Product Design Lead

Mintel; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading market intelligence company based in London is seeking a Product Design Lead to contribute to global consumer insights through innovative design. The role requires at least 10 years of experience in product design, with a strong focus on leveraging AI data in user interfaces. You will drive strategic product definition while facilitating collaboration among engineering, sales, and product teams. Strong problem-solving and leadership skills are essential, along with a vibrant culture supporting employee growth and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Support for personal development

Frequent social events

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in Product Design with a strong portfolio.
• Specific experience designing for LLM interfaces and complex data visualization.
• Exceptional collaboration skills to facilitate cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Translate abstract concepts into tangible prototypes.
• Partner with Engineering to explore design options and solve problems.
• Ensure design decisions focus on adoption, retention, and client value.

Skills

Product Design Expertise

Experience with AI and Data

Cross-functional Collaboration

Problem-solving in Ambiguity

Education

10+ years in Product Design

Tools

AI Prototyping Tools

Standard Design Tools

Job description

Product Design Lead

London, United Kingdom

Join Mintel and help shape the future of global consumer insights through world‑class design.

We’re looking for a Design Lead to join our growing Global Product Development team — someone who is a master of their craft and thrives in the early stages of product definition. You will blend hands‑on execution with strategic thinking, translating complex, ambiguous problems into intuitive experiences.

This role is for a high‑impact individual who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. You will be “in the room” with clients and sales teams, sketching solutions in real‑time, and partnering intimately with engineering to build solutions that shape entire industries.

Why This Role Matters

As Design Lead focused on our CPG Proposition & Roadmap, you’ll :

• Be the voice of the user : You won’t just rely on second‑hand reports; you will tag along with sales teams and lead client conversations to hear the Voice of Customer (VOC) directly.
• Solve for the business : You focus on Product and Commercial goals first, using design to drive outcomes rather than just aesthetic output.
• Thrive in ambiguity : You excel at taking loose, complex requirements and whipping up early‑stage flows that bring clarity to the conversation.
• Facilitate alignment : You encourage exploration by visualizing multiple options, helping cross‑functional teams debate trade‑offs and agree on the best path forward.
• Connect the dots : You work across the business—bridging the gap between the “what” (Product), the “how” (Engineering / Data), and the “why” (Commercial).

What You’ll Be Doing

Drive Strategic Definition

• Translate very early, often abstract concepts into tangible prototypes. Use these not as final deliverables, but as tools to spark debate and socialize ideas across the business.
• Develop a keen understanding of Mintel’s unique content and insights ecosystem, ensuring the user experience amplifies the value of our insights.

Facilitate Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Bring different teams together (Engineering, Data, Product, Sales) to solve problems collectively. You will use design to frame the conversation and guide the group toward a solution.
• Partner closely with Engineering to explore design options. You understand technical constraints and work together to find solutions that balance user value with feasibility.

Shape Commercial Impact

• Join the frontline : Shadow sales calls and facilitate client feedback sessions to deeply understand customer needs and pain points.
• Ensure every design decision is anchored in commercial reality—focusing on how the experience drives adoption, retention, and value for the client.

Validate & Socialize

• Avoid the “big reveal.” Instead, you will constantly validate concepts with customers and senior stakeholders, socializing your work early to ensure buy‑in.
• Produce multiple design approaches to solve a single problem, allowing the team to evaluate different routes based on data and strategy.

Cultivate Design Excellence

• Lead the Design Team by example, setting up best practice through modelling high‑quality design behaviour and execution.
• Define and implement scalable design processes and contribute actively to mentoring and growing the skills of junior and mid‑level team members.

Embed Data & AI Innovation

• Design for the future of intelligence : leverage your experience with AI and data to create conversational interfaces (e.g., chat experiences) that help users interpret complex data sets.
• Simplify the complex : Turn dense data interpretation challenges into clear, digestible, and valuable user experiences.

What We’re Looking For

Essential

• Experience & Mastery : 10+ years in Product Design, with a strong portfolio of B2B products.
• AI & Data Expertise : Specific experience designing for LLM interfaces , chat experiences, and tools that facilitate complex data interpretation and visualization.
• Modern Workflow : Experience experimenting with AI prototyping tools (to rapidly visualize concepts) combined with a mastery of standard design tooling.
• Ambiguity & Execution : Proven ability to solve highly ambiguous problems by quickly “whipping up” flows and concepts, focusing on commercial and product goals.Collaboration & Validation : Exceptional skill in facilitating cross‑functional teams (Engineering, Data, Sales) to align on solutions and validate concepts with customers and senior stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Exposure or experience in the FMCG or Market Intelligence sectors.
• Experience of leading and mentoring a team

We hope you’ll like our…

• Culture that supports true collaboration whilst embracing remote working
• Generous holiday allowance with the opportunity to buy additional holiday
• Approach to personal development where we encourage individuals to grow and share what they’ve learned
• Frequent social events, both within the department and across the company
• Blend of home and office working (1‑2 days in the office)