Senior Product Designer- Manage and Own / Home Buying

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Manage and Own / Home Buying

Company: Commonwealth Bank

Location: Eveleigh, NSW, Australia (Hybrid)

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-08-21

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (50% office attendance required)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design initiatives for mission-critical projects within the Home Buying domain, focusing on both staff and customer experiences.

• Drive the creation of complex, seamless, and accessible digital solutions that empower Australians in their home ownership journey.

• Collaborate closely with Product Leads, Engineers, and Business SMEs in an agile environment to translate insights into scalable and effective product features.

• Utilize and evolve the company's design system, incorporating AI-enabled tooling and modern design practices for efficient and consistent delivery.

• Conduct user research, facilitate workshops, and leverage data-driven methodologies like A/B testing to ensure product-market fit and measurable business value.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within the Home Buying division of Commonwealth Bank, indicating a focus on financial services technology and a deep understanding of customer journeys related to mortgages and property ownership. The emphasis on "Manage and Own" suggests significant autonomy and responsibility for the design outcomes. The hybrid work model with 50% office attendance implies a need for strong remote collaboration skills alongside in-person strategic engagement.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the complete design lifecycle for critical initiatives, from initial discovery and user research through to UI/UX design, prototyping, and final delivery.

• Rapidly identify user pain points and business challenges, iterating on solutions to deliver validated, high-quality outcomes within fast-paced agile sprints.

• Act as a key design partner to Product and Engineering teams, ensuring design decisions align with and contribute to measurable business objectives and customer satisfaction.

• Design intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly workflows specifically for internal staff users, enhancing operational effectiveness.

• Plan, execute, and synthesize insights from user research, usability testing, and feedback sessions to inform design iterations.

• Translate intricate business requirements, system complexities, and technical constraints into clear, elegant, and user-centric experiences.

• Actively contribute to the maintenance and evolution of the enterprise design system, ensuring scalability, accessibility, and consistent application across products.

• Collaborate effectively with engineers, leveraging AI-enabled design and development tooling to streamline the design-to-development handoff and implementation process.

• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and alignment sessions to foster shared understanding, drive strategic clarity, and build momentum for design and product initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a senior-level expectation for strategic thinking, end-to-end ownership, and cross-functional leadership. The mention of "AI-enabled tooling" and "AI-powered experiences" indicates a forward-thinking approach to design technology and a requirement for candidates to be comfortable with emerging AI applications in design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for senior roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.

Experience: 5-10 years of extensive experience designing digital products end-to-end, preferably within complex systems, services, or platforms, and working collaboratively in cross-functional product teams.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in leading discovery and delivery activities, effectively engaging with customers, product managers, and engineering stakeholders.

• Deep understanding and practical application of human-centred design methodologies in a fast-paced, agile environment.

• Exceptional interaction and UI design skills, demonstrating a keen eye for detail, aesthetic craft, and usability principles.

• Experience designing for complex systems, services, or platforms, not just isolated features, showcasing an ability to manage interconnectedness.

• Strong understanding of principles and interaction models for designing responsible, scalable, and ethical AI-powered experiences.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, comfortable presenting strategic concepts to executives and sketching ideas with engineers.

• Proficiency with modern design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.

• Basic understanding of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, design tokens, component libraries) to ensure feasibility and effective collaboration with developers.

• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity, adept at balancing user needs with critical business goals.

• Experience with metrics-driven product development, including running experiments, A/B testing, and analyzing usage funnel data.

• A strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design thinking, exceptional craft, and demonstrable, measurable impact on products and users. Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the financial services or banking industry, with a specific understanding of home buying processes.

• Familiarity with AI-enabled tooling and emerging AI applications in design and product development.

• Experience with design system development and governance.

• Skills in user research planning, execution, and synthesis.

• Experience facilitating design thinking workshops and cross-functional alignment sessions.

