Principal Product Designer
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At a glance
- Employment type
- Contract
- Workplace
- Remote
- Category
- Front-end development
What you'll be doing
Principal Product Designer (contract, remote in Ireland) for a global tech org building a new centralized Product Design function. Founding team role focused on setting design standards, influencing org change, mentoring, and integrating AI into design. No people management; high strategic and hands-on impact.
- Define and maintain design quality across multiple initiatives
- Lead design direction on complex projects
- Influence product, engineering, and leadership teams
- Partner with senior stakeholders on product vision and strategy
- Champion modern and AI-enabled design practices
- Mentor and develop designers through feedback and reviews
- Drive best practices in design systems, UX, accessibility, and interaction design
- Build evidence base for design impact
Key requirements
Must-have
- 10+ years' experience in Product Design, UX Design, UX/UI Design, or related disciplines
- Proven experience delivering high-quality design work across complex product ecosystems
- Strong portfolio with strategic, UX, visual design, and business impact
- Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving design adoption
- Ability to lead through influence
- Understanding of end-to-end product development and cross-functional collaboration
- Experience in both strategic discovery and detailed execution
- Hands-on experience with AI tools and methodologies in design
Nice-to-have
- Strong point of view on design quality and user experience
- Ability to challenge assumptions and advocate for outcomes
- Comfort in ambiguous, evolving environments
- Credibility through expertise and communication
- Calm under pressure
- Enjoys mentoring and elevating team performance
Experience: 10+ years
Role signals
- Technical focus
- Product Design, UX, AI-enabled design practices, design systems
- Leadership
- Mentoring
- Hands-on vs management
- Hands-on
Similar jobs
Full job description
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Location: Remote (Ireland-Based)
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Contract Type: 6-month Contract (Strong potential for extension/permanent role)
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Industry: Enterprise Software / Digital Products
About the Opportunity
Our client is a global technology organization undergoing a significant design transformation and investing heavily in the future of product experience. As part of this journey, they are building a new centralized Product Design function focused on elevating design quality, driving innovation, and influencing product strategy across multiple business units.
This is a rare opportunity for a highly experienced Principal Product Designer to join as a founding member of a senior design team. You'll play a pivotal role in setting design standards, influencing organizational change, and helping establish a culture where design is viewed as a strategic business capability.
The Role
As Principal Product Designer, you will be a senior individual contributor operating at the highest level of design leadership without direct people management responsibilities.
You will act as the design authority across multiple initiatives, defining quality standards, influencing senior stakeholders, and raising the capability of designers around you through mentorship, critique, and thought leadership.
This role combines strategic thinking, product design excellence, organizational influence, and emerging AI-enabled design practices.
Key Responsibilities
- Define and maintain the design quality bar across multiple product and business initiatives
- Lead design direction on complex projects, ensuring solutions meet high standards of usability, craft, and business value
- Influence product, engineering, and leadership teams where design maturity may vary
- Partner with senior stakeholders to shape product vision, problem framing, and strategic initiatives
- Champion modern design practices and explore how AI can enhance and transform design workflows
- Mentor and develop designers through feedback, coaching, and design reviews
- Drive best practices in design systems, user experience, accessibility, and interaction design
- Help build a strong evidence base for design impact through case studies, insights, and measurable outcomes
- Advocate for customer-centric thinking across the organization
- Contribute to the evolution of a world-class design culture
Required Experience
- 10+ years' experience in Product Design, UX Design, UX/UI Design, or related disciplines
- Proven experience delivering high-quality design work across complex product ecosystems
- Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, UX excellence, visual design expertise, and measurable business impact
- Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving design adoption within complex organizations
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence rather than direct authority
- Strong understanding of end-to-end product development and cross-functional collaboration
- Experience working across both strategic discovery and detailed product execution
- Hands-on experience incorporating AI tools and methodologies into design practice
- Expert-level proficiency with Figma
- Strong knowledge of design systems and scalable design frameworks
Ideal Profile
We're looking for someone who:
- Has a strong point of view on design quality and user experience
- Can confidently challenge assumptions and advocate for better outcomes
- Thrives in ambiguous, evolving environments
- Builds credibility through expertise, communication, and delivery
- Is calm under pressure and comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders
- Enjoys mentoring others and helping elevate team performance
- Is passionate about shaping the future of AI-enabled product design
What's on Offer
- Opportunity to join a newly established, high-impact design function
- Significant influence over design standards, strategy, and culture
- Exposure to large-scale, enterprise-level digital products
- Collaborative, design-led environment with strong executive sponsorship
- Remote working model
- Competitive salary and benefits package
To learn more about this opportunity, apply directly today for a confidential discussion or reach out to alex.leonard@cpl.ie.
