Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

Company: VML

Location: Faro, Faro District, Portugal

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-04-27

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of exceptional digital experiences, from initial discovery and strategy to high-fidelity UI execution.

• Drive user-centric problem-solving within a dynamic, cross-functional team environment to deliver impactful solutions for global clients.

• Collaborate closely with senior stakeholders, influencing product direction and aligning diverse teams on design initiatives.

• Masterfully bridge the gap between UX strategy and UI execution, ensuring consistency, purpose, and quality across all touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer," the description heavily emphasizes "Product Design" and leading end-to-end product development. This role is positioned within VML's Enterprise Solutions division, suggesting a focus on complex digital transformation projects for large-scale clients rather than standalone product features. The hybrid nature with 4 days in office indicates a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration and team integration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Drive the full product design lifecycle, including user research, experience definition, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI execution for complex digital products and services.

• Lead design thinking and problem-solving across ambiguous and evolving project requirements, demonstrating autonomy and initiative.

• Manage and influence senior stakeholders across various disciplines, effectively communicating design rationale, trade-offs, and recommendations.

• Develop and maintain sophisticated, tokenized design systems, ensuring component architecture, variants, properties, and scalable design patterns are robust and well-documented.

• Translate user research and data into actionable insights, informing design decisions and building stakeholder confidence in the proposed solutions.

• Create high-quality supporting design artifacts such as interactive prototypes, presentations, and visual assets to facilitate stakeholder alignment and user research.

• Ensure adherence to responsive design principles and behavior logic for consistent, high-quality experiences across diverse devices and platforms.

• Adapt design approaches across multiple brands and visual identities while maintaining consistency, quality, and brand guideline alignment.

• Operate effectively within both Business As Usual (BAU) and retained delivery models, balancing pace and quality across multiple workstreams and priorities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a senior-level individual who can operate independently, manage complex projects, and influence strategic decisions, not just execute design tasks. The emphasis on "tokenized design systems" and "component architecture" points towards a need for deep expertise in scalable design solutions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior Product Designer role. A strong portfolio can often substitute for formal degree requirements.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of professional experience in UX/UI and Product Design, with a significant portion focused on leading complex digital product development.

Required Skills:

• Proven ability to work autonomously and lead design within complex, fast-paced environments with evolving requirements.

• Strong experience in stakeholder management, including challenging, influencing, and aligning senior stakeholders across disciplines.

• Demonstrated ability to frame problems, define opportunities, and shape product direction, moving beyond reactive design responses.

• Proficiency as a true end-to-end product designer, seamlessly handling UX strategy, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI execution.

• Experience working with complex, tokenized design systems, including deep understanding of component architecture (variants, properties, scalable patterns).

• Solid understanding of responsive design principles and behavior logic.

• Advanced proficiency in Figma, including creating scalable, well-structured, and collaborative design files.

• Expertise in translating user research and data into actionable insights.

• Strong communication and storytelling skills to articulate design rationale and recommendations clearly.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working across multiple brands and visual identities, adapting design approach while maintaining consistency.

• Ability to produce high-quality supporting design artifacts beyond core UI, such as advanced prototypes and visual assets for communication.

• Comfortable operating within BAU and retained delivery models, managing multiple workstreams and priorities.

• Experience in a consulting or agency environment, adapting to different client sectors and design maturity levels.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "leading design," "shaping product direction," and "stakeholder management" clearly places this role at a senior level requiring significant autonomy and strategic influence. The specific mention of Figma and tokenized design systems indicates a need for technical design proficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate end-to-end product design capabilities, showcasing a range of projects from discovery to final UI execution.

• Include case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, and the measurable impact/outcomes achieved.

• Highlight experience with complex design systems, including examples of component creation, usage, and scalability.

• Showcase proficiency in Figma, with well-structured files that illustrate efficient workflow and collaboration.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to user research methodologies and how insights are translated into actionable design strategies.

• Illustrate your process for defining user journeys, interaction models, and information architecture.

