Sr. Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Product Designer Company: Illumio Location: Sunnyvale, California, United States Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Date Posted: 2025-09-19T00:00:00 Experience Level: 4+ Years (Senior Level) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end user experience design for Illumio's cutting-edge cybersecurity platform, from initial concept to final implementation, ensuring alignment with business goals and customer needs.
• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and cross-functional teams to translate complex technical requirements and data into intuitive, user-centered designs.
• Champion user advocacy by integrating user feedback and research insights into the product development lifecycle, driving continuous improvement and user satisfaction.
• Contribute to the evolution of Illumio's design language and systems, maintaining high standards for visual appeal, usability, and consistency across all product touchpoints.
• Act as a subject matter expert on the latest product, UI technology, and market trends, influencing the product roadmap and advocating for design-centric enhancements.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is titled "Sr. Product Designer," its emphasis on user-centered design methods, collaboration with product managers and engineers, and the goal of creating intuitive interfaces for complex technical processes aligns closely with the principles of UX Operations. The focus on translating technical challenges into user-friendly experiences is a core function within operations-focused design roles that aim to optimize user interaction with complex systems.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and design user interfaces, user flows, wireframes, storyboards, mockups, and high-fidelity prototypes for Illumio's cybersecurity platform.
• Conduct user research and leverage user feedback, analytics, and market insights to inform design decisions and product strategy.
• Collaborate with product managers and engineers to understand technical constraints, business objectives, and customer requirements, ensuring design feasibility and impact.
• Own the design experience for specific product features, driving them from initial concept through iterative refinement to final execution.
• Contribute to and leverage Illumio's design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency in design output.
• Advocate for design-driven improvements and prioritize user experience enhancements within the product roadmap.
• Participate in agile development processes, working closely with development teams to ensure accurate implementation of designs.
• Provide constructive feedback to design peers and contribute to a collaborative and innovative team environment.
• Mentor and guide junior designers, fostering talent development within the UX team.
• Design for complex technical processes and data, distilling them into simple, beautiful, and effective user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities heavily emphasize process execution and improvement within the design lifecycle. The need to translate complex technical information into simple user experiences and the integration of user feedback into ongoing product updates are core operational aspects of design, focusing on efficiency and user satisfaction.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor or Master's Degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in User Experience (UX) Product Design, with a proven track record of shipping successful products.
• Experience designing for enterprise software and large-scale web applications is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

• User Experience Design: Deep understanding of UX principles, user-centered design methodologies, and the product development lifecycle.
• Interaction Design: Strong ability to create intuitive and efficient user flows and interactions for complex applications.
• Prototyping: Proficiency in creating wireframes, interactive prototypes (e.g., using Figma, InVision, Sketch), and high-fidelity mockups to communicate design concepts.
• Visual Design: Excellent aesthetic sense and attention to detail for creating polished and engaging user interfaces.
• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and researchers.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and present work to diverse stakeholders.
• Problem Solving: Aptitude for tackling complex technical challenges and translating them into elegant design solutions.
• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with agile development processes and the ability to adapt designs within sprint cycles.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Systems: Experience contributing to or building design systems, understanding when to leverage existing components versus crafting new ones.
• User Research: Ability to conduct or collaborate on user research to gather insights and validate design decisions.
• Figma, InVision, Sketch: Hands-on experience with industry-standard design and prototyping tools.
• HTML/CSS: Understanding of front-end development technologies to inform design feasibility and collaboration with engineers.
• Responsive Design & Accessibility: Commitment to designing accessible and responsive experiences that cater to a wide range of users and devices.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulousness in pixel-perfect design, micro-interactions, and overall UI polish.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on delivering designs that meet business goals, integrating feedback, and working within agile frameworks highlights the operational aspects of the design role. The requirement for understanding HTML/CSS and design systems points to a need for practical, implementable design solutions, which is key in operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a strong foundation in user-centered design, interaction design, and visual design principles.
• Case studies demonstrating your process from problem identification through to solution delivery, highlighting your role and contributions.
• Examples of how you have translated complex technical processes, flows, and data into simple, intuitive user experiences.
• Evidence of your ability to collaborate effectively with product managers and engineers to achieve project goals.
• Demonstrations of your attention to detail, including pixel-perfect interfaces and thoughtful micro-interactions.
• Examples of work on enterprise software or complex web applications, if available.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly outline the design process undertaken, including research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.
• Showcase how user feedback and business requirements were integrated to refine designs and drive product improvements.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how designs contribute to business objectives and customer satisfaction metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for detailed case studies that showcase the design process, problem-solving, and collaboration is directly aligned with demonstrating operational effectiveness in design. It’s about showing how you manage and execute the design process to achieve tangible outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The estimated salary range for this position is $152,000 - $175,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Health and Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Financial Security: Competitive salary, potential for stock options/equity, and 401(k) matching program.
• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off (PTO), holidays, and potential for flexible work arrangements.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, training, conferences, and career advancement within a growing cybersecurity company.
• Other Perks: May include commuter benefits, wellness programs, and a collaborative work environment.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time work hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. The company culture emphasizes disciplined engineering and enabling ownership, suggesting a focus on results and efficiency rather than strict time-tracking for senior roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a standard industry benchmark for a Senior Product Designer in the Silicon Valley area. The benefits listed are typical for a tech company of Illumio's size and stage, focusing on employee well-being and professional growth, which are crucial for retaining talent in operations-focused roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cybersecurity, specifically focused on ransomware and breach containment, Zero Trust Segmentation, and operational resilience. Illumio is a leader in the microsegmentation market. Company Size: Illumio is a growing company, indicating a dynamic environment where individual contributions can have a significant impact. This size often balances the structure of larger organizations with the agility of startups. Founded: Illumio was founded in 2013, giving it a solid track record and established presence in the cybersecurity market, combined with the innovative spirit of a relatively young company.

