At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design system for innovative educational products and enhance user experiences.
- Company: Join Twinkl, a dynamic company dedicated to supporting educators worldwide.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, 33 days annual leave, and a fun, inclusive culture.
- Other info: Opportunities for career growth in a supportive and diverse environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in education while working with cutting-edge design technologies.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in product design with strong leadership and communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 59270 - 72442 £ per year.
Location: Remote UK
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 37.5 hours (Core hours 10:00am - 2:00pm Monday - Friday)
We're here to help those who teach. At Twinkl, we’ve been providing educators across the world with high quality, trusted teaching and learning resources for over a decade now. The digital product team is dedicated to creating innovative and engaging digital experiences for children and educators.
We’re looking for an experienced Principal Product Designer to own the direction of our design system. The system spans customer-facing and B2B products across web and mobile, and it is the lever that lifts quality, consistency and delivery speed everywhere at once. You will define what the system covers and how it is governed, you will build a large part of it yourself, and you will get it adopted by designers and engineers who have their own roadmaps to hit. This is a hands-on individual contributor role who will set the standard through the work and through influence.
Ongoing projects/how you’ll spend your day:
- Design system direction and governance: Define what the design system is for, what it covers and where it stops, and turn that into design principles and a roadmap other teams can plan against. Establish how the system is governed.
- Building the system: Design and ship the system itself, hands on. Own the token layer, from foundations through to the semantic tokens product teams actually use.
- Adoption and enablement: Treat adoption as the measure of success rather than the size of the library. Work alongside engineering on the coded implementation.
- Accessibility and inclusion as a system property: Build WCAG 2.2 AA conformance into the components themselves.
- Leverage customer insights: Partner with the UXR and customer insights teams to understand how educators and learners actually move through our products.
- Measuring the system: Define the measures that show whether the system is working.
- End-to-end design on high-stakes work: Take the hardest journeys yourself, from problem framing through to implementation-ready specification and prototypes.
- Mentoring and raising the craft: Coach designers and engineers on using and extending the system well.
To succeed in the role, you will:
- Be Systems-Minded: See the pattern behind the request.
- Demonstrate Strong Leadership: Set direction and lift the standard across several product areas.
- Communicate Effectively & Collaboratively: Explain complex system decisions clearly.
- Be Detail-Oriented: Hold a very high bar on craft, naming, documentation and consistency.
- Manage Projects Efficiently: Run system work alongside product delivery.
- Be Adaptable & have a growth mindset: Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
We're interested in people that have:
- Bachelor’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field.
- At least 8 years of experience in product design focused on user-centred design projects.
- At least 3 years defining, setting and governing a design system.
- 5+ years hands-on delivery of design system components.
- Demonstrable experience of design tokens and theming.
- Proficiency in Figma.
- Practical experience of AI tools such as Claude in design work.
- Strong portfolio showing the system you built.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Experience implementing accessibility standards and best practices.
- An understanding of the EdTech landscape is a plus.
If you require a reasonable adjustment to the application/selection process to enable you to demonstrate your ability to perform the job requirements please include this at the foot of your covering letter.
Benefits:
- Exciting role in a fast-growing and dynamic business.
- A friendly, welcoming and supportive culture.
- Diversity, inclusion and belonging initiatives.
- Westfield Health, 33 annual leave days per year (pro-rata).
- Flexible working policy with opportunities to work from home.
- Quarterly company awards programme.
- Company sick pay after 3 months of service.
- Long-term service reward including enhanced benefits.
Principal Product Designer employer: Twinkl
At Twinkl, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and inclusive work culture that prioritises employee well-being and growth. With a focus on professional development, our team enjoys flexible working arrangements, generous annual leave, and a supportive environment that fosters collaboration and innovation. Join us in making a meaningful impact in education while enjoying the benefits of a dynamic and rewarding workplace.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Product Designer
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
In the world of UX/UI design, your portfolio speaks volumes! Make sure it's packed with your best work and showcases your process, not just the final product. We want to see how you tackle design challenges, so consider adding case studies that reflect your thought process and user-centric approach.
✨Get Involved in Design Communities
Jump into local or online design meetups and workshops! Places like UXPA or local design events can be goldmines for networking and learning. Plus, mingling with fellow designers can introduce you to potential job openings that might not be listed elsewhere.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you find a role that excites you, like the one at Twinkl for a Principal Product Designer, make your application count! Highlight specific projects and skills that directly relate to the job description. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who fit into their specific team, so show them you’re the one!
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in finding a UX/UI design job! Follow design leaders on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, share your work, and engage in conversations. It’s a great way to get noticed by recruiters and even catch wind of openings at companies like Twinkl before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Product Designer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Principal Product Designer at Twinkl, make sure to include examples that clearly highlight your design process. We want to see not just the final product but also the journey that led you there—wireframes, user personas, and iterations demonstrate your thought process and user-centric approach!
Tailor Your Portfolio:A tailor-made portfolio is crucial for a full-time design role! Curate your best projects that align with the kind of work Twinkl does. We suggest including 3-5 case studies that showcase a variety of skills such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to really make your application pop.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not just be a summary of your CV. Use it to express why you’re excited about UX/UI Design and what draws you specifically to Twinkl. Mention any relevant experience, tools you’re proficient in (like Sketch or Figma), and how you can contribute to their projects.
Highlight Collaboration Skills:In the world of UX/UI Design, teamwork is crucial. Make sure to highlight any past experiences where you worked in cross-functional teams. Illustrate how you communicated design decisions and listened to feedback, as this will resonate well with the culture at Twinkl.
How to prepare for a job interview at Twinkl
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
When you're gunning for a full-time UX/UI design role, your portfolio is your best friend! Make sure you've got a solid selection of your work, showcasing not just the final designs, but the process behind them—think wireframes, user flows, and any user research you've conducted. During the interview with Twinkl, be prepared to discuss your design decisions and how they solve specific user problems.
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Expect to face some practical design tasks during your interview. Twinkl might ask you to tackle a quick design challenge or critique an existing interface. Brush up on your problem-solving skills and try to articulate your thought process as you work through these scenarios. Showing how you approach a design problem is just as important as the final output!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with the tools commonly used in the industry—figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch should be second nature to you. Be ready to discuss your preferred tools during the interview and how they've shaped your design process at previous positions. This knowledge could give you an edge at Twinkl!
✨Show Passion for User Experience
In a full-time UX/UI design role, having a genuine passion for improving user interactions can set you apart. Be prepared to share instances when you went above and beyond to ensure a great user experience in your previous projects. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a designer, but a user advocate, which is exactly what Twinkl is looking for.
