📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Growth
🔹 Company: Xero
🔹 Location: Auckland, New Zealand (Remote)
🔹 Job Type: Permanent
🔹 Category: Design
🔹 Date Posted: May 1, 2025
🔹 Experience Level: 5-10 years
🔹 Remote Status: Hybrid (Remote, Auckland)
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Designing and running growth-based experiments for payment services at Xero
- Collaborating with design leadership and other teams to ensure high-quality product experiences
- Optimizing user acquisition and conversion through iterative design and user research
- Contributing to strategic product initiatives and facilitating team workshops
- Working closely with development teams to ensure design quality and solve issues
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a strong background in growth design and experimentation, with a focus on user behavior and data-informed decision making. The ideal candidate will have experience in designing products that optimize user acquisition and conversion.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Design and run growth-based experiments across relevant product surface areas for Payments within Xero, using hypothesis-based testing and various methods to validate them
✅ Collaborate with design leadership to shape the Product Design vision and ensure top-notch execution within your product area, championing the value of design and diving into research and analysis
✅ Help define problems, create design frameworks, and develop phased design approaches, building prototypes and working closely with other designers
✅ Participate in user research to understand customer needs, synthesize data, and contribute to user testing
✅ Influence, challenge, and support other designers to deliver fantastic product experiences, contributing to strategic product initiatives and facilitating team workshops
✅ Work closely with development teams during sprints to ensure design quality and solve issues
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a high level of collaboration and communication skills, as well as the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality product experiences.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
Experience: 5-10 years of experience in product design, with a focus on growth and experimentation design
Required Skills:
- Proven experience working on growth and experimentation design, with a strong portfolio demonstrating user experience and business value
- Mastery in the entire design process, with the ability to optimize user acquisition and conversion
- Experience building and iterating on a product or experience based on usage patterns, user feedback, and an evolving strategic landscape
- Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
- Fluency in English
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with design tools such as Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD
- Familiarity with user research methods and tools
- Knowledge of the accounting or small business software industry
ASSUMPTION: Candidates with a strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality design outcomes and experience in growth design will be highly competitive for this role.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: NZD 120,000 - 160,000 per annum (Based on experience and industry standards for senior product designers in New Zealand)
Benefits:
- Paid leave (including statutory holidays) and dedicated paid leave for wellbeing
- Free medical insurance
- Wellbeing and sports programs
- Employee resource groups
- 26 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregivers
- Employee share plan
- Flexible working and career development opportunities
Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week), with flexible hours and the option to work remotely
ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is an estimate based on industry standards for senior product designers in New Zealand. The actual salary may vary depending on the candidate's experience and qualifications.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry: Software Development, specifically accounting and small business software
Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees (Mid-sized)
Founded: 2006, with headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand
Company Description:
- Xero is a cloud-based accounting software company that helps small businesses manage their finances, invoicing, and payroll
- Xero's mission is to supercharge small businesses by automating routine tasks, surfacing actionable insights, and connecting businesses with the right data, advisors, and apps
- Xero has over 4.2 million subscribers globally and is publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange
Company Specialties:
- Accounting
- SaaS
- Banking
- Invoicing
- Design
- Business
- Billing
- Small Business
- Bookkeeping
- Software
- Platform
- Payroll
Company Website: http://www.xero.com
ASSUMPTION: Xero's mid-sized structure offers a balance between the agility of a startup and the resources of a larger enterprise, providing opportunities for growth and collaboration.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Senior
Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to the Design Manager and works closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and other designers
Work Arrangement: Hybrid (Remote, Auckland) with flexible hours and the option to work remotely
Growth Opportunities:
- Potential to lead and mentor junior designers
- Opportunities to work on strategic projects and contribute to Xero's product vision
- Chance to develop skills in growth design, experimentation, and user research
ASSUMPTION: This role offers strong growth potential for candidates looking to advance their careers in product design, with a focus on growth and experimentation.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: Xero's offices are modern, collaborative workspaces with a focus on employee wellbeing and comfort
Office Location(s): Auckland, New Zealand (Remote work is also an option)
Geographic Context:
- Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, with a vibrant culture, diverse neighborhoods, and a strong economy
- New Zealand offers a high quality of life, with a focus on work-life balance and outdoor recreation
- The time zone is Pacific/Auckland (UTC +12:00)
Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week) with flexible hours and the option to work remotely
ASSUMPTION: The hybrid work arrangement offers the best of both worlds, allowing employees to collaborate in person while also enjoying the flexibility of remote work.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process:
- Online application and resume screening
- Phone or video screen with the hiring manager
- Design challenge or case study presentation
- Final interview with the design team and/or stakeholders
Key Assessment Areas:
- Portfolio review and design skills
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Communication and collaboration skills
- Alignment with Xero's values and company culture
Application Tips:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in growth design and experimentation
- Prepare a strong portfolio that demonstrates your design process, user-centered approach, and ability to optimize user acquisition and conversion
- Be ready to discuss your design thinking, user research, and prototyping skills
- Research Xero's products, company culture, and values to show your enthusiasm and fit for the role
ATS Keywords: Growth Design, Experimentation Design, User Acquisition, Conversion Optimization, User Research, Data Analysis, Prototyping, Design Frameworks, Collaboration, Accessibility Design, Behavioral Design, Hypothesis Testing, Design Execution, User Feedback, Iterative Design, Strategic Initiatives
ASSUMPTION: Xero's application process is designed to assess candidates' design skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit, with a focus on growth design and experimentation.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Design tools: Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD
- User research tools: UsabilityHub, UserTesting, or similar
- Prototyping tools: InVision, Marvel, or similar
- Collaboration tools: Slack, Microsoft Teams, or similar
ASSUMPTION: The required tools and technologies for this role are standard in the product design industry and can be learned or adapted to as needed.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values:
- Human
- Challenging
- Beautiful
- Fun
Work Style:
- Collaborative and cross-functional
- Data-driven and user-centered
- Agile and iterative
Self-Assessment Questions:
- How do you approach designing for user acquisition and conversion?
- Can you describe a time when you used data to inform your design decisions?
- How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality product experiences?
ASSUMPTION: Xero's company values and work style emphasize collaboration, user-centered design, and continuous improvement, making it an attractive fit for candidates with a strong background in growth design and experimentation.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced, experimental environment
- Balancing user needs, business goals, and technical possibilities in a cross-functional team
- Adapting to a hybrid work arrangement and collaborating effectively with remote team members
- Keeping up with the latest trends and best practices in growth design and experimentation
ASSUMPTION: These challenges are inherent to a senior product design role in a fast-growing, innovative company like Xero and can be overcome with strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- Unlike traditional product design roles, this position focuses specifically on growth and experimentation design, with a strong emphasis on user acquisition and conversion
- Xero's mid-sized structure offers a balance between the agility of a startup and the resources of a larger enterprise, providing opportunities for growth and collaboration
- This role offers a unique opportunity to work on strategic projects and contribute to Xero's product vision, with a focus on growth design and experimentation
ASSUMPTION: This role is distinct from other product design positions due to its focus on growth and experimentation design, offering a unique opportunity for candidates with relevant experience.
📝 Sample Projects
- Designing and running experiments to optimize user onboarding and activation for Xero's payment services
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams to improve the user experience for invoicing and billing features
- Developing design frameworks and prototypes to explore new product ideas and features
ASSUMPTION: These sample projects are representative of the types of initiatives a senior product designer in growth would work on at Xero, with a focus on user-centered design, experimentation, and optimization.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- Can you describe the design process and collaboration structure within the Payments Growth Team?
- How does Xero approach user research and data analysis in the design process?
- What are the most significant challenges facing the Payments Growth Team, and how can this role help address them?
- How does Xero support the professional development and growth of its designers?
- What is the company's long-term vision for its payment services, and how does this role contribute to that vision?
ASSUMPTION: These interview questions are designed to assess the candidate's understanding of the role, the team, and the company, as well as their ability to contribute to Xero's growth and success.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in growth design and experimentation, user acquisition, and conversion optimization
- Prepare a strong portfolio that demonstrates your design process, user-centered approach, and ability to optimize user acquisition and conversion
- Be ready to discuss your design thinking, user research, and prototyping skills during the interview
- Follow up with the hiring manager within one week of submitting your application to express your interest and reiterate your qualifications
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
