Intermediate Product Designer

Platform45; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 420,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

Platform45 is seeking an Intermediate Product Designer based in Johannesburg, capable of leading design across discovery to delivery within agile sprints. You will collaborate with product managers, engineers, and QA, translating complex regulatory constraints into intuitive user experiences and maintaining design systems.

You should have 4–7 years in product design, a strong portfolio of end-to-end case studies, and comfort presenting to clients and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years in professional product design (agency or in-house).
• Experience in Fintech, banking, payments and/or medtech/health-tech.
• Portfolio with end-to-end case studies showing problem framing and outcomes.
• Experience collaborating with clients or senior stakeholders.
• Design for mobile (iOS/Android) and web with responsive principles.
• Familiarity with design system governance or contribution.
• Familiar with research tooling: Maze, Lyssna, Google Analytics.

Responsibilities

• Lead design end-to-end across discovery, definition, ideation, prototyping, testing and delivery within agile sprint cycles.
• Consult with clients independently and surface assumptions with stakeholders.
• Facilitate workshops, design reviews, and client presentations with professionalism.
• Translate regulatory, compliance and domain constraints into usable product experiences.
• Collaborate daily with product managers, engineers and QA for backlog refinement and sprint planning.
• Champion the user with research, usability testing and analytics to ground decisions.
• Produce high-fidelity prototypes, interaction specs and developer-ready deliverables.
• Maintain and contribute to design systems, pattern libraries, and documentation.
• Manage time across concurrent streams and mentor junior designers.

Skills

Figma mastery

Visual design sensibility

User-centred mindset

Tools

Maze

Lyssna

Google Analytics

Job description

INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT DESIGNER

REPORTS TO: DESIGN LEAD

**Must be based in Johannesburg (On-site or Hybrid)

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• - Consult with clients independently - ask the right questions for unclear briefs, surface assumptions, and align with stakeholders without needing direction
• - Lead design end-to-end across discovery, definition, ideation, prototyping, testing, and delivery within agile sprint cycles
• - Facilitate working sessions, design reviews, and client presentations with professionalism and confidence
• - Translate complex regulatory, compliance, and domain constraints into clear, usable product experiences
• - Collaborate daily with product managers, engineers, QA, etc. - contributing meaningfully to backlog refinement and sprint planning
• - Champion the user: Conduct and synthesise research, usability tests, and analytics to ground design decisions in evidence
• - Produce high-fidelity prototypes, interaction specs, and developer-ready deliverables that reduce engineering ambiguity
• - Maintain and contribute to design systems, pattern libraries, and documentation
• - Manage your own time and deliverables across concurrent work streams without supervision
• - Informally mentor junior designers and model strong design craft and process standards

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

Design Craft:

• - Mastery of Figma (Components, variables, auto-layout, prototyping, Figma Makes)
• - Strong visual design sensibility: Typography, colour, spacing, hierarchy, accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA compliance embedded in workflow, not bolted on)

Product Thinking:

• - User-centred mindset with comfort across qualitative and quantitative research methods
• - Ability to clearly define and articulate problems before jumping to solutions
• - Experience mapping user flows, etc.
• - Data-literate: Can interpret analytics, define success metrics, and use data to prioritise decisions
• - Understanding of how design decisions affect business and technical constraints

Communication & Client Skills:

• - Excellent written and verbal communication - adapts tone for technical teams, executives, and end-users
• - Confident facilitator across workshops, sprint ceremonies, client showcases, and design crits
• - Active listener who asks precise, well-timed questions to clarify intent
• - Comfortable challenging assumptions and pushing back constructively on bad briefs or scope creep
• - Diplomatic but direct - can navigate differing opinions and land on decisions that move work forward

Agile & Delivery:

• - Experienced working embedded in cross-functional agile squads
• - Understands the sprint lifecycle and how to deliver design at the right fidelity for each stage
• - Comfortable with ambiguity - can progress work with incomplete information and course-correct efficiently
• - Proactively flags risks, dependencies, and blockers rather than waiting for them to elevate

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• - 4–7 years of professional product design experience (agency or in-house)
• - Demonstrable experience in at least one of: Fintech, banking, insurance, payments - and/or medtech, health-tech, clinical platforms
• - Portfolio showing end-to-end case studies with clear problem framing, process, and measurable outcomes
• - Track record of working directly with clients or senior business stakeholders
• - Experience designing for mobile (iOS/Android) and web; responsive design principles second nature
• - Exposure to design system creation, governance, or significant contribution
• - Familiarity with research tooling: Maze, Lyssna, Google Analytics, etc