• Provide examples of your workflow for creating and refining high-fidelity UI designs and interactive prototypes.

• Show how you have contributed to or managed design systems, including documentation and governance.

• Explain your methods for collaborating with cross-functional teams (developers, product managers, strategists) and stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond aesthetics and demonstrate strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to drive measurable results through design. The emphasis on "end-to-end" and "complex design systems" suggests a need for detailed case studies that prove these capabilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the location (Faro, Portugal), the Senior UX/UI Designer experience level (5-10 years), and the industry (digital agency/consulting), a competitive salary range can be estimated. Based on market research for similar roles in Portugal and considering the agency's global presence and client base, the expected annual gross salary would likely fall between €45,000 and €65,000. This range can vary based on specific experience, portfolio strength, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Training Opportunities: Access to professional development programs and skill enhancement resources.

• Medical Insurance: Coverage for healthcare needs.

• Dental Insurance: Specific coverage for dental care.

• Meal Cards: Provided to assist with daily food expenses.

• Social Events: Opportunities for team building and networking.

• Family Friendly Policies: Support for work-life balance and family needs.

• Discounts with Hundreds of Retailers: Benefits program offering savings on various goods and services.

Working Hours: The role is full-time, with an estimated 40 hours per week. The hybrid work arrangement includes an average of four days per week in the office, allowing for one day of remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on available data for UX/UI and Product Designer roles in Portugal with 5-10 years of experience, considering the typical compensation structures in international digital agencies. The benefits listed are directly from the job description and are considered standard for a role of this seniority in a large agency.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Marketing & Advertising, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Solutions, Technology Consulting. VML is a leading creative company within WPP, focused on integrating brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to drive growth for blue-chip clients. The Enterprise Solutions division specifically focuses on digital experiences across marketplaces, online retail, D2C, B2B, and social platforms.

Company Size: Over 26,000 employees globally (VML), part of WPP which has a significantly larger workforce. This indicates a large, well-resourced organization offering extensive career opportunities and a global network.

Founded: VML was founded in 1992. Its integration into WPP signifies a stable, established entity with a long track record in the industry.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the Enterprise Solutions division, implying collaboration with strategic consultants, creative and technical architects, developers, and operators.

• The Senior Product Designer will likely be part of a project-based team, working closely with product managers, UX researchers, and other designers.

Methodology:

• VML emphasizes a human-first, award-winning approach to creative work, integrating brand, customer, and commerce experiences.

• The Enterprise Solutions division leverages expertise across the entire buying journey, from acquisition to loyalty, driving multi-channel growth.

• Data-driven insights and user-centricity are core to their design and development processes.

• Agile methodologies and iterative design processes are likely employed given the fast-paced agency environment.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's positioning as a leader in integrated creative services and digital transformation, along with its scale and client roster, suggests a demanding yet rewarding environment with opportunities to work on high-impact projects. The "Enterprise Solutions" context points towards a focus on large-scale, complex digital platforms and strategies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, demanding significant autonomy, leadership in design initiatives, and strategic influence. It requires an individual capable of framing problems, shaping product direction, and mentoring junior team members implicitly through example and collaboration. The role sits at a crucial intersection of strategic thinking and detailed execution within the product development lifecycle.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Creative Director, or Head of UX/Product Design within the Enterprise Solutions division. They will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Project Managers, and development teams.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's impact is directly tied to the success of digital products and services. By crafting exceptional user experiences and interfaces, they drive engagement, conversion, and customer loyalty for VML's global clients. This role contributes significantly to client satisfaction, revenue generation for VML, and the overall digital transformation goals of the brands they serve.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization & Leadership: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like design systems, accessibility, or emerging technologies, and potentially move into lead designer or design director roles.

• Client Strategy: Develop a deeper understanding of client business objectives and strategic consulting, influencing high-level digital strategy.

