex user needs, business requirements, and technical constraints into intuitive, high-quality, and cohesive digital experiences across web and mobile platforms.

• Define clear, measurable success metrics for design initiatives, leveraging data, user feedback, and behavioural insights to inform design decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Design and iterate on user journeys, focusing on usability, performance, and seamless continuity across various touchpoints, including onboarding, engagement, retention, and reactivation phases.

• Drive product growth and customer value by actively participating in experimentation, A/B testing, and continuous refinement of user experiences based on performance data.

• Proactively identify new opportunities for product innovation and enhancement that align with customer needs and business goals, contributing to both immediate delivery and long-term product strategy.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and other stakeholders to shape problems, align on objectives, and ensure the successful execution of design initiatives.

• Facilitate design thinking workshops, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative design reviews to foster alignment, gather input, and drive decision-making processes.

• Champion user-centric design principles and best practices, acting as a strong design advocate within the cross-functional team and influencing product direction.

• Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of design systems, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency in design output across the product.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic and hands-on approach to product design, emphasizing ownership, impact, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration. This is typical for senior design roles that significantly influence product strategy and operational efficiency through user-centric solutions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• 5-10 years of proven experience in digital product design, with a strong track record of designing and shipping end-to-end user experiences in a product-led environment.

• Demonstrated experience in a consumer-facing (B2C) product context, with an understanding of user behaviour and market dynamics within the property sector is advantageous. Required Skills:

• Product Thinking: Ability to connect design decisions to consumer behaviour, business outcomes, and measurable results, understanding how individual features contribute to a larger product strategy.

• End-to-End Design: Proficiency across the entire product design lifecycle, from problem framing and user research to wireframing, prototyping, visual design, and post-launch optimization.

• User Research & Testing: Strong command of user research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, surveys) and the ability to synthesize findings into actionable design insights.

• Data Analysis & Experimentation: Comfortable working with data, performance metrics, and A/B testing frameworks to inform design decisions and measure the impact of design changes.

• Systems & Journey Thinking: Ability to design cohesive user journeys that span multiple touchpoints and features, ensuring a consistent and intuitive experience over time.

• Collaboration & Influence: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Data) and influence decision-making through clear articulation of user needs and business value.

• Design Tools Proficiency: Expertise in industry-standard design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar.

• Workshop Facilitation: Experience in facilitating design thinking workshops, brainstorming sessions, and alignment meetings.

Preferred Skills:

• AI-Assisted Design: Curiosity and experience with emerging technologies, including AI-assisted design tools, and understanding their potential application to enhance design processes and outcomes.

• Design Systems: Experience in contributing to or maintaining design systems to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency in design.

• Growth Design Principles: Understanding of growth loops, conversion optimization strategies, and how design can directly impact key business metrics.

• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with agile development processes and experience working within agile teams.

• Property/Real Estate Industry: Domain knowledge or experience within the property technology sector is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level suggests a senior role requiring significant autonomy and strategic input. The emphasis on "product thinking," "data, experimentation and growth," and "collaboration & influence" indicates a need for a designer who operates beyond pure aesthetics and contributes to business strategy and operational efficiency through user-centric product development.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Comprehensive Case Studies: Present 2-3 detailed case studies showcasing end-to-end product design projects. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, key decisions, challenges faced, and the measurable impact of your solutions.

• Problem Framing & Opportunity Identification: Demonstrate how you identify and frame user problems and business opportunities, linking them to specific design objectives.

• User-Centric Design Process: Showcase your approach to user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing, highlighting how user insights informed your design decisions.

• Data & Experimentation Integration: Include examples of how you have used data, analytics, and A/B testing to inform design iterations and optimize user journeys for growth and engagement.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate how you have collaborated with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to bring designs to life, including examples of influencing decisions and resolving trade-offs.

• Systemic & Journey Design: Provide examples that demonstrate your ability to think about interconnected user journeys and how individual features contribute to a cohesive overall experience.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Showcase examples of designing and optimizing complex user workflows, emphasizing efficiency, clarity, and user satisfaction.

• Iteration & Improvement: Document instances where you have iterated on existing designs based on performance data, user feedback, or new business requirements, clearly showing the improvement achieved.

