Staff Product Designer, Growth & SaaS Platform

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer, Growth & SaaS Platform

Company: MWDN (Recruitment Partner for Client)

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design (Growth & SaaS Platform Focus)

Date Posted: June 04, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Remote OK (EU-based candidate designing for U.S. market)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead product design initiatives focused on driving measurable growth metrics (activation, conversion, retention, expansion) for a B2B SaaS eLearning platform.

• Develop and refine user experiences for complex, multi-tenant, and role-based SaaS products, with a strong emphasis on U.S. market SaaS buyer behavior.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Data Science, and Engineering teams to define, execute, and analyze A/B tests and experimentation strategies.

• Steward and contribute to an established design system, ensuring scalability, consistency, and usability across the platform.

• Operate with a high degree of autonomy in a cross-continental, remote environment, prioritizing asynchronous collaboration with U.S.-based stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is for a Staff Product Designer, indicating a senior-level position requiring significant autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to mentor or lead design initiatives. The focus on "Growth & SaaS Platform" and specific responsibilities like "Growth & Activation," "Experimentation & Optimization," and "Multi-Product SaaS Experience" clearly place this within a specialized product design function aimed at driving business outcomes through user experience. The requirement for U.S. market awareness, despite the EU location, is a critical nuance for operations candidates to understand.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and optimize user journeys for U.S.-based Admins to improve time-to-first-value and reduce onboarding friction within complex compliance workflows.

• Develop intuitive interfaces for feature adoption and cross-product expansion, driving user engagement and platform utilization.

• Design and iterate on upgrade and monetization surfaces that align with U.S. B2B SaaS buyer expectations and self-serve patterns.

• Partner with Product and Data teams to translate business KPIs into actionable UX hypotheses for experimentation.

• Design and prototype A/B tests and other experiments to validate design strategies and measure impact on key business metrics.

• Ensure rapid iteration cycles based on measurable outcomes from experimentation, balancing velocity with platform consistency.

• Enhance cross-product discoverability and streamline complex workflows (assignments, automation, reporting, recertification) across Admin and Learner experiences.

• Contribute to and evolve the existing design system, identifying and refining patterns for scalability and improved usability.

• Propose and implement thoughtful design system improvements that enhance user experience without compromising consistency.

• Collaborate closely with Engineering to ensure high-fidelity implementation of designs.

• Demonstrate U.S. market fluency, understanding B2B SaaS buyer behavior, self-service onboarding, and specific compliance/training expectations.

• Maintain strong written communication skills for effective asynchronous collaboration with distributed teams.

• Actively participate in U.S.-time-zone roadmap planning sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are heavily weighted towards driving business growth and optimizing user experience within a B2B SaaS context. The emphasis on "Growth & Activation," "Experimentation & Optimization," and "Multi-Product SaaS Experience" signifies a role that is deeply integrated with revenue operations and GTM strategies, requiring a data-driven approach to design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a Staff-level Product Designer. Equivalent practical experience will also be highly valued.

Experience: 8+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a significant portion focused on B2B SaaS products.

Required Skills:

• Proven track record of 8+ years in Product Design.

• Strong B2B SaaS background, with demonstrable experience designing for enterprise-level software.

• Expertise in driving measurable growth impact (activation, conversion, retention, or expansion).

• Experience designing Product-Led Growth (PLG) or self-serve SaaS products.

• Proficiency in working within established design systems and contributing to their evolution.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities, particularly for multi-tenant and role-based platforms.

• Experience collaborating on A/B testing, experimentation, and UX research initiatives.

• Ability to clearly articulate the metrics that design work has improved.

• Skill in showcasing examples of reducing friction in complex SaaS workflows.

• Demonstrated understanding of U.S. market nuances in product design decisions.

• Ability to explain how design patterns are evolved within a structured system.

• Capacity to operate independently and effectively in a cross-continental, remote environment.

• Excellent written communication skills for asynchronous collaboration. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with eLearning platforms, Learning Management Systems (LMS), or compliance software.

• Familiarity with AI-assisted content creation tools in a design context.

• Experience designing for mobile-first or responsive web applications.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG).

• Experience in mentoring junior designers or leading design critiques.

• Familiarity with user research methodologies beyond A/B testing (e.g., user interviews, usability testing).

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Required Experience" section specifies 8+ years, but the AI analysis indicates "10+" years. This suggests a senior role where 8 years might be the minimum, but candidates with closer to 10 years of experience will likely be more competitive. The emphasis on "measurable business impact" in the portfolio requirement is crucial for operations-minded candidates.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio demonstrating both strong product craft (UI, UX, Interaction Design) and tangible, measurable business impact.

