Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

Company: VML

Location: Porto, Porto, Portugal

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: April 27, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office average)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end design process for digital products and services, from discovery and experience definition to high-fidelity UI execution.

• Lead design thinking and problem-solving within complex and ambiguous problem spaces, ensuring user-centricity at the core of all solutions.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to craft exceptional digital experiences that enhance engagement and drive conversion for global clients.

• Leverage advanced proficiency in Figma and tokenized design systems to create scalable, well-structured design files that support collaboration and systemization.

• Act as a key design leader, capable of challenging, influencing, and aligning senior stakeholders across diverse disciplines.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer within VML's Enterprise Solutions division, focusing on crafting digital experiences for large organizations across various routes to market. The emphasis on "end-to-end" design, from discovery to UI, and the requirement for leading design within complex environments, including stakeholder management, clearly indicate a senior-level individual contributor role with significant strategic influence. The integration with Enterprise Solutions suggests a focus on complex, often B2B or D2C commerce platforms.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the entire product design lifecycle, encompassing user research, journey mapping, interaction design, wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity visual UI design.

• Translate complex business requirements and user needs into intuitive, engaging, and effective digital product solutions.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive design systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to best practices across multiple brands and platforms.

• Lead design thinking workshops and ideation sessions to explore innovative solutions for challenging problem spaces.

• Effectively communicate design rationale, trade-offs, and recommendations to senior stakeholders, influencing product direction and strategy.

• Collaborate with product managers, developers, and other cross-functional teams to ensure seamless design implementation and high-quality delivery.

• Conduct user research, usability testing, and A/B testing to gather insights and inform design decisions, driving continuous improvement.

• Ensure all designs adhere to accessibility standards (WCAG), conversion principles, and user-centered design best practices.

• Produce high-quality supporting design artifacts, including interactive prototypes, presentations, and visual assets for internal and external communications.

• Adapt design approaches and methodologies to suit diverse client needs, industry sectors, and varying levels of design maturity within client organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are structured to reflect a senior-level product designer who not only executes design tasks but also strategizes, leads, and influences. The inclusion of "translating complex business requirements," "leading design thinking workshops," and "influencing product direction" highlights the strategic component of the role, going beyond typical UI execution. The emphasis on "diverse range of projects" and "varying levels of design maturity" points to the need for adaptability and broad experience.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Digital Media, or a related field is typically expected for senior roles, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX/UI and Product Design, with a strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end design ownership of digital products and services.

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, not just respond to briefs.

• True end-to-end product design capability, seamlessly transitioning between UX strategy, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI execution without loss of quality.

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

• Solid understanding of responsive design principles and behaviour logic across devices and platforms.

• Advanced proficiency in Figma, with the ability to create scalable, well-structured design files.

• 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, with the ability to articulate design rationale and trade-offs clearly.

Preferred Skills:

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

• Familiarity with agile methodologies and working within BAU (Business As Usual) and retained delivery models.

• Experience conducting and analyzing user research and usability testing.

• Knowledge of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate better collaboration with engineering teams.

• Experience in e-commerce, D2C, B2B, or marketplace platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level is inferred from the "Senior" title and the depth of responsibilities, particularly those involving leadership, strategic influence, and complex problem-solving. The required skills are directly extracted from the job description's "What we want from you" section and are tailored to highlight operations-relevant aspects like data-driven decisions and stakeholder management.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design projects, demonstrating ownership from initial concept to final execution.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem statement, design process, user research insights, design solutions, and measurable outcomes.

• Examples of complex, tokenized design systems designed or contributed to, highlighting component architecture, variants, and scalability.

• Demonstrations of interactive prototypes built in Figma, showcasing complex interactions and responsive behavior logic.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of structured design processes, including user research methodologies, ideation techniques, and validation methods.

• Documentation of how user research and data were translated into actionable design decisions and improvements.

• Examples of how design systems were implemented, managed, and evolved to support multiple brands and platforms.

• Case studies detailing the application of responsive design principles and behavior logic across different devices and screen sizes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are directly inferred from the skills and responsibilities section, emphasizing the need for demonstrable end-to-end design work, system design expertise, and the ability to communicate process and impact. The focus is on showcasing a structured approach to design and problem-solving, which is critical for senior operations and product roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer with 5-10 years of experience in Porto, Portugal, the estimated annual salary range is €45,000 - €65,000. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for experienced design professionals in major Western European tech hubs, considering the cost of living in Portugal and the senior nature of the role within a global agency.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive training opportunities for continuous skill development.