• Tooling & Methodology: Clearly state the design tools and methodologies used in your projects (e.g., Figma for design and prototyping, Jira for task management, specific user research platforms).

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It needs to demonstrate not just design craft but also strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and a data-driven approach to product development, aligning with operations principles of efficiency and measurable outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• For a Senior Product Designer (FTC 12-months) in London, with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated salary range is typically between £65,000 - £90,000 per annum, depending on experience, specific skills, and the exact scope of responsibilities. This range reflects the competitive market for experienced design professionals in London's tech sector. Benefits:

• Annual Leave: 25 days of annual leave, plus additional leave benefits including extra days for length of service.

• Work-Life Balance: Hybrid working model (3 days in office, 2 days remote), Cycle to Work scheme, Electric Car scheme, Free Calm App membership.

• Health & Wellness: On-site gym in London, Enhanced Parental leave, Fertility Treatment Financial Support, Group Income Protection, Private Medical Insurance.

• Financial: 7.5% pension contribution by the company, Discretionary annual bonus up to 10% of base salary.

• Contractual: 12-month Fixed-Term Contract (FTC) with potential for permanency.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing for flexibility. The company emphasizes collaborative "all-Zoopla days" in the office on Mondays and Thursdays, with an additional in-office day of the employee's choice.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in London with the specified experience level and contract type. The benefits package is comprehensive, offering a good mix of traditional perks and wellness support.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Online Property Portals / Real Estate Technology (PropTech)

Company Size: Zoopla is part of the Future plc group, a large global media company. As a distinct brand, Zoopla likely operates with hundreds of employees, contributing to a dynamic and well-resourced environment.

Founded: Zoopla was founded in 2007, giving it significant history and established market presence in the UK property sector.

Team Structure:

• Cross-functional Teams: The Senior Product Designer will join a cross-functional team comprising Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, and potentially other designers or researchers.

• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, a Senior Product Designer typically reports to a Head of Product Design, Design Lead, or Product Lead, with strong collaboration lines to Product Management.

• Collaboration: The culture emphasizes "keeping it simple, taking ownership, making it better, and winning together." Hybrid working with designated in-office days (Mondays and Thursdays) aims to foster strong collaboration and team cohesion.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven & Experimental: The company is investing in AI-driven experiences and emphasizes using data, research, and behavioural insights to inform decisions and optimize journeys.

• Agile & Iterative: The product development process likely follows agile methodologies, with a focus on rapid iteration, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

• User-Centric: A core tenet is empowering movers with better property decisions, indicating a strong focus on understanding and serving user needs.

Company Website: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: Zoopla's position as a leading UK property website and its investment in AI and data-driven experiences suggest an environment ripe for design innovation and operational efficiency improvements through technology. The company culture prioritizes actionable outcomes and collaborative effort.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Senior level within the Product Design function. It signifies a move beyond individual feature design to owning significant product areas, influencing strategy, and mentoring junior team members (though explicit mentorship is not stated, it's often an expectation at this level). The Senior Product Designer is expected to drive measurable business impact and contribute to long-term product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Head of Product Design. They will work within a cross-functional product team, reporting functionally to design leadership and operationally to the product team's objectives. This structure necessitates strong communication and alignment with Product Management and Engineering.

Operations Impact: The design work directly impacts key business metrics such as user engagement, conversion rates, customer acquisition, and retention. By improving the consumer experience, the designer contributes to customer acquisition for Zoopla's B2B clients (estate agents, housebuilders) and strengthens Zoopla's brand value and market position. The focus on data, experimentation, and AI-driven experiences shows a clear link between design, user satisfaction, and business growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in areas like growth design, AI-driven UX, or complex journey mapping within the property tech domain.

• Leadership Potential: Exposure to strategic product discussions and cross-functional leadership can pave the way for future Lead Product Designer or Product Management roles.

• Broader Impact: Contributing to significant product initiatives and potentially influencing the design direction for larger parts of the Zoopla platform.

• Contract to Permanent: The FTC offers a clear path to a permanent role, providing stability and long-term career development within Zoopla or the wider Future plc group.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior Product Designer role offers significant scope for impact and growth, particularly for those interested in data-driven product development and the intersection of user experience with business strategy. The FTC nature requires candidates to be comfortable with a contract term while assessing long-term fit.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Zoopla operates a hybrid working model with a physical office presence in Tower Bridge, London. This office serves as a hub for collaborative and individual working, with amenities designed to support both focused work and social interaction.

