Senior Product Designer

Arista Networks
Full_timeDublin, Ireland

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer Company: Arista Networks Location: Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland Job Type: Full-time Category: Product Design / UX/UI Date Posted: 2025-09-17T15:03:32.426 Experience Level: 5-10 years Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

  • Drive the end-to-end product design process, from identifying critical business challenges to crafting elegant and effective user experiences for Arista's CloudVision product.
  • Leverage strong systems thinking to conceptualize and implement scalable enhancements for complex network management workflows.
  • Conduct in-depth user research and data analysis to deeply understand user needs, behaviors, and motivations, directly influencing product strategy and feature development.
  • Translate abstract technical concepts into intuitive, user-centered designs through sketches, diagrams, and interactive prototypes, ensuring seamless integration with product management and engineering roadmaps.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is focused on enterprise-level product design within the networking infrastructure sector, specifically for a data-driven, client-to-cloud platform. The emphasis is on solving complex user problems within a B2B context, requiring a blend of technical understanding and user empathy.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Identify and deeply analyze high-impact business problems within network management, defining features and user experiences to address them.
  • Transform complex business and customer requirements into intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly interface designs and interaction models.
  • Apply robust systems thinking to enhance existing workflows and user experiences, ensuring scalability and maintainability within enterprise-grade software.
  • Conduct comprehensive user research, including interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to gather insights that inform design decisions and product strategy.
  • Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand user needs, behaviors, and motivators, translating these insights into actionable design improvements.
  • Develop and iterate on design concepts, creating sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups that clearly communicate design intent.
  • Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle, from ideation and requirements gathering to final release.
  • Monitor the performance of launched design solutions, proactively identifying opportunities for iteration and enhancement to maximize customer value.
  • Demonstrate a strong sense of ownership and accountability for all design work, ensuring meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the user experience.
  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of design practices, tools, and resources within the organization, fostering digital maturity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a designer who can operate autonomously, influence product direction, and work effectively within a cross-functional team. The emphasis on "systems thinking" and "complex enterprise environments" suggests a need for a designer comfortable with intricate workflows and large-scale B2B software.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is highly beneficial and often expected for senior roles to demonstrate foundational knowledge.

Experience: 5+ years of professional experience in product design, UX/UI design, or a similar role, preferably within an enterprise software or B2B technology environment.

Required Skills:

  • User Research: Demonstrated ability to plan, conduct, and analyze various forms of user research (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability testing, contextual inquiry) to uncover user needs and pain points.
  • Interaction Design: Proficiency in designing intuitive and efficient user flows, wireframes, and interaction models for complex applications.
  • Visual Design: Strong command of visual design principles, including typography, color theory, layout, and iconography, with an exceptional eye for detail.
  • Prototyping: Expertise in creating interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar, to effectively communicate design concepts and gather feedback.
  • Usability Testing: Experience in planning, executing, and analyzing usability tests to validate design solutions and identify areas for improvement.
  • Systems Thinking: Ability to understand and design for complex systems, considering scalability, interdependencies, and long-term impact on user workflows.
  • Data Analysis: Strong analytical skills to interpret qualitative and quantitative data and use it to inform and justify design decisions.
  • Design Execution: Proven ability to deliver high-quality, polished design assets and specifications for engineering implementation.
  • Product Strategy Collaboration: Experience partnering with Product Management and Engineering to define product vision, strategy, and detailed requirements.
  • Communication & Persuasion: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively present and advocate for design solutions, articulate trade-offs, and influence stakeholders.
  • Ownership & Accountability: A deep sense of responsibility for the quality and impact of design work, from conception to delivery.
  • Problem-Solving: A proactive, solution-oriented approach to navigating ambiguity and overcoming design challenges in a complex enterprise environment.
  • Empathy & Customer Focus: A genuine understanding of and commitment to user needs and delivering exceptional customer value.

