Senior Product Designer – Discovery & Strategy

Role Overview

We are seeking a seasoned product designer who thrives in ambiguity and excels at shaping strategy through design. This role focuses on solution discovery within the double diamond framework, creating divergent, testable concepts and prototypes to learn, validate, and inform strategic recommendations for handoff. You will help inform the problem discovery space but truly shine in solution discovery, driving insights that influence product direction.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate Divergent Testable Concepts   Apply divergent thinking to explore multiple approaches and create prototypes that validate hypotheses across desirability, feasibility, and viability.

• Design Digital Journeys Develop user experience journeys that illustrate end-to-end interactions and inform strategic decisions.

• Conduct Competitive Analysis & Current State Audits Evaluate market trends, competitor experiences, and existing product states to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

• Experimentation and Iteration Rapidly prototype and iterate to learn quickly, pivoting based on new insights and stakeholder feedback.

• Partner for Strategic Alignment Collaborate closely with the Lead UX Strategist and Product partners to ensure all design efforts align with client problems, UX strategy, and business objectives. Partner with stakeholders across disciplines, navigate ambiguity, and build consensus through workshops, storytelling, and clear communication.

• Insight Driven Decision-making Work with research, behavioral science, and analytics teams to incorporate qualitative and quantitative insights into design concepts.

• Elevate Strategic Thinking Guide peers and junior designers in discovery methods, hypothesis-driven design, and divergent ideation.

• Drive Cross-cutting Collaboration Build networks across partner teams to ensure UX alignment and consideration in planning and decision-making.

What Success Looks Like

• Multiple divergent concepts tested and validated for learning.

• Clear, actionable UX strategies aligned with client needs and business goals.

• Strong stakeholder alignment and adaptability in response to new insights.

• Strategic recommendations that influence product vision and roadmap.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of industry/field experience in user experience design. Product design experience preferred.

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience in a creative or technical field.

Special Factors

Sponsorship

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission.

To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.