Sr. Staff Product Designer - eBay Live

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Staff Product Designer - eBay Live
Company: eBay
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
Job Type: FULL_TIME
Category: Product Design / User Experience
Date Posted: 2025-09-23
Experience Level: Senior Staff (10+ years)
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the strategic design vision and foundational architecture for eBay Live's seller-facing experiences, aiming to enhance seller retention and foster marketplace growth.
• Lead end-to-end product design initiatives, employing service-design methodologies to meticulously map and elevate the entire Live seller journey, from initial onboarding through post-transaction management.
• Foster deep collaboration with senior leadership across design, product, engineering, content, and research to ensure strategic alignment of roadmaps, optimize operational workflows, and deliver scalable, impactful solutions for both sellers and buyers.
• Develop and iterate on advanced design prototypes and compelling narratives to effectively test and refine innovative concepts in close partnership with research and content teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor, emphasizing strategic influence, architectural design, and cross-functional leadership within the eBay Live seller pillar. The focus on "foundational design architecture" and "elevating design-led influence" suggests a need for a candidate who can not only execute but also shape the design direction and advocate for best practices.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead design strategy, architecture, and vision for eBay Live seller experiences, with a clear objective to enable retention and growth within the competitive live commerce landscape.
• Champion end-to-end product design, utilizing service-design methodologies to define, refine, and elevate the holistic Live seller journey, encompassing onboarding, pre-stream activities, in-stream interactions, post-stream management, and overall business operations.
• Collaborate closely with senior design, product, engineering, content, and research leadership to ensure alignment of product roadmaps, optimize operational workflows, and deliver scalable, efficient solutions that yield benefits for both sellers and buyers.
• Create and iterate upon advanced design prototypes and persuasive narratives that effectively communicate and validate innovative concepts through testing and refinement in partnership with dedicated Research and Content teams.
• Cultivate deep, collaborative partnerships with content and research peers to ensure that seller perspectives, quantitative data, and compelling storytelling consistently inform UX strategy and execution across all live commerce touchpoints.
• Drive executive-level presentations, compelling storytelling, and the crafting of impactful design narratives that clearly articulate opportunities, proposed solutions, and achieved results to senior leadership and diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Act as a primary advocate for sellers by synthesizing research findings, competitive intelligence, and internal strategic priorities into actionable UX strategy and precise design execution.
• Facilitate workshops, conduct user testing sessions, and engage in field research to uncover critical seller needs, validate design hypotheses, and inform strategic design directions.
• Serve as a key design lead and mentor for cross-team collaboration efforts, actively contributing to Figma file development, comprehensive service-design documentation, and initiatives focused on process improvement and operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic design leadership, hands-on execution, and mentorship within a cross-functional environment. Emphasis on "service-design methodologies," "journey mapping," and "process improvement initiatives" indicates a need for a designer who understands the end-to-end operational flow and can drive efficiency through design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong academic foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is typically expected for senior-level product design roles. Experience: 10+ years of professional product design experience, with a significant focus on live commerce, marketplace dynamics, or high-velocity seller-centric experiences. This extensive experience should demonstrate a proven ability to lead complex design initiatives from conception to launch and iterate based on performance data.

Required Skills:

• Advanced mastery of Figma for design, prototyping, and collaborative workflows.
• Expertise in prototyping tools and interactive design methods to bring complex concepts to life.
• Demonstrated ability to lead end-to-end product design, from initial strategy and user research to final UI implementation and post-launch analysis.
• Proven experience in developing and delivering compelling executive-level presentations, characterized by strong storytelling and clear design narratives to influence senior stakeholders and drive strategic alignment.
• Demonstrated ability to architect holistic, scalable design systems that ensure consistency and efficiency across product offerings.
• Advanced proficiency in journey mapping techniques to visualize and optimize user flows and touchpoints.
• Expertise in service design documentation and workshop facilitation to drive cross-functional understanding and alignment.
• Proven success in influencing product vision, roadmap prioritization, and advocating for user needs within a high-growth, fast-paced environment.
• Track record of building strong, collaborative partnerships with content strategists and user researchers.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams, including design, product management, engineering, and other stakeholders.
• Experience leading design thinking activities and user-centered research methodologies.
• Commitment to ongoing learning, mentorship of junior designers, and advancing overall design excellence within an organization.

