Senior Product Designer (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Genomics England

Location: London, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-09-17

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of cutting-edge genomics products, from discovery through to launch and beyond.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional squads (engineering, research, product management, subject matter experts) to define and realize product vision and roadmaps.

• Translate qualitative and quantitative insights, user needs, business objectives, and domain knowledge into intuitive, accessible, and viable product experiences.

• Champion accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and work with content designers to ensure products are usable by everyone.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core focus is Product Design, the integration of genomic medicine, healthcare software systems, and regulatory compliance within Genomics England's mission highlights a specialized area within product design that demands a strong understanding of complex data and ethical considerations. This role is crucial for bridging the gap between advanced scientific research and practical healthcare applications.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct in-depth service exploration to understand how genomics can transform research and healthcare, and deeply understand user needs through qualitative research.

• Design innovative and intuitive products and interactions for complex data, ensuring usability, feasibility, and viability within product squads.

• Develop a deep understanding of user needs by working with User Research and combining this with business objectives and domain knowledge to ideate, build, and iterate products.

• Translate qualitative and quantitative insights into a product roadmap, working closely with the Product Manager to deliver user value and contribute to the overall product vision.

• Champion accessibility by designing inclusive experiences and collaborating with content designers to ensure broad product accessibility.

• Apply and leverage NHS design systems and frameworks in your design processes, ensuring consistency and adherence to established standards.

• Contribute to the wider design community by sharing design patterns, best practices, and shaping design ways of working to collectively improve design quality.

• Facilitate decision-making and co-creation by bringing together diverse perspectives from product squads, stakeholders, and users through appropriate facilitation methods.

• Work initially with the Cancer Decision Support squad and then move to the Accelerating Data Exploration squad, focusing on Public Data Exploration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities indicate a proactive approach to design, emphasizing not just execution but also strategic input into product vision and roadmap. The initial focus on specific squads (Cancer Decision Support, Accelerating Data Exploration) suggests a phased integration into the organization's product portfolio, allowing for a deep dive into critical areas of genomics application.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, substantial experience in product design is a prerequisite, implying a strong foundation typically built through formal education or equivalent practical experience in design disciplines.

Experience: Substantial experience as a Senior Product Designer with a proven track record of live product delivery from discovery through to launch and beyond. Experience working within a cross-functional product squad is essential.

Required Skills:

• Substantial experience as a Senior Product Designer with examples of live delivery.

• Proven experience working as part of a cross-functional product squad.

• Demonstrable knowledge of product design processes and methodologies, including end-to-end product lifecycle management.

• Ability to evaluate and interpret user research findings to effectively wireframe and prototype solutions.

• Strong knowledge of WCAG 2.2 accessibility guidelines and the ability to collaborate with engineers for implementation.

• Proactive and collaborative approach, with experience working effectively with diverse teams including designers, engineers, product managers, and researchers.

• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet project deadlines.

• A proactive approach to continuous improvement, demonstrated by a willingness to give and receive feedback.

• Advanced proficiency with design and prototyping tools, specifically Figma and Miro.

• Advanced storytelling skills, capable of clearly communicating complex problems, decisions, and outcomes to diverse audiences and influencing alignment across multidisciplinary and senior teams. Preferred Skills:

• Experience working under Government Digital Service (GDS) Standards.

• Experience with front-end engineering and the ability to collaborate with architects on solution feasibility.

• Comfort and effectiveness in navigating ambiguity, with the ability to support others in finding focus and delivering value.

• Experience in creating design patterns and defining boundaries for adoption by other teams.

• Strong influence and relationship-building skills to ensure collaboration and adoption of best practices across the organization.

• Strong understanding of engineering constraints and feasibility considerations, with experience working collaboratively with technical colleagues.

• Experience balancing tactical delivery with overarching, long-term product strategy for scalability and sustainability.

• Experience working confidently within highly regulated, risk-sensitive contexts.