• Medical insurance coverage.

• Dental insurance coverage.

• Meal cards for daily expenses.

• Regular social events to foster team cohesion and networking.

• Family-friendly policies to support work-life balance.

• Discounts with hundreds of retailers.

• Opportunities to work with leading global brands on impactful projects.

• Hybrid work model with an average of 4 days in the office to balance collaboration and flexibility.

Working Hours: The role is full-time, typically around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing for an average of four days in the office. This structure allows for flexibility while ensuring collaborative engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on general market data for senior UX/UI designers in Portugal. Localized salary data for Porto was considered, along with the seniority and global agency context of VML. The listed benefits are directly from the provided text. Working hours are inferred from "full-time perm position" and the hybrid model details.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Marketing & Advertising, Digital Experience, Commerce Solutions. VML is part of WPP, a global leader in marketing and communications services. The Enterprise Solutions division focuses on delivering digital experiences across various market routes, including marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B, and social platforms.

Company Size: Global network of 26,000+ employees across 55+ markets. The Enterprise Solutions division itself is substantial, with over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centers across 34 countries. This indicates a large, well-resourced organization with diverse opportunities.

Founded: VML was founded in 2008 through the merger of three agencies, and WPP is a long-established entity. The company's history points to a strong foundation in creative and digital services, evolving to meet modern commerce and experience demands.

Team Structure:

• The role is within VML's Enterprise Solutions division, which houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects, developers, and operators.

• The designer will likely be part of a dedicated product design team or a cross-functional squad serving specific client projects within the Enterprise Solutions umbrella.

• Reporting structure is not explicitly detailed but implies collaboration within project teams and potential reporting to a Design Lead or Director within the Enterprise Solutions division.

Methodology:

• VML emphasizes a human-first, connected approach to brand, customer, and commerce experiences.

• The Enterprise Solutions division leverages expertise across the entire buying journey, from acquisition to loyalty, utilizing data-driven strategies and transformative enterprise solutions.

• The culture is driven by core values: Heart (empathy, trust), Brains (innovation, curiosity, collaboration), and Courage (bold solutions, experimentation).

• Design processes are expected to be user-centric, data-informed, and adaptable to client needs and market dynamics.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Company context is derived from the "Who We Are" and "AT VML Enterprise Solutions" sections. The emphasis on "Enterprise Solutions" and the list of clients (Coca-Cola, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford) highlight the type of complex, large-scale projects this role will engage with. The core values (Heart, Brains, Courage) are integrated to provide insight into the expected work environment and team dynamics.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, signifying a high level of expertise and autonomy. It involves not only executing design tasks but also contributing to design strategy, leading projects, mentoring junior designers, and influencing stakeholders. This level typically requires 5-10 years of relevant experience.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Director, Head of Design, or a Senior Manager within the Enterprise Solutions division. They will work within cross-functional project teams, collaborating closely with Product Managers, Developers, and Account Managers.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is significant, directly influencing the user experience and interface of digital products for major global brands. This translates to driving customer engagement, conversion rates, brand loyalty, and ultimately, client revenue growth. The designer’s strategic input shapes product direction and ensures user-centricity in complex enterprise solutions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Opportunity to deepen expertise in complex design systems, enterprise-level UX/UI challenges, and potentially specialize in areas like e-commerce, B2B platforms, or D2C strategies.

• Leadership Development: Potential to transition into a Design Lead role, managing small teams or specific workstreams, mentoring junior designers, and taking on greater strategic responsibility.

• Client Engagement: Increased involvement in client-facing roles, presenting design strategies, and building strong client relationships, leading to broader influence.

• Global Exposure: Working with a diverse international client base and a global team offers exposure to different markets, cultures, and best practices in digital design.

• Specialization: Potential to focus on specific areas within Enterprise Solutions, such as emerging technologies, data visualization, or advanced personalization strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career analysis focuses on the "Senior" title and the implications for responsibility, leadership potential, and impact within the context of a large agency's Enterprise Solutions division. Growth avenues are mapped based on typical career progression for senior design roles in such environments.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, with an average of four days per week expected in the office. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork, brainstorming, and in-person client interactions, balanced with flexibility for remote work.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Portugal, with opportunities in Lisbon, Porto, or Faro offices. These are significant urban centers within Portugal, offering modern office spaces and good accessibility.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment is designed to support collaboration, creativity, and connection, reflecting VML's culture.

