Lead Product Designer . Prolific

Hard Problems; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Prolific in London is seeking a Lead Product Designer to drive design vision and strategy across three cross-functional teams. You will shape participant experiences in both global marketplace and specialist pools, while also delivering hands-on design work in a core domain.

You will report to the VP of Product, collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and designers, and line-manage 1–3 designers. A strong track record in in-house product design and AI prototyping is essential.

Qualifications

• Extensive in-house product design track record working with PMs and engineers.
• Experience line-managing designers or acting as a player-coach.
• Confidence using AI prototyping tools and design systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead design vision across three cross-functional teams for participant experiences.
• Line-manage 1–3 designers, mentor teammates, and coach behaviors.
• Own user research and data analysis as part of the role.

Skills

Leadership

Line-management

AI prototyping

Figma Make

Design systems

Accessibility (WCAG)

Tools

Figma

Design tools

Job description

# Lead Product DesignerProlific, London, UKOther## Why this work mattersProlific accelerates scientific and AI research by connecting over 35,000 researchers with a diverse, verified pool of fairly-paid participants, making trustworthy human data widely accessible.View the full listing and apply →Listed 13 Oct 2026Applications are handled by Prolific, not by Hard Problems.## About the roleProlific is a technology company building a platform that connects AI developers, researchers, and organisations with a global pool of participants to gather high-quality, ethically sourced human behavioural data. Over 35,000 organisations use Prolific to run studies, with a new study launched every two minutes. The company has been ranked among the fastest-growing businesses in the Financial Times 1000 in 2024 and 2025, and in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in 2023. It sits within the Product, Research & Design team.### The roleThis is a dual leadership and hands-on design role within the Prolific for Participants Group. You would lead design vision, strategy, and execution across three cross-functional teams, covering participant experiences in both the global marketplace and the specialist pool, as well as internal services that power participant models. Alongside this leadership scope, you would be the hands-on designer responsible for outcomes in a core participant domain. You would report to the VP of Product and work alongside product engineers, AI researchers, data scientists, product managers, and designers across Prolific.### What you would do* Shape and execute the design vision across three cross-functional teams, covering participant-facing and internal product surfaces.* Design experiences for a large and varied participant base, from academic research participants to skilled experts working on AI training and evaluation.* Build internal tools and platforms for use cases including participant modelling and the Human Data Ops team.* Co-own cross-functional areas such as accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA compliance) and the Design System with other design leaders.* Line-manage 1-3 designers directly, mentor others, and coach behaviours and skills through direct example.* Take on user research and data analysis responsibilities as part of the role.### What they are looking for* An extensive in-house product design track record working alongside product managers and engineers (pure agency experience is likely to be screened out).* Experience line-managing designers or acting as a player-coach for a design team.* Confidence using AI prototyping tools, including Figma Make.* Competence or expertise in standard design tools, principles, and methodologies, plus a working understanding of how AI models function.* Nice to have: experience at a rapidly scaling startup; an AI training, data science, or computer science background; a track record of contributing to the wider product or design community.### Working arrangementsThe role is based on-site in London, England, United Kingdom.### Pay and benefitsThe listing mentions a competitive salary and benefits but does not state specific figures.