Senior Product Designer - Design Systems at eBay

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Design Systems

Company: eBay

Location: Austin, TX or Portland, OR

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UI/UX Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-05

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

Lead the evolution of eBay's design system, creating intuitive, user-friendly design guidelines, patterns, and libraries.
Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure consistent application of the design system across all eBay products.
Mentor fellow designers on the strategic use of the design system and stay updated on industry trends.
Prototype and deliver high-fidelity visuals that demonstrate the design system's capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on design systems, requiring a strong background in visual design, interaction design, and systems design.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Develop and refine eBay's design system by integrating visual design, interaction design, and systems thinking.
Collaborate with UI/UX designers, developers, and cross-functional teams to ensure consistent application of the design system.
Prototype and deliver high-fidelity visuals that demonstrate the design system's capabilities.
Mentor fellow designers on the strategic use of the design system and stay abreast of industry trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a deep understanding of design systems, with the ability to create scalable, accessible, and maintainable design guidelines.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience: 5+ years of professional experience in Visual Design, Interaction Design, or a related field, with a focus on design systems.

Required Skills:

Proficient in design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Framer, or similar.
Familiarity with front-end development, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Self-motivated with the ability to manage projects independently and as part of a team.
Experience with agile/scrum methodologies and a collaborative, iterative design process.

Preferred Skills:

Experience with advanced prototyping tools such as Proto.io, Rive, or Play.
Familiarity with accessibility standards and best practices.
Experience working with design systems in a large-scale, complex organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong background in visual design, interaction design, and systems design, with a focus on creating and maintaining design systems.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Demonstrate a strong portfolio showcasing visual design, interaction design, and systems design work.
Include case studies that highlight your process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your design systems on products and users.
Showcase your ability to create design guidelines, patterns, and libraries that are scalable, accessible, and maintainable.

Process Documentation:

Document your design process, including research, ideation, prototyping, and testing methods.
Explain your approach to creating and maintaining design systems, and how you collaborate with cross-functional teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong portfolio showcasing design systems work, with a focus on process, problem-solving, and impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $108,000 - $186,900 per year

Benefits:

Medical, financial, and other benefits, including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as PTO and parental leave.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is an estimate and may vary depending on location, skills, and experience. Details of participation in benefits plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: eBay operates in the Technology, Information, and Internet industry, focusing on e-commerce and retail.

Company Size: eBay is a large company with over 10,000 employees.

Founded: eBay was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in San Jose, CA.

Team Structure:

The OneExperience team is a comprehensive, cross-functional design team responsible for creating cohesive and innovative design solutions for eBay's products and brand.
The Design Systems team is dedicated to evolving eBay's design system and visual language, ensuring it is scalable, accessible, and maintainable.

Methodology:

eBay follows a user-centered design approach, focusing on evolving its product and brand experience to achieve higher levels of consistency and innovation for its customers.
The design process involves taste-making, strategy, visual design, experience design, content creation, and motion design.

Company Website: eBay Inc.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's design culture emphasizes taste-making, strategy, and user-centered design, with a focus on creating cohesive and innovative design solutions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is at the senior level, requiring a deep understanding of design systems, visual design, and interaction design.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer - Design Systems reports to the Head of Design Systems in the Core Product Organization.

Design Impact: The design systems created and maintained by this role will have a significant impact on eBay's products and brand, influencing user experience and business decisions.

Growth Opportunities:

As eBay continues to evolve its design systems, there will be opportunities to grow into leadership roles, mentoring other designers and driving design strategy.
With eBay's focus on innovation and user experience, there are ample opportunities to learn and grow as a designer, staying up-to-date with industry trends and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth opportunities, with the potential to mentor other designers and drive design strategy as eBay's design systems continue to evolve.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: eBay's design studios are collaborative, cross-functional spaces that foster creativity and innovation.