Office Location(s): The primary office is located in Tower Bridge, London. This location is described as having easy access to vibrant areas like Borough, Bankside, and Bermondsey, and offers "soaring river views," suggesting a desirable and well-connected workspace.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office is designed to facilitate collaboration, with designated "all-Zoopla days" (Mondays and Thursdays) encouraging in-person interaction, team building, and knowledge sharing.

• Hybrid Flexibility: Employees have the flexibility to work remotely for two days per week, balancing focused individual work with team collaboration.

• Amenities: The office includes spaces for collaborative work, individual focus, and social interaction, along with an on-site gym.

• Technology: While not explicitly detailed for the designer's immediate workspace, Zoopla is a tech-focused company, implying access to modern digital tools and infrastructure.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with an expected 40-hour work week. The hybrid model offers flexibility, but the emphasis on in-office days suggests a structured approach to ensure team connectivity and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment at Zoopla aims to balance the benefits of remote work flexibility with the advantages of in-person collaboration, crucial for design teams that rely on brainstorming and iterative feedback.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess suitability for the role and required experience.

• Portfolio Review & Initial Interview: A discussion focused on your portfolio, delving into specific case studies, your design process, problem-solving approach, and how you've driven impact. This stage often involves a hiring manager or senior designer.

• Design Challenge/Workshop: You may be asked to complete a take-home design challenge or participate in an in-office/virtual workshop where you'll tackle a specific problem, demonstrate your design thinking, and collaborate with team members.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other stakeholders to assess your collaboration skills, product thinking, and ability to influence across disciplines.

• Final Interview: A conversation with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Product, Design Lead) to discuss strategic alignment, cultural fit, and overall suitability for the FTC role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant case studies that highlight end-to-end product design, data-informed decisions, and measurable impact, particularly in a B2C context.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, the challenges, your design process, and the quantifiable outcomes. Focus on "why" you made certain decisions.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes, user flows) to illustrate your design process and final solutions.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify the results of your work whenever possible. Use metrics related to user engagement, conversion, task completion, or business goals.

• Demonstrate Product Thinking: Show how your designs align with broader product and business strategies. Explain how you considered technical constraints and business objectives alongside user needs.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design choices, trade-offs, and how you would approach new challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: If given a design challenge, ensure you fully understand the problem statement, objectives, and constraints.

• Think Aloud: During a live challenge or workshop, articulate your thought process clearly. Explain your assumptions and how you're approaching the problem.

• Focus on Process: Even if you don't fully complete a solution, demonstrating a strong, logical design process is often more important than a polished final output.

• Consider the Context: Relate your approach to Zoopla's business (property portal, B2C focus) and their stated values (simplicity, ownership, improvement, teamwork).

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes a practical demonstration of design skills, strategic thinking, and collaborative ability. A strong, well-documented portfolio is paramount for this role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a preferred tool. Proficiency in other industry-standard tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, or InVision is also valuable.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello are commonly used in agile environments for task tracking, sprint planning, and documentation.

• Communication: Slack or Microsoft Teams for day-to-day team communication and asynchronous collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms for tracking user behaviour, website performance, and conversion funnels.

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo for in-depth user behaviour analysis, feature adoption tracking, and segmentation.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Optimizely, VWO, Google Optimize, or in-house experimentation frameworks for testing design variations and measuring their impact.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for creating dashboards and communicating insights from data.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms integrate with the user experience can be beneficial for a holistic view of the customer journey.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a must. Familiarity with a broad range of analytics and experimentation tools is highly beneficial, as the role is expected to be data-informed and focused on measurable outcomes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Keep it Simple: Strive for clarity and ease of use in design solutions, avoiding unnecessary complexity.

• Take Ownership: Demonstrate accountability for your work, from problem framing through to delivering measurable outcomes and driving improvements.

• Make it Better: Continuously seek opportunities to enhance user experiences, product functionality, and design processes based on data, feedback, and emerging best practices.

