Lead product designer — Automation

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer — Automation Company: Atlassian Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Job Type: OTHER Category: Product Design / Operations Strategy Date Posted: 2025-08-04 Experience Level: Senior (10+ years) Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in shaping the future of Atlassian's Automation platform, focusing on complex orchestration features for enterprise clients.
• It requires leading and mentoring a team of approximately 8 designers, fostering collaboration with technical architects and Product Managers to drive product vision and execution.
• The position is deeply involved in the strategic development of agentic experiences, which are foundational to the platform's evolution and critical for key enterprise customers.
• Success in this role hinges on demonstrating a strong craft in product design, coupled with leadership in influencing cross-functional teams and a deep understanding of technical domains like Automation and AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Lead Product Designer," the emphasis on "Automation," "orchestration features," and "enterprise customers" suggests a strong alignment with Revenue Operations or Go-To-Market Operations functions, particularly in how product design directly impacts operational efficiency, workflow automation, and customer success within a complex SaaS environment. The role requires a strategic understanding of how design enables operational scalability and efficiency for large clients.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design of complex orchestration capabilities within Atlassian's Automation platform, including agentic experiences, to meet the needs of large enterprise customers.
• Collaborate closely with a team of ~8 designers, providing mentorship, guidance, and support for day-to-day project delivery and skill development.
• Partner with technical architects and Product Managers to define and execute the product vision, ensuring alignment between design, technical feasibility, and business objectives.
• Drive consensus and influence outcomes by building strong relationships with cross-functional peers, key partners, and executives across the business.
• Contribute to vision and concept pieces that will shape the future direction and capabilities of the Automation offering.
• Act as an authority in the domain, sharing expertise and ideas within the industry and with peers to elevate the design practice.
• Champion user-centered design principles, ensuring that technical and product knowledge are applied to create intuitive and effective solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for strategic thinking in how product design enables operational efficiency for enterprise clients. This involves not just user interface but also the underlying workflows and automation capabilities that drive customer success and adoption, aligning with GTM Operations and Revenue Operations principles of enabling scalable sales and customer engagement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Formal education in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is beneficial but not strictly required if equivalent professional experience is demonstrated.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10+ years of hands-on professional experience as a UX Designer or Product Designer.
• Proven track record of delivering successful product outcomes, with specific examples of autonomously planning and driving product direction.
• Experience in SaaS environments and with complex enterprise applications is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and inspiring design teams, building consensus with cross-functional peers, and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience working on enterprise cloud software is a prerequisite.
• Ideally, experience in highly technical areas, including but not limited to Automation and AI.

Required Skills:

• UX Design & Product Design: Deep expertise in user experience and product design principles, user-centered design, and analysis.
• Enterprise SaaS/Applications: Proven ability to design for complex, enterprise-level SaaS products.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to lead, inspire, and mentor junior designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Collaboration & Influence: Strong facilitation, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills to build consensus and influence outcomes across cross-functional teams and executive levels.
• Technical & Product Knowledge: Masterful understanding of technical aspects and product capabilities, particularly within automation and AI domains.
• Figma Proficiency: Strong executional skills with advanced proficiency in Figma and its integration with sophisticated design systems.
• Storytelling: Excellent communication and storytelling abilities to articulate design vision, strategy, and rationale effectively.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience specifically with automation tools and AI-driven features in a design context.
• Expertise in designing for complex workflow orchestration and agentic experiences.
• Familiarity with Atlassian's product suite and design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex enterprise applications," "SaaS," and "Automation/AI" strongly suggests that candidates with experience in Salesforce ecosystem design, workflow automation platforms, or customer success platforms will be highly relevant. The "Lead" aspect implies a need for strategic thinking akin to a Revenue Operations Lead or Sales Operations Lead who understands how design drives process efficiency and revenue impact.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a robust portfolio showcasing a minimum of 10 years of professional product design work, with a clear emphasis on SaaS and enterprise applications.
• Include specific case studies that highlight autonomous planning and execution of product direction, detailing the problem, your process, and the measurable outcomes.
• Showcase examples of leading design initiatives, including influencing cross-functional teams and stakeholders, and mentoring junior designers.
• Present work that details complex user flows, particularly in technical or highly regulated environments, demonstrating mastery of craft in conceptual thinking, user-centeredness, and analysis.
• Provide evidence of strong executional skills, with examples of complex design system utilization and advanced Figma workflows.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate the design process, from initial research and conceptualization through to execution and iteration, with a focus on problem-solving and efficiency.
• Detail how user needs and business requirements were translated into functional and elegant design solutions for complex enterprise scenarios.
• Illustrate the approach to collaborating with engineering, product management, and other stakeholders, demonstrating how consensus was built and how feedback was incorporated.
• Highlight the use of data and user feedback to inform design decisions and drive product improvements, particularly in performance metrics and user adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations-focused applicants, portfolios should emphasize projects that improved operational efficiency, streamlined workflows, automated processes, or directly contributed to revenue generation or cost reduction through design solutions. Quantifiable results related to process cycle time reduction, increased user adoption of automated features, or improved data accuracy would be highly valuable.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Given the senior level (10+ years of experience), location (Sydney, Australia), and the nature of the role (Lead Product Designer at a major tech company like Atlassian), a competitive salary is expected. Based on industry benchmarks for Lead Product Designers in Sydney for enterprise SaaS companies, the estimated annual salary range would likely be AUD $180,000 - $250,000+, depending on the candidate's specific experience, expertise, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Health and Wellbeing Resources: Comprehensive support for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
• Paid Volunteer Days: Opportunities to give back to the community through paid time off for volunteering.
• Flexible Work Arrangements: Atlassian's distributed-first approach allows for control over work location (office, home, or hybrid).
• Global Legal Entity Presence: Ability to hire individuals in any country where Atlassian has a legal entity, facilitating remote work and diverse talent acquisition.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for learning and growth aligned with a senior leadership role.
• Stock Options/Equity: Typical for senior roles at tech companies.

Working Hours:

• While not explicitly stated, a standard full-time commitment is assumed, likely around 40 hours per week. Atlassian's distributed-first model emphasizes flexibility, allowing employees to manage their schedules to balance work and personal priorities, provided deliverables are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on general market research for similar senior product design roles in Sydney, Australia, considering the tech industry and enterprise SaaS sector. Specific benefits and exact salary will be confirmed by Atlassian during the hiring process.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry:

• Atlassian operates in the software industry, specifically providing collaboration and productivity tools for teams. Its products, such as Jira, Confluence, Trello, and Bitbucket, are widely used by software development teams, IT teams, and business teams across various industries, with a strong focus on enterprise clients. This context means the product design must cater to complex workflows, scalability, and integration needs.

Company Size:

• Atlassian is a large, publicly traded technology company with thousands of employees globally. This size implies a well-established organizational structure, robust processes, and significant resources, but also a need for clear communication and efficient collaboration across many teams. For operations professionals, this means opportunities for large-scale impact and exposure to sophisticated operational frameworks.

Founded:

• Atlassian was founded in 2002. Its growth from a startup to a global enterprise demonstrates a history of innovation, adaptability, and a strong understanding of customer needs, particularly in the software development and IT operations space. This foundational experience likely informs its current focus on sophisticated automation and orchestration.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team: While this role is in Product Design, it interfaces heavily with operations-critical functions. The Automation team likely comprises Product Managers, Technical Architects, and a significant number of Designers (including this Lead role). Collaboration extends to Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Success teams.
• Reporting Structure: The Lead Product Designer will likely report into a Head of Design or a Director of Product Design, overseeing a pod or a significant portion of the Automation design work.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: This role is inherently cross-functional, requiring close collaboration with Engineering for technical feasibility, Product Management for strategy and roadmap, and potentially Go-To-Market teams for understanding customer adoption and success metrics.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: Design decisions are expected to be data-informed, leveraging user research, usage analytics, and customer feedback to identify opportunities and validate solutions.
• Workflow Planning and Optimization: A core aspect of the role is optimizing complex workflows through design, particularly for automation features.
• Automation and Efficiency Practices: The team's focus on Automation directly translates to a culture that values efficiency, process improvement, and leveraging technology to streamline work.