Office Location(s): Austin, TX, and Portland, OR

Design Workspace Context:

eBay's design studios are equipped with the latest design tools and technology, providing designers with the resources they need to create and maintain design systems.
The cross-functional nature of eBay's design teams encourages collaboration and knowledge-sharing, with opportunities to work with various stakeholders and disciplines.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with flexible hours to accommodate creative workflow and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's design studios are collaborative, cross-functional spaces that provide designers with the resources and environment they need to create and maintain design systems.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial phone or video screen to assess communication skills and cultural fit.
On-site or virtual design challenge to evaluate design skills and problem-solving abilities.
On-site or virtual portfolio review to discuss design process, case studies, and creative decisions.
Final interview with the hiring manager to discuss career goals, expectations, and company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Highlight your design systems work, demonstrating your ability to create and maintain scalable, accessible, and maintainable design guidelines.
Include case studies that showcase your design process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your design systems on products and users.
Demonstrate your familiarity with front-end development, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Challenge Preparation:

Prepare for a design challenge that focuses on creating or refining a design system, with an emphasis on scalability, accessibility, and maintainability.
Familiarize yourself with eBay's design language and style guide to ensure your design systems align with the company's visual identity.

ATS Keywords: Design Systems, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Prototyping, Collaboration, Communication, Agile, Front-End Development, Design Thinking, User Experience, eBay

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's design interview process focuses on assessing communication skills, design skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Figma - eBay's primary design tool for creating and maintaining design systems, with advanced features for collaboration and version control.
Framer - used for prototyping and interactive demonstrations of design systems.
Sketch - an alternative design tool used by some designers at eBay for creating and maintaining design systems.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Zeplin - eBay's primary tool for design handoff, enabling seamless collaboration between designers and developers.
InVision - used for creating interactive prototypes and gathering user feedback on design systems.

Research & Testing:

UserTesting - eBay uses UserTesting to gather user feedback and validate design decisions related to design systems.
Google Analytics - used to measure the performance of eBay's design systems and inform design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's design technology stack includes Figma, Framer, Sketch, Zeplin, InVision, UserTesting, and Google Analytics, with a focus on design systems and collaboration.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

User-centered design - eBay prioritizes user needs and preferences in the creation and maintenance of design systems.
Collaboration - eBay's design teams work closely together and with cross-functional stakeholders to create cohesive and innovative design solutions.
Continuous learning - eBay encourages designers to stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, continuously improving their skills and knowledge.
Innovation - eBay fosters a culture of innovation, encouraging designers to push boundaries and challenge the status quo in the creation and maintenance of design systems.

Collaboration Style:

eBay's design teams use a variety of collaboration tools and methodologies to ensure effective communication and knowledge-sharing, including design critiques, feedback exchanges, and design system contribution.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's design culture emphasizes user-centered design, collaboration, continuous learning, and innovation, with a focus on creating and maintaining design systems.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Scaling design systems to accommodate eBay's growing product suite and user base.
Ensuring design systems are accessible and maintainable, with a focus on performance and usability.
Balancing consistency and innovation in eBay's design language and style guide.
Staying up-to-date with industry trends and best practices in design systems and user experience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

eBay offers learning and development opportunities, including workshops, conferences, and mentorship programs to help designers grow their skills and advance their careers.
eBay's design teams encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration, with opportunities to learn from and work with experienced designers and industry experts.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's design challenges and growth opportunities focus on scaling design systems, accessibility, innovation, and continuous learning.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Describe your approach to creating and maintaining design systems, with an emphasis on scalability, accessibility, and maintainability.
How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure consistent application of design systems across all eBay products?
Can you walk us through your design process, from research and discovery to prototyping and testing, with specific examples from your portfolio?

Company Culture Questions:

How do you approach user-centered design, and how have you applied this approach in your previous roles?
Describe your experience working in a large-scale, complex organization, and how have you navigated design challenges in such environments?
How do you balance consistency and innovation in your design work, and how have you applied this balance in your previous roles?

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Highlight your design systems work, demonstrating your ability to create and maintain scalable, accessible, and maintainable design guidelines.
Include case studies that showcase your design process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your design systems on products and users.
Demonstrate your familiarity with front-end development, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and how you collaborate with engineering teams to ensure the successful implementation of design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's interview process focuses on assessing communication skills, design skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit, with a focus on design systems and user-centered design.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer - Design Systems position at eBay:

Submit your application through this link
Customize your portfolio to highlight your design systems work, demonstrating your ability to create and maintain scalable, accessible, and maintainable design guidelines.
Optimize your resume for design roles, emphasizing your design systems experience and relevant keywords.
Prepare for the design interview process, focusing on communication skills, design skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.
Research eBay's design culture, team structure, and methodology to ensure a strong understanding of the company and its design environment.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and design industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with eBay before making application decisions.

Senior Product Designer - Design Systems