• Awareness and sensitivity to ethical, compliance, and regulatory considerations when designing and delivering products involving sensitive data.

• Experience using NHS design systems and applying regulatory best practice.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "substantial experience" and "advanced proficiency" indicates this role is for a seasoned designer. The inclusion of GDS Standards and NHS design systems as desirable skills points to the specific regulatory and governmental context of Genomics England's operations, requiring designers to be adaptable to stringent guidelines.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design projects, illustrating your journey from initial discovery and user research to final launch and post-launch iteration.

• Include case studies that demonstrate how you translated user needs and business objectives into tangible product solutions, highlighting wireframes, prototypes, and final designs.

• Provide clear examples of your work in applying accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and how you collaborated with developers to ensure implementation.

• Demonstrate experience working within cross-functional product squads, illustrating your collaboration style and contribution to team success.

• Feature projects that involved complex data and intricate user flows, showcasing your ability to simplify and design intuitive experiences.

• Include examples of how you've utilized or contributed to design systems, specifically mentioning any experience with NHS design systems if applicable. Process Documentation:

• Document your design process for at least one significant project, detailing the discovery phase, user research methodologies, ideation techniques, prototyping methods, and user testing approaches.

• Illustrate how you incorporated feedback from user research, subject matter experts, and stakeholders into your design iterations.

• Showcase your approach to ensuring design feasibility and collaborating with engineering teams to understand technical constraints and opportunities.

• Provide examples of how you champion and implement accessibility best practices throughout the design lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Senior" title and the requirement for "substantial experience with examples of live delivery," a robust portfolio is critical. It should not just display final designs but also the strategic thinking, process, and collaboration that led to those outcomes, particularly within a regulated healthcare and research environment. Demonstrating an understanding of complex data and ethical considerations in design will be a significant advantage.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £65,300 per annum.

Benefits:

• Generous Leave: 30 days' holiday plus bank holidays, with additional leave for long service.

• International Remote Work: Option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (subject to approval).

• Family-Friendly Policies: Blended working arrangements, flexible working options, and enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave benefits.

• Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension scheme with a company double-match up to 10% contribution.

• Life Assurance: Coverage at 3x your annual salary.

• Salary Sacrifice Schemes: Includes an Electric Vehicle scheme.

• Give As You Earn Scheme: Opportunities for charitable contributions.

• Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (subject to approval).

• Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition program and a referral scheme.

• Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.

• Additional Health Benefits: Eye tests and flu jabs.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week. The company operates a blended working model, expecting individuals to come into the office a minimum of 2 times per month, with specific requirements varying by role and team, agreed upon with the team leader.

📝 Enhancement Note: The stated salary of £65,300 falls within the upper quartile for Senior Product Designer roles in London, reflecting the specialized nature of the industry and the required experience level. The comprehensive benefits package, particularly the emphasis on learning and development and flexible/blended working, aligns with attracting and retaining senior talent in a competitive market.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Genomics and Healthcare Technology. Genomics England is a global leader in enabling genomic medicine and research, operating at the intersection of healthcare, research, and cutting-edge technology. Their mission is to integrate genomics into everyday healthcare by 2035, positioning the UK as a hub for genomic innovation.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated in the raw data, the mention of multiple office locations (Cambridge, Leeds, London) and various major genomics initiatives suggests a medium to large organization with significant operational scope. The presence of cross-functional squads indicates a structured, project-oriented environment.

Founded: Genomics England was established to support the 100,000 Genomes Project, which began in 2012, indicating a relatively young but impactful organization with a strong foundation in national-level healthcare initiatives.

Team Structure:

• The role is part of a cross-functional product squad, which typically includes Product Managers, Engineers, User Researchers, Subject Matter Experts, and potentially Content Designers.

• The Senior Product Designer will collaborate with other designers within the organization to share patterns and best practices, contributing to a broader design community.