• Mentoring experience or a proven track record of uplifting the design craft within an organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "extensive experience" and "5-10 years" positions this as a senior role. The emphasis on AI, complex systems, and metrics-driven development suggests a need for candidates who are not only strong designers but also strategic thinkers with a data-informed approach. The portfolio requirement is critical and should clearly demonstrate end-to-end ownership and quantifiable impact.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating end-to-end product design ownership, from problem definition to solution delivery and impact measurement.

• Clearly articulate the problem statement, user needs, and business objectives for each project.

• Detail your design process, including user research methodologies, ideation techniques, wireframing, prototyping, and UI design execution.

• Highlight your contributions to cross-functional collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders.

• Present how you leveraged or contributed to design systems and ensured accessibility standards were met.

• Quantify the impact of your design solutions using relevant metrics (e.g., conversion rate improvements, task completion times, user satisfaction scores, operational efficiency gains).

• Include examples of designing for complex systems or platforms, if applicable.

• Demonstrate an understanding of AI-powered design principles and how you've incorporated them. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should implicitly document your process, illustrating how you approach discovery, problem-solving, iteration, and delivery in an agile context.

• Be prepared to discuss your personal design process, including how you adapt methodologies to different project needs and team dynamics.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how to translate complex business and system requirements into clear, actionable design specifications.

• Provide examples of how you use data and user feedback to iterate on designs and measure success.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond just aesthetics and showcase strategic thinking, process rigor, and demonstrable impact. Case studies should be well-structured, clearly communicating the "why," "what," and "how" of the design process, with a strong emphasis on quantifiable results. The ability to discuss and defend design decisions based on data and user insights is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Sydney, Australia, with 5-10 years of experience in a financial services context, the estimated salary range is AUD $140,000 - $190,000 per annum. This range accounts for the seniority of the role, the complexity of the domain (Home Buying), and the hybrid work arrangement.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.

• Generous paid time off (annual leave, sick leave, personal/carer's leave).

• Superannuation contributions (mandatory employer contributions as per Australian law).

• Professional development opportunities, including coaching, learning budgets, and access to industry conferences.

• Employee assistance programs for mental and physical well-being.

• Discounts on banking products and services.

• Access to a supportive design community and internal mentorship programs.

• Hybrid work model offering flexibility with 50% office attendance.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are typically 38-40 hours per week. The role offers flexibility within this framework, with the understanding that 50% of the working time will be spent in the Eveleigh office. The specific daily schedule can often be negotiated with the hiring manager.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research from Australian job boards and salary aggregators for senior-level UX/Product Design roles in Sydney, considering the financial services sector and the hybrid nature of the role. Benefits are standard for large corporations in Australia and are tailored to include specific mentions from the job description like "coaching" and "learning budgets."

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Banking. Commonwealth Bank is one of Australia's largest financial institutions, deeply embedded in the national economy. The Home Buying division specifically focuses on facilitating property ownership, a critical aspect of financial well-being for Australians. This sector demands a high degree of trust, security, and regulatory compliance, influencing design considerations towards robust, secure, and user-friendly solutions.

Company Size: Large enterprise (over 10,000 employees globally). This scale implies established processes, significant resources, potential for internal mobility, and a diverse range of projects. For operations professionals, this means navigating larger organizational structures, collaborating with numerous departments, and potentially working with mature, complex systems.

Founded: 1911. With over a century of history, Commonwealth Bank has a deep-rooted presence and a long-standing reputation. This longevity suggests a culture that balances tradition with innovation, aiming to evolve with changing customer needs and technological advancements.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will be part of a "Home Buying Crew," which is an agile squad comprising Product Leads, Engineers, Business SMEs, and other designers.

• This Crew likely operates with a degree of autonomy, focusing on specific product areas or customer journeys within the broader Home Buying ecosystem.

• The design team within the bank is likely substantial, offering opportunities to connect with a wider community of designers, share best practices, and receive mentorship.

• Reporting will likely be to a Design Lead or Head of Product Design, with close collaboration across engineering and product management functions. Methodology:

• The team operates within an agile environment, emphasizing iterative development, rapid prototyping, and continuous feedback loops.

• A strong focus is placed on human-centred design, ensuring that user needs are at the forefront of all product development decisions.