Company Website:

• https://www.atlassian.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Atlassian's focus on enabling teams' potential through software directly aligns with operations principles of improving efficiency and effectiveness. The "Automation" product area specifically targets operational efficiency for customers, making this role a bridge between product strategy and operational outcomes.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level:

• This is a senior leadership position within Product Design, specifically focused on a critical and technically complex area (Automation). It represents a significant step for a designer looking to influence product strategy and team direction at a high level. The role demands strategic foresight, technical depth, and strong leadership, positioning the individual as an expert and a mentor.

Reporting Structure:

• The Lead Product Designer will likely report to a Director or VP of Product Design. They will manage or significantly influence the work of a team of ~8 designers, collaborating closely with a Product Manager and Technical Architects who are peers or report into different functional heads. This structure fosters cross-functional collaboration and shared ownership of product outcomes.

Operations Impact:

• The design of Atlassian's Automation platform has a direct and substantial impact on the operational efficiency and productivity of its enterprise customers. By creating intuitive and powerful orchestration capabilities, this role can significantly influence how businesses automate their workflows, reduce manual effort, and scale their operations. This translates to customer success, retention, and the overall value proposition of Atlassian's offerings.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in designing for complex operational workflows, automation, and AI, which are high-demand skills in the tech industry.
• Leadership Development: Grow into broader leadership roles, potentially managing larger design teams or taking on strategic product leadership responsibilities within Atlassian.
• Industry Influence: Contribute to shaping the future of automation and team collaboration software, establishing oneself as a thought leader in the design community.
• Specialization: Become a recognized expert in enterprise SaaS design, particularly in the automation and orchestration space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path here is not just within design, but also towards operations strategy and GTM enablement. A successful Lead Designer in this space could transition into roles focused on product operations, customer success operations, or even strategic GTM planning where understanding the user and operational impact of product features is paramount.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type:

• Atlassian embraces a "distributed-first" approach, meaning the traditional office environment is complemented by remote work. Employees can choose to work from an office, from home, or a hybrid combination. This flexibility is designed to support employee well-being and diverse working styles. For operations roles, this flexibility can impact how distributed teams collaborate on process improvements and data sharing.

Office Location(s):

• While the job is listed in Sydney, Atlassian has legal entities and offices globally. This allows for a distributed workforce, meaning the role is accessible to candidates in any country where Atlassian has a legal entity, provided they can work remotely. This global reach fosters a diverse talent pool and varied perspectives.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is likely to be highly collaborative, leveraging digital tools for communication, design, and project management. Expect a culture that values open communication, asynchronous work where appropriate, and strong documentation to support distributed teams.
• Access to industry-standard design tools (like Figma) and potentially internal Atlassian tools for workflow management and collaboration will be provided.
• Opportunities for interaction with design peers, product managers, and engineers will be abundant, both formally through meetings and informally through digital channels.

Work Schedule:

• Atlassian promotes flexibility, allowing individuals to manage their working hours to best suit their productivity and personal commitments, within the framework of meeting team objectives and client needs. This means a focus on outcomes rather than strict adherence to traditional 9-to-5 schedules, which can be beneficial for managing complex operational processes that may require global coordination.

