Sr. Product Designer - Selling Platform

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Product Designer - Selling Platform
Company: eBay
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
Job Type: FULL_TIME
Category: Product Design / User Experience
Date Posted: 2025-09-26
Experience Level: 5-10 Years
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and evolve the eBay selling platform, focusing on critical seller workflows such as listing management, order fulfillment, and sales acceleration.
• Develop highly scalable, end-to-end user experiences across web and native platforms that cater to diverse seller segments and proficiency levels.
• Champion seller needs and advocate for user-centric design principles throughout the product development lifecycle by leveraging research, data, and customer feedback.
• Drive innovation and identify opportunities for step-change improvements by balancing established seller behaviors with radical new solutions.
• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, research, content strategy, and brand teams to align on vision and deliver high-quality product solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a Product Designer, the emphasis on "selling platform," "managing active listings," "fulfilling orders," and "accelerating sales" strongly implies a connection to revenue generation and operational efficiency. Therefore, this description will be enhanced with an operations lens, focusing on how design decisions impact seller success, platform efficiency, and ultimately, revenue. The "Selling Platform" aspect is key to understanding its GTM implications.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute experience architectures and interaction models that support a wide range of seller segments and business objectives across multiple platforms.
• Elevate the quality of user experience through meticulous interaction, visual, and micro-interaction design, ensuring a polished and intuitive seller journey.
• Champion user empathy by integrating user research insights, data analytics, and customer feedback into design decisions, ensuring alignment with seller needs.
• Manage the entire product development lifecycle, from problem identification and conceptualization through to the delivery of fully realized and efficient product solutions.
• Foster strong, trusting relationships with cross-functional partners (Product, Engineering, Research, Content, Brand) to facilitate healthy debate and arrive at aligned, balanced solutions.
• Advocate for and implement inclusive, accessible, and globally relevant design practices that reflect eBay's diverse customer base and commitment to equitable commerce.
• Conduct competitive analysis to identify market trends and best practices in e-commerce selling platforms.
• Prototype and test design concepts to validate user flows, gather feedback, and iterate on solutions before full-scale development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic approach to design that directly impacts seller productivity and platform effectiveness, which are core operational concerns for any e-commerce business. The focus on "end-to-end" product solutions and "efficiency and agility" underscores the operational nature of this design role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in a design-related field or a proven track record of relevant work experience.

Experience:

• 5+ years of professional experience in designing software or consumer products, with a demonstrated ability to deliver end-to-end user experiences.
• Proven experience in designing complex, scalable platforms or systems that cater to diverse user needs.
• Hands-on experience with the full design lifecycle, from discovery and research to detailed design and implementation.

Required Skills:

• Systems Thinking: Ability to conceptualize and design complex, interconnected systems that support diverse seller workflows and platform functionalities.
• User Experience (UX) Design: Deep understanding of UX principles, methodologies, and best practices for web and native applications.
• Interaction Design (IxD): Proficiency in defining user flows, interaction models, and intuitive navigation for complex applications.
• Visual Design: Strong aesthetic sensibility and ability to create visually appealing, on-brand interfaces that enhance usability and user engagement.
• Prototyping: Skill in creating interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar, to effectively communicate design concepts and test usability.
• User Research & Data Analysis: Ability to leverage user research findings, A/B testing results, and platform analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to partner effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, Content Strategists, and Brand teams.
• Storytelling: Excellent communication skills to articulate design rationale, present concepts, and influence stakeholders.
• Inclusive & Accessible Design: Commitment to designing for all users, adhering to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
• Agile Methodologies: Experience working within agile development environments, adapting to iterative processes and delivering within sprint cycles.

