Product Designer (Contractor)

Normative•Toronto, ON

1d•CA$52 - CA$65•Remote

About The Position

We're seeking a strategically-minded and innovation-focused Product Designer Contractor to drive user-centered design improvements to shape enterprise product experiences that are effective, accessible, and aligned with user and business needs. This short-term contractor role (9-10 months) is for a seasoned Product Designer with a strong, proven background in UX and UI design, UX research, and enterprise product design, particularly in government and large-scale digital services. You’ll join a small product team and work on bringing new ideas to life with designs that map back to customer needs and business opportunities. You'll use your ability to translate opportunities into great customer and user experiences, whether that’s through concepts, prototypes, workshops, decks and stories, or functional software products. This is a collaborative, client-facing role with direct ownership and accountability in delivering high-quality design work. Strong communication, organization, attention to detail, and the ability to navigate complexity are essential.

Requirements

2-5+ years of experience in Product Design.
Experience in a consulting or digital innovation agency environment.
Experience designing for government services, healthcare, enterprise software, or complex systems.
Strong product thinking with a user-centered approach.
Experience working with design systems for large-scale digital products.
Experience delivering exceptional user experiences that apply design thinking, or human-centered design approaches to incorporate user needs into design processes, ideas, solutions and service improvements.
Experience exploring multiple design solutions to a given problem or feature, and communicating those solutions visually through sketches, user flows, wireframes, functional prototypes, and/or high-fidelity designs, as necessary.
Proficiency in design and collaboration tools such as Figma, Axure, Adobe XD, Sketch, Miro and similar and a willingness and ability to learn new software as required.
Experience with leveraging AI-assisted tools and methodologies to drive new ways of working and thinking.
Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, Lean UX, and iterative design processes with the ability to systematically move from open-ended challenges to well‑reasoned solutions.
Experience working collaboratively in cross-functional teams in fast-paced, agile environments.
Strong ownership of your own design process with a solution oriented mindset to maintain forward momentum and drive results.
Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1+), usability best practices, and inclusive design principles.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present and defend complex ideas and design decisions with diplomacy and clarity.
Continuous learning mindset, staying updated on industry trends and emerging technologies.
Strong time management and organisation skills with a demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment.
Comfort with ambiguity and an adaptive mindset that allows you to remain productive and grounded in evolving contexts.
Candidates must be located in Canada and eligible to work in Canada.
Candidates must be set-up with a business number to provide contractor services in Canada.

Responsibilities

Craft design solutions for complex user and business problems using an outcome-driven design approach.
Design at the various stages of the product innovation cycle: sketches, concepts, interactive prototypes, end-to-end product interface designs.
Own the end-to-end product design process; including client management, workshop facilitation, discovery, strategy, UI design, and deliverable hand-off.
Develop artifacts and tools that can communicate decisions and facilitate change at large-scale organizations: customer journeys, user flows, scenarios, wireframes, functional prototypes, through to high-fidelity designs.
Work cross-functionally with agile multidisciplinary teams, leading and facilitating the design process through internal discussions and working sessions to reach alignment on understanding user needs.
Bring empathy, creativity, and a constructive highly collaborative mindset to deliver exceptional design experiences, both in look and function, and craft great client experiences.
Support UX research activities, including workshops, user interviews and usability testing to inform design decisions.
Synthesize multiple inputs and feedback sources to make sense of complex subject matter, and to create cohesive, compelling narratives, visions and designs.
Apply a deep understanding of interaction design, IA and visual design fundamentals.
Understand the technology and business landscapes that opportunities exist within to map product features directly to business outcomes and customer/user goals.
Advocate for accessibility and inclusivity in digital service design, ensuring compliance with WCAG and government accessibility standards.