📝 Enhancement Note: The distributed-first model means understanding and implementing effective operational communication and process management for remote and hybrid teams is crucial. This role, while in design, will require an appreciation for how operational workflows function across different locations and time zones.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will likely conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and understanding of the role.
• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Candidates will be asked to present their portfolio, focusing on specific case studies relevant to complex enterprise SaaS, automation, or challenging design problems. Expect to discuss your design process, decision-making, and the impact of your work.
• Design Exercise/Challenge: A practical design challenge, potentially involving a complex workflow or automation scenario, may be given. This will assess your problem-solving skills, design methodology, and ability to work under constraints.
• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with peers (other designers, PMs, engineers, technical architects) to assess collaboration, technical understanding, and ability to influence.
• Leadership/Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview with the hiring manager or a senior leader to discuss leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and overall fit for the team and company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem you solved, your specific role, the process you followed, and the quantifiable business or user outcomes achieved. For this role, highlight improvements in efficiency, automation, or user adoption.
• Showcase Complexity: Emphasize projects involving complex enterprise applications, intricate workflows, or technical domains like automation and AI. Detail how you navigated these complexities.
• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples where you led design initiatives, mentored junior designers, or influenced stakeholders to drive product direction.
• Detail Your Process: Explain your thinking behind design decisions, user research methods, and interaction patterns. Show your mastery of craft through conceptual thinking and user-centered analysis.
• Highlight Figma Expertise: Showcase your advanced Figma skills and how you leverage design systems effectively.
• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio presentations as compelling narratives that engage the audience and clearly communicate your contributions and results.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with Atlassian's products, particularly Jira and Confluence, and the concept of automation within a team collaboration context. Research common enterprise automation use cases.
• Process Optimization Mindset: Approach any design challenge with a focus on identifying inefficiencies and proposing elegant, scalable solutions through design. Think about how your design can automate or streamline a process.
• Structure Your Response: For design challenges, outline your approach clearly: problem definition, user research (even if hypothetical), ideation, solution proposal, and rationale.
• Stakeholder Communication: Be prepared to articulate your design choices and rationale clearly and persuasively, as you would to a cross-functional team or executives.