• Win Together: Foster a collaborative spirit, working effectively with cross-functional partners to achieve shared goals and contribute to the company's overall success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively partner with Product Management, Engineering, and Data teams to co-create solutions and align on priorities.

• Open Communication: Engage in transparent dialogue, clearly articulating design rationale, user needs, and business implications.

• Feedback-Driven: Be receptive to feedback from peers, stakeholders, and users, using it constructively to refine designs and processes.

• Data-Informed Dialogue: Use data and insights as a foundation for discussions and decision-making, fostering a shared understanding of user behaviour and product performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's guiding behaviours provide a strong framework for how design work should be approached, emphasizing pragmatism, accountability, continuous improvement, and teamwork – all critical for effective operations within a product team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Immediate Delivery with Long-Term Vision: Juggling the need to deliver on current roadmap items while also contributing to strategic, long-term product direction.

• Influencing Stakeholders: Effectively communicating design rationale and advocating for user needs in a data-driven environment where business priorities are paramount.

• Designing for Scale and Complexity: Ensuring user experiences remain intuitive and performant as the product and user base grow, and as new features are introduced.

• Rapid Iteration Cycles: Adapting quickly to new data, evolving user needs, and fast-paced development cycles, while maintaining design quality.

• Contractual Nature: Adapting to a 12-month fixed-term contract, requiring a proactive approach to integration and impact realization within that timeframe.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Growth Design Expertise: Develop specialized skills in applying design principles to drive user acquisition, engagement, and retention.

• AI in Design: Gain practical experience in leveraging AI tools and understanding their implications for UX and product development.

• Strategic Product Input: Contribute to high-level product strategy discussions, gaining exposure to business decision-making processes.

• Cross-functional Acumen: Enhance skills in collaborating with and influencing diverse teams, understanding the interplay between design, engineering, and data analysis.

• Industry Exposure: Deepen understanding of the PropTech industry and the unique challenges and opportunities within the UK property market.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a senior role in a dynamic tech company. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a chance to develop specialized skills and gain strategic experience.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance competing user needs and business objectives. How did you prioritize and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your product thinking, trade-off analysis, and data-driven decision-making).

• "Walk us through a complex user journey you designed. How did you ensure continuity and a seamless experience across touchpoints?" (Highlight your systems thinking, journey mapping, and end-to-end design capabilities).

• "How do you approach defining success metrics for a new feature or product area? Can you give an example where your design work directly impacted a key business metric?" (Demonstrate your understanding of data, experimentation, and measurable impact).

• "Imagine we want to explore AI-driven personalization for our property search experience. How would you begin to frame this problem and what would be your initial design steps?" (Showcase your curiosity about emerging tech, problem-framing skills, and user-centric approach). Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on our company values (Keep it Simple, Take Ownership, Make it Better, Win Together), how do you see your design philosophy aligning with these?" (Connect your personal work style and values to Zoopla's).

• "How do you typically collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers? Describe a situation where you had to influence a technical decision or a product priority." (Illustrate your cross-functional collaboration and influencing skills).

• "What are your thoughts on hybrid working, and how do you ensure effective collaboration and productivity in such an environment?" (Address your adaptability and understanding of hybrid work dynamics). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, use a clear structure: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Outcome/Impact.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify results whenever possible. Explain the "so what" of your design decisions in terms of user benefit and business value.

• Be Prepared to Defend Choices: Articulate the rationale behind your design decisions, including trade-offs made and why.

• Showcase Your Process: Visually represent your design process, including research findings, user flows, wireframes, and prototypes.

• Engage and Discuss: Treat it as a collaborative conversation, not just a presentation. Be open to questions and discussions about your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on articulating your experience through concrete examples that demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving, and a data-informed approach to design, aligning with the company's operational values.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible (e.g., via a live link) and showcases 2-3 high-impact case studies relevant to B2C product design, data-driven iteration, and end-to-end ownership.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight experience in product thinking, user research, Figma proficiency, cross-functional collaboration, and measurable design outcomes. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, key project contributions, and the impact of your work, anticipating questions about your strategic approach and collaboration style.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Zoopla's products, target audience, and recent news. Understand their mission and how your design expertise can contribute to their goals, particularly in leveraging AI and data for consumer experiences.

⚠️ 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.