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Interview prep pack
Grounded in this listing. Use it to prepare examples before you apply.
Your interview focus
Based on this listing, the Principal Product Designer role is a senior, hands-on individual contributor position focused on elevating design quality, driving innovation, and influencing product strategy within a newly centralized design function for enterprise software. The role emphasizes strategic leadership, cross-functional influence, AI-enabled design practices, and mentorship without direct people management.
- Strategic Design Leadership·Medium
- AI-Enabled Design·High
- Mentorship & Influence·Medium
- Design Systems & Accessibility·High
Only have 30 minutes?
Follow a focused preparation plan based on this job.
Start 30-minute prep
Your 30-minute plan
Curate and Rehearse Portfolio Stories
0–10 minSelect 2-3 relevant projects that showcase your strategic leadership, design quality, and business impact; practice concise, outcome-focused storytelling.
Review AI-Enabled Design Practices
10–15 minRefresh your knowledge of AI tools and prepare to discuss specific examples of their integration into your workflow.
Reflect on Mentorship and Influence Examples
15–20 minIdentify key stories where you mentored others or influenced stakeholders, focusing on your approach and results.
Brush Up on Design Systems and Accessibility
20–25 minReview your experience with design systems and accessibility, ensuring you can speak to best practices and measurable outcomes.
Prepare Targeted Questions for the Interviewer
25–30 minDraft thoughtful questions about team structure, design culture, AI strategy, and success metrics to demonstrate your engagement and strategic mindset.
Talking points
, 5 itemsDefining and Upholding Design Quality Standards
Prepare examples where you set or raised the bar for design quality across multiple products or teams, demonstrating your approach to consistency and excellence.
Influencing Senior Stakeholders and Driving Design Adoption
Showcase situations where you successfully advocated for design priorities, influenced leadership, or navigated varying levels of design maturity.
Integrating AI Tools and Methodologies into Design Practice
Be ready to discuss hands-on experience with AI in design workflows, including specific tools, outcomes, and how you championed adoption.
Mentoring and Developing Designers
Share stories of mentoring, coaching, or elevating team performance through feedback, critique, or design reviews.
Driving Best Practices in Design Systems and Accessibility
Prepare to explain your role in building or scaling design systems, ensuring accessibility, and promoting user-centric design.
What to research
, 4 itemsPortfolio Review
Select and prepare to discuss 2-3 portfolio pieces that demonstrate strategic thinking, design quality, measurable impact, and experience with complex product ecosystems.
AI Tools in Design
Review your experience with AI-enabled design tools and be ready to discuss specific methodologies, outcomes, and lessons learned.
Design Systems and Accessibility
Refresh your knowledge and examples related to building or scaling design systems and ensuring accessibility in enterprise products.
Mentorship and Influence
Prepare stories that highlight your mentorship style, feedback approach, and ability to influence without authority.
Questions to ask
, 6 itemsHow is the new centralized Product Design function structured, and what are its immediate priorities?
Why ask this? Clarifies team dynamics and where you can have the most impact.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing design adoption or maturity within the organization?
Why ask this? Helps you understand organizational context and potential obstacles.
How does the company envision the role of AI in shaping future design workflows?
Why ask this? Assesses alignment with your experience and interest in AI-enabled design.
What does success look like for this role in the first six months?
Why ask this? Clarifies expectations and key deliverables.
How are design impact and outcomes measured and communicated to leadership?
Why ask this? Shows your interest in evidence-based design and strategic influence.
What opportunities exist for shaping the long-term design culture and standards?
Why ask this? Demonstrates your interest in contributing beyond immediate projects.
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