Preferred Skills:

• AI-Enhanced Design: Familiarity with or experience in leveraging AI tools for design exploration, ideation, or collaboration.
• Micro-Interaction Design: Expertise in designing subtle yet impactful animations and feedback mechanisms that enhance user experience and delight.
• Experience Architecture: Ability to define the overall structure and organization of a digital product's content and features.
• Seller-Centric Design: Specific experience designing for e-commerce sellers, understanding their unique needs, pain points, and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "systems thinking," "experience architectures," and "interaction models" points towards a role that requires not just individual feature design but also a holistic view of the platform's operational flow. The mention of "AI-enhanced design" is a forward-looking skill that aligns with modern operations trends.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your involvement from problem definition through to final shipped product. Each case study should highlight your role, the problem statement, your design process, key decisions, and the measurable outcomes or impact.
• Systems Design Examples: Include examples that illustrate your ability to design cohesive and scalable systems, not just isolated features. This could involve demonstrating how different parts of an experience connect or how a design approach scales across user segments or platforms.
• Process Optimization Focus: Present projects where your design solutions led to tangible improvements in user efficiency, reduced task completion times, or simplified complex workflows for users (in this case, sellers). Quantify these improvements where possible.
• Demonstration of Craft: Highlight the quality of your interaction and visual design through polished mockups, prototypes, and possibly style guides or design system contributions.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Clearly articulate how you approached understanding and improving existing seller workflows. Show how you mapped out user journeys, identified bottlenecks, and designed solutions to streamline processes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Documentation: Briefly describe how you documented and communicated design decisions, rationale, and progress to engineering, product, and research teams, especially in the context of agile sprints.
• User Feedback Integration: Provide examples of how you incorporated user feedback, research findings, or data insights into your design iterations and final solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on a "selling platform," a portfolio that demonstrates an understanding of operational efficiency, workflow simplification, and scalability is crucial. The emphasis should be on how design directly contributes to seller success and platform operational effectiveness.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The base pay range for this position is expected to be between $108,000 and $186,900 USD annually.

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health coverage.
• Financial Benefits: Including potential for stock units and other financial planning resources.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous paid time off for rest and rejuvenation.
• Parental Leave: Supportive leave policies for new parents.
• Target Bonus: Performance-based bonus opportunities.
• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs): Potential for equity in the company.
• 401(k) Eligibility: Retirement savings plan with company contributions.

Working Hours:

• This is a full-time position. While specific daily hours are not detailed, a standard professional workload of approximately 40 hours per week is expected. Flexibility may be available, but the role is designated as on-site, suggesting a need for consistent presence during core business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a key piece of information for operations professionals in this market. The benefits listed are standard for a large tech company like eBay and are competitive for attracting top talent in product and operations roles. The "at-will position" clause is standard in the US.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce, Technology, Online Marketplaces. eBay operates at the intersection of technology and retail, facilitating transactions for millions of users globally. This industry demands constant innovation, a focus on user trust, and robust platform reliability. Company Size: eBay is a large, established global technology company with thousands of employees worldwide. This size implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for significant impact within specialized teams. Founded: eBay was founded in 1995. This long history means the company has a deep understanding of e-commerce evolution and has built a mature platform and operational infrastructure.

Team Structure:

• Seller Experience Team: This team is dedicated to improving the tools, processes, and overall experience for individuals and businesses selling on eBay.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The Senior Product Designer will work closely with Product Managers, Engineers, User Researchers, Content Strategists, Brand Specialists, and potentially Marketing and Operations teams.
• Reporting Structure: Likely reports into a Design Lead or Director within the Seller Experience or Product organization.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using data analytics, user research, and customer feedback to inform design decisions and measure the impact of implemented solutions.
• Agile Development: The team likely operates in an agile framework, involving iterative development cycles, sprint planning, and continuous delivery.
• User-Centric Approach: A strong focus on understanding and advocating for the needs of eBay's diverse seller base.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding eBay's scale and history in e-commerce is crucial. For operations professionals, this means a focus on scalability, reliability, and efficiency within a well-established framework. The Seller Experience team's mission directly aligns with GTM operations, aiming to empower sellers to drive revenue.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is designated as "Sr." (Senior), indicating a mid-to-senior level position within the design hierarchy. It requires independent work, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor or guide less experienced designers. In an operations context, this level often involves taking ownership of significant process areas or platform components. Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will report to a design leadership figure and will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads. This structure emphasizes collaboration and alignment across functional disciplines, vital for successful GTM operations. Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's work directly influences the efficiency, ease of use, and revenue generation capabilities of eBay's selling platform. By improving the seller experience, the role contributes to increased seller success, higher transaction volumes, and greater platform adoption, all of which are critical operational and GTM metrics.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design: Opportunity to lead design initiatives for critical platform areas, mentor junior designers, and contribute to the evolution of eBay's design system and processes.
• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like e-commerce platform design, systems thinking, or AI-enhanced design.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into Product Management, Design Strategy, or other product-related leadership roles within eBay.
• Impactful Projects: Work on high-visibility projects that directly affect millions of users and contribute significantly to eBay's core business.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Sr." designation suggests a role with significant autonomy and potential for mentorship, aligning with operational leadership tracks. The direct link between design improvements and operational metrics like seller success and transaction volume makes this role strategically important for GTM.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This role is designated as "On-site," indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This fosters in-person collaboration, spontaneous idea-sharing, and team cohesion. Office Location(s): Portland, Oregon. This location offers a vibrant tech scene and a strong talent pool for design and operations professionals. Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is expected to facilitate close collaboration with product, engineering, and research teams through co-location and shared workspaces.
• Tools & Technology: Access to standard design software, prototyping tools, and likely internal eBay platforms and systems for development and testing.
• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and team meetings to align on project goals and solutions.