• Specific case studies must clearly articulate the metrics your design work improved (e.g., activation rates, conversion funnels, retention percentages, expansion revenue).

• Showcase examples of how you have reduced friction and complexity within challenging B2B SaaS workflows.

• Evidence of experience designing within or contributing to established design systems, illustrating pattern evolution and consistency.

• Examples of designing for multi-tenant or role-based SaaS platforms, highlighting system thinking.

• Demonstrations of your involvement in A/B testing or experimentation initiatives, including hypothesis formulation and outcome analysis.

• Designs that reflect an understanding of U.S. market SaaS buyer behavior and self-service patterns. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail your design process, from problem definition and user research to solution ideation, prototyping, and iterative refinement based on data.

• Clearly outline the steps taken to collaborate with Product Managers, Data Analysts, and Engineers throughout the design lifecycle.

• Document your approach to defining UX hypotheses tied to business KPIs and how you measured the success of implemented designs.

• Illustrate your methods for contributing to and maintaining a design system, including pattern refinement and system expansion strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is a critical component. Candidates must be prepared to present concrete examples of how their design work directly contributed to business growth and efficiency, aligning with the operational focus of revenue and GTM teams. The ability to quantify impact is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the senior Staff Product Designer level, 10+ years of experience, and the specialized B2B SaaS/Growth focus, a competitive salary range for Lisbon, Portugal, would typically fall between €60,000 - €90,000 annually. This estimate considers the cost of living in Lisbon, industry benchmarks for senior design roles, and the demand for specialized skills in growth and SaaS product design.

Benefits:

• Security: Vetted clients, reliable and timely payments, minimizing risk.

• Career Support: Active assistance in finding new opportunities if a project is not a good fit.

• Legal Assistance: Guidance on independent contractor/sole proprietorship status, taxes, and related processes.

• Professional Development: Access to English courses and professional growth opportunities.

• Team-building Events: Opportunities for social connection and networking.

• International Work Environment: Opportunity to work with U.S.-based companies and teams.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. However, flexibility will be required to accommodate collaboration with U.S. time zones, potentially involving occasional early morning or late afternoon meetings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for Lisbon, Portugal, based on current market data for senior-level tech roles. Specific compensation will depend on the client company's budget and the candidate's experience. The benefits are provided by MWDN, the recruitment partner, and are focused on contractor support and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: eLearning / SaaS / Compliance Training. The client operates in the digital education and corporate compliance space, leveraging a modern SaaS platform to deliver interactive courses and manage training programs. This industry demands user-centric design that balances engagement with clear learning outcomes and regulatory adherence.

Company Size: 11-50 employees. This indicates a relatively lean and agile startup environment, likely fostering close collaboration and a high degree of individual impact. For operations professionals, this means opportunities to shape processes and systems but also a need for self-sufficiency.

Founded: 2019. A relatively young company, suggesting a dynamic and evolving culture, potentially with a strong focus on innovation and rapid growth.

Team Structure:

• The Product team likely includes Product Managers, Designers, and Data Analysts working closely together.

• Engineering teams will be responsible for platform development and implementation.

• The design team, though potentially small, will be integral to driving product strategy and user experience.

• Given the client's U.S. base and the candidate's EU location, there will be a distributed team structure requiring strong cross-continental collaboration. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on A/B testing, KPI definition, and measuring design impact.

• Agile Development: Iterative design and development cycles to respond to market needs and user feedback.

• User-Centricity: Focus on understanding U.S. market SaaS buyer behavior and learner needs.

• Systematic Approach: Strong reliance on and contribution to an established design system for consistency and scalability.

Company Website: [Client's website not directly provided, but implied to be an eLearning/Compliance SaaS platform. Candidate should research similar companies in the space.]

📝 Enhancement Note: MWDN acts as the recruitment partner, so the culture described here pertains to the client company where the designer will be working. The small company size and startup nature imply a fast-paced environment where operations-minded individuals can make a significant impact by establishing best practices.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role, typically requiring deep expertise and the ability to operate with significant autonomy. Staff Designers are expected to tackle ambiguous problems, influence product strategy, and drive significant impact across multiple product areas or user journeys. They often mentor less experienced designers.

Reporting Structure: Likely reports to a Head of Product, VP of Product, or a Design Lead. The role involves close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineering leads.

Operations Impact: The role is inherently tied to operations by focusing on growth metrics (activation, conversion, retention, expansion) which directly influence revenue and business sustainability. The designer will be responsible for optimizing user flows that support business objectives and operational efficiency for the client's customers.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership: Opportunity to lead design initiatives for critical growth areas and influence product roadmap decisions.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in Growth Design, PLG, and B2B SaaS product strategy.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers within the team.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to the long-term vision and strategy of the SaaS platform.

