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 Operations Date Posted: September 23, 2025 Experience Level: Senior Staff (10+ years) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead design strategy and architecture for the eBay Live seller experience, focusing on enhancing seller retention and driving growth within the competitive live commerce landscape.
• Drive end-to-end product design processes, leveraging service-design methodologies to meticulously define and elevate the entire Live seller journey, from onboarding to post-transaction business management.
• Collaborate closely with senior design, product, engineering, content, and research leadership to ensure alignment on roadmaps, optimize workflows, and deliver scalable solutions that benefit both sellers and buyers.
• Champion seller advocacy by synthesizing research findings, competitive insights, and internal priorities into actionable UX strategy and design execution across all live commerce touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Sr. Staff Product Designer, indicating a high level of seniority and strategic influence. The focus on "eBay Live Seller Pillar" and "holistic Live seller experience" suggests a deep dive into the operational aspects of live selling from the seller's perspective, including onboarding, inventory management, streaming tools, and post-sale operations. This requires a designer with a strong understanding of user workflows, business operations, and platform scalability within a marketplace context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design strategy, architecture, and vision for eBay Live seller experiences, enabling retention and growth in a competitive live commerce landscape.
• Drive end-to-end product design, championing service-design methodologies to define and elevate the Live seller journey (onboarding, pre-stream, in-stream, post-stream, business management).
• Collaborate with senior design, product, engineering, content, and research leadership to align roadmaps, optimize workflows, and deliver scalable solutions that benefit sellers and buyers.
• Develop and iterate advanced design prototypes and narratives that bring innovative concepts to life for testing and refinement in partnership with Research and Content teams.
• Partner deeply with content and research peers to ensure seller perspectives, data, and storytelling inform UX strategy and execution across live commerce touchpoints.
• Drive executive-level presentations, storytelling, and crafting of design narratives that clearly communicate opportunities, solutions, and results to senior leadership and stakeholder audiences.
• Advocate for sellers by synthesizing research findings, competitive insights, and internal priorities into actionable UX strategy and design execution.
• Facilitate workshops, user testing, and field research to uncover seller needs, validate hypotheses, and inform design directions.
• Serve as a primary design lead and mentor for cross-team collaboration, contributing to Figma file development, service-design documentation, and process improvement initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize strategic leadership, end-to-end ownership, and cross-functional influence. This is typical for a Sr. Staff level role, requiring not just execution but also thought leadership in defining the future of the seller experience on eBay Live. The mention of "service-design methodologies," "journey mapping," and "workshop facilitation" highlights a need for deep understanding of operational workflows and the ability to map out complex user interactions and touchpoints.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for Sr. Staff level roles, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 10+ years of professional product design experience, with a strong emphasis on live commerce, marketplace platforms, or high-velocity seller experiences.

Required Skills:

• Advanced mastery of Figma, prototyping tools, and interactive design methods, demonstrated through a robust portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design, strategy, and delivery of complex seller-focused solutions across web and native platforms.
• Experience delivering compelling executive-level presentations, storytelling, and clear design narratives to influence senior leaders and drive alignment.
• Demonstrated ability to architect holistic, scalable design systems and drive cross-domain alignment.
• Advanced proficiency in journey mapping, service design documentation, and workshop facilitation.
• Proven success influencing product vision, roadmap prioritization, and organizational advocacy for seller needs in a high-growth environment.
• Track record of building strong partnerships with content and research peers, and collaborating effectively across cross-functional design, product, engineering, and stakeholder communities.
• Experience leading design thinking activities, user-centered research, and qualitative validation within cross-functional squads.
• Inclusive, collaborative approach—building trusted relationships and coaching others to foster innovation within and across teams.
• Commitment to ongoing learning, mentoring, and advancing design excellence.

Preferred Skills:

• Background or deep interest in streaming, live commerce, video-first platforms, or game design.
• Experience with A/B testing and data analysis to inform design decisions and measure impact on seller behavior and business metrics.
• Familiarity with e-commerce operations, seller tools, and the unique challenges faced by online sellers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The skills required are a blend of advanced design execution, strategic thinking, and strong interpersonal/communication abilities. The emphasis on "seller-focused solutions" and "live commerce" indicates a need for domain expertise. A strong portfolio is critical, not just for visual design but for demonstrating strategic thinking, problem definition, and the impact of design solutions on user behavior and business outcomes, particularly within an operational context.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design, demonstrating ownership from initial concept through to launch and iteration, with a focus on complex seller-focused solutions.
• Include case studies that highlight strategic thinking, problem definition, user research methodologies, and the impact of design decisions on seller workflows and business objectives.
• Present examples of architecting scalable design systems and driving cross-domain alignment to ensure consistency and efficiency across eBay Live.
• Demonstrate advanced proficiency in journey mapping and service design documentation, illustrating a deep understanding of the seller lifecycle and operational touchpoints.
• Clearly articulate how research findings, competitive insights, and user data were synthesized to inform UX strategy and design execution.
• Provide evidence of executive-level presentation skills, using compelling narratives and data to influence stakeholders and drive decision-making.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in creating and utilizing service design documentation, including detailed journey maps, process flows, and touchpoint analyses for seller workflows.
• Highlight proficiency in facilitating workshops and user testing sessions, with examples of how feedback was integrated into design iterations and process improvements.
• Showcase experience in building and maintaining design systems, detailing how they support scalability and consistency across complex product ecosystems.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Sr. Staff Product Designer, the portfolio should go beyond just showcasing UI/UX work. It needs to demonstrate strategic impact, process ownership, and the ability to influence product direction. For operations-focused roles within design, showcasing how design integrates with and improves operational workflows, seller efficiency, and platform stability is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $142,400 - $232,300 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive medical coverage.
• Financial benefits, potentially including retirement plans (e.g., 401(k)) and financial planning resources.
• Generous paid time off (PTO) for work-life balance.
• Parental leave to support new parents.
• Eligibility for a target bonus, rewarding individual and company performance.
• Potential for Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), offering equity in eBay.

Working Hours: The role is listed as Full-Time, typically implying a standard 40-hour work week. However, given the Sr. Staff level and the dynamic nature of live commerce, flexibility and dedication may be required, with potential for extended hours during critical project phases or launch periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Sr. Staff Product Designer in a major tech hub like Portland, Oregon. The benefits package is robust, reflecting eBay's commitment to employee well-being and long-term engagement. The mention of "target bonus" and "RSUs" indicates a performance-driven compensation structure, common for senior roles in publicly traded tech companies. The working hours are standard, but operations-critical roles often require flexibility.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce / Online Marketplace / Live Commerce. eBay operates in a highly competitive global marketplace, focusing on connecting buyers and sellers across a vast range of categories. The recent emphasis on "eBay Live" indicates a strategic push into the burgeoning live commerce sector, blending real-time interaction with transactional capabilities.

Company Size: eBay is a large, established global technology company with a significant employee base (likely thousands, though exact current figures are not provided in the input, it's a Fortune 500 company). This size implies structured processes, cross-functional teams, and ample resources, but also potential for navigating larger organizational dynamics.

Founded: eBay was founded in 1995, giving it a long history and deep experience in the e-commerce space. This longevity suggests a company that has adapted to market changes and built robust operational frameworks.

Team Structure:

• The Sr. Staff Product Designer will report to the Senior Manager of eBay Live, specifically within the Seller Pillar team. This team is dedicated to transforming the live commerce experience for sellers.
• The role requires close collaboration with cross-functional partners, including other designers, product managers, engineers, researchers, and marketing professionals, likely organized into agile squads or project teams.
• The Sr. Staff Designer is expected to foster cross-team alignment and scalability, acting as a design lead for these collaborations.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: Design decisions are informed by seller perspectives, research findings, competitive insights, and internal priorities, implying a data-driven approach to UX strategy.
• Workflow Planning and Optimization: A key responsibility is to optimize workflows and deliver scalable solutions that benefit sellers, suggesting a focus on process efficiency and user journey improvements.
• Automation and Efficiency Practices: While not explicitly stated as a primary focus for the designer, the goal of delivering "scalable solutions" and improving "seller journey" naturally points towards an appreciation for and contribution to efficient, potentially automated, processes within the platform.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: eBay's culture emphasizes customer-centricity ("Our customers are our compass"), authenticity, bold ideas, and inclusivity. For a designer in a Sr. Staff role, this translates to a need for strong seller advocacy, innovative problem-solving, and collaborative teamwork. The company's long history in e-commerce provides a stable foundation, while the focus on "eBay Live" signifies an innovative and forward-looking direction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Sr. Staff Product Designer. This level signifies a senior individual contributor role with significant strategic impact. It involves not only designing complex user experiences but also shaping design strategy, influencing product roadmaps, and mentoring other designers. The "Staff" designation implies a broad scope of influence, often across multiple product areas or initiatives.

Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the Senior Manager of eBay Live. This provides a clear reporting line and access to leadership for strategic alignment and guidance. The position also requires close collaboration with peers in design, product, engineering, and research.