Work Schedule: Full-time, typically around 40 hours per week, with an on-site presence required. While some flexibility may exist, the expectation is consistent availability during core business hours to engage with teams and manage project timelines effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is significant for operations roles, suggesting a preference for in-person collaboration and direct team engagement, which can accelerate problem-solving and decision-making processes critical for GTM.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role.
• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: Expect to present your portfolio, walking through 1-2 key case studies in detail. This may be followed by a design exercise or a more in-depth discussion about your approach to a specific problem related to the eBay selling platform.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially other Designers or Researchers to assess your collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to articulate design rationale.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the hiring manager to evaluate overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with team and company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process, your specific contributions, and the measurable outcomes. Quantify improvements in seller efficiency, conversion rates, or task completion whenever possible.
• Showcase Systems Thinking: Highlight projects where you designed solutions that integrated across different parts of the platform or catered to multiple user segments.
• Demonstrate Process: Explain your design process clearly, including how you leveraged research, data, and collaboration to arrive at your solutions.
• Tailor to eBay: Research eBay's selling platform, understand its current strengths and weaknesses, and consider how your design philosophy aligns with eBay's mission and seller needs.
• Prepare for "Why": Be ready to explain the rationale behind your design choices and trade-offs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Seller Workflows: Familiarize yourself with common tasks and challenges faced by eBay sellers (listing, managing inventory, shipping, customer service).
• Think Scalability: Consider how your proposed solutions would scale to accommodate millions of sellers with varying levels of technical expertise and business needs.
• Prioritize & Trade-off: Be prepared to discuss how you would prioritize features and make trade-offs, considering business goals, technical constraints, and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio review and design challenges is standard for product design roles. For operations-minded candidates, showcasing how design directly impacts operational metrics like seller efficiency and platform growth will be key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Figma (highly probable, industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), Adobe XD.
• Collaboration Tools: Jira, Confluence, Slack, Microsoft Teams (for cross-functional communication and project management).
• Research & Testing Platforms: UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, or similar for remote usability testing and feedback collection.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (or eBay's internal equivalent) for understanding user behavior and platform performance.
• Data Visualization Tools: Tableau, Power BI (or internal tools) for analyzing user data and presenting findings.
• A/B Testing Platforms: Tools for setting up and analyzing A/B tests to validate design hypotheses.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM/automation role, understanding how design integrates with CRM systems (like Salesforce, or eBay's internal seller management tools) and automation workflows is beneficial for a holistic understanding of the seller journey.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with modern design and prototyping tools is essential. For an operations-focused candidate, understanding how design impacts analytics, A/B testing, and seller management tools will demonstrate a broader grasp of the e-commerce operational ecosystem.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of eBay's diverse seller base, ensuring their success on the platform.
• Innovation & Evolution: Encouraging bold ideas and a willingness to experiment and evolve the platform to stay ahead in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering an environment where cross-functional teams work together seamlessly, sharing knowledge and supporting each other's goals.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing data, research, and insights to guide design and product development, ensuring solutions are effective and impactful.
• Inclusivity & Accessibility: Designing for everyone, ensuring the platform is usable and equitable for all sellers, regardless of background or ability.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: Emphasis on building strong working relationships with Product, Engineering, and Research to achieve shared objectives.
• Iterative & Agile: Embracing a continuous feedback loop, with regular design reviews and adjustments based on team input and testing results.