• Mentorship: Grow leadership skills by mentoring junior designers and guiding design best practices within project teams.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gain exposure to broader agency functions like strategy, creative, technology, and commerce, fostering a holistic understanding of digital product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title and emphasis on leadership, stakeholder management, and shaping product direction indicate a clear path for career advancement within VML, potentially into management or principal design roles. The context of Enterprise Solutions suggests opportunities to work on transformative projects that have significant business impact.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is hybrid, with an expectation of being in the office an average of four days per week. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork, brainstorming, and in-person client interactions, balanced with remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): Faro, Faro District, Portugal. This location offers a specific regional context within VML's Portuguese operations, likely benefiting from the agency's global network and resources.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment is expected to be highly collaborative, supporting the hybrid model. This means ample opportunities for face-to-face interaction with colleagues from various disciplines.

• Access to standard design tools and technology, including advanced Figma capabilities, will be available. The emphasis on a "dynamic team" suggests a fast-paced, energetic atmosphere.

• Opportunities for informal and formal collaboration with product managers, developers, strategists, and fellow designers will be frequent, crucial for complex enterprise solutions.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours per week) with a hybrid arrangement. The flexibility of one remote day per week is provided, within the context of a structured agency workflow.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with a specific number of office days per week indicates a structured approach to work-life balance and team integration, aiming to capture the benefits of both in-person collaboration and remote flexibility. The Faro office location suggests a specific talent pool and regional operational hub within Portugal.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation: Expect to present a selection of your work, detailing your process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your designs. Focus on end-to-end projects and how you’ve handled complex challenges.

• Skills-Based Interview: Behavioral and situational questions designed to evaluate your autonomy, stakeholder management, design thinking, and ability to frame problems. Be prepared to discuss your experience with design systems and Figma.

• Team/Cultural Fit Interview: Discussions to assess your collaboration style, how you handle ambiguity, and your alignment with VML's core values (Heart, Brains, Courage).

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic fit and long-term potential within the Enterprise Solutions division.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate strategically: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best demonstrate your end-to-end product design skills, autonomy, and ability to influence.

• Focus on process and impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contribution, the methodologies used (research, ideation, testing), design decisions, trade-offs, and quantifiable results or learnings.

• Showcase design systems and Figma expertise: Highlight how you've worked with or built scalable design systems and demonstrate advanced Figma techniques in your file structure and component usage.

• Tell a compelling story: Frame each case study as a narrative that showcases your problem-solving journey and strategic thinking.

• Prepare for questions: Anticipate questions about your design rationale, how you handle feedback, manage stakeholders, and deal with ambiguity.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready for a potential design exercise or case study discussion that might involve problem framing, ideation, or critiquing an existing experience.

• Practice articulating your design decisions concisely and persuasively, focusing on user needs and business objectives.

• Prepare to discuss your understanding of VML's work and how your skills align with their client portfolio and Enterprise Solutions division.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to evaluate not just design execution but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and client-facing capabilities. A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates end-to-end product design and design system expertise is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency is a mandatory requirement for creating scalable, well-structured design files, prototyping, and team collaboration.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma has robust prototyping capabilities, experience with other dedicated prototyping tools might be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a requirement for the designer, an understanding of how analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) inform user research and design decisions is crucial.

CRM & Automation:

Design Systems & Collaboration:

• Design System Management: Experience with creating, maintaining, and scaling complex, tokenized design systems.

• Collaboration Platforms: Proficiency with tools like Jira, Confluence, Slack, or Microsoft Teams for project management and team communication.

• User Research Tools: Familiarity with tools for user testing, surveys, and feedback collection (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Hotjar).

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is highlighted as a critical tool. The emphasis on "tokenized design systems" and "component architecture" suggests a need for deep technical understanding within design tools and a systematic approach to UI development.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Heart: Fostering empathy, trust, and genuine connections, leading to human-centric work and strong team dynamics.

• Brains: Valuing relentless curiosity, collaborative intelligence, and innovation to solve complex challenges through data-driven insights and strategic thinking.

