Principal Product Designer

Job Description

You'll be designing for people whose work actually matters: maintenance engineers, field service technicians, operations planners working in environments where the software either helps or gets in the way. The stakes are real and the problems are hard, which is exactly what makes this role interesting.

At IFS, product design means owning the full problem, not just the screens. You'll work in a cross-functional squad alongside engineers and product managers, with the scope and support to do the work properly. From problem framing through to something shipped and measured.

But the deeper question is harder than that. The industries IFS serves (field service, asset management, manufacturing, supply chain) are changing faster than the software that runs them. By 2030, we're not confident the interface paradigms we rely on today will still be the right ones. AI, ambient computing, voice, autonomous systems: any of these could fundamentally change how an operations planner or a field engineer interacts with software, or whether they interact with it at all.

That's not a problem we've solved. It's the problem you'd be working on.

What you'll do

Product Design

• Own design for defined feature areas end-to-end — from problem framing through to production-ready Figma files, with a clear rationale for every decision

• Work in a cross-functional squad with engineers and PMs, making real decisions rather than executing on someone else's brief

• Present design thinking to stakeholders with confidence — handling pushback with evidence, not just conviction

Discovery & Research

• Plan and run user interviews, JTBD analysis, and journey mapping independently — turning findings into clear design direction, not just a readout

• Track quantitative signals alongside qualitative insight, and use both to drive iteration

AI & Emerging Technology

• Design AI-driven features with a clear understanding of where AI helps and where it introduces risk — prompts, fallbacks, and human-in-the-loop moments included

• Bring a genuine perspective on how the interfaces we're building today might become obsolete — and what should replace them

Design Systems & Quality

• Contribute to the IFS design system by proposing reusable components and patterns rather than designing one-offs

• Apply WCAG 2.1+ accessibility standards from the start, and design for edge cases, error states, and real-world data — not just the happy path

You'll know it's working when your work ships, holds up in the field, and raises the bar for the next thing. Concretely: task success rates improve, UX-related support tickets drop, and the squad reaches for your work as a reference rather than a starting point.

Qualifications

You may be a good fit if you:

• You have at least three years of end-to-end product design experience — from discovery through to shipped product — and you can point to work that reflects real ownership, not just execution

• You're comfortable running your own research: planning the study, conducting interviews, synthesising findings, and turning them into a clear design direction

• You know how to work in a cross-functional squad — making real decisions alongside engineers and PMs, not waiting to be handed a brief

• You know Figma well and have the visual craft to back your thinking up

• You treat accessibility as a design constraint from the start, not a checklist at the end

• You've thought seriously about what AI means for the interfaces you build — not just as a feature to add, but as something that changes the fundamental design problem

• You measure your work — task success rates, support ticket volume, adoption — and use those signals to drive the next iteration

Strong candidates may also have:

• Experience shipping AI-driven features — prompts, fallbacks, human-in-the-loop moments — not just awareness of the concepts

• Familiarity with design tokens, contribution models, and what it means to design for a system rather than a screen

• Some exposure to quantitative signals: task success rates, funnel data, or A/B results — and a habit of using them

Additional Information

We embrace flexibility and hybrid work opportunities to support diverse needs and lifestyles, while also valuing inclusive workplace experiences. By fostering a sense of community, we drive innovation, strengthen connections, and nurture belonging. Our commitment ensures you can work in a way that suits you best, while also engaging with colleagues to share ideas and build meaningful relationships.