Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

Company: VML

Location: Poznan, Greater Poland, Poland

Job Type: Contractor

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-05-08T12:50:35

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end product design strategy, from initial discovery and user experience definition to high-fidelity UI execution.

• Lead design thinking and problem-solving for complex digital products and services, ensuring user-centricity and business impact.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including engineers and project managers, to deliver exceptional digital experiences.

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

• Operate autonomously within fast-paced, sometimes ambiguous environments, adapting design approaches to diverse client needs and maturity levels.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer within VML's Enterprise Solutions division, focusing on complex technology platforms. The emphasis on "end-to-end" design, stakeholder management, and autonomy suggests a need for a candidate who can not only execute but also strategize and lead design initiatives with minimal direct supervision. The hybrid nature, with 4 days in the office, indicates a collaborative team environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the conceptualization and execution of user experiences and user interfaces for digital products and services, ensuring a seamless and engaging user journey.

• Develop and refine user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups using advanced Figma capabilities.

• Translate complex user research findings and data analytics into actionable design insights and strategic recommendations.

• Design and manage complex, tokenized design systems, ensuring component architecture, variants, properties, and scalable patterns are maintained and evolved.

• Create high-quality supporting design artifacts, including interactive prototypes, presentations, and visual assets for stakeholder alignment, internal communication, and user research.

• Champion user-centered design principles, accessibility standards, and conversion optimization best practices throughout the design process.

• Adapt design strategies and visual identities across multiple brands and sectors, maintaining consistency and quality while adhering to brand guidelines.

• Conduct and leverage user research to inform design decisions, validate concepts, and build confidence with stakeholders.

• Collaborate with project teams, particularly the UK team, requiring availability until 18:00 PL time.

• Operate effectively in both Business As Usual (BAU) and retained delivery models, balancing pace, quality, and multiple workstream management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a designer who can perform both strategic UX work (problem framing, user research translation) and detailed UI execution (high-fidelity mockups, component management). The requirement to work with tokenized design systems and adapt to multiple brands suggests a need for deep technical design skills and versatility. The explicit mention of collaborating with the UK team and availability until 18:00 PL time indicates a need for strong cross-border communication skills and flexibility in working hours.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and expertise in UX/UI and product design principles is essential.

Experience: 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX/UI design, with a significant focus on product design, digital product development, and working within agency or enterprise technology environments.

Required Skills:

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

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

• Demonstrated ability to frame problems, define opportunities, and shape product direction proactively.

• Proven ability to operate as an end-to-end product designer, seamlessly transitioning between UX strategy, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI execution.

• Confidence working across diverse clients, sectors, and problem spaces, quickly building domain understanding and adapting to varying levels of design maturity.

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

• Strong 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 across devices and platforms.

• Advanced proficiency in Figma, with the ability to create scalable, well-structured design files that support collaboration, handover, and systemization.

• Ability to produce high-quality supporting design artifacts beyond core product UI (prototypes, presentations, visual assets).

• Expertise in translating user research and data into actionable insights to drive informed design decisions.

• Strong communication and storytelling skills, articulating design rationale, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly.

Preferred Skills:

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

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration within those frameworks.

• Experience with user testing methodologies and incorporating feedback into iterative design processes.

• Knowledge of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better inform design decisions and handoffs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a high degree of autonomy, strategic thinking, and advanced technical design skills, particularly with Figma and design systems. The "end-to-end" product designer capability is a critical differentiator, requiring a candidate who can bridge strategic UX and detailed UI. The mention of "tokenized design systems" suggests a need for very current and specialized knowledge in design system architecture.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a strong track record of end-to-end product design, demonstrating the ability to translate complex problems into user-centered digital solutions.

• Case studies that highlight your process from initial concept and user research through to final UI execution and system implementation.

• Examples of work involving complex, tokenized design systems, detailing your contribution to component architecture, scalability, and maintenance.

• Demonstrations of your proficiency in Figma, including well-structured, scalable design files that facilitate collaboration and efficient handovers.

• Evidence of stakeholder management and influencing skills, potentially through case studies detailing how you aligned senior stakeholders on design direction.

Process Documentation:

• Documented workflows for user research synthesis, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI design.

• Examples of how you've documented and communicated design systems, including component libraries, usage guidelines, and best practices.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your design process, the solutions implemented, and the measurable impact (e.g., improved conversion rates, enhanced user satisfaction).