• There's a clear reporting line implied through the collaboration with Product Managers and the need to align with product roadmaps and organizational strategy. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The role emphasizes translating qualitative and quantitative insights into product decisions, indicating a strong reliance on data analysis and user research.

• Agile Product Development: Collaboration within cross-functional squads and iterative design processes suggest an agile or agile-like development methodology.

• User-Centricity: A core tenet is understanding user needs and designing accessible, intuitive experiences, placing the user at the forefront of product development.

• Standards-Based Design: Adherence to established design systems (e.g., NHS design systems) and accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.2) is a key part of the operational methodology.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Genomics England operates in a highly specialized and impactful sector. The company culture is likely to be mission-driven, with a strong emphasis on scientific rigor, ethical considerations, and collaboration to achieve ambitious healthcare goals. The blend of research, clinical application, and software development creates a unique environment for designers.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Product Designer. This level signifies a high degree of autonomy, responsibility for complex projects, and the expectation to mentor or guide more junior designers. The role involves end-to-end ownership and significant influence on product direction and design standards.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to a Product Management lead or Design Lead within their squad or department. They will work closely with Product Managers to translate insights into roadmaps and collaborate with engineers and researchers.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's work directly impacts the usability, accessibility, and effectiveness of genomics products, which in turn influences the adoption of genomic medicine in healthcare and research. This role is pivotal in making complex genomic data accessible and actionable for clinicians, researchers, and potentially patients, thereby driving forward the organization's mission to improve genomic healthcare.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to lead design initiatives within squads, mentor junior designers, and contribute to shaping the organization's overall design strategy and practices.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in genomics, healthcare technology, and complex data design, becoming a subject matter expert in these critical areas.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain extensive experience working across various domains within genomics, including cancer, data exploration, and potentially other areas of healthcare.

• Contribution to National Initiatives: Play a key role in shaping the future of genomic healthcare in the UK, contributing to national-level projects and standards.

• Skill Enhancement: Continuous learning opportunities through individual learning budgets, training, certifications, and professional subscriptions, focusing on advanced design techniques, emerging technologies, and domain-specific knowledge.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a "Senior" role within a mission-critical organization like Genomics England, the growth trajectory is likely to involve increased strategic influence, leadership in design initiatives, and deep specialization within the genomics and healthcare tech domain. The company's focus on innovation and national impact provides a unique platform for career advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Genomics England operates a blended working model, indicating a mix of in-office and remote work. The company has physical office locations in Cambridge, Leeds, and London.

Office Location(s): The specific office location for this role is London. The company also has offices in Cambridge and Leeds, suggesting potential for collaboration or movement between these sites for specific projects or team gatherings.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: Office spaces are designed to facilitate collaboration, likely featuring meeting rooms, co-working areas, and spaces for workshops and team activities, supporting the blended working model.

• Technology-Enabled: As a technology-focused organization, the workspaces will be equipped with the necessary tools and technology to support design, development, and research activities.

• Team Interaction: The minimum requirement of 2 days per month in the office is intended to foster team cohesion, enable spontaneous collaboration, and support in-person working sessions crucial for design sprints and problem-solving.

Work Schedule: The standard work week is 40 hours. The blended working model offers flexibility, allowing individuals to balance office presence with remote work, which can be advantageous for focused design tasks and personal well-being.

📝 Enhancement Note: The blended working model, with a minimum of two office days per month, aims to balance the benefits of remote flexibility with the necessity of in-person collaboration for complex design and product development. The London office location places the role within a major hub for technology and healthcare innovation.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess suitability for the Senior Product Designer role, focusing on experience, skills, and alignment with job requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A key stage will involve presenting a portfolio of work. Candidates should be prepared to walk through 2-3 key projects, detailing their process, challenges, solutions, and outcomes. This will likely be followed by in-depth discussion about design decisions, user research integration, and collaboration.