Operations Impact: The Sr. Staff Product Designer plays a critical role in the operational success of eBay Live by enhancing the seller experience. By improving seller onboarding, streamlining in-stream and post-stream management, and enabling business growth, the designer directly contributes to seller retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, the platform's revenue and market position in live commerce. The design strategy directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of seller operations on the platform.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in live commerce operations, marketplace dynamics, and seller enablement through hands-on experience and strategic contribution to a key growth area for eBay.
• Industry Leadership: Contribute to establishing eBay Live as an industry leader in live commerce, gaining recognition for innovative design solutions and strategic influence.
• Mentorship and Leadership: Serve as a design lead and mentor, guiding junior designers and contributing to the overall growth and excellence of the design team.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across product, engineering, and business teams, building a strong network and understanding of broader business operations.
• Career Progression: Potential to move into Principal Designer roles, Design Management, or specialized leadership positions within eBay's product organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Sr. Staff level offers significant opportunities for both deep technical/design growth and broader strategic leadership. The focus on a new, high-growth area like live commerce provides a chance to shape future product strategy and operational success. Mentorship and cross-functional influence are key markers of advancement at this level.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is listed as "On-site," indicating that the designer will be working from a physical eBay office location in Portland, Oregon. This suggests a traditional office environment that fosters in-person collaboration and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): Portland, Oregon, 97201. This location is a well-established tech hub, offering a vibrant ecosystem of talent and resources.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The on-site nature implies opportunities for spontaneous collaboration, whiteboard sessions, and direct interaction with cross-functional team members, which is crucial for complex design and operational problem-solving.
• Tools and Technology: Employees will have access to eBay's standard design and productivity tools, including advanced software like Figma, prototyping tools, and potentially internal collaboration platforms.
• Team Interaction: The role involves working closely with a dedicated team focused on eBay Live, fostering a sense of shared purpose and allowing for direct feedback loops and knowledge sharing on seller operational needs.

Work Schedule: While the standard is 40 hours, on-site roles often benefit from the structure and immediate support available in an office environment. This can be advantageous for rapid iteration and problem-solving that often characterizes fast-paced product development and operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: An on-site work environment typically promotes stronger team bonds and more fluid communication, which can be beneficial for tackling complex design challenges and understanding the intricate operational needs of sellers. The Portland location places the designer within a significant tech talent pool.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and fit. Focus on highlighting your experience in live commerce, seller-centric design, and strategic impact.
• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: Expect a deep dive into your portfolio. This may involve presenting 2-3 case studies that showcase your end-to-end design process, strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and impact on user behavior and business goals, particularly related to seller operations. Be prepared to discuss your role, decision-making process, and how you navigated challenges.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with peers in product management, engineering, research, and potentially marketing. These will assess your collaboration style, ability to influence, and understanding of technical constraints and user research methodologies.
• Leadership Interview: A meeting with the Senior Manager of eBay Live or other senior design/product leaders. This will focus on your strategic vision, leadership potential, ability to mentor, and cultural fit within eBay.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your skills relevant to this role. For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (research, ideation, design, testing), the solutions you created, and the measurable outcomes or impact.
• Highlight Seller Operations: Emphasize projects that involved designing for sellers, addressing their pain points, streamlining their workflows, or improving their business operations on a platform. Showcase your understanding of marketplace dynamics and live commerce.
• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Go beyond UI mockups. Explain the "why" behind your design decisions, how you aligned with business objectives, and how you influenced product strategy or roadmap.
• Showcase Process Mastery: Include examples of journey maps, service blueprints, workshop outputs, and how you integrated user research and data into your design process.
• Present with Confidence: Be prepared to articulate your contributions clearly and concisely, answer probing questions about your design choices, and discuss how you would approach challenges specific to eBay Live.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand eBay Live: Research eBay Live, its current features, target audience (sellers and buyers), and its position in the live commerce market.
• Seller-Centric Thinking: Prepare to think from the perspective of eBay sellers – their goals, challenges, and needs within a live selling environment.
• Operational Workflow Focus: Be ready to discuss how design can improve operational efficiency for sellers, such as inventory management, stream setup, payment processing, and customer interaction during and after a live session.
• Strategic Problem Solving: Anticipate questions that require you to think strategically about scaling solutions, aligning with business goals, and driving user adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Sr. Staff role is rigorous and designed to assess not just design craft but also strategic acumen, leadership potential, and cultural alignment. A well-curated portfolio that explicitly addresses seller operational workflows within the live commerce context will be crucial for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned as a required mastery. This will be the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration.
• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency with various prototyping tools beyond Figma is expected for creating interactive and high-fidelity prototypes.
• Design Systems: Experience in building, contributing to, or leveraging design systems