Principal Product Designer

Waracle are looking for a Principal Product Designer for an exciting new role joining our world-class digital technology consultancy and home to a diverse, smart, curious and ambitious community of specialists in technology-driven transformation.

We work with ambitious clients to help them solve their biggest business and customer challenges. We help our clients to innovate and create intelligent digital products and services. We thrive on complex challenges and deliver business-critical IT transformation projects, moving seamlessly from strategy, design and delivery to operations.

This is a Hybrid role working from our London office 2 days a week 

We're looking for an exceptional Principal Product Designer to join our growing team in London. This is a pivotal role for a seasoned design leader ready to drive significant impact in a dynamic, client-facing environment.

You'll be instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of our clients' digital products, leading multidisciplinary teams, and embedding design best practices across our engagements. This role demands a deep blend of strategic thinking, hands-on design expertise, and outstanding client management skills. We expect you to lead with empathy and humility, fostering an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and everyone can do their best work.

You’ll be expected to:

• Driving Design Strategy: Lead the definition of product vision and design strategy for complex digital products and services, ensuring alignment with client business objectives and user needs.

• Architecting User Experiences: Oversee the end-to-end design process for large-scale, enterprise-level solutions, from initial discovery and research through to high-fidelity UI design.

• Leading & Mentoring Teams: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to cross-functional design teams, integrating seamlessly with product management and engineering. You'll actively line-manage, coach, and foster the professional growth of junior to senior designers.

• Strategic Client Engagement: Act as a trusted advisor to C-suite stakeholders and senior client leadership, leading strategic discussions, conducting workshops, and presenting compelling design proposals that articulate clear value.

• Championing Research & Insights: Drive a strong user-centered approach, overseeing and contributing to extensive user research, usability testing, and data analysis to inform and validate design decisions.

• Leading Design Systems: Contribute to the evolution and adoption of design systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, accessibility, and efficiency across multiple projects.

• Driving Innovation & Thought Leadership: Stay at the forefront of design trends, emerge as a thought leader, and represent Waracle's design processes at industry events.

• Ensuring Holistic Customer Experience: Take a broad view of product design, understanding how each solution fits within the entire customer journey and championing seamless, meaningful experiences across all touchpoints.

• Embedding Inclusive Design: Lead with inclusive design principles, ensuring accessibility, equity, and representation are embedded throughout the design process.

• Delivering Excellence: Ensure high-quality design deliverables are produced on time and within budget, adeptly navigating complex project constraints and stakeholder expectations.

What You'll Bring: 

• Extensive Product Design Experience: Proven progressive experience in Product Design, with significant time in a Principal, Lead, or Senior Designer role within a digital consultancy or agency.

• Holistic Product Thinker: Demonstrated ability to define and lead product design strategy from concept to launch, with expertise across the entire product development lifecycle.

• Deep UX/UI Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in user research methodologies, information architecture, interaction design, visual design, and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Proven Consultancy Acumen: Extensive experience in client-facing roles, including leading workshops, presenting to senior stakeholders, and navigating complex client relationships.

• Technical Understanding: Strong grasp of technical feasibility and limitations, enabling effective collaboration with engineering teams and familiarity with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban).

• Exceptional Leadership & Mentorship: Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven track record of mentoring and developing design talent.

• Analytical Problem-Solver: A highly analytical and creative mind, capable of breaking down complex challenges into actionable design solutions.

• Compelling Portfolio: A strong, diverse portfolio showcasing impactful digital product design work that demonstrates strategic thinking, design craft, and measurable business value.

The recruitment process you can expect for this role is an initial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner who will chat with you about Waracle, what you are looking for in a new position, the salary for the role, notice period and benefits (the important stuff!).

After that, you'll be invited to a two-stage interview process where you have an opportunity to find out more about the role and showcase your skills and experience. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide you through the whole process to your first day with us.

We have various events, days out, competitions and incentives throughout the year and here are some other benefits you can expect as permanent team member at Waracle:

• 🏡Flexible and Hybrid working

• 🏖35 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays)

• 💸Matched Pension up to 5%

• 🤒Medicash Proactive Health Cover

• 🧘‍♀️Health and Wellbeing Support through Unum

• 📈Access to 1000s Personal Development Courses

• 🏥Group Life and Sickness Cover

• 🍼Enhanced parental leave

• 🤑Access to exclusive savings and discounts on top brands

Plus many more!

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.