Product & Design

Product & Design is responsible for understanding what to build, making it worth using, and driving it to delivery. The function spans three tracks: product, design, and project leadership. Product people own the problem — discovery, requirements, scope and the client relationship. Designers own the experience — clarity, usability and visual coherence. Product Leads own the delivery momentum on each project — standups, priorities, team coordination and external communication.

The function is led by Anandu (Partner, Product & Design).

Product Ladder

The product track has two paths that converge at senior levels: Product Analyst (requirements and discovery) and Product Lead (project coordination and delivery). Both paths sit within the Product & Design function and share the same level framework.

Each level assumes everything in the levels below it.

L1 — Associate Product Analyst

Impact: individual task level

Gathers requirements through interviews, workshops and documentation under a senior’s guidance
Writes user stories with help — understands the format but needs direction on completeness and edge cases
Documents meeting notes, decisions and open questions accurately and promptly
Supports backlog grooming and sprint planning as an active participant
Asks clarifying questions rather than making assumptions

L2 — Product Analyst / Business Analyst

Impact: individual / project level

Independently owns requirements for a module or small project end-to-end
Writes user stories with clear acceptance criteria that developers and QA can work from without ambiguity
Maintains the backlog and documents all decisions with their rationale — not just what was decided, but why
Engages stakeholders directly to clarify requirements and resolve conflicting priorities
Flags scope creep and ambiguity early; doesn’t let unclear requirements reach development

L3 — Senior Analyst / Product Lead

Impact: project level

Owns discovery and scope definition for a complete project: workshops, requirements, sign-off
Runs client workshops and requirements sessions independently — structures them, facilitates them, drives them to decisions
As Product Lead on a project: owns the backlog priority, runs standups, is the external SPOC for project status, and handles day-to-day trade-offs
Mentors L1–L2 analysts; reviews their user stories and gives specific feedback
Handles scope change requests independently: assesses impact, communicates clearly, gets sign-off

L4 — Product Manager

Impact: multiple projects

Owns product direction across a complex or large engagement: strategy, scope, backlog and stakeholder management
Manages senior client stakeholders directly — navigates competing priorities, difficult conversations, and changing requirements without escalating to a partner
Handles pushback, scope disputes and commercial implications of requirement changes
Sets the quality bar for requirements and delivery across the projects they touch
Can act as Engagement Owner on standard projects

L5 — Senior Product Manager

Impact: multiple projects / company

Oversees several simultaneous engagements as Product Lead or Engagement Owner
Mentors L1–L3 product team members; owns their growth and development
Sets product practice standards across the firm: how we do discovery, how we write requirements, how we manage scope and delivery
Measured by the quality of decisions and delivery across all their engagements

L6 — Principal / Head of Product

Impact: company level

Defines the firm’s product practice: methodology, tooling, templates, hiring bar
Trusted by clients as the most senior product voice in the firm
Develops and stretches the L4–L5 layer
Measured on the long-term product capability of the whole function

Design Ladder

L1 — Associate Designer

Impact: individual task level

Produces screens and assets under close guidance from a senior designer
Follows the established design system; does not invent new patterns without approval
Iterates quickly based on feedback — treats revisions as part of the process, not a sign of failure
Delivers files that are organised, named correctly, and ready for handover

L2 — Designer

Impact: individual / project level

Independently owns UI/UX for a module or small project
Maintains and extends the design system within the bounds set by the senior designer
Participates actively in design reviews: gives feedback, asks questions, defends decisions
Delivers handover assets that developers can implement without frequent clarifications
Communicates design intent to developers — explains why, not just what

L3 — Senior Designer

Impact: project level

Owns UX and visual direction for a complete project end-to-end
Sets the design language for a project: patterns, components, interaction models
Runs design reviews and workshops with clients independently
Reviews L1–L2 work and gives specific, actionable feedback
Spots usability and consistency issues before clients do

L4 — Lead Designer

Impact: multiple projects

Sets UX and visual direction across multiple concurrent projects (fractional: direction at kickoff, reviews at milestones)
Mentors the design team; owns their growth and quality of output
Handles design conversations with senior clients directly: explains trade-offs, defends decisions, manages feedback

L5 — Senior Lead Designer / Design Manager

Impact: multiple projects / company

Spans several active engagements as design lead and quality reviewer
Mentors L1–L3 designers; sets design standards for the firm
Measured by the quality and consistency of design output across all engagements

L6 — Principal Designer / Head of Design

Impact: company level

Defines the firm’s design practice: methodology, tooling, standards, hiring bar
Trusted by clients as the most senior design voice in the firm
Develops and stretches the L4–L5 layer
Measured on the long-term design capability and reputation of the whole function