• Artifacts demonstrating your ability to create supporting materials such as interactive prototypes, stakeholder presentations, and visual assets for communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond just showcasing final UIs and delve deeply into the candidate's strategic thinking, problem-solving methodology, and technical proficiency with design systems and Figma. The emphasis on "end-to-end" and "stakeholder management" means case studies should explicitly map actions to outcomes and demonstrate influence.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: 110 - 150 PLN per hour (Gross rate for B2B cooperation).

• Explanation: This range is based on the provided information for B2B cooperation in Poland. The hourly rate is dependent on the candidate's skills, experience, and the specific market conditions for this specialized design discipline within VML Enterprise Solutions. The gross nature of the rate means taxes and social contributions will be deducted.

Benefits:

• Private Medical Care: Access to private healthcare services.

• Professional Development Opportunities: Support for continuous learning and skill enhancement.

• Training Programmes: Structured learning opportunities to advance technical and soft skills.

• Flexible Working Arrangements: While the role is hybrid, there may be flexibility in how the 4 days in office are structured or in specific work arrangements.

• Opportunity to work with exciting global brands.

• Career development support and growth opportunities.

Working Hours: Approximately 40 hours per week, with an expectation to be available until 18:00 PL time for collaboration with the UK project team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary is presented as an hourly gross rate for B2B cooperation, which is common in Poland for contractor roles. Candidates should factor in their own tax obligations and social security contributions when evaluating this rate. The benefits package is standard for such roles, with a particular emphasis on professional development, aligning with the company's culture of continuous learning.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Marketing & Advertising, Technology Services, Digital Transformation. VML, part of WPP, leverages technology to create connected brands and drive growth for global clients. The Enterprise Solutions division specifically focuses on designing, building, and managing complex technology platforms.

Company Size: 26,000+ employees globally (VML), indicating a large, well-established organization with extensive resources and diverse expertise.

Founded: VML was formed through the merger of Wunderman and Thompson. The Enterprise Solutions division previously operated as Wunderman Thompson Technology. This history suggests a blend of established agency practices with a forward-looking technology focus.

Team Structure:

• The role is within VML Enterprise Solutions, a group of engineers, tech experts, and creators.

• You will collaborate with a UK project team, implying a distributed, cross-border team structure.

• The team structure likely includes project managers, developers, QA specialists, and other designers, fostering a cross-functional environment.

Methodology:

• Emphasis on human-first, award-winning work, suggesting a focus on user experience and creative excellence.

• Data-driven decision-making and technology platform management indicate a methodical and analytical approach.

• Agile methodologies are likely employed, given the nature of digital product development and client delivery models (BAU, retained).

• Design thinking is a core methodology, applied to problem-solving and innovation.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: VML positions itself as a leader in creative technology and customer experience. The Enterprise Solutions division highlights a strong technical capability. The culture is described by core values: Heart (empathy, trust), Brains (curiosity, intelligence), and Courage (experimentation, bold solutions). This suggests a dynamic, collaborative, and innovative work environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Product Designer. This level signifies a highly skilled individual capable of leading complex design initiatives, mentoring junior designers, and influencing product strategy. The role requires significant autonomy and a strategic mindset beyond just execution.

Reporting Structure: You will report to a Design Lead or Project Lead within the Enterprise Solutions team and will collaborate closely with a UK project team. Direct interaction with senior stakeholders across client organizations and VML is expected.

Operations Impact: As a Senior Product Designer, your impact will be directly tied to the success of digital products and services. This includes driving user engagement, improving conversion rates, enhancing user satisfaction, and ultimately contributing to client business growth through well-designed, effective technology solutions. Your ability to shape product direction and influence stakeholders is key to maximizing this impact.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like advanced design system architecture, complex UX strategy, or specialized interaction design.

• Leadership Development: Progress to a Design Lead or Group Design Lead role, managing teams, mentoring junior designers, and overseeing larger design initiatives.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Gain broader understanding of technology platforms, development processes, and client business strategies through close collaboration.

• Client Relationship Management: Develop stronger client-facing skills and become a trusted advisor on design strategy.