Team Structure:

• The User Experience (UX) Team is described as talented and diverse, fostering innovation, teamwork, creativity, and growth.
• Designers work closely with product managers and engineers, indicating a highly collaborative and integrated approach to product development.
• The role requires collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders, suggesting a matrixed organizational structure common in tech companies.

Methodology:

• Illumio's Engineering team emphasizes disciplined engineering, focusing on getting things right, and not cutting corners.
• The company culture promotes autonomy and ownership at all levels.
• Design work is conducted using agile methodologies, requiring adaptability and iterative development.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on cybersecurity innovation and its "Onwards Together" motto suggests a culture that values progress, collaboration, and resilience. For a designer, this means working on impactful products in a fast-paced, technically demanding environment where design plays a crucial role in operationalizing complex security solutions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer position, indicating a mid-to-late career stage with a significant level of responsibility and autonomy. The role involves not just execution but also strategic input and mentorship.

Reporting Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a UX Lead, Design Manager, or Director of Product Design.
• Close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineering Leads is expected, forming a core triad for product development.

Operations Impact:

• The designer's work directly impacts the usability and effectiveness of Illumio's platform, which is critical for customers managing cybersecurity threats.
• By creating intuitive interfaces for complex security operations, the designer contributes to customer success, operational efficiency, and the overall value proposition of Illumio's products.
• Design decisions can influence adoption rates, customer satisfaction, and the ability of users to effectively contain cyberattacks, directly impacting the company's market position and revenue.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer, Design Manager, or Principal Designer role, taking on more strategic responsibilities and team leadership.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in cybersecurity UX, enterprise software design, or design systems.
• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain deeper understanding of engineering, product management, and business strategy within a leading cybersecurity firm.
• Mentorship: Develop mentoring skills by guiding junior designers and contributing to the growth of the UX team.
• Product Roadmap Influence: Contribute to shaping the future direction of Illumio's product offerings through user-centered insights and design strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The senior level implies an expectation of leadership and strategic thinking. The growth opportunities are framed around advancing within the design discipline, leadership, and gaining specialized knowledge, which are common career progression paths for experienced operations-aligned professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This role is specified as "On-site," meaning the designer will be working from Illumio's Sunnyvale office. This fosters direct collaboration and immersion in the company culture.

Office Location(s):

• Sunnyvale, California: Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, providing access to a vibrant tech ecosystem. The specific office address would be provided during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The UX team actively collaborates, suggesting an open-plan office or dedicated team spaces designed for interaction and brainstorming.
• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma, InVision, Sketch) and potentially other collaboration software.
• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for face-to-face interaction with design peers, product managers, and engineers, facilitating rapid feedback loops and knowledge sharing.

Work Schedule:

• The role is full-time. While specific hours may vary, the on-site nature and collaboration requirements suggest a standard professional workday. The company culture values results, implying flexibility as long as core responsibilities and team collaboration needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is key for a collaborative design role. It implies an environment designed to facilitate direct communication and teamwork, crucial for efficiently executing design processes and integrating feedback from various stakeholders.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and salary expectations.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A discussion of your portfolio, often accompanied by a design exercise or case study presentation tailored to Illumio's product challenges. This stage evaluates your design process, problem-solving skills, and communication abilities.
• Team Interviews: Meetings with design peers, product managers, and engineers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and how you would integrate into the team.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the hiring manager to evaluate overall fit, strategic thinking, and leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Select Projects: Choose 3-4 projects that best showcase your skills relevant to enterprise SaaS design, complex data visualization, and user-centered problem-solving.
• Highlight Process: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (research, ideation, iteration), key decisions, and the final outcome. Quantify impact where possible.
• Showcase Collaboration: Demonstrate how you worked with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Explain Trade-offs: Discuss any constraints or trade-offs you encountered and how you navigated them.
• Focus on Impact: Explain how your design solutions addressed user needs and business objectives.
• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design philosophy, your approach to specific design challenges, and how you handle feedback.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with Illumio's products, the cybersecurity industry, and the concept of Zero Trust Segmentation.
• Practice Problem-Solving: Be prepared to tackle a hypothetical design problem related to their platform, focusing on your thought process and methodology.
• Structure Your Presentation: If a presentation is required, organize your thoughts logically, starting with understanding the problem, outlining your approach, presenting your solution, and explaining the rationale behind your design choices.
• Communicate Clearly: Practice articulating your ideas concisely and effectively, as if presenting to product managers and engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily scrutinizes the candidate's design process and ability to translate complex requirements into actionable designs, which are hallmarks of operational effectiveness in a design role. The portfolio review is the critical checkpoint for demonstrating these operational capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, InVision, Sketch (Experience with one or more is required).
• Collaboration Software: Tools like Slack, Jira, Confluence are likely used for team communication and project management.
• Presentation Tools: PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides for presenting work.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a direct design tool, an understanding of how to interpret user analytics and A/B testing results to inform design decisions is valuable. Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, or Mixpanel could be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the designer's primary toolset, but understanding how the product integrates with CRM or automation platforms might be relevant contextually.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in design tools like Figma is essential for efficient and collaborative design execution. Understanding how to leverage analytics and collaborate with engineering on implementation (implied by HTML/CSS knowledge) are key operational aspects of being a product designer in a tech company.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and addressing customer needs through thoughtful design solutions.
• Collaboration: Valuing teamwork and open communication to achieve shared goals.
• Innovation & Creativity: Encouraging new ideas and creative approaches to problem-solving.
• Excellence & Quality: A commitment to high standards in design execution, attention to detail, and delivering polished products.
• Ownership & Autonomy: Empowering individuals to take responsibility for their work and drive projects forward.
• Efficiency: Striving to simplify complex processes and data into intuitive user experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers work closely with Product Management and Engineering, forming integrated product teams.
• Feedback-Driven: An environment that encourages constructive feedback and iterative improvement based on input from various stakeholders.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, insights, and learnings within the design team and across departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on customer-centricity, collaboration, and efficiency directly aligns with operational values. These principles guide how work is performed, how decisions are made, and how success is measured within the design function, mirroring operational best practices.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Complexity: Translating intricate cybersecurity concepts and technical processes into user-friendly interfaces presents a significant design challenge.
• Balancing User Needs and Business Goals: Effectively integrating diverse stakeholder requirements (product, engineering, sales, marketing) while prioritizing user experience.
• Pace of Innovation: Keeping up with rapid advancements in cybersecurity and UI/UX technology to ensure Illumio's platform remains cutting-edge.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Maintaining a cohesive and consistent user experience across different deployment models (SaaS and on-premises).

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Industry Expertise: Deepen knowledge in the specialized field of cybersecurity and Zero Trust architecture.
• Advanced Design Skills: Enhance skills in areas like complex data visualization, enterprise UX patterns, and advanced prototyping.
• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and potentially lead design initiatives.
• Cross-functional Understanding: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the business-side of cybersecurity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the operational nature of translating complex, technical requirements into functional and user-friendly outputs, a core aspect of operations. The growth opportunities focus on skill enhancement and leadership within this specialized domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design Process: "Walk me through a project from your portfolio where you had to design for a complex technical process. What was your approach, and what were the key outcomes?" (Focus on clarity, problem-solving, and impact.)
• Collaboration: "Describe a time you had a disagreement with a product manager or engineer about a design decision. How did you handle it, and what was the resolution?" (Highlight communication, negotiation, and focus on shared goals.)
• User Advocacy: "How do you ensure user needs are prioritized when faced with conflicting business requirements or technical constraints?" (Demonstrate empathy and strategic trade-off analysis.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Illumio's Mission: "What interests you about Illumio's mission in cybersecurity and breach containment?" (Show you've researched the company and understand its market position.)
• Team Dynamics: "How do you contribute to a collaborative design team environment? What's your approach to giving and receiving feedback?" (Emphasize teamwork and constructive communication.)
• Impact Measurement: "How do you measure the success of your designs? What metrics do you look at?" (Connect design to business outcomes and user satisfaction.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative – problem, your role, process, solution, and impact.
• Visuals: Use high-quality mockups, wireframes, and prototypes. Show the evolution of the design.
• Conciseness: Be clear and to the point. Focus on the most critical aspects of each project.
• Engagement: Be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your design choices, trade-offs, and the rationale behind them.
• Tailor to Illumio: If possible, subtly weave in how your skills and experience align with Illumio's specific challenges in cybersecurity UX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice focuses on demonstrating a structured, collaborative, and impact-driven design process, which are essential qualities for success in operations-focused roles. Highlighting problem-solving abilities and communication skills is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects that demonstrate your ability to design for complex technical processes, enterprise software, and user-centered solutions. Tailor your case studies to highlight your problem-solving methodology and collaboration skills.
• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 4+ years of UX design experience, emphasizing achievements, quantifiable results, and proficiency in key design tools and methodologies mentioned in the job description. Use keywords like "user-centered design," "interaction design," "enterprise software," and "agile."
• Interview Preparation: Practice discussing your portfolio projects, focusing on your design process, decision-making rationale, and how you collaborate with cross-functional teams. Prepare to articulate your understanding of Illumio's mission and the cybersecurity domain.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Illumio, its products, its position in the cybersecurity market, and its company culture. Understand their focus on Zero Trust and breach containment to better tailor your responses during the interview process.

⚠️ 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.

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