• Courage: Inspiring individuals to speak up, embrace experimentation, advocate for bold solutions, and continuously strive for improvement.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on delivering tangible results and driving growth for clients through exceptional digital experiences and commerce solutions.

• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional integration to achieve collective success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with diverse teams (strategy, creative, technical, client-side) to deliver holistic solutions.

• Process Review & Feedback: An environment that encourages constructive feedback and iterative improvement of design processes and outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, insights, and learnings across projects and teams, likely through internal showcases or documentation.

• Proactive Communication: Open and transparent communication is essential, especially in a hybrid and global agency setting, to ensure alignment and manage expectations.

📝 Enhancement Note: VML's core values (Heart, Brains, Courage) are central to their culture and are designed to foster a collaborative, innovative, and impact-driven environment. Understanding how these values translate into daily work and decision-making will be key for candidates.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Ambiguity & Evolving Requirements: Navigating complex projects with unclear initial requirements and adapting designs as needs evolve. This requires strong problem-framing skills and resilience.

• Stakeholder Management: Aligning diverse senior stakeholders with potentially conflicting priorities and differing levels of design understanding.

• Balancing Pace and Quality: Working within agency demands that require both speed and high-quality execution across multiple client projects simultaneously.

• Adapting to Diverse Client Maturity: Tailoring design approaches and communication styles to clients with varying levels of design maturity and digital sophistication.

• Keeping Pace with Technology: Continuously learning and integrating new design tools, methodologies, and emerging technologies to maintain cutting-edge solutions.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in areas like advanced Figma techniques, design systems at scale, accessibility, or specific industry domains relevant to enterprise solutions.

• Industry Conference & Certification: Potential for participation in industry events, workshops, and relevant certifications to stay abreast of best practices and emerging trends.

• Mentorship & Leadership Development: Opportunities to be mentored by senior leaders and to develop leadership capabilities through guiding projects and junior team members. VML's global scale offers diverse paths for career progression.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in a dynamic agency environment, offering significant opportunities for professional growth and skill development. The emphasis on continuous learning is key for staying relevant in the fast-evolving digital design landscape.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex project where you had to lead the design process with ambiguous requirements. How did you frame the problem, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on autonomy, problem-framing, and process.)

• "How do you approach building consensus and influencing senior stakeholders who may have differing opinions on design direction?" (Highlight stakeholder management, communication, and data-driven rationale.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do VML's core values (Heart, Brains, Courage) resonate with your personal working philosophy?" (Prepare examples of how you embody these values.)

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment and collaborating with distributed or cross-functional teams." (Showcase your adaptability and collaboration skills.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with a brief overview of your experience and design philosophy, then dive into 2-3 detailed case studies. For each case study, clearly outline the problem statement, your specific role and contributions, your design process (research, ideation, iteration), key design decisions and rationale, and the measurable outcomes or learnings.

• Metrics & ROI: Be prepared to discuss quantifiable results. If exact ROI figures aren't available, discuss metrics that demonstrate user engagement, conversion improvements, or user satisfaction.

• Interactive Demonstration: If possible, be ready to navigate through your Figma files or prototypes to showcase your workflow, component usage, and design system implementation effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, a deep understanding of design systems, and the ability to translate user needs into tangible business value for clients. The portfolio presentation is a critical opportunity to showcase these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the VML careers portal via the provided link.

• Tailor your CV: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 5-10 years of experience, focusing on end-to-end product design leadership, stakeholder management, and advanced Figma/design system expertise. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your ability to frame problems, lead design initiatives autonomously, and deliver impactful results. Ensure it demonstrates your expertise in complex design systems and Figma.

• Prepare for the interview: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss VML's values and how you fit into their Enterprise Solutions division.

• Research VML: Familiarize yourself with VML's recent work, client portfolio, and their approach to digital transformation and enterprise solutions. Understand their core values and how they apply to design practice.

⚠️ 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.