Preferred Skills:

  • Experience designing for networking infrastructure, cloud services, or complex B2B enterprise software.
  • Familiarity with data visualization techniques and tools.
  • Knowledge of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better inform design feasibility.
  • Experience contributing to and maintaining design systems.
  • Familiarity with agile development methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "meticulous attention to detail" and "navigating ambiguity" points towards a need for a highly organized and adaptable designer. The "5+ years of professional experience within an enterprise environment" suggests a preference for candidates who understand the nuances of B2B product development cycles and stakeholder management.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Diverse Case Studies: Showcase 3-5 comprehensive case studies demonstrating your end-to-end design process for complex products or features, ideally within an enterprise or B2B context.
  • Problem/Solution Framing: Clearly articulate the business and user problems you addressed, your design process, and the rationale behind your key design decisions.
  • Impact & Metrics: Quantify the impact of your design solutions whenever possible, using metrics related to user engagement, task completion rates, efficiency improvements, or business outcomes.
  • Process Documentation: Detail your approach to user research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, and iteration, highlighting how you gathered insights and adapted your designs.
  • Visual Design & Interaction: Present high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and examples of well-crafted interaction patterns that demonstrate your visual design sensibility and attention to detail.
  • Systems Thinking Examples: Include examples that illustrate your ability to design for complex systems, considering scalability, consistency, and integration within a larger product ecosystem.

Process Documentation:

  • Demonstrate how you document user research findings, design specifications, and interaction guidelines to ensure clear communication and effective implementation by engineering teams.
  • Highlight your methodology for creating and iterating on prototypes, showing how they were used for user feedback and stakeholder alignment.
  • Showcase your approach to measuring and analyzing the performance of design solutions post-launch, including how you use data to drive further improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role, as it bypasses traditional resume screening for many design positions. Candidates should focus on demonstrating a systematic approach to problem-solving and a clear understanding of how their designs translate into tangible business value and improved user experiences in a complex enterprise setting.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Dublin, Ireland, with 5-10 years of experience in enterprise software, a competitive salary range would typically fall between €70,000 to €95,000 per annum. This estimate accounts for the cost of living in Dublin and the specialized skills required for designing complex enterprise solutions.

Benefits:

  • Competitive Salary: A base salary commensurate with experience and market rates.
  • Competitive Bonus Structure: Performance-based bonuses reflecting individual and company success.
  • Restricted Stock Units (RSUs): Equity grants that vest over time, aligning employee success with company growth.
  • Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP): An opportunity for employees to purchase company stock at a discounted rate.
  • Choose Your Own Equipment: The flexibility to select preferred hardware, including a MacBook, to optimize productivity.
  • Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical coverage for employees and potentially their dependents.
  • Employer Pension Contributions: Contributions made by Arista Networks to an employee's pension fund.
  • Bike-to-Work Scheme: A government-supported initiative to encourage cycling to work, often involving tax benefits on bicycle purchases.

Working Hours: The typical working hours for this role are expected to be around 40 hours per week, aligning with standard full-time employment in Ireland. While specific flexibility will depend on team dynamics and Arista's policies, a senior role often allows for some autonomy in managing daily schedules, provided core responsibilities and team collaboration needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package is quite comprehensive, offering a mix of financial incentives (bonus, RSUs, ESPP) and lifestyle perks (equipment choice, bike scheme). The presence of RSUs and ESPP indicates a strong focus on employee ownership and long-term commitment, common in tech companies. The salary estimate is based on data from Irish job boards and salary aggregate sites for similar roles and experience levels.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Arista Networks operates in the high-performance networking industry, focusing on data-driven, client-to-cloud networking solutions for large-scale data centers, campus environments, and routing applications. This places them at the forefront of enterprise IT infrastructure, supporting critical digital operations for businesses worldwide. Company Size: Arista Networks is a large, established technology company. Its size implies a structured environment with established processes, significant resources, and opportunities for cross-functional collaboration across various departments. For a Senior Product Designer, this means working within a professional framework but also having the potential to influence design standards and practices at scale. Founded: Arista Networks was founded in 2004. This relatively recent founding compared to some legacy tech giants means the company likely retains a culture of innovation and agility, driven by its focus on modern networking technologies like cloud computing and software-defined networking.