• Industry Exposure: Gain extensive experience with U.S. market SaaS dynamics and the eLearning industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title signifies a level of experience and responsibility that goes beyond typical senior roles. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their strategic contributions and ability to lead complex design challenges that have a direct impact on business operations and revenue.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Remote. The candidate will work remotely from Lisbon, Portugal.

Office Location(s): The client company is based in California, USA, but the role is designed for a remote EU-based employee. MWDN also has a regional presence.

Workspace Context:

• Distributed Collaboration: The primary workspace is digital, requiring proficiency in remote collaboration tools and asynchronous communication.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard design software, project management tools, and communication platforms will be essential. Specific tools are detailed in the "Tools & Technology Stack" section.

• Cross-Continental Interaction: The work environment necessitates regular interaction with U.S.-based teams, requiring adaptability to different working hours and communication styles.

Work Schedule: While primarily remote, the role requires flexibility to align with U.S. business hours for critical meetings and collaborations. This may involve occasional early morning or late afternoon meetings. A 40-hour work week is standard.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of the role, combined with the cross-continental collaboration requirement, emphasizes the need for strong self-management, communication skills, and adaptability.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Intro Call with Recruiter (MWDN): Initial screening to assess general fit, motivation, and understanding of the role and MWDN's services.

• Interview with VP of Product: Deeper dive into experience, strategic thinking, and alignment with the product vision. Be prepared to discuss high-level design philosophy and growth strategies.

• Product Manager Interview: Focus on specific product challenges, collaboration style, and understanding of the SaaS product lifecycle. Expect discussions on user needs and problem-solving.

• Test Assignment: A practical design exercise to assess your skills in a realistic scenario, likely involving a growth or optimization challenge relevant to the client's platform.

• Final Interview: Potentially with founders or senior leadership, focusing on cultural fit, long-term vision, and overall suitability for the role and company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Quantify Impact: For each case study, clearly present the business metrics (e.g., % increase in activation, % decrease in churn, $ increase in revenue) that your design directly influenced. Use charts and graphs where appropriate.

• Process Storytelling: Structure your case studies to tell a compelling story: the problem, your approach, the solution (with visual examples), and the results. Highlight your decision-making process and rationale.

• Highlight Growth Focus: Emphasize projects where you specifically drove user activation, conversion, retention, or expansion. Showcase your understanding of PLG and self-serve SaaS models.

• Demonstrate System Thinking: Show how you worked within or contributed to a design system. Explain how you ensured consistency and scalability across complex user flows.

• U.S. Market Nuances: If possible, showcase projects that demonstrate an understanding of U.S. B2B SaaS market expectations or compliance-related design challenges.

• Be Prepared to Discuss: Articulate your role and contributions clearly, especially in distributed team settings. Be ready to explain your design choices and their connection to business objectives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Client's Domain: Research the eLearning and compliance training SaaS market. Understand common user pain points for admins and learners.

• Practice Growth Scenarios: Prepare to tackle hypothetical design challenges related to improving user onboarding, feature adoption, or monetization. Think about how you would identify opportunities and measure success.

• Design System Application: Be ready to discuss how you would apply or extend an existing design system to solve a new problem, ensuring consistency and efficiency.

• Communication: Practice articulating your design process and rationale clearly and concisely, as if presenting to stakeholders with varying levels of design expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is multi-stage, involving both MWDN and the client. The portfolio review is critical and should be tailored to showcase growth-oriented design achievements and operational impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Figma (highly probable given industry trends and collaboration needs), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

• Prototyping & Interaction: InVision, Principle, ProtoPie, or Figma's native prototyping capabilities.

• Design System Management: Tools like Zeroheight, Storybook (for component documentation), or internal wiki/documentation platforms.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Platforms: Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, Google Analytics (for web).

• A/B Testing & Experimentation: Optimizely, VWO (Visual Website Optimizer), Google Optimize, or in-house experimentation platforms.

• Data Visualization/BI Tools: Tableau, Looker, Power BI (for understanding user behavior trends and reporting).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot (client might use these for customer management, influencing design needs).

• Project Management & Collaboration: Jira, Asana, Trello, Monday.com, Slack, Microsoft Teams.

• UX Research Tools: UserTesting.com, Hotjar, SurveyMonkey, Typeform.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the specific stack isn't detailed, a strong product designer must be proficient with industry-standard design tools like Figma. Familiarity with product analytics, A/B testing platforms, and project management tools is crucial for driving growth and demonstrating operational impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by metrics, experimentation, and analytics; operations professionals are expected to contribute to this data-informed approach.