• Cross-Functional Interview: An interview with members of a product squad (e.g., Product Manager, Engineer) to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview with the hiring manager or a senior leader to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and potential for growth within the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase end-to-end design experience, complex problem-solving, user research application, and successful product delivery. Prioritize quality over quantity.

• Highlight Process: Clearly articulate your design process for each project, emphasizing how you moved from problem definition to solution, including research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics or qualitative feedback to demonstrate the impact of your designs on users and business objectives. Focus on outcomes and lessons learned.

• Showcase Collaboration: Illustrate how you worked with engineers, product managers, researchers, and stakeholders. Use examples of co-creation and how you influenced decisions.

• Accessibility Focus: Explicitly detail your approach to accessibility, including adherence to WCAG 2.2 guidelines and any challenges or successes in implementation.

• Storytelling: Frame your case studies as compelling narratives that engage the reviewer and clearly communicate the problem, your role, the solution, and the results.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design challenge, which might involve analyzing a problem statement and proposing design solutions, or critiquing an existing design. Focus on demonstrating your thought process, problem-solving approach, and ability to articulate your rationale.

• Scenario-Based Questions: Anticipate questions about how you would handle specific design challenges, stakeholder conflicts, or ambiguous requirements within the context of genomics and healthcare.

• Stakeholder Management: Practice articulating how you would communicate design decisions and rationale to diverse audiences, including technical teams, business stakeholders, and potentially regulatory bodies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Senior Product Designer role at Genomics England will likely be rigorous, emphasizing not only design craft but also strategic thinking, collaborative capabilities, and the ability to navigate complex, regulated environments. A well-prepared portfolio that clearly articulates process and impact is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency required for UI design, wireframing, and prototyping. Expected to be used for creating design systems and collaborating within squads.

• Miro: Advanced proficiency required for collaborative whiteboarding, ideation, user journey mapping, and workshop facilitation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a required tool for designers, familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude) and the ability to interpret data from them to inform design decisions is highly beneficial.

• Understanding how to work with data visualization tools to understand user behavior and product performance. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the Senior Product Designer role, but an awareness of how design integrates with broader product management and development workflows is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of advanced proficiency in Figma and Miro highlights their central role in the design workflow at Genomics England. Designers are expected to be highly skilled in these tools for both individual contribution and collaborative efforts. Understanding how design impacts product performance metrics, even if not directly using analytics tools, is a key expectation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to the overarching mission of advancing genomic medicine and healthcare, fostering a sense of purpose and impact in daily work.

• Collaboration: Emphasis on working effectively within cross-functional teams, valuing diverse perspectives and collective problem-solving.

• Data-Driven: A culture that relies on evidence, user research, and quantitative insights to inform decisions and drive product development.

• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas and approaches to tackle complex challenges in genomics and healthcare technology.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: A deep commitment to designing products that are usable by everyone, reflecting the organization's dedication to equitable healthcare.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to be integrated members of product squads, working closely with engineers, product managers, and researchers on a daily basis.

• Co-creation and Facilitation: The role involves facilitating discussions and workshops to bring diverse stakeholders together to solve problems collectively.

• Feedback-Oriented: A culture that encourages open feedback, both giving and receiving, to foster continuous improvement in design quality and team processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in the design community within Genomics England, sharing best practices, patterns, and contributing to the evolution of design standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: Genomics England's culture is likely to be a blend of scientific rigor, collaborative innovation, and a strong ethical compass, driven by its impactful mission. The emphasis on inclusivity and accessibility is not just a design principle but a core organizational value.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Complexity: Working with highly complex genomic data and translating it into intuitive, user-friendly interfaces for diverse audiences (clinicians, researchers, potentially patients).

• Navigating Ambiguity: The rapidly evolving field of genomics and healthcare means that product requirements and user needs can be fluid. The ability to thrive in and guide others through ambiguity is crucial.