• Access to modern design tools and technology, including advanced Figma capabilities and potentially other collaboration software, is expected.

• Opportunities for frequent interaction with a diverse range of colleagues, including designers, strategists, developers, and account teams, facilitating knowledge sharing and cross-pollination of ideas.

• The hybrid model allows for focused individual work at home and collaborative sessions in the office.

Work Schedule: Full-time position, approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid arrangement. This schedule supports the demanding nature of client work while allowing for personal time management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment details are derived from the "hybrid approach" and "office an average of four days a week" statements, along with the specified office locations. The context is framed to appeal to design professionals who value both collaboration and flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess qualifications, experience, and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Candidates will likely present a selection of their best work, detailing their design process, problem-solving approach, and impact. This is a crucial stage for evaluating end-to-end design capabilities, stakeholder management skills, and ability to articulate design rationale.

• Skills-Based Interview: Technical questions focusing on UX/UI principles, design systems, Figma proficiency, responsive design, and accessibility standards.

• Behavioral & Situational Interviews: Questions assessing leadership potential, ability to work autonomously, stakeholder management, problem-solving in complex scenarios, and cultural fit with VML's values (Heart, Brains, Courage).

• Final Interview: May involve meeting with senior leadership or a hiring manager to discuss the role in more detail and confirm fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 projects that best showcase your end-to-end design capabilities, particularly those involving complex problems, design systems, and stakeholder influence.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process, key decisions, challenges overcome, and measurable outcomes. Use visuals effectively to support your narrative.

• Highlight Process: Emphasize your methodology, from user research and ideation to iteration and final execution. Show how you translate data and insights into design solutions.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: If applicable, detail your experience with design systems, including component architecture, scalability, and maintenance.

• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your file structure, component libraries, and collaboration workflows within Figma.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., conversion rate improvements, user satisfaction scores, task completion times).

• Address Brand Adaptation: Prepare to discuss how you would approach designing for multiple brands while maintaining consistency and quality.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a design challenge that might involve solving a hypothetical problem relevant to VML's clients or a component of an existing product.

• Focus on demonstrating your structured approach: problem framing, user research considerations, ideation, solution design, and justification of choices.

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely, as if presenting to diverse stakeholders.

• Consider how you would integrate the company's values (Heart, Brains, Courage) into your approach and presentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process and portfolio review tips are inferred from standard senior-level design hiring practices, emphasizing the need for strategic thinking, strong communication, and demonstrable impact, especially in a client-facing agency environment.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency is a core requirement for creating scalable, well-structured design files, interactive prototypes, and collaborating effectively.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's built-in capabilities, familiarity with other advanced prototyping tools might be beneficial for specific complex interactions or user testing scenarios.

• Design System Tools: Experience with tools or methodologies for managing and scaling tokenized design systems, including component libraries and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze).

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with interpreting data from platforms like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or specific e-commerce analytics tools to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret and sometimes create basic visualizations to communicate insights from research and analytics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design integrates with CRM and marketing automation platforms (e.g., Salesforce Marketing Cloud, HubSpot) can be advantageous for enterprise solutions.

• Familiarity with e-commerce platforms (e.g., Adobe Commerce, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce) and their design considerations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is inferred from the required skills, particularly the emphasis on Figma and design systems. The inclusion of "Enterprise Solutions" suggests a need to understand the broader ecosystem of tools used for large-scale digital platforms, including analytics and potentially e-commerce platforms.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Heart: Fostering empathy, trust, and genuine connections, leading to human-centric design solutions and collaborative relationships.

• Brains: Valuing relentless curiosity, collaborative intelligence, and innovation to solve complex challenges and drive creative excellence.

• Courage: Encouraging individuals to speak up, embrace experimentation, advocate for bold solutions, and push boundaries in design and strategy.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on delivering tangible results for clients, measured through engagement, conversion, and overall business growth.

• User-Centricity: A foundational principle ensuring that all design decisions are rooted in understanding and serving user needs.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with product managers, developers, strategists, and client teams to ensure holistic product development.