📝 Enhancement Note: When presenting portfolio pieces, framing them through an "operations lens" – how your design improved a business process, enabled automation, or increased operational efficiency for users – will be highly impactful given the role's focus.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaboration. Advanced proficiency is a key requirement.
• Jira: For project tracking, issue management, and workflow implementation, especially within the Atlassian ecosystem.
• Confluence: For documentation, knowledge sharing, and collaborative planning.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Tools (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, or internal Atlassian tools): For understanding user behavior, tracking feature adoption, and measuring the impact of design changes.
• Data Visualization Tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, or internal Atlassian dashboards): To analyze user data and present insights to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• While this is a design role, understanding CRM concepts and workflow automation platforms is highly relevant. Familiarity with how these systems integrate and how design can enhance their operational effectiveness is a plus.
• Atlassian's own Automation for Jira and related orchestration tools will be central to the work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations-minded candidates, demonstrating familiarity with how design outputs integrate with and enhance operational systems (like CRMs, marketing automation platforms, or ITSM tools) will be advantageous. Understanding the data flow and impact on operational metrics is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Unleash the potential of every team: This is Atlassian's core mission, translating directly to enabling teams through efficient and powerful tools. For this role, it means designing for maximum team productivity and operational effectiveness.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Expect a culture that relies on data and user insights to inform product strategy and design choices. Operations professionals will find this aligns with their focus on metrics and measurable outcomes.
• Customer Focus: A deep understanding of customer needs, especially enterprise clients, is paramount. This means designing solutions that solve real-world operational challenges.
• Collaboration: Atlassian emphasizes strong cross-functional collaboration. The design team works closely with engineering, product, and other departments to achieve shared goals.
• Innovation & Adaptability: As a leading tech company, Atlassian values continuous improvement and the ability to adapt to evolving technologies and market needs, particularly in areas like automation and AI.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The design team is tightly integrated with product management and engineering, working collaboratively on roadmap planning, feature development, and problem-solving.
• Process Review and Feedback: A culture of constructive feedback and open dialogue is encouraged, both within the design team and across disciplines, to refine processes and improve outcomes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Atlassian promotes knowledge sharing through internal documentation (Confluence), design critiques, and discussions, fostering a learning environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "unleash the potential of every team" ethos is a direct parallel to improving operational efficiency and empowering teams through better tools and processes. Candidates who can demonstrate how their design work has positively impacted team productivity or operational workflows will resonate well.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Enterprise Automation: Designing for sophisticated orchestration features for large enterprise customers presents significant technical and user experience challenges due to diverse needs and existing complex systems.
• Balancing Vision with Execution: As a lead, balancing the strategic vision for the future of Automation with the day-to-day delivery requirements for current projects will be a key challenge.
• Mentoring and Leading a Team: Effectively guiding and upskilling a team of ~8 designers while also contributing as an individual contributor requires strong leadership and time management skills.
• Staying Ahead of Technical Advancements: The rapidly evolving fields of AI and automation require continuous learning and adaptation to ensure the product remains cutting-edge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Gain deep expertise in designing for complex operational workflows, automation, and AI, becoming a sought-after specialist in these domains.
• Industry Conferences and Certifications: Opportunities to attend relevant design, technology, or operations-focused conferences and pursue certifications.
• Mentorship and Leadership Development: Receive mentorship from senior leaders and develop leadership skills through managing a design team and influencing product strategy.
• Exposure to Enterprise Clients: Work directly with major enterprise clients to understand their operational challenges and design solutions that drive significant value.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities are closely tied to understanding and improving business operations through design. Success in this role will foster growth in areas directly relevant to operations strategy, process innovation, and technology adoption.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you autonomously planned and drove product direction for a complex feature. What was the outcome?" Prepare a detailed case study focusing on your strategic thinking, execution, and measurable results. Highlight how your design addressed complex user or business needs.
• "How do you build consensus with cross-functional peers and executives to influence a result? Provide an example." Focus on your collaboration, communication, and influencing skills. Use an example where you had to navigate differing opinions or priorities to achieve a desired outcome, potentially related to process adoption or efficiency.
• "Walk us through a complex design problem you solved in a technical domain like automation or AI. What was your process, and what were the key design decisions?" Prepare a deep dive into a relevant project, emphasizing your technical understanding, user-centered approach, and the rationale behind your design choices for complex systems.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Atlassian and our focus on enabling teams?" Research Atlassian's mission, values, and products. Connect your passion for design and efficiency to their goals.
• "How do you approach mentoring and upskilling junior designers?" Be ready to discuss your mentorship philosophy, specific techniques you use, and examples of how you've helped others grow.
• "How do you measure the success of your design work, particularly in relation to operational impact or efficiency?" Frame your answer around metrics, user feedback, and business outcomes that demonstrate the value of your design contributions.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Operations Impact: When presenting case studies, explicitly link your design solutions to improvements in operational efficiency, process automation, user adoption of automated features, or overall team productivity.
• Quantify Everything: Use numbers and data to support your claims about the impact of your work. This could include metrics like reduced process cycle time, increased task completion rates, improved data accuracy, or higher user engagement with automation features.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively. Show wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and final designs. Explain the "why" behind each design decision, especially how it addresses operational needs.
• Engage Your Audience: Be prepared to answer questions thoughtfully and engage in a genuine conversation about your work and your approach. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for solving complex operational challenges through design.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, highlighting portfolio pieces that demonstrate how design directly contributed to business operations, workflow automation, or revenue enablement will be critical. A strong understanding of how design impacts the customer journey and operational efficiency will be highly valued.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Designer — Automation position:

• Submit your application through the Atlassian Careers portal via the provided URL.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight at least two to three key projects that showcase your experience with complex enterprise SaaS, workflow orchestration, or automation. Explicitly detail the operational problems you solved and the quantifiable impact of your designs.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 10+ years of experience, focusing on leadership, mentorship, and achievements in SaaS/enterprise design. Integrate keywords like "Automation," "Orchestration," "UX Design," "Product Design," "Enterprise Applications," "SaaS," "Figma," and "Leadership."
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies with a strong emphasis on your design process, decision-making rationale, and the operational impact of your work. Prepare to discuss your leadership philosophy and how you foster collaboration.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Atlassian's products, mission, values, and recent news, paying particular attention to their Automation offerings and enterprise solutions. Understand their distributed-first culture and how it shapes their operations.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description provides insights based on industry standards and the information provided. Specific details regarding responsibilities, team structure, and interview processes should be confirmed directly with Atlassian during the application and interview stages.