Principal Product Designer in London
Principal Product Designer

Principal Product Designer in London

London Full-Time 72000 - 108000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
G

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the evolution of a design system that enhances usability and adoption across teams.
  • Company: Join a global consumer tech company with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, annual bonus, equity options, and hybrid work model.
  • Why this job: Shape impactful design systems that improve experiences for millions of users worldwide.
  • Qualifications: Senior Product Designer with strong design systems experience and excellent communication skills.
  • Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with opportunities for professional growth and influence.

The predicted salary is between 72000 - 108000 £ per year.

Location: London

Work model: Hybrid – 2 to 3 days per week in Central London

Annual bonus: 15%

Equity: £30–40k (long-term incentives, based on level and experience)

About the role

We are hiring a Principal or Staff level Product Designer to join a global consumer technology organisation and take a leading role in shaping and scaling their design system. This role sits within the Design organisation, reporting to the Head of Design Operations, and works closely with Product Design, Content Design, Engineering, and Design Leadership. You will be part of a large, global tech company while working in small, empowered teams, tackling problems that genuinely matter to millions of people. Design systems experience is required, and a portfolio demonstrating this work is required as part of the application process.

Mission

Take the company's internal design system from a foundation and technical baseline to a system designers cannot live without. This is a highly visible role focused on design quality, usability, adoption, and clarity, ensuring the system is not only robust, but genuinely improves how teams design and build products.

Context

Over the past year, the team has built a strong, technical white-label foundation for the design system. The current design systems team includes highly technical designers, many with frontend engineering backgrounds. This role is a counterpoint: design-first, process-led, and deeply focused on adoption, clarity, and day-to-day usefulness for designers and product teams.

What you’ll do

  • Lead the evolution of the design system from a design perspective, ensuring high standards of visual, interaction, and usability quality.
  • Establish and refine patterns, guidelines, and standards that designers can confidently apply without second-guessing.
  • Productise the design system through clear documentation, decision rationale, and usage guidance.
  • Drive adoption through enablement and evangelism, including presentations, walkthroughs, and ongoing communication with design and engineering teams.
  • Act as a strong design partner to engineering, translating system needs into practical, scalable solutions without being primarily responsible for coding.
  • Influence cross-functional stakeholders through clear storytelling and thoughtful communication.
  • Ensure the system supports consistent, consumer-grade experiences across mobile, native, and web platforms.

Must-haves

  • Senior Product Designer with a strong systems and process mindset.
  • Clear design judgement and "designer's designer" craft, including polish, spacing, hierarchy, and usability patterns that reduce downstream tweaking.
  • Proven ability to productise and evangelise a design system, including guidelines, patterns, decision documentation, and adoption initiatives.
  • Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for designers, engineers, and product partners.
  • Comfortable speaking the language of frontend teams (tokens, variables, tooling evolution), without wanting to primarily write production code.

Nice-to-haves

  • Experience running design system adoption programmes, including office hours, roadshows, communication cadences, or governance models.
  • Experience working in large, distributed design organisations.
  • Familiarity with AI-assisted design tools and workflows as part of modern design practice.

Principal Product Designer in London employer: Good Maven

Join a leading global consumer technology organisation in London as a Principal Product Designer, where you will have the opportunity to shape and scale a vital design system that impacts millions. With a hybrid work model, competitive annual bonuses, and equity options, the company fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture that prioritises employee growth and development. You'll be part of a dynamic team that values design excellence and offers unique opportunities to influence cross-functional stakeholders while working in a vibrant city known for its tech scene.
G

Contact Detail:

Good Maven Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Product Designer in London

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at design meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your portfolio! Make sure it’s up-to-date and highlights your design systems experience. When you get the chance, walk potential employers through your work and explain your thought process.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practising common design questions and scenarios. Think about how you’d tackle design challenges and be ready to discuss your approach to usability and clarity.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!

We think you need these skills to ace Principal Product Designer in London

Design Systems Experience
Visual Design Quality
Interaction Design
Usability Standards
Documentation Skills
Communication Skills
Stakeholder Influence
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Productisation of Design Systems
Evangelism and Enablement
Adaptability in Messaging
Familiarity with Frontend Development Concepts
Experience in Large Design Organisations
Knowledge of AI-Assisted Design Tools

Some tips for your application 🫡

Showcase Your Design System Experience: Make sure your portfolio highlights your experience with design systems. We want to see how you've taken a design system from concept to execution, so include specific examples that demonstrate your impact.

Tailor Your Application: When applying, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect the job description. Use keywords from the listing to show us you understand what we're looking for and how you fit into our vision.

Communicate Clearly: Your written application is your first chance to impress us, so make it count! Be clear and concise in your messaging, and don’t shy away from showcasing your storytelling skills—this role is all about influencing others.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to the right people and shows us you're serious about joining our team!

How to prepare for a job interview at Good Maven

✨Showcase Your Design System Experience

Make sure to bring a well-organised portfolio that highlights your experience with design systems. Be ready to discuss specific projects where you’ve led the evolution of a design system, focusing on how you established guidelines and drove adoption.

✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently

Since this role involves influencing cross-functional stakeholders, practice articulating your design decisions and rationale. Use storytelling techniques to convey your ideas effectively, ensuring you can adapt your messaging for both designers and engineers.

✨Prepare for Technical Discussions

Brush up on the language of frontend teams, including tokens, variables, and tooling evolution. While you won’t be coding, understanding these concepts will help you communicate better with engineering teams and demonstrate your design-first mindset.

✨Demonstrate Your Process-Driven Approach

Be ready to discuss your process for refining patterns and standards in design. Share examples of how you’ve productised design systems through documentation and enablement initiatives, showcasing your ability to make systems usable and valuable for teams.

Principal Product Designer in London
Good Maven
Location: London

Land your dream job quicker with Premium

You’re marked as a top applicant with our partner companies
Individual CV and cover letter feedback including tailoring to specific job roles
Be among the first applications for new jobs with our AI application
1:1 support and career advice from our career coaches
Go Premium

Money-back if you don't land a job in 6-months

G
Similar positions in other companies
UK’s top job board for Gen Z
discover-jobs-cta
Discover now
>