• Regulatory and Ethical Constraints: Designing within a highly regulated environment (healthcare, sensitive data) requires a deep understanding of compliance, ethics, and risk management.

• Balancing Tactical Delivery with Strategic Vision: The need to deliver immediate product value while also contributing to long-term product strategy requires careful prioritization and foresight.

• Influencing and Adoption: Gaining buy-in and ensuring the adoption of design best practices and new patterns across different teams and departments can be a significant challenge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Domain Specialization: Deepen expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, and genomic medicine through direct exposure and learning resources.

• Advanced Design Skills: Opportunities to hone skills in complex data visualization, ethical design, and designing for regulated environments.

• Leadership and Mentorship: Develop leadership capabilities by mentoring junior designers and leading design initiatives.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend relevant conferences, workshops, and engage with professional communities in genomics, healthcare tech, and UX design.

• Formal Training & Certifications: Access to individual learning budgets to pursue relevant training and certifications that enhance design or domain expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges inherent in this role are significant, stemming from the cutting-edge nature of genomics, the complexity of the data, and the regulated healthcare sector. However, these challenges also present substantial opportunities for professional growth and specialization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex product you designed from end-to-end. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them, particularly concerning user research and technical feasibility?" (Focus on process, problem-solving, and collaboration)

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for a genomics research platform that needs to cater to both expert bioinformaticians and clinicians with limited bioinformatics knowledge?" (Assesses ability to handle diverse user needs and complex data)

• "Discuss your experience with accessibility standards like WCAG 2.2. How do you ensure accessibility is integrated throughout the design process, and how do you collaborate with developers to achieve it?" (Focuses on a key requirement and collaborative approach)

• "Imagine you're asked to design a system for exploring public genomic data. What are the key ethical considerations and regulatory requirements you would need to address?" (Tests awareness of sensitive data and compliance) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Genomics England's mission, and how do you see your role as a Senior Product Designer contributing to it?" (Assesses motivation and alignment with company goals)

• "How do you approach working within a cross-functional product squad, and what is your philosophy on collaboration and feedback?" (Evaluates teamwork and communication style)

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders to adopt your design recommendations. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Tests influence and stakeholder management skills)

• "How do you stay updated on the latest trends in product design, especially within specialized fields like healthcare technology?" (Assesses continuous learning and professional development) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Impactful Projects: Choose 2-3 projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and ability to deliver results.

Prioritize projects with complexity, user research integration, and successful outcomes.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly outline:

  • The Problem: What was the user/business challenge?
  • Your Role: What was your specific contribution?
  • The Process: Detail your research, ideation, design, and testing methods.
  • The Solution: Showcase key design artifacts (wireframes, prototypes, final UI).
  • The Outcome: Quantify success with metrics or qualitative feedback, and discuss lessons learned.

• Highlight Collaboration: Explicitly mention how you collaborated with engineers, product managers, researchers, and other stakeholders throughout the project.

• Emphasize Accessibility: If applicable, dedicate a portion to how accessibility was addressed and integrated into the design.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design decisions, trade-offs, and the rationale behind your choices.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not only strong design craft but also strategic thinking, a deep understanding of user needs, and the ability to collaborate effectively within a complex, mission-driven organization. Emphasizing experience with regulated environments and complex data will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Tailor Your CV: Highlight experience relevant to end-to-end product design, cross-functional collaboration, and proficiency in Figma/Miro. Quantify achievements where possible, focusing on impact in previous roles.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that showcase your process, problem-solving, user research application, and collaborative skills. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your ability to design for complex data and regulated environments.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice presenting your portfolio projects, focusing on storytelling, articulating your design process, and highlighting your contributions and outcomes. Be ready to discuss your approach to accessibility and ethical considerations.

• Research Genomics England: Familiarize yourself with their mission, projects (e.g., 100,000 Genomes Project, NHS genomic service), and company culture. Understand how your skills and experience align with their goals.

⚠️ 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.

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