Lead Product Designer

Job Description

About Carwow

We’re Carwow. The car-changing experts for life-changing moments. Whether buying, selling, or (car) window shopping, we aim to give people total confidence in their choice.

We kicked off our journey as the ultimate matchmaker for car reviews, helping everyone pick their perfect ride. But we soon realised this wasn’t the destination - it was just the first leg. Why stop there when we could also help them get a great price?

So we decided we wanted to revolutionise selling cars, just like we did with buying them. That's when we introduced our game-changing 'sell my car' product.

Today, our dedicated team of over 350 experts across the UK, Germany, Spain and Portugal look after over 12 million active users (and an ‘excellent’ Trustpilot rating).

And we’ve got plenty left in the tank.

Working here

So, what does Carwow look like under the hood?

We’re always driving forward, and our people love what they do and love working together. Our goal is to empower our employees to discover their passions, create common ground, and take control of their careers with confidence.

We regularly fine-tune our hiring process to ensure fairness and all Carwowers receive comprehensive DE&I training. Our Diversity Committees, led by our fantastic employees, fuel internal education, help out our local communities, and champion initiatives for our customers.

We’re also Flexa100 nominated and aim to be the go-to place for changing cars. We’re proud to say we’ve got an impressive employee average engagement score of 8.5/10!

Bonding as a team is important to us - whether we're rocking the Carwow Olympics worldwide, playing drag bingo for Pride Month, taking part in beach clean-ups or rallying on the Padel court, there’s always something to bring us together.

Fancy a life-changing career from the car-changing pros? We’d love you to join us on our journey.

About the team

The Design team’s Mission is to make changing cars a seamless, thrilling, and surprising experience.

Our Design Principles are:

1. Bold. Surpass the ordinary with exceptional design. By pushing boundaries, we set standards and inspire greatness.
2. Simple. Create clarity through design. Distil a solution down to its essence.
3. Human. Deeply understand our users' needs and craft experiences that fulfil them.
4. Refined. Craft work you’re proud of and obsess over the detail.

About the role

We're seeking a Lead Product Designer to join our team. In this role, you'll be pivotal in crafting exceptional end-to-end experiences for our audiences through rapid iteration and innovative design solutions. You'll be responsible for effectively leading and communicating within the tribe, balancing independent action with collaborative efforts. Your role involves guiding the design vision, ensuring alignment with our overarching product strategy. As a Lead Designer, you'll provide mentorship to the team and contribute significantly to both your personal growth and the growth of the design practice under the guidance of our experienced Design Leadership.

What you’ll be doing

• End-to-End User Experience: Identify opportunities to improve our automotive tech products and services.
• Superior Design Delivery: Elevate design quality, inspire the team, and accelerate project momentum.
• Storytelling & Innovation: Master storytelling and advocate for innovative ideas and practices.
• Drive High-Impact Projects: Take initiative in key projects, ensuring swift and effective outcomes.
• Communication & Leadership: Effectively communicate within the Product Tribe to lead and deliver compelling products.
• Foster Collaboration & Growth: Encourage active participation, embrace constructive debates for improvement, and assist in setting ambitious goals.

You're not flying solo; you're part of a convoy. Enjoy the mentorship of seasoned Design Leadership through regular one-on-one coaching sessions tailored just for you. This is your pitstop for role insights, personal growth hacks, and a mental tune-up to keep you operating at peak performance.

What you’ll need

Please note: We know that no candidate will be the perfect match for all we've listed in this posting, so we’d encourage you to apply if you feel you're close to the brief but not an exact match. Ideally you’ll have:

• Advanced UX/Product Design Expertise: Proven track record of delivering exceptional user experiences and interfaces, showcasing a high level of design craftsmanship and innovation.
• Mastery of Design Tools: Advanced proficiency in design software like Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, or similar, with the ability to leverage these tools for complex design challenges.
• Leadership in Communication: Strong communication skills with the ability to lead discussions, articulate complex design concepts, and align cross-functional teams towards a common vision.
• Strategic Problem-Solving: Demonstrated experience in not just identifying problems, but also strategically solving them with creative and effective solutions that drive product success.
• Collaborative Leadership: A history of leading and inspiring cross-functional teams, fostering a collaborative environment, and driving projects to successful outcomes.
• Feedback Integration and Mentorship: Skilled in integrating feedback constructively, with a focus on mentoring team members and elevating design standards across the team.

What's in it for you

• Hybrid working that works around you (currently two days in the office, three from home)
• Competitive salary to fund that dream holiday to Bali
• Share options - when we thrive, so do you!
• Vitality Private Healthcare, for peace of mind
• Monthly coaching sessions with Spill - our mental wellbeing partner
• Enhanced holiday package, plus bank holidays
• 28 days annual leave
• 1 day for your wedding
• 1 day off when you move house - because moving’s hard enough without work!
• On your third year anniversary, you get 30 days of annual leave per year
• On your tenth year anniversary, you get 35 days of annual leave per year
• Option to buy 3 extra days of holiday per year
• Work from abroad for a month (due to popular demand, this offer excludes the moon).
• Inclusive parental, partner and shared parental leave, fertility treatment and pregnancy loss policies
• The latest tech (Macbook or Surface) to power your gif-sending talents
• Up to £500/€550 home office allowance for that massage chair you’ve been talking about
• A generous learning and development budget to help you master your craft
• Regular social events:, tech lunches, coffee with the exec sessions, book clubs, social events/anything else you pester us for
• Refer a friend, get paid. Repeat for infinite money
• Lunch & learns and Carwow Classrooms with expert speakers who are here for a free lunch

Diversity and inclusion is an integral part of our culture. We know that diverse teams are strong teams, so we welcome those with alternative identities, backgrounds, and experiences to apply for this position. We make recruiting decisions based on experience, skills and potential, so all our applicants are treated fairly and equally.