• Data-driven product development is a key methodology, utilizing metrics, A/B testing, and usage analytics to inform design choices and measure impact.

• The use of AI-enabled tooling suggests an embrace of modern technology to enhance design processes and potentially create more intelligent user experiences.

• Collaboration and workshop facilitation are integral to ensuring alignment and driving clarity across diverse stakeholders.

Company Website: https://www.commbank.com.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding the context of a large, established financial institution like Commonwealth Bank is crucial. Operations roles within such organizations often involve navigating complex legacy systems alongside modern digital transformations, requiring adaptability and a strategic approach to process improvement. The "Crew" structure indicates a move towards agile, product-centric teams.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a "Senior" Product Designer, indicating a mid-to-late career stage. It requires significant autonomy, the ability to lead complex projects, mentor junior designers, and influence product strategy. It's a position that demands not only strong craft but also strategic thinking and leadership capabilities.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report into a Design Lead or Head of Product Design within the Home Buying division. They will work closely within an agile "Crew" alongside Product Leads and Engineers, implying a collaborative, matrixed reporting structure for project-specific work.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant, directly influencing the financial health of customers by simplifying and improving the home buying experience. By crafting seamless digital experiences for both customers and staff, the designer contributes to increased customer acquisition, retention, operational efficiency for internal users, and ultimately, the bank's business objectives in a highly competitive market. The "Manage and Own" aspect implies direct accountability for the success of the designed products.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, and potentially move into a Lead Product Designer or Design Manager role.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in financial services design, particularly within the complex domain of home buying, or expand into AI-driven design or platform design.

• Cross-Functional Advancement: Potential to move into Product Management or lead product strategy roles, leveraging a strong understanding of user needs and business drivers.

• Skill Enhancement: Continuous learning through provided coaching, learning budgets, and participation in internal and external design communities to stay abreast of emerging trends in UX/UI, AI, and financial technology.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to shaping the broader design strategy and maturity of the design practice within Commonwealth Bank.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role, career progression is often about increased scope, influence, and leadership. Commonwealth Bank, as a large organization, likely offers structured career paths, but success in this role will hinge on demonstrating leadership, strategic contribution, and a strong understanding of business impact beyond just design execution.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work environment. This role requires a blend of remote work and in-office presence. The office is located at 1 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, NSW, suggesting a modern, potentially collaborative workspace designed to foster teamwork and innovation.

Office Location(s): The primary office location mentioned is Eveleigh, NSW. This is a well-known innovation and technology hub in Sydney, often associated with major companies. The job posting also lists "Sydney, Australia" as a broader location.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is designed for collaboration, likely featuring open-plan spaces, meeting rooms, whiteboarding areas, and breakout zones conducive to workshops and team interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern design tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite), AI-enabled tooling, and robust IT infrastructure will be standard. The bank's focus on digital transformation suggests a commitment to providing necessary technological resources.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model means designers will engage with their "Crew" (Product, Engineering, SMEs) both remotely and in person, fostering strong working relationships and facilitating agile ceremonies and design critiques. The 50% office attendance is key for team cohesion and strategic alignment.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is full-time (approximately 40 hours per week). The hybrid model allows for some flexibility in structuring the week, with employees expected to be in the office for roughly half their working days, likely aligning with key team meetings, workshops, and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of this role is a significant factor. Candidates should be comfortable with both independent remote work and proactive in-office engagement, demonstrating the ability to be productive and collaborative in both settings. The Eveleigh location suggests a modern, tech-focused environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Application Screening: Initial review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the core requirements and experience level.

2. Hiring Manager/Recruiter Screen: A preliminary conversation to discuss your background, motivations, and understand your experience in relation to the role's key responsibilities.

3. Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: This is a critical stage. You will likely be asked to present 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, decision-making, and impact. A design challenge (either take-home or live) may be included to assess your problem-solving skills, craft, and approach to specific design problems relevant to the Home Buying domain.

4. Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with members of the Home Buying Crew (Product Leads, Engineers, other Designers) and potentially other senior stakeholders to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and cultural fit.

5. Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Design, Senior Product Leader) to evaluate strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit with the company's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant case studies that showcase end-to-end ownership, complex problem-solving, and measurable impact, ideally within financial services or complex digital platforms.

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentation as a narrative. Clearly define the problem, your role, the process you followed, the key decisions you made (and why), the solutions you designed, and the outcomes achieved.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify your contributions wherever possible. Use data, metrics, and user feedback to demonstrate the value your design brought to users and the business.

• Showcase Process: Be prepared to walk through your design process in detail, explaining your rationale for choosing specific methodologies, tools, and solutions.

• Demonstrate Craft: Ensure your visual design is polished and adheres to best practices, but also be ready to discuss the strategic thinking behind the aesthetics.

• Address Complexity: If you have experience with complex systems, AI, or financial products, ensure these are highlighted.

• Be Ready for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your decision-making, how you handle trade-offs, collaboration challenges, and your approach to AI in design.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Commonwealth Bank, the Home Buying process in Australia, and common challenges in financial product design.

• Focus on Process: For a take-home challenge, demonstrate a robust, human-centred design process. For a live challenge, focus on your thought process and how you approach problem-solving under time constraints.

• Communicate Clearly: Articulate your thinking, assumptions, and design rationale clearly and concisely.

• Consider Constraints: Be mindful of business goals, technical feasibility, and user needs when developing your solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for senior design roles typically involves a deep dive into your portfolio and process. Be prepared to defend your design decisions and articulate the business value you've delivered. The inclusion of AI and complex systems in the requirements suggests these might be areas of focus in challenges or interview questions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expected to be the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.

• Adobe Creative Suite: While Figma is dominant, knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects for specific tasks (e.g., asset creation, motion design) may be beneficial.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities are key, but experience with tools like InVision or Principle could also be advantageous.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: Familiarity with tools used for analyzing user behaviour, such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal BI tools, would be beneficial for understanding usage funnels and experiment results.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Experience with platforms used for running experiments and analyzing results is explicitly mentioned as a requirement.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding how customer data is managed within CRMs (e.g., Salesforce) and how automation impacts customer journeys can provide valuable context for designing integrated experiences. Emerging Technologies:

• AI-enabled Tooling: The role specifically mentions collaborating with engineers using AI-enabled tooling and designing AI-powered experiences. This suggests an openness to or direct use of AI tools in the design workflow or designing interfaces for AI-driven features.

• Design Systems: Proficiency in using and contributing to design systems is crucial for ensuring consistency and scalability across products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack points towards a modern design workflow. Proficiency in Figma is almost certainly a baseline requirement. The emphasis on AI and data analytics highlights the need for designers to be technically adept and data-informed, not just focused on aesthetics.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-First: A core value, emphasizing that all design decisions should prioritize the needs and financial well-being of customers.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on teamwork, cross-functional partnership, and open communication to achieve shared goals.

• Innovation & Transformation: A drive to modernize banking, embrace new technologies (like AI), and transform customer experiences.

• Impact & Outcomes: Focus on delivering measurable results and tangible value to both customers and the business, rather than just completing tasks.

• Craft & Excellence: Commitment to high-quality design execution, attention to detail, and continuous improvement of design standards.

• Efficiency: A drive to simplify complexity, streamline processes, and create intuitive user experiences for both staff and customers.

Collaboration Style:

• Agile Squads: Work within empowered "Crews" (agile teams) that foster close collaboration between design, product, and engineering.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Designers are expected to work seamlessly with Product Leads, Engineers, and Business SMEs, acting as key partners in the product development process.

• Workshop Facilitation: Actively drive alignment and ideation through structured workshops, encouraging participation from all team members.

• Feedback Culture: Openness to constructive feedback and a proactive approach to sharing work and insights for continuous improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement to share learnings, best practices, and uplift the broader design craft within the organization, potentially through design community events or mentorship.

