Product Designer (Expert-Level)

Aquent; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent in Toronto seeks a Digital Product Designer to lead the development of rich digital product experiences, bridging design and business strategy with senior stakeholders.

You will drive cross-functional projects across web, mobile, and editorial spaces, delivering human-centered, accessible, brand-consistent designs that align with measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Lead design initiatives of medium-to-high complexity requiring cross-functional alignment across multiple teams and business units.
• Prototyping & Flow Design: Create rich interactive prototypes and complex user flows across web, mobile, and editorial experiences.
• Content & Visual Assets: Provide thought leadership on iconography, information graphics, imagery, and data visualization.
• Governance & Documentation: Manage processes, governance, and sharing of design documentation throughout its lifecycle.
• Brand Evolution: Build brand-forward digital experiences that maintain consistency with core brand value propositions while pushing creative boundaries.
• Inclusive Design: Ensure all interactive patterns and visual displays adhere strictly to accessibility and inclusive design principles.
• Validation & Testing: Conduct advanced design testing and validation informed by strategic business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Project Leadership: Lead design initiatives of medium-to-high complexity requiring cross-functional alignment across multiple teams and business units.
• Prototyping & Flow Design: Create rich interactive prototypes and complex user flows across web, mobile, and editorial experiences.
• Content & Visual Assets: Provide thought leadership on iconography, information graphics, imagery, and data visualization.
• Governance & Documentation: Manage processes, governance, and sharing of design documentation throughout its lifecycle.
• Brand Evolution: Build brand-forward digital experiences that maintain consistency with core brand value propositions while pushing creative boundaries.
• Inclusive Design: Ensure all interactive patterns and visual displays adhere strictly to accessibility and inclusive design principles.
• Validation & Testing: Conduct advanced design testing and validation informed by strategic business objectives.

Skills

Interaction design

Visual design

Prototyping

Accessibility

Design strategy

Brand evolution

Stakeholder management

Design systems

AI experimentation

Leadership

Communication

Job description

The Digital Product Designer – Product Experience provides thought leadership, strategic advice, and creative expertise to senior stakeholders and design peers on the creation and evolution of digital product experiences. Operating as an expert individual contributor, this role shapes current and future design practice through mastery of interaction and visual design.

In this role, you will lead cross-cutting, complex projects defining how clients interact with direct investing products and services while advancing overall design standards. You will bridge creative execution with business strategy, connecting design decisions directly to measurable outcomes and organizational goals.

Key Responsibilities

1. Artifact Creation & Execution (40%)

• Project Leadership: Lead design initiatives of medium-to-high complexity requiring cross-functional alignment across multiple teams and business units.
• Prototyping & Flow Design: Create rich interactive prototypes and complex user flows across web, mobile, and editorial experiences.
• Content & Visual Assets: Provide thought leadership on iconography, information graphics, imagery, and data visualization.
• Governance & Documentation: Manage processes, governance, and sharing of design documentation throughout its lifecycle.
• Brand Evolution: Build brand-forward digital experiences that maintain consistency with core brand value propositions while pushing creative boundaries.
• Inclusive Design: Ensure all interactive patterns and visual displays adhere strictly to accessibility and inclusive design principles.
• Validation & Testing: Conduct advanced design testing and validation informed by strategic business objectives.

2. Design Strategy & Business Alignment (30%)

• Strategic Alignment: Connect design decisions to business objectives, market positioning, and organizational strategy.
• Craft Excellence: Provide design direction and oversight to ensure high craftsmanship aligned with design systems.
• Executive Stakeholder Management: Present design strategy convincingly to executive stakeholders and incorporate feedback into iterative designs.
• Design Advocacy: Advocate for a human-centric design process with Business and Product partners.
• Research Application: Identify knowledge gaps, make research recommendations, and facilitate the application of research insights to design solutions.
• Metrics & Analytics: Establish and track metrics demonstrating design’s contribution to business outcomes (conversion, engagement, customer satisfaction).
• Competitive Intelligence: Research UI behavior, visual-spatial strategies, and perform competitive design audits aligned with business goals.

3. Collaboration & Partnerships (15%)

• Storytelling & Communication: Break down complex topics and present effectively to broad audiences and senior stakeholders through clear storytelling and rationale.
• Client Advocacy: Balance client needs with business objectives, using conceptual thinking and marketing principles to inform design decisions.
• Cross-Functional Synergy: Collaborate with Business, Product, and Research peers to build strong functional partnerships.
• Team Empowerment: Drive a shared vision across teams and proactively clear obstacles to team success.

4. AI Experimentation & Innovation (10%)

• Emerging Technologies: Research emerging design strategies and technologies within financial services.
• AI Integration: Actively experiment with AI tools and methodologies to modernize workflows and unlock new creative possibilities.
• Proofs of Concept: Contribute new practice examples, innovations, and proofs-of-concept derived from research and experimentation.

5. Design Practice Contribution (5%)

• Scalable Standards: Develop design patterns and standards that scale across products.
• Thought Leadership: Share insights and industry thought leadership via internal and external presentations.
• Talent Development: Assist in sourcing, mentoring, and recruiting high-performing design talent.

Expected Behaviors & Capabilities

• Domain Mastery: Demonstrates deep domain knowledge in financial services and direct investing, navigating complexity and ambiguity with ease.
• Strategic & Operational Balance: Thinks both strategically and operationally, maintaining hands‑on design excellence while shaping broader product vision.
• Outcome‑Focused: Establishes metrics and supports teams to deliver repeatable, successful outcomes.
• Executive Presence: Communicates with clarity to both design peers and executive leadership, clearly translating design impact into business value.