Principal Product Designer

Cpl Group; Leinster; Remote; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote working model

Job summary

CPL Group is recruiting a Principal Product Designer for a global technology client, joining as a founding member of a senior design team. The role operates at the highest level of design leadership with no direct reports, defining standards and influencing product strategy across business units.

You will mentor designers, raise design maturity, and apply AI-enabled design practices across initiatives, shaping a world-class design culture with senior stakeholders and cross-functional partners.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Product/UX design or related disciplines.
• Portfolio showing strategic thinking, UX excellence, and measurable impact.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving adoption.
• Ability to lead through influence in complex organisations.
• Hands-on with AI-enabled design practices and tools.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the design quality bar across multiple initiatives.
• Lead design direction on complex projects delivering usability and value.
• Influence engineering, product, and leadership teams to raise design maturity.
• Shape product vision with senior stakeholders and problem framing.
• Mentor designers through reviews, coaching, and critique.
• Drive best practices in design systems, accessibility, and interaction design.
• Build evidence of design impact via case studies and measurable outcomes.
• Advocate for customer-centric thinking across the organisation.

Skills

UX Design

Product Design

Design leadership

Mentoring

AI-enabled design

Figma

Tools

Figma

Job description

Location: Remote (Ireland-Based)

Contract Type: 6-month Contract (Strong potential for extension/permanent role)

Industry: Enterprise Software / Digital Products

About the Opportunity

Our client is a global technology organization undergoing a significant design transformation and investing heavily in the future of product experience. As part of this journey, they are building a new centralized Product Design function focused on elevating design quality, driving innovation, and influencing product strategy across multiple business units.

This is a rare opportunity for a highly experienced Principal Product Designer to join as a founding member of a senior design team. You'll play a pivotal role in setting design standards, influencing organizational change, and helping establish a culture where design is viewed as a strategic business capability.

The Role

As Principal Product Designer, you will be a senior individual contributor operating at the highest level of design leadership without direct people management responsibilities.

You will act as the design authority across multiple initiatives, defining quality standards, influencing senior stakeholders, and raising the capability of designers around you through mentorship, critique, and thought leadership.

This role combines strategic thinking, product design excellence, organizational influence, and emerging AI-enabled design practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the design quality bar across multiple product and business initiatives
• Lead design direction on complex projects, ensuring solutions meet high standards of usability, craft, and business value
• Influence product, engineering, and leadership teams where design maturity may vary
• Partner with senior stakeholders to shape product vision, problem framing, and strategic initiatives
• Champion modern design practices and explore how AI can enhance and transform design workflows
• Mentor and develop designers through feedback, coaching, and design reviews
• Drive best practices in design systems, user experience, accessibility, and interaction design
• Help build a strong evidence base for design impact through case studies, insights, and measurable outcomes
• Advocate for customer‑centric thinking across the organization
• Contribute to the evolution of a world‑class design culture

Required Experience

• 10+ years' experience in Product Design, UX Design, UX/UI Design, or related disciplines
• Proven experience delivering high-quality design work across complex product ecosystems
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, UX excellence, visual design expertise, and measurable business impact
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving design adoption within complex organizations
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence rather than direct authority
• Strong understanding of end-to-end product development and cross‑functional collaboration
• Experience working across both strategic discovery and detailed product execution
• Hands-on experience incorporating AI tools and methodologies into design practice
• Expert‑level proficiency with Figma
• Strong knowledge of design systems and scalable design frameworks

Ideal Profile

We're looking for someone who:

• Has a strong point of view on design quality and user experience
• Can confidently challenge assumptions and advocate for better outcomes
• Thrives in ambiguous, evolving environments
• Builds credibility through expertise, communication, and delivery
• Is calm under pressure and comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders
• Enjoys mentoring others and helping elevate team performance
• Is passionate about shaping the future of AI-enabled product design

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to join a newly established, high-impact design function
• Significant influence over design standards, strategy, and culture
• Exposure to large-scale, enterprise-level digital products
• Collaborative, design‑led environment with strong executive sponsorship
• Remote working model
• Competitive salary and benefits package