Preferred Skills:

• Background or deep interest in streaming platforms, live commerce technology, video-first content creation, or game design principles.
• Experience with user testing methodologies and synthesizing qualitative feedback into actionable design improvements.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and working within cross-functional squads.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "advanced mastery" in tools like Figma and "advanced proficiency" in methodologies like journey mapping and service design suggests the need for a designer who is not just proficient but a true expert, capable of setting standards and mentoring others. The preference for experience in live commerce or related fields indicates a strong understanding of the nuances of real-time, interactive selling environments.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A robust portfolio showcasing a minimum of 10 years of professional product design work, with a clear emphasis on end-to-end product design, strategic thinking, and the successful delivery of complex, seller-focused solutions.
• Demonstrations of experience across both web and native platforms, illustrating adaptability in design approaches and understanding of platform-specific nuances.
• Case studies that detail the process of architecting holistic and scalable design systems, highlighting how consistency and efficiency were maintained across diverse product components.
• Examples of journey mapping and service design documentation that clearly articulate the seller's experience, identifying pain points and proposing design-led solutions for process optimization.
• Evidence of work involving the facilitation of workshops and user testing, showcasing the ability to gather insights and iterate designs based on real user feedback and operational needs.
• Presentation of work that includes executive-level presentations and design narratives, demonstrating the ability to communicate complex design strategies and their business impact effectively.

Process Documentation:

• Detailed documentation of design processes utilized, including how user research, data analysis, and competitive insights were synthesized to inform strategic design decisions for live commerce seller tools.
• Examples of service design documentation that illustrate the mapping of entire seller workflows, identifying critical touchpoints, potential bottlenecks, and opportunities for process improvement through design interventions.
• Evidence of process improvement initiatives led or significantly contributed to, showcasing how design thinking and user-centered approaches were applied to enhance operational efficiency and user satisfaction within a complex platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements strongly emphasize not just the final output but the strategic thinking, process, and collaboration involved in complex product design. For operations professionals, this translates to demonstrating an understanding of workflow optimization, efficiency gains, and how design directly impacts the seller's operational effectiveness and the platform's overall business performance.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $142,400 - $232,300 annually. Benefits:

• Target Bonus: Performance-based bonus opportunities, aligning individual and company success.
• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs): Equity participation, offering long-term financial growth tied to eBay's performance.
• Comprehensive Medical Benefits: Coverage for health, dental, and vision care.
• Financial Benefits: A range of financial planning and support services.
• 401(k) Eligibility: Retirement savings plan with potential company matching.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous paid time off for vacation, personal days, and sick leave.
• Parental Leave: Support for new parents with dedicated leave policies.

Working Hours: While not explicitly detailed, a standard full-time work arrangement is implied, typically around 40 hours per week. The role may require flexibility for critical project deadlines or cross-functional collaboration across different time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is typical for a Senior Staff Product Designer in a major tech hub like Portland, Oregon, reflecting the significant experience and strategic responsibility of the role. The comprehensive benefits package is standard for large technology companies, with specific mention of equity (RSUs) and bonus potential indicating a performance-driven culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce / Online Marketplaces. eBay operates in a dynamic and competitive global ecommerce landscape, facilitating transactions between millions of buyers and sellers. This context means a constant need for innovation, efficiency, and a deep understanding of user needs to maintain market leadership. Company Size: eBay is a large, established global technology company, indicated by its substantial employee base and worldwide operations. For operations professionals, this typically means access to robust infrastructure, established processes, and potential for specialization within various operational functions. Founded: eBay was founded in 1995. This long history suggests a company with a strong foundation, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the evolution of online commerce. This maturity can translate into stable processes but also a need for continuous modernization.

Team Structure: The role reports to the Senior Manager of eBay Live and involves close collaboration with cross-functional partners in design, product management, engineering, research, and marketing. This indicates a matrixed team structure where design plays a pivotal role in influencing product strategy and execution. The "Seller Pillar team" suggests a focus on a specific user segment or functional area within eBay Live.