• Transparent Communication: Open sharing of design rationale, challenges, and progress to ensure alignment and collective problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's stated values of "authenticity," "bold ideas," and "everyone can bring their unique selves" suggest a culture that values diverse perspectives and encourages open dialogue, which is beneficial for complex operational challenges.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation with Legacy: Designing for millions of existing sellers with established behaviors while introducing new, potentially disruptive features.
• Scalability Across Segments: Creating experiences that are intuitive for casual sellers and powerful for high-volume businesses, all within the same platform.
• Global Considerations: Designing for a diverse global user base with varying cultural nuances, languages, and market needs.
• Measuring Design Impact: Quantifying the direct impact of design changes on seller success metrics and eBay's revenue.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• E-commerce Platform Expertise: Deepen knowledge of the intricacies of online marketplaces and seller operations.
• Design Leadership: Opportunities to lead design initiatives, influence product strategy, and mentor junior designers.
• Industry Trends: Stay abreast of emerging technologies, design methodologies, and e-commerce best practices.
• Formal Training & Conferences: Access to industry events, workshops, and internal training programs to enhance design and strategic thinking skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight areas where an operations-minded designer can excel by focusing on efficiency, scalability, and measurable impact, directly addressing the core operational complexities of a large e-commerce platform.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance competing stakeholder needs (e.g., business goals vs. user needs) in a complex platform design. How did you reach a resolution and what was the outcome?" (Focus on negotiation, data-driven arguments, and impact on seller operations.)
• "How would you approach designing a new feature for eBay's selling platform that aims to increase seller adoption of a specific tool or process? What metrics would you track?" (Focus on user journey mapping, A/B testing, and operational efficiency metrics.)
• "Walk me through a project where your design significantly improved a complex workflow or process for users. What was your process, and how did you measure success?" (Prepare a case study emphasizing process simplification and quantifiable results.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about eBay's selling platform and the opportunity to design for its sellers?" (Show research into eBay's market position, seller challenges, and your passion for e-commerce operations.)
• "How do you ensure your design process is inclusive and accessible for a global user base?" (Discuss your approach to diverse user needs and accessibility standards.)
• "How do you collaborate with engineers and product managers to ensure successful product delivery, especially when facing technical constraints?" (Highlight your communication skills and understanding of agile development.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling is Key: Structure your case studies as narratives. Start with the problem, explain your thought process, showcase your design solutions, and conclude with the impact and learnings.
• Quantify Everything Possible: For each project, present metrics demonstrating success – e.g., "Increased listing completion rate by X%," "Reduced seller time spent on order fulfillment by Y%," "Improved conversion rate for promoted listings by Z%."
• Highlight Your Role: Clearly define your contributions, especially if it was a collaborative project. Emphasize your strategic input, problem-solving approach, and how you drove the design forward.
• Showcase Process Visuals: Include sketches, wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes to illustrate your design journey and decision-making.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, trade-offs, and alternative solutions you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for questions that link design to operational efficiency, seller success, and quantifiable business outcomes will be critical for an operations-minded candidate.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Click the application link provided and complete the online application form.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best demonstrate your experience with complex platforms, end-to-end design processes, and measurable impact on user efficiency or business goals. Tailor the presentation to highlight your understanding of e-commerce seller workflows and operational improvements.
• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 5+ years of experience, highlighting skills in systems thinking, UX/UI design, user research, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords relevant to product design, e-commerce, and operational efficiency.
• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, quantifiable results, and your strategic design process. Be ready to articulate how your design decisions contribute to seller success and platform growth.
• Research eBay: Understand eBay's mission, its seller base, its competitive landscape, and its current platform strengths and areas for improvement. Consider how your design approach aligns with eBay's values and operational objectives.

⚠️ 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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