Team Structure:

  • The role is within the CVP (CloudVision Platform) team, which focuses on cloud-based streaming telemetry services and applications. This suggests a team that is highly technical, data-oriented, and focused on software development and platform evolution.
  • As a Senior Product Designer, you will likely report into a Design Lead or Head of Product Design, working closely with Product Managers, Engineering Managers, and individual engineers.
  • Cross-functional collaboration is explicitly mentioned as a key aspect of the role, involving close partnerships with Product Management and Engineering teams to ensure successful product development and market release.

Methodology:

  • The team utilizes data analysis to understand user needs and inform design decisions, indicating a data-driven approach to product development.
  • Workflow planning and optimization are central to the role, as the designer is expected to enhance existing workflows and processes for scalability and efficiency.
  • The emphasis on transforming complex processes into intuitive interfaces suggests a strong focus on lean and agile design methodologies, with continuous feedback loops and iterative improvements.

Company Website: https://www.arista.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Arista Networks positions itself as an innovative leader in networking. The company values diversity and has been recognized for its engineering, diversity, compensation, and work-life balance. This suggests a culture that is both high-performing and employee-centric, which is appealing for senior-level talent seeking impact and recognition.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Senior Product Designer" role, indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires significant autonomy, the ability to mentor or guide less experienced designers (though not explicitly stated, it's a common senior expectation), and a strong influence on product strategy and design direction. The role demands a deep understanding of user-centered design principles applied within a complex enterprise technical domain.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or a Director of Product Design, who oversees the design function. They will work closely with Product Managers who define the 'what' and 'why' of the product, and Engineering teams who build the 'how.' This cross-functional collaboration is key to successful product delivery.

Operations Impact: The designer's impact is significant as they are responsible for defining user experiences that directly affect how customers deploy, manage, and monitor their critical network infrastructure. By transforming complex processes into intuitive interfaces, the designer contributes to customer satisfaction, operational efficiency for clients, and the overall adoption and success of Arista's CloudVision platform. This directly influences revenue and market position.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Leadership Track: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer or Design Manager role, overseeing a team and taking on more strategic product vision responsibilities.
  • Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of UX/UI, such as user research, interaction design for complex systems, or data visualization within the networking domain.
  • Cross-Functional Expertise: Developing a strong understanding of product management and software engineering processes, leading to broader career opportunities in product leadership or technical program management.
  • Industry Influence: Contributing to industry best practices in enterprise UX design, potentially through speaking engagements or thought leadership, as Arista values innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: A senior role like this offers the chance to make a substantial impact on a critical enterprise product. Growth is likely tied to demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, and consistent delivery of high-quality, user-centric solutions within Arista's technical ecosystem.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is described as "On-site," indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This suggests a collaborative workspace designed for team interaction, brainstorming, and focused work. Office Location(s): The primary office location is Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland. This implies a professional office setting within the city, likely equipped with the necessary technology and amenities to support a modern tech company's operations.

Workspace Context:

  • The workspace is expected to foster collaboration, with opportunities for face-to-face interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and fellow designers. This environment is conducive to rapid iteration and problem-solving.
  • As a senior designer, access to industry-standard design tools and technology will be provided, likely including powerful workstations and software licenses.
  • The environment encourages direct team interaction, facilitating the sharing of ideas, design critiques, and collective problem-solving sessions essential for complex product development.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is expected to be around 40 hours per week. While Arista Networks mentions "Work-Life Balance" as a valued aspect, senior roles often require flexibility to meet project deadlines, which may involve occasional extended hours. However, the emphasis on choosing your own equipment hints at a modern approach to employee autonomy and productivity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests Arista values in-person collaboration for its design teams, which is common for roles involving complex problem-solving and creative ideation. The Dublin location offers a professional and accessible urban work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your application, focusing on your resume and portfolio link. Be prepared to articulate your experience and passion for product design.
  • Portfolio Review & Discussion: Expect a dedicated session where you walk through your case studies. This is where you'll demonstrate your design process, problem-solving skills, and impact. Focus on clarity, storytelling, and the "why" behind your decisions.
  • Technical/Behavioral Interviews: Behavioral questions will assess your soft skills, such as collaboration, communication, handling ambiguity, and ownership. Technical questions might delve into specific design methodologies, user research techniques, or how you approach complex system design.
  • Design Challenge/Exercise: A practical exercise or take-home assignment might be given to evaluate your design thinking, execution skills, and ability to work within given constraints. Prepare to present your solution and rationale.
  • Team/Stakeholder Interviews: You'll likely meet with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers or leaders to assess cultural fit and your ability to collaborate effectively within the team.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Narrative is Key: Structure your case studies as stories – problem, your approach, solution, and impact. Clearly articulate the context of each project.
  • Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, prototypes, and user flows to illustrate your process and final designs.
  • Highlight Your Role: Be clear about your specific contributions, especially on team projects. Use "I" statements for your direct work and "we" for team efforts.
  • Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the success and impact of your designs.
  • Tailor to Arista: If possible, subtly tailor your portfolio to showcase experience relevant to enterprise software, complex systems, or B2B environments.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Understand the Brief: Carefully read and understand any design challenge instructions. Ask clarifying questions if needed.
  • Time Management: Allocate your time effectively across research, ideation, design, and presentation preparation.
  • Process Focus: Emphasize your thought process and how you arrive at solutions, not just the final output.
  • Presentation Skills: Practice presenting your work clearly and concisely, anticipating potential questions from the interviewers. Be ready to defend your design choices with data and user insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh your portfolio and your ability to articulate your design thinking. Demonstrating a structured, user-centered approach, strong collaboration skills, and a deep understanding of enterprise-level design challenges will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, or similar is essential for creating wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.
  • User Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms).
  • Collaboration Tools: Experience with tools like Jira, Confluence, Slack, and Miro for team communication, project management, and collaborative design sessions.

Analytics & Reporting:

  • Web Analytics: While not a direct design tool, understanding how to interpret data from tools like Google Analytics or product-specific analytics platforms (e.g., Pendo, Amplitude) can inform design decisions.
  • Data Visualization: Experience with tools that help visualize user data or product performance metrics can be beneficial for understanding user behavior and impact.

CRM & Automation:

  • While not directly used by designers, an understanding of how CRMs (like Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms function can provide context for enterprise user journeys and business processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core requirement is proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools, with a strong emphasis on visual design, interaction design, and user research methodologies. Familiarity with collaborative platforms is also key for effective team integration.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Innovation: Arista Networks is driven by a relentless pursuit of innovation, encouraging designers to explore new ideas and push boundaries in user experience for complex networking solutions.
  • Customer Focus: A deep-seated empathy for users and a commitment to delivering customer value are paramount. Designers are expected to champion the user's needs.
  • Collaboration: The company fosters an inclusive environment where diverse thoughts and perspectives are welcomed. Designers must collaborate effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and other stakeholders.
  • Ownership & Accountability: A strong sense of responsibility for every detail and every step of the process is expected, ensuring the quality and success of design outcomes.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizing qualitative and quantitative data to guide design choices and measure impact is a core operational value.

Collaboration Style:

  • Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work seamlessly with Product Managers to define product strategy and requirements, and with Engineers to ensure designs are implemented accurately and efficiently.
  • Feedback Exchange: A culture of constructive feedback is likely encouraged, with designers participating in design critiques and providing input on product direction.
  • Knowledge Sharing: As part of a large organization, there's an opportunity to share best practices and learn from others, contributing to the overall digital maturity and design excellence within Arista.

