Lead Product Designer

StepStone Group; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading job platform in the United Kingdom is seeking a Lead Product Designer to define and elevate the design vision across core products. In this role, you will lead high-impact design processes, mentor other designers, and partner with product and engineering leaders on strategic roadmaps. Ideal candidates will have proven experience in user-centered product design, a portfolio showcasing craftsmanship, and a strong ability to influence product direction. This position offers a dynamic hybrid working model with competitive benefits.

Benefits

29 days holiday allowance + bank holidays

Private medical and dental healthcare

Pension contribution up to 10%

24/7 Employee Assistance Programme

Life Assurance Cover

Cycle to work scheme

Volunteering days

Bring your dog to the office

Qualifications

• Proven experience shipping impactful, user-centered products at scale.
• A portfolio that shows systems thinking and craft excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to influence product direction through design.
• Comfortable operating from vision to hands-on delivery.
• Expertise in prototyping as a storytelling tool.

Responsibilities

• Lead design for a core product area, defining high-impact experiences.
• Set and maintain a high bar for interaction and visual design.
• Drive product thinking and strategy through design insights.
• Share progress transparently and align teams.
• Mentor and inspire designers to refine their thinking.

Skills

User-centered product design

Prototyping

Influencing product direction

Systems thinking

Job description

Company Description Who we are At The Stepstone Group, we have a simple yet very important mission: The right job for everyone. Using our data, platform, and technology, we create opportunities for jobseekers and companies around the world to find a perfect match in fair and equitable way. With over 20 brands across 30+ countries, we strive for fair and unbiased hiring. Join our team of 4,000+ employees and be part of reshaping the labour market and becoming the world's leading job platform.

Job at a glance

We’re looking for an exceptional Lead Product Designer - someone who blends strategic thinking with extraordinary craft. As a Lead, you’ll define the vision for your stream of work, shaping how our products feel, function, and evolve. You’ll lead through design - driving impact, influencing direction, and inspiring teams to reach new levels of excellence. This is a high-seniority individual contributor role, where leadership is measured by influence, clarity, and quality of execution - not by the number of direct reports. You’ll work alongside Product Directors, Engineering Leads, and Researchers to define focus areas, unlock opportunities, and deliver experiences that set new standards for Stepstone and the industry.

Your responsibilities:

• Lead design for a core product area, defining end-to-end experiences that are simple, intuitive, and high-impact.
• Elevate craft and quality. Set and maintain a high bar for interaction, visual, and system design.
• Drive product thinking.
• Partner with Product and Engineering leaders to define strategy and shape the roadmap through design insights.
• Work in the open. Share progress transparently, gather feedback early, and align teams around clear stories.
• Mentor and inspire. Coach designers across the org to refine their thinking, storytelling, and execution.

Qualifications

• Proven experience shipping impactful, user-centered products at scale.
• A portfolio that shows both systems thinking and craft excellence - thoughtful details, strong storytelling, and clear product reasoning.
• Demonstrated ability to influence product direction through design, strategy, and narrative.
• Comfort operating across altitudes - from framing vision to hands‑on delivery.
• Expertise in prototyping as a storytelling tool, bringing ideas to life and inspiring others through interaction.

Benefits

• 29 days holiday allowance + bank holidays
• Private medical and dental healthcare
• Pension contribution up to 10%
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Life Assurance Cover
• Cycle to work scheme
• Hybrid working model
• Volunteering days and you can bring your dog to the office!

Equal opportunities and diversity

We believe that diversity and inclusion at The Stepstone Group are critical to our success as a global company, so we want to recruit, develop, and keep the best talent. We encourage applications from everyone, regardless of background, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, ethnicity, belief, age, family or parental status, and any other characteristic. As a global business we further our DEI and sustainability progress by working with national and international bodies and are proud to have been recognised for our work - both locally and internationally, including: Armed Forces Covenant: Bronze Award, Employer Recognition Scheme EcoVadis: Bronze Award Fertility Friendly Employer, accredited by Fertility Matters at Work RIDI (Recruitment Industry Disability) Awards: Inclusive Technology Award 2024 Stonewall: Gold Award Stonewall: Top 100 Workplace Equality Index (85)