Staff Product Designer - Design Systems
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: Staff Product Designer - Design Systems
Company: eBay
Location: Austin, Texas, United States
Job Type: On-site
Category: UI/UX Design
Date Posted: 2025-06-05
Experience Level: 10+ years
Remote Status: On-site
🎨 Role Summary
- Drive strategic partnerships with cross-functional teams to align design systems with business goals
- Evolve and refine eBay's design system, ensuring it meets the needs of customers and aligns with industry trends
- Prototype and deliver high-fidelity visuals that demonstrate the design system's capabilities
- Mentor fellow designers and stay updated with industry trends to continuously improve the design system
🖼️ Primary Responsibilities
- Partner with cross-functional domain teams to assess needs, define business goals, and audit product flows
- Develop and refine eBay's design system, incorporating feedback and research to improve the user experience
- 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 up to date with industry trends
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent experience
Experience: 8+ years of professional experience in User Experience Design, Visual Design, Interaction Design, or a related field, with a focus on design systems
Required Skills:
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- Self-motivated with the ability to navigate large projects independently and as part of a team
- Familiarity with front-end development, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Proficiency with design and prototyping tools such as Figma
- Experience with advanced prototyping tools in Figma, Proto.io, Rive, or Play
Preferred Skills:
- Experience working with design systems in a large-scale organization
- Familiarity with eBay's design system and brand guidelines
🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Demonstrate your ability to create and refine design systems, showcasing your understanding of user experience design and interaction design principles
- Include case studies that highlight your collaboration with cross-functional teams and your ability to incorporate feedback and research into your design process
- Showcase your proficiency with design and prototyping tools, such as Figma, and your ability to create high-fidelity visuals
- Demonstrate your understanding of eBay's design system and brand guidelines, and how you would evolve and improve them
Process Documentation:
- Include documentation of your design process, highlighting your ability to assess needs, define business goals, and audit product flows
- Showcase your ability to mentor fellow designers and stay updated with industry trends
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $124,000 - $208,300 per year
Benefits:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Retirement savings plans, including 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off, including vacation, sick, and holiday leave
- Parental leave and family care benefits
- Target bonus and restricted stock units (as applicable)
- Employee discounts on eBay purchases
Working Hours: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (with a one-hour lunch break)
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company & Design Culture
Industry: eBay is a global e-commerce leader, connecting millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world
Company Size: 10,001+ employees
Founded: 1995
Team Structure:
- The OneExperience team within eBay's Core Product Design organization is a comprehensive, cross-functional design team
- The Design Systems team is responsible for creating and maintaining eBay's design system, ensuring consistency and innovation across all eBay platforms
Methodology:
- The OneExperience team follows a user-centered design approach, focusing on creating cohesive and innovative design solutions
- The Design Systems team uses a collaborative approach, working closely with feature domain teams to ensure the design system meets business goals and user needs
Company Website: eBay Inc.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Design Career Level: Staff Product Designer - Design Systems is a senior-level role, requiring extensive experience in design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Head of Design Systems in the Core Product Organization
Design Impact: The Design Systems team has a significant impact on eBay's product and brand experience, driving consistency and innovation across all eBay platforms
Growth Opportunities:
- As eBay continues to grow and evolve, there are numerous opportunities for career progression, including leadership roles within the Design Systems team and other design teams within eBay
- eBay offers learning and development opportunities, including workshops, conferences, and mentorship programs to help designers grow their skills and advance their careers
🌐 Work Environment
Studio Type: eBay's Austin office is a modern, collaborative workspace designed to foster creativity and innovation
Office Location(s): Austin, Texas, United States
Design Workspace Context:
- eBay's Austin office features dedicated design spaces, including a design thinking lab and a prototyping lab
- The office encourages cross-functional collaboration, with open workspaces and regular design critiques
- eBay offers flexible work arrangements, including on-site, hybrid, and remote work options
Work Schedule: eBay offers flexible work schedules, with core hours from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM and the ability to work remotely up to two days per week
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Design Interview Process:
- Phone or video screen with a design lead to discuss your portfolio and experience
- On-site or virtual design challenge, focusing on your ability to create and refine design systems, incorporating feedback and research