• Industry Recognition: Contribute to award-winning work and build a reputation within the agency and the broader industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior level indicates a path towards leadership and strategic influence. Growth is expected through deepening technical expertise, taking on more complex projects, and developing leadership and client-facing skills. The role offers opportunities to work on high-profile clients and contribute to impactful digital transformations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role requires 4 days per week in the Poznan office, fostering collaboration and in-person team synergy. The remaining day may offer remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): Poznan, Greater Poland, Poland. Specific office details regarding amenities or access would need to be confirmed directly.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model is designed to balance focused work with collaborative interactions, essential for design thinking and cross-functional problem-solving.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools, particularly advanced Figma capabilities, is a given. The team likely utilizes project management software and communication platforms for seamless collaboration, especially with the UK team.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with designers, engineers, project managers, and potentially client representatives, fostering a dynamic and stimulating work environment.

Work Schedule: Approximately 40 hours per week, with a requirement for availability until 18:00 PL time to align with the UK project team's working hours. This implies a structured workday with potential for some flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model at VML emphasizes collaborative work, suggesting that in-office days will be geared towards team activities, workshops, and brainstorming sessions. The need to align with the UK team until 18:00 PL time indicates that the work schedule is structured to facilitate international collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess qualifications and experience against role requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A key stage will involve presenting your portfolio, discussing your design process, and elaborating on specific case studies. Expect to detail your approach to problem-solving, stakeholder management, and your use of tools like Figma and design systems.

• Technical/Skills Assessment: Potentially a design challenge or a deep dive into specific design system or UX strategy concepts. This might involve problem-solving exercises or scenario-based questions.

• Cultural Fit & Team Interview: Discussions focused on VML's core values (Heart, Brains, Courage), collaboration style, and how you would integrate into the team and work with the UK counterparts.

• Final Interview: Likely with a senior leader to discuss strategic fit, potential impact, and overall alignment with the role and company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest end-to-end product design case studies that best represent the required skills (Figma, design systems, stakeholder management, autonomy).

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process (discovery, ideation, execution), the challenges faced, the solutions you implemented, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Highlight Process: Emphasize your thought process, how you translated research into design, how you managed trade-offs, and how you collaborated with teams and stakeholders.

• Showcase Figma Proficiency: Demonstrate well-structured, scalable Figma files. Explain your systemization approach, component architecture, and how your files support efficient collaboration and handover.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., conversion rate improvements, user satisfaction scores, task completion times).

• Tailor to VML: Briefly research VML's work and values, and be prepared to explain how your approach and experience align with their mission.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Focus: Be ready to discuss your experience with tokenized design systems, component libraries, and scaling design patterns.

• Problem Framing: Practice framing ambiguous problems, defining scope, and outlining potential solutions based on limited information.

• Stakeholder Communication: Prepare examples of how you've communicated complex design decisions, managed conflicting feedback, and influenced senior stakeholders.

• Tool Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your advanced Figma techniques, including auto layout, components, variants, and prototyping features.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes practical design skills, strategic thinking, and communication. A well-prepared portfolio that clearly articulates process and impact, coupled with strong storytelling abilities, will be critical for success. The need to align with the UK team suggests that clear, concise communication in English will be highly valued.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency is a core requirement for UI design, prototyping, and creating scalable design files. This includes mastery of components, variants, auto layout, and collaborative features.

• Design Systems: Experience with creating, managing, and working within complex, tokenized design systems. This implies an understanding of component architecture, design tokens, and scalable design patterns.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Tools: Proficiency in tools for conducting and synthesizing user research (e.g., UserTesting, Hotjar, Maze, or similar).

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with interpreting data from analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools might be beneficial for specific use cases.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly mentioned as a primary tool for the designer, an understanding of how design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) or marketing automation platforms could be advantageous for context.

• Collaboration Tools: Proficiency with platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence for communication, project management, and documentation is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "advanced proficiency in Figma" and "complex, tokenized design systems" highlights these as critical technical requirements. The role demands a designer who is not just a user of these tools but an expert who can leverage them for robust, scalable, and collaborative design solutions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Heart: Empathy and trust are paramount, fostering genuine connections and human-centric work. This translates to understanding user needs deeply and collaborating respectfully with colleagues.

• Brains: Relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence are valued for solving complex challenges. This means approaching problems analytically, seeking innovative solutions, and actively engaging with team members for insights.

• Courage: Inspiring individuals to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions. This encourages proactive contribution, willingness to take calculated risks, and challenging the status quo to achieve better outcomes.