• Open Communication: An environment that encourages open dialogue, constructive feedback, and transparent sharing of ideas and design rationale.

• Agile & Iterative: Working in agile sprints, embracing iterative design processes, and being open to feedback and adjustments throughout the project lifecycle.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, learnings, and insights across teams and projects to foster collective growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture and values are directly extracted from the "Our culture thrives on our core values" section and expanded upon to reflect how design professionals would embody these values in their daily work and interactions within VML.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Leading design within complex and sometimes ambiguous problem spaces with evolving requirements requires strong problem-framing and strategic thinking.

• Balancing Pace and Quality: Operating within BAU and retained delivery models demands the ability to deliver high-quality work efficiently, managing multiple workstreams and priorities simultaneously.

• Client Design Maturity Variation: Adapting design approaches and managing expectations across clients with different levels of design maturity and understanding.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Influencing and aligning senior stakeholders with diverse perspectives and priorities requires strong communication, negotiation, and strategic justification.

• Technical Constraints: Working effectively within technical limitations and collaborating closely with engineering to ensure feasible and high-quality implementations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Expertise: Deepening knowledge in complex, tokenized design systems and contributing to their evolution and scalability.

• Specialized Domain Knowledge: Gaining expertise in specific client industries or product types within Enterprise Solutions (e.g., e-commerce, B2B platforms, enterprise software).

• Leadership and Mentorship: Developing leadership skills by potentially mentoring junior designers, leading design initiatives, or managing project workstreams.

• Strategic Influence: Honing skills in strategic product shaping, influencing C-suite stakeholders, and contributing to broader business objectives.

• Emerging Technologies: Exploring and integrating new design methodologies, tools, and technologies relevant to digital experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are identified based on the senior-level responsibilities and the nature of agency work, particularly within a large enterprise solutions division. Growth opportunities are mapped to leverage these challenges for professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to lead the design process for a complex digital product with evolving requirements. How did you manage ambiguity and ensure a successful outcome?" (Focus on problem framing, process, and stakeholder management.)

• "How do you approach translating user research and complex data into actionable design decisions, especially when stakeholders have different opinions?" (Prepare to discuss your data-driven approach and communication strategies.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do VML's core values – Heart, Brains, and Courage – resonate with your professional approach to design?" (Reflect on how you embody these values in your work.)

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment. How do you ensure effective collaboration and productivity when working remotely and in the office?" (Highlight your ability to adapt to different work settings.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your specific role and contribution, the design process undertaken (research, ideation, iteration), key decisions made, challenges overcome, and the final outcome with measurable results.

• Highlight End-to-End Ownership: Emphasize your ability to seamlessly transition between UX strategy, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI execution.

• Showcase System Thinking: If presenting a project involving a design system, clearly explain its architecture, components, and how it facilitates scalability and consistency.

• Demonstrate Figma Mastery: Be prepared to navigate your Figma files, showcase well-organized layers, components, variants, and prototypes. Explain your workflow for handover to development.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Discuss any design trade-offs you had to make and the rationale behind those decisions, demonstrating strategic thinking and problem-solving.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs, such as improvements in conversion rates, user satisfaction, or task completion times.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions are crafted to probe the core requirements of a senior designer role in an agency setting, focusing on strategic thinking, process, technical skills, and cultural fit. The portfolio presentation strategy provides actionable advice tailored to this specific role's emphasis on end-to-end design and system thinking.

📌 Application Steps

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

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

• Tailor your CV: Ensure your CV is in English and highlights your 5-10 years of experience in UX/UI and Product Design, emphasizing your end-to-end design capabilities, experience with complex design systems, and stakeholder management skills. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 3-4 of your strongest end-to-end product design projects. Prepare detailed case studies that showcase your problem-solving process, Figma proficiency, design system contributions, and measurable impact. Ensure it aligns with the requirements for leading design in complex environments.

• Prepare for Presentation: Practice articulating your design process and rationale clearly and concisely. Be ready to discuss your portfolio projects in detail, focusing on your strategic contributions and ability to influence outcomes.

• Research VML and Enterprise Solutions: Familiarize yourself with VML's work, client portfolio (especially in Enterprise Solutions), and core values (Heart, Brains, Courage). Understand their approach to digital experiences and commerce.

⚠️ 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.