- On-site or virtual design critique with the Design Systems team, focusing on your collaboration skills and your ability to mentor fellow designers
- Final interview with the Head of Design Systems and other senior design leaders
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Highlight your experience with design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
- Include case studies that demonstrate your ability to assess needs, define business goals, and audit product flows
- Showcase your proficiency with design and prototyping tools, such as Figma, and your ability to create high-fidelity visuals
- Demonstrate your understanding of eBay's design system and brand guidelines, and how you would evolve and improve them
Challenge Preparation:
- Familiarize yourself with eBay's design system and brand guidelines
- Prepare for design challenges that focus on your ability to create and refine design systems, incorporating feedback and research
- Practice presenting your design process and rationale, focusing on your collaboration skills and your ability to mentor fellow designers
ATS Keywords:
- Design Skills: User Experience Design, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Design Systems, Prototyping, Collaboration, Communication
- Tools: Figma, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, InVision
- Methodologies: User-Centered Design, Design Thinking, Agile, Lean UX
- Soft Skills: Problem-Solving, Creativity, Adaptability, Leadership, Mentoring
- Industry Terms: eBay, eCommerce, Design Systems, User Experience Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Design Tools:
- Figma: eBay's primary design tool for creating and collaborating on design files
- Adobe Creative Suite: used for graphic design and illustration tasks
- Sketch: used for initial concept development and brainstorming sessions
Collaboration & Handoff:
- InVision: used for prototyping and user testing, as well as for handoff to developers
- Zeplin: used for design system management and component library creation
- Jira: used for project management and task tracking
Research & Testing:
- Google Analytics: used for user behavior analysis and data-driven design decisions
- UserTesting.com: used for remote user testing and feedback collection
- OptimalSort: used for usability testing and user experience optimization
👥 Team Culture & Values
Design Values:
- User-centered: eBay prioritizes user needs and feedback in all design decisions
- Collaborative: eBay encourages cross-functional collaboration and design critiques to drive innovation
- Inclusive: eBay values diversity and fosters an inclusive design culture that welcomes and supports all designers
- Creative: eBay encourages experimentation and risk-taking in design, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth
Collaboration Style:
- eBay uses a cross-functional, collaborative approach to design, with regular design critiques and feedback sessions
- eBay's design teams work closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure design systems meet business goals and user needs
- eBay's design culture emphasizes mentorship and knowledge-sharing, with regular design workshops and learning opportunities
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Design Challenges:
- Scaling design systems to support eBay's global user base and diverse product offerings
- Balancing consistency and innovation in eBay's design system to meet evolving user needs and business goals
- Collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure design systems meet business goals and user needs
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 encourages designers to stay up to date with industry trends and best practices, providing resources and support for continuous learning
💡 Interview Preparation
Design Process Questions:
- Describe your experience with design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
- How have you assessed needs, defined business goals, and audited product flows in your previous roles?
- Can you walk us through your design process, highlighting your ability to incorporate feedback and research into your designs?
Company Culture Questions:
- How do you approach user-centered design, and how have you ensured that your designs meet user needs and expectations?
- Can you describe your experience working in a collaborative, cross-functional design environment, and how you have driven alignment and innovation within your teams?
- How do you approach mentoring and knowledge-sharing within a design team, and how have you fostered a culture of continuous learning and growth?
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Highlight your experience with design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
- Showcase your ability to assess needs, define business goals, and audit product flows, using case studies and design challenges to demonstrate your process
- Demonstrate your proficiency with design and prototyping tools, such as Figma, and your ability to create high-fidelity visuals
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this design position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Customize your portfolio to showcase your experience with design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
- Optimize your resume for design roles, highlighting your relevant skills and experience with design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
- Prepare for design interviews by practicing your design process and portfolio presentation, focusing on your experience with design systems, user experience design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams
- Research eBay's design culture and team dynamics, focusing on the Design Systems team and eBay's design methodology