• Impact-Driven: A strong focus on delivering tangible results and driving growth for clients through technology and creative solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with engineers, project managers, and other disciplines is essential, particularly with the distributed UK project team.

• Process-Oriented: A structured approach to design processes, from research to delivery, with an emphasis on quality and efficiency.

• Feedback-Rich Environment: Openness to constructive feedback and a culture of continuous improvement, both for individual skills and team processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings, and innovative approaches within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: VML's core values provide a strong framework for understanding the desired team culture. Candidates should demonstrate how their work and approach align with empathy, intelligence, courage, and a drive for impactful results. The emphasis on collaboration, especially across international teams, is a key cultural aspect.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Working in complex, fast-paced environments with evolving requirements necessitates strong problem-framing skills and the ability to create clarity from ambiguity.

• Balancing Pace and Quality: Managing multiple workstreams within BAU and retained delivery models requires excellent time management, prioritization, and the ability to deliver high-quality work efficiently.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Influencing and aligning senior stakeholders with diverse perspectives and priorities can be challenging, requiring strong communication and negotiation skills.

• Cross-Border Collaboration: Effectively collaborating with a UK project team requires overcoming potential time zone differences, cultural nuances, and communication barriers to ensure seamless project execution.

• Evolving Design Systems: Keeping pace with advancements in design system technology and complex component architecture demands continuous learning and adaptation.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Expertise: Opportunities to work on and contribute to highly sophisticated, tokenized design systems, deepening specialized knowledge.

• Strategic Product Leadership: Developing skills in product strategy, roadmapping, and influencing business outcomes through design, moving beyond pure execution.

• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Enhancing skills in managing international projects and building effective relationships with global teams.

• Client-Facing Strategy: Opportunities to present design strategies directly to clients and become a trusted advisor on digital product development.

• Continuous Learning: Access to training programs, workshops, and potentially industry conferences to stay abreast of the latest UX/UI trends, tools, and methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a senior role in a dynamic agency environment. They also highlight areas where growth and skill development are expected. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they have successfully navigated similar challenges in the past.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to lead design within a complex, fast-paced environment with incomplete requirements. How did you approach it?" (Focus on autonomy, problem-framing, and iterative solutions).

• "Walk us through a challenging stakeholder management situation where you had to influence senior leaders on a design direction. What was the outcome?" (Highlight communication, negotiation, and data-driven rationale).

• "How do you approach translating user research and data into actionable design decisions and communicating those to a non-design audience?" (Emphasize synthesis, insight generation, and clear articulation).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do VML's core values (Heart, Brains, Courage) resonate with your personal work philosophy and how have you demonstrated these in your past roles?" (Prepare specific examples).

• "This role requires collaboration with our UK team. How do you approach working effectively with international, remote teams across different time zones?" (Discuss communication strategies, cultural awareness, and flexibility).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, follow a clear problem-solution-outcome structure. Start with the business/user problem, detail your design process and decisions, and conclude with the results and your learnings.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively in your presentation. Show wireframes, user flows, mockups, prototypes, and system components.

• Highlight Your Role: Be explicit about your contributions, especially if working in a team. Use "I" when describing your individual actions and "we" when discussing team efforts.

• Quantify Impact: Prepare to discuss metrics and KPIs that demonstrate the success of your designs. If exact numbers are unavailable, discuss the intended impact and how you would measure it.

• Figma & System Deep Dive: Be ready to share your Figma files (or relevant screenshots/walkthroughs) and explain your architecture, component setup, and how you ensure scalability and consistency.

• Confidence & Clarity: Speak clearly and concisely. Be prepared to answer questions about your design rationale, trade-offs, and any challenges you encountered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating senior-level capabilities: strategic thinking, leadership potential, advanced technical skills, and strong communication. The portfolio is the primary tool to showcase these, so practicing its presentation and articulating the "why" behind design decisions is crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer position:

• Submit your application through the VML careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight experience in end-to-end product design, Figma proficiency, design systems, stakeholder management, and working in fast-paced agency environments. Select case studies that best showcase your ability to solve complex problems and deliver measurable impact.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 5-10 years of experience, focusing on achievements and responsibilities relevant to senior-level UX/UI and product design. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and impact using STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions. Prepare to present your portfolio confidently and discuss your approach to VML's core values and cross-functional collaboration.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with VML's recent work, their Enterprise Solutions division, and their core values. Understand their client base and industry positioning to better align your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.