📝 Enhancement Note: Commonwealth Bank, as a large financial institution, likely values a culture that balances innovation with stability and compliance. The emphasis on customer-centricity, data-driven decisions, and cross-functional collaboration is typical for successful product teams in this sector.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complexity: Designing for complex financial systems, regulatory requirements, and diverse user needs within the Home Buying domain presents significant challenges.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing and aligning the expectations of various stakeholders (customers, internal staff, business units, engineering, compliance) requires strong negotiation and communication skills.

• Driving Design Maturity: As part of a large organization undergoing transformation, there may be ongoing efforts to elevate design maturity, which can present challenges in advocating for user-centred practices and driving adoption of new methodologies.

• Integrating AI Thoughtfully: Designing AI-powered experiences responsibly and ethically, ensuring transparency and user trust, is a growing challenge in the industry.

• Hybrid Work Dynamics: Optimizing collaboration and maintaining team cohesion within a hybrid work model requires proactive effort and adaptable communication strategies.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in financial services design, complex system design, and AI-driven user experiences.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Access to learning budgets can support attendance at leading design conferences (e.g., UX Australia, Interaction Week) or relevant certifications.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to be mentored by senior design leaders within Commonwealth Bank and to mentor junior designers, fostering leadership growth.

• Design Practice Growth: Contribute to and learn from a large, established product design practice with a focus on continuous improvement and skill development.

• Exposure to Transformation: Gain invaluable experience in a large-scale digital transformation within a major financial institution.

📝 Enhancement Note: Senior roles often come with complex challenges that require strategic problem-solving. The growth opportunities are tied to leveraging these challenges for personal and professional development, particularly within a large, established organization undergoing digital evolution.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the end-to-end design for a complex digital product or feature. What was your process, what were the key challenges, and what was the measurable impact?"

• "How do you approach balancing user needs with business priorities and technical constraints when designing for a complex system like home buying?"

• "Walk us through a project where you significantly influenced product strategy or design direction. What was your approach to stakeholder management and gaining buy-in?"

• "How do you approach designing for AI-powered experiences? What are the ethical considerations, and how do you ensure user trust and transparency?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you specifically about designing for the Home Buying division at Commonwealth Bank?"

• "How do you see your skills and experience contributing to our agile 'Crew' model and hybrid work environment?"

• "Describe your experience mentoring junior designers or contributing to the broader design community. How do you uplift design craft?"

• "How do you approach collaborating with engineers, product managers, and business SMEs in a fast-paced environment?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a clear overview of the project's goals and your role. Use a narrative structure that guides the interviewers through your process.

• Focus on Decisions: For each stage, explain why you made certain decisions. What research informed it? What trade-offs did you consider?

• Quantify Outcomes: Present metrics clearly. If exact numbers aren't available, discuss how you would measure success or what impact you observed.

• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight instances where you worked effectively with cross-functional teams, managed feedback, and navigated disagreements.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Interviewers may ask very specific questions about your process, tools, and rationale. Be ready to articulate your thinking clearly and concisely.

• Demonstrate Adaptability: Show how you adapt your design process to different project needs, team dynamics, and business contexts.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, interviewers will be looking for strategic thinking, leadership potential, and a deep understanding of the design process and its business impact. The portfolio presentation is your primary tool to demonstrate these qualities. Be ready to discuss your experience with complex systems, AI, and data-driven design.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Commonwealth Bank careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful end-to-end product design case studies, ensuring they highlight complex problem-solving, measurable results, and your collaborative process. Tailor your selection to showcase experience relevant to financial services or complex platforms if possible.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5-10 years of experience, emphasizing leadership in design, expertise in human-centred design, proficiency in Figma and other relevant tools, and experience with agile methodologies and data-driven design.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your chosen case studies. Focus on storytelling, articulating your design rationale, quantifying impact, and demonstrating your collaborative approach. Be ready to discuss your experience with AI-enabled tooling and complex systems.

• Research Commonwealth Bank: Understand their mission, values, and the specific challenges and opportunities within the Home Buying division. Familiarize yourself with their design system and any publicly available information on their digital transformation efforts.

⚠️ 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.