Methodology: The team likely employs a mix of agile methodologies for product development, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design and data-driven decision-making. The specific mention of "service-design methodologies" and "journey mapping" points towards a structured approach to understanding and improving the end-to-end seller experience, integrating various operational touchpoints.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's long history and position as a major e-commerce platform suggest a culture that values both stability and innovation. The emphasis on a "Seller Pillar team" within eBay Live indicates a strategic focus on a key user segment, requiring designers to deeply understand seller pain points and operational needs. The collaborative nature of the role implies a culture that encourages cross-functional influence.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the "Sr. Staff" level, signifying a highly experienced individual contributor with significant influence. In an operations context, this level usually means taking ownership of complex operational challenges, defining strategic approaches to process optimization, and mentoring other operations professionals or designers. The scope extends beyond individual tasks to shaping how operations are conducted and improved. Reporting Structure: The Sr. Staff Product Designer reports directly to the Senior Manager of eBay Live. This structure places the designer in a key position to influence the direction of the Live seller experience and provides direct access to senior leadership for strategic discussions and alignment. This also implies a need for strong communication and presentation skills to effectively convey design strategy and impact. Operations Impact: The role is crucial for driving the success of eBay Live by enhancing the seller experience. This directly impacts seller retention, seller satisfaction, the volume and quality of live streams, and ultimately, revenue generation. By optimizing the seller journey, the designer contributes to a more robust and efficient marketplace, which is a core operational goal.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Design Leadership: Opportunity to shape the future of live commerce for sellers on a global scale, influencing product strategy and design direction.
• Mentorship and Skill Development: As a Sr. Staff designer, there's a clear expectation to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design team, fostering a culture of learning and operational excellence.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Develop strong relationships and influence across product, engineering, and marketing, enhancing collaboration and driving impactful operational improvements.
• Industry Expertise: Deepen expertise in live commerce, marketplace dynamics, and user-centered design within a high-volume, high-stakes environment.
• Potential for Principal/Director Roles: Success in this role could pave the way for more senior leadership positions, such as Principal Designer or Director of Design, focusing on broader strategic initiatives or team management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Sr. Staff" title indicates a significant level of autonomy and strategic responsibility, common in senior operations roles focused on process improvement and efficiency. The growth opportunities are geared towards expanding influence, leadership, and expertise within the operations and design domains.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is listed as "TELECOMMUTE" with a primary location in Portland, Oregon, United States. However, the description implies an on-site or hybrid work arrangement ("work closely with cross-functional partners," "drive executive-level presentations," "facilitate workshops"). Typically, for such senior roles in large companies, "TELECOMMUTE" might indicate flexibility or a hybrid model rather than fully remote. Given the "on-site" derived status, it is likely an office-based role with potential for some remote flexibility. Office Location(s): Portland, Oregon, United States. This location is a significant tech hub, offering a vibrant community of designers and engineers.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The workspace is likely designed to foster collaboration, with shared spaces for brainstorming, user testing sessions, and cross-functional team meetings. Proximity to product managers, engineers, and researchers is key for efficient workflow.
• Design Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma), prototyping tools, and potentially internal design systems and user research platforms will be readily available.
• Team Interaction: The role involves constant interaction with design peers, product teams, and stakeholders, facilitating a dynamic exchange of ideas and feedback crucial for iterative design processes and operational alignment.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule is expected, likely aligned with typical business hours in the Portland, Oregon time zone (America/Los_Angeles). Flexibility may be required to accommodate cross-functional team needs and project deadlines, particularly when collaborating with teams in different geographical locations.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the initial listing might show "TELECOMMUTE," the context strongly suggests an on-site or hybrid role, especially for a "Sr. Staff" position requiring significant collaboration and presentation. The Portland location offers a strong talent pool and a supportive tech ecosystem. The workspace context emphasizes the need for effective communication and collaboration tools to support the design and operational processes.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review applications and portfolios to assess experience and alignment with the role's requirements.
• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: Candidates will likely present their portfolio, discussing specific case studies that highlight their strategic thinking, process, and impact on complex seller-focused solutions, particularly in live commerce or marketplace environments. This stage often includes discussing design decisions, trade-offs, and how user insights informed the final outcome.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with design, product, engineering, and research peers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to work within a cross-functional team. Expect questions about how you've influenced roadmaps and optimized operational workflows.