📝 Enhancement Note: Arista's culture appears to be a blend of high-tech innovation and a supportive, inclusive environment. The emphasis on collaboration and data-driven decision-making aligns well with modern product development practices.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Complexity of Enterprise Software: Designing for intricate, enterprise-grade networking solutions requires a deep understanding of technical concepts and user workflows, which can be a steep learning curve.
  • Balancing User Needs with Business Requirements: Effectively translating complex technical requirements and business objectives into user-friendly designs while advocating for user needs.
  • Influencing Stakeholders: Persuading and influencing diverse stakeholders (Product, Engineering, Sales) to adopt design recommendations and prioritize user experience improvements.
  • Navigating Ambiguity: Operating effectively in a complex enterprise environment where requirements may evolve and require adaptability.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Deep Domain Expertise: Gaining specialized knowledge in network management, cloud telemetry, and enterprise IT infrastructure.
  • Mentorship: Potential for mentorship from senior design leaders within Arista, aiding in career progression and skill development.
  • Industry Conferences & Training: Opportunities to attend relevant design and technology conferences or pursue certifications to stay abreast of industry trends and best practices.
  • Leadership Development: As a senior role, there are opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities, mentor junior designers, and contribute to shaping the design strategy of the CloudVision platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior roles in complex technical domains. The growth opportunities are significant, offering both specialization and leadership potential within a leading technology company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • Design Process: "Describe your process for tackling a complex enterprise design problem, from initial discovery to final handoff. How do you incorporate user research and data analysis at each stage?" (Focus on a structured, repeatable process with clear examples.)
  • Systems Thinking: "Imagine you need to redesign a dashboard for network monitoring. How would you approach ensuring scalability, consistency across different modules, and an intuitive user experience for operators with varying technical expertise?" (Highlight your ability to think holistically about the system.)
  • Collaboration & Influence: "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a Product Manager or Engineer on a design decision. How did you approach the situation, present your evidence, and reach a resolution?" (Emphasize communication, data, and compromise.)

Company & Culture Questions:

  • Company Understanding: "What excites you about Arista Networks and the CloudVision platform specifically? How do you see your design skills contributing to our mission?" (Research Arista's products, values, and recent news.)
  • Team Fit: "Our team values collaboration and data-driven decision-making. How do you contribute to a collaborative team environment, and how do you leverage data to inform your work?" (Align your experiences with the stated values.)
  • Impact Measurement: "How do you measure the success of your design solutions? Can you provide an example of how you used metrics to improve a product or feature?" (Prepare to discuss KPIs relevant to user experience.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Storytelling: Structure each case study as a compelling narrative. Clearly define the problem, your role, your process, key decisions, challenges, and the ultimate impact.
  • Visual Clarity: Ensure your visuals are clean, well-organized, and effectively communicate your design solutions. Highlight key interaction patterns or user flows.
  • Data & Rationale: Be prepared to discuss the data and rationale behind your design choices. Explain why you made certain decisions, not just what you designed.
  • Conciseness: Respect the time allocated for your presentation. Be thorough but concise, focusing on the most impactful aspects of your work.
  • Engagement: Make it a conversation. Ask clarifying questions and be ready to engage with the interviewers' feedback and inquiries.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on showcasing a mature design process, strong problem-solving skills within a complex domain, and effective collaboration capabilities. Demonstrating how you translate user needs into tangible business value through design is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position at Arista Networks:

  • Submit your application through the provided SmartRecruiters link, ensuring all requested information is accurately completed.
  • Portfolio Customization: Curate your online portfolio to prominently feature 3-5 case studies that best demonstrate your experience with complex enterprise software, user research, interaction design, and measurable impact. Tailor your project selection to align with Arista's focus on networking and cloud solutions where possible.
  • Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords and responsibilities mentioned in the job description, such as "user research," "interaction design," "systems thinking," "enterprise environment," and "product strategy." Quantify your achievements with specific metrics where possible.
  • Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and project outcomes clearly and concisely. Be ready to discuss your portfolio in detail and prepare for behavioral questions related to collaboration, problem-solving, and ownership. Research Arista Networks and its CloudVision platform thoroughly.
  • Company Research: Gain a deep understanding of Arista Networks' products, market position, company culture, and values. Familiarize yourself with the CloudVision platform's purpose and target audience to better align your application and interview responses.

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

Application Requirements

Candidates should have 5+ years of professional experience in an enterprise environment and proficiency in user research, interaction design, and visual design. A strong portfolio demonstrating meticulous attention to detail and the ability to navigate ambiguity is essential.