• Customer-Centric: Deep understanding of U.S. B2B SaaS buyer behavior and learner needs is paramount.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Focus on designing scalable solutions and optimizing workflows for both end-users and internal operations.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and strong partnerships across Product, Engineering, and Data teams are essential.

• Ownership & Autonomy: High degree of personal responsibility and the ability to drive initiatives independently.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with Product Managers to define requirements and strategy, with Data Analysts to define and measure KPIs, and with Engineers for implementation.

• Asynchronous Communication: Heavy reliance on written communication (Slack, Jira, documentation) to bridge time zone differences.

• Feedback Loops: Active participation in design critiques, code reviews (from a UX perspective), and product strategy discussions.

• Process Improvement: A culture that values identifying and improving operational and design processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes data-driven decision-making, user focus, and efficient operations, which are core tenets of revenue and sales operations. Candidates should highlight their ability to align design with these operational values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for a Distributed Team: Effectively collaborating and communicating design intent across significant time zone differences with U.S. stakeholders.

• Balancing Experimentation Velocity with Platform Consistency: Rapidly iterating through experiments while maintaining the integrity and scalability of the design system.

• Understanding Nuanced U.S. Market Requirements: Deeply grasping the specific compliance, training, and SaaS buyer expectations within the U.S. market, which may differ from European norms.

• Driving Measurable Growth in a Competitive Market: Contributing to significant, quantifiable improvements in activation, conversion, and retention for a SaaS product.

• Operating with High Autonomy: Managing workload and priorities effectively with minimal direct supervision.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Growth Design Specialization: Extensive hands-on experience in driving product growth through design.

• B2B SaaS Expertise: Deepen knowledge of the B2B SaaS landscape, particularly in the eLearning and compliance sectors.

• Cross-Continental Collaboration: Enhance skills in remote work, asynchronous communication, and international team dynamics.

• Contribute to Design Systems: Influence the evolution and application of a key design asset.

• Mentorship: Potential to guide and develop other designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges present opportunities for significant professional development, particularly in areas of strategic design, operational impact, and remote team management.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you significantly improved a SaaS product's activation or conversion rate through design. What metrics did you impact, and how did you measure success?" (Focus on quantifiable results and your process).

• "How would you approach designing an onboarding flow for a complex B2B SaaS product aimed at U.S. administrators, considering self-service patterns and potential compliance requirements?" (Demonstrate user-centricity and understanding of the U.S. market).

• "Walk us through your process for collaborating with Product Managers and Data Analysts to define and execute an A/B test for a new feature. What was your role in defining the hypothesis and analyzing the results?" (Highlight collaboration and data-driven approach).

• "How do you balance the need for rapid experimentation with maintaining consistency within an established design system?" (Showcase your understanding of system thinking and trade-offs). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about the eLearning and compliance training space, and how do you see product design contributing to this industry?" (Show your domain interest).

• "How do you approach working in a distributed team and collaborating asynchronously, especially with stakeholders in different time zones?" (Prepare examples of successful remote collaboration).

• "Describe a situation where you had to operate with high autonomy. How did you prioritize your work and ensure alignment with team goals?" (Highlight self-management and ownership).

• "How would you ensure your designs resonate with U.S. B2B SaaS buyer behavior and expectations?" (Prepare specific examples or research points). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio by case study, clearly stating the problem, your role, the solution, and the quantified business impact.

• Metrics First: For growth-focused roles, lead with the metrics. What did you achieve? Then, explain how you got there.

• Visuals: Use clear, high-fidelity mockups and prototypes. Show the "before" and "after" if applicable, or the journey through a complex workflow.

• Storytelling: Narrate your process, highlighting key decisions, challenges, and learnings. Be ready to explain your rationale behind every choice.

• U.S. Market Relevance: If possible, select case studies that demonstrate familiarity with U.S. market dynamics or compliance contexts.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present your key projects within a given timeframe, focusing on the most impactful aspects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect questions that probe your ability to drive business outcomes through design, your understanding of SaaS operations, and your capacity for independent, cross-continental work. The portfolio is your primary tool for demonstrating these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Comeet.

• Tailor Your Resume: Emphasize your 8+ years of B2B SaaS product design experience, specifically highlighting achievements in growth, activation, conversion, retention, PLG, and A/B testing. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful case studies that clearly demonstrate measurable business impact and growth achievements. Ensure each case study details your process, problem, solution, and quantified results.

• Prepare for Remote Collaboration: Be ready to discuss your experience working in distributed teams and your strategies for effective asynchronous communication.

• Research the Client's Domain: Familiarize yourself with the eLearning and compliance training SaaS market. Understand common user pain points and business objectives in this sector.

• Practice Your Pitch: Rehearse your portfolio presentation, focusing on clearly articulating your process, rationale, and the business impact of your design decisions.

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