• Leadership Interview: A meeting with the Senior Manager of eBay Live to discuss design vision, leadership potential, and strategic alignment with the team's and company's goals. This is where you'll articulate your approach to seller advocacy and driving design-led innovation.
• Executive Presentation: Potentially a presentation to senior leadership, showcasing a specific project or a strategic approach to a complex problem, demonstrating storytelling and executive communication skills.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process & Impact: Clearly articulate your design process, from problem definition to solution and impact. Quantify results where possible, especially concerning seller efficiency, retention, or platform growth.
• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Showcase instances where you influenced product vision, strategy, or roadmap prioritization, demonstrating your ability to think beyond individual features.
• Demonstrate Live Commerce/Marketplace Expertise: Include projects that specifically address the complexities of live commerce or marketplace seller experiences, detailing how you understood and responded to seller pain points and operational needs.
• Showcase Collaboration: Provide examples of how you partnered effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Research, Content) to deliver successful outcomes.
• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives, explaining the problem, your role, the challenges, the solutions you designed, and the measurable impact.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand eBay Live: Research eBay Live, its current offerings, target users (sellers and buyers), and the competitive landscape of live commerce.
• Prepare for "Why eBay Live?": Be ready to articulate your interest in this specific area and how your skills align with its mission.
• Practice Presenting: Rehearse your portfolio presentation to ensure clarity, conciseness, and impact, paying attention to timing and executive-level communication.
• Anticipate Operational Questions: Be prepared to discuss how design can improve operational efficiency for sellers, streamline workflows, and enhance the overall platform's operational health.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess a candidate's strategic design capabilities, collaborative spirit, and ability to articulate complex ideas to diverse audiences. A strong portfolio that demonstrates a deep understanding of user needs, process optimization, and measurable impact will be critical. Preparing to discuss how design influences operational efficiency is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for all aspects of design, prototyping, and collaboration. Mastery is required for creating complex UI, interactive prototypes, and design systems.
• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other advanced prototyping tools (e.g., Principle, Framer) might be beneficial for creating high-fidelity, interactive user experiences.
• User Research Platforms: Experience with tools used for user interviews, usability testing, and feedback collection (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze) is expected for informing design decisions.
• Service Design Tools: Proficiency in tools for journey mapping, service blueprinting, and process flow documentation (e.g., Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, or specialized service design software) is crucial for this role.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with web analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) and in-app analytics to understand user behavior, identify pain points, and measure the impact of design changes on seller operations and engagement.
• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau, Looker, or Power BI to interpret data and present insights effectively to stakeholders, supporting data-driven design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not directly a CRM role, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce) might inform seller segmentation or engagement strategies could be beneficial.
• Workflow Automation Tools: Awareness of how design can integrate with or influence backend operational workflows and automation processes to improve seller efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required tools emphasize advanced design capabilities, collaborative workflow management, and a data-informed approach to design. Proficiency in Figma is paramount, and experience with service design and user research tools is critical for understanding and improving the seller's operational journey.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Seller-Centricity: A core value is deeply understanding and advocating for sellers' needs, ensuring that design decisions directly improve their experience and operational efficiency on the platform.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasizing the use of data, research insights, and performance metrics to inform design strategies, validate hypotheses, and measure the impact of design solutions on seller success and operational outcomes.
• Collaboration and Partnership: Fostering strong, trusting relationships across design, product, engineering, and marketing teams to achieve shared goals and drive cohesive product development.
• Innovation and Experimentation: Encouraging bold ideas, iterative design, and testing new approaches to stay ahead in the competitive live commerce space, always seeking to optimize processes and user experiences.
• Design Excellence: Upholding high standards for design quality, consistency, and craft, while also focusing on scalable and maintainable design systems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively engaging with all relevant departments to ensure design is integrated early and throughout the product development lifecycle, aligning on operational goals and user needs.
• Feedback-Driven Iteration: Embracing a culture of constructive feedback, both giving and receiving, to refine designs and improve processes collaboratively. Regular design critiques and syncs are likely part of this.
• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of insights, best practices, and learnings across teams and within the broader design organization to foster collective growth and operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture values a user-centric approach, particularly for sellers, with a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making and collaborative problem-solving. This aligns with typical operations philosophies focused on efficiency, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Seller Needs with Business Objectives: Navigating the complexities of meeting diverse seller needs while aligning with eBay's broader business goals and platform constraints. This requires strategic trade-offs and clear communication of design rationale.
• Integrating Live Commerce into Existing Ecosystems: Seamlessly integrating the eBay Live experience with eBay's core selling and buying functionalities requires careful consideration of existing user workflows and operational processes.
• Rapidly Evolving Live Commerce Landscape: Staying competitive in the fast-paced live commerce market necessitates continuous innovation, adaptation to new technologies, and a proactive approach to design solutions.
• Driving Organizational Change: As a Sr. Staff Designer, influencing product vision and driving adoption of new design strategies or methodologies across different teams can be challenging, requiring strong advocacy and persuasive communication skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Leadership: Opportunity to hone leadership skills, mentor emerging talent, and influence design strategy at a senior level within a major e-commerce company.
• Industry Specialization: Deepen expertise in the rapidly growing live commerce sector, gaining exposure to innovative technologies and user engagement models.
• Cross-Disciplinary Skill Enhancement: Opportunities to collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and research, broadening understanding of product development and operational processes.
• Executive Communication Training: Develop and refine executive-level presentation and storytelling skills, crucial for influencing senior stakeholders and driving strategic initiatives.
• Access to Industry Events: Potential for participation in relevant design conferences or industry events to stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices in UX and live commerce.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in innovative tech environments, requiring strategic thinking and strong interpersonal skills. The growth opportunities are geared towards developing leadership, specialized industry knowledge, and advanced communication skills, all of which are valuable for career progression in operations and design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Tell me about a time you influenced product strategy or roadmap prioritization using design insights." Prepare a case study that demonstrates your strategic thinking, ability to synthesize research, and how you advocated for user needs to shape product direction, ideally related to seller tools or marketplace platforms.
• "How do you approach architecting scalable design systems for complex platforms?" Discuss your process for creating robust, maintainable design systems, focusing on consistency, efficiency, and how they support the overall operational integrity of the product.
• "Describe your experience with service design and journey mapping for complex user flows. How did it lead to process improvements?" Prepare a detailed example of how you mapped a seller's journey, identified operational bottlenecks, and designed solutions that improved efficiency or satisfaction.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in eBay Live and the live commerce space?" Research eBay Live's mission, market position, and trends in live commerce. Articulate your passion and how your skills align with the team's objectives.
• "How do you foster collaboration and build strong relationships with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Research)?" Provide specific examples of successful collaborations, highlighting your communication style, conflict resolution, and ability to integrate design into the broader product development process.
• "How do you measure the success of your designs, particularly in terms of seller impact and operational efficiency?" Be ready to discuss key metrics and how you use data to validate design decisions and demonstrate ROI, focusing on seller retention, engagement, or platform performance.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly state the problem, your role, the challenges, your process, the solution, and the measurable impact. Ensure a logical flow that tells a compelling story.
• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Emphasize the "why" behind your design decisions, linking them to user needs, business goals, and operational improvements.
• Highlight Collaboration: Explicitly mention how you worked with other disciplines and stakeholders throughout the process.
• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. For operations roles, focus on efficiency gains, process improvements, or user satisfaction metrics.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, tools, and decision-making rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, a deep understanding of the user (seller), proficiency in design processes, and the ability to articulate impact, particularly concerning operational efficiency and business outcomes. Strong examples of cross-functional collaboration and data-driven decision-making will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link: https://ebay.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/apply/job/Portland/Sr-Staff-Product-Designer---eBay-Live_R0069847
• Curate Your Portfolio for Operations Impact: Select case studies that specifically highlight your ability to improve operational efficiency for users (sellers), streamline complex workflows, and demonstrate a data-driven approach to design solutions. Emphasize projects with measurable outcomes related to seller retention, engagement, or platform performance.
• Optimize Your Resume for Design & Operations Keywords: Ensure your resume clearly lists your 10+ years of experience, expertise in Figma, service design, journey mapping, and any experience within live commerce or marketplace environments. Integrate keywords related to product design, UX strategy, user advocacy, and process optimization.
• Practice Your Portfolio Presentation: Rehearse presenting your key case studies, focusing on clear storytelling, strategic rationale, collaborative processes, and quantifiable impact. Be prepared to discuss how your design thinking contributes to operational efficiency and seller success on the eBay platform.
• Research eBay Live and Seller Operations: Gain a thorough understanding of eBay Live's current features, target sellers, and the competitive landscape. Familiarize yourself with common seller pain points and how design can address them to improve their end-to-end operational experience.

⚠️ 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.