Principal Product Designer

Location: Dublin (Hybrid) Contract Type: 6-month Contract (Potential for 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 Hybrid working model Competitive salary and benefits package To learn more about this opportunity, apply directly today for a confidential discussion or reach out to alex.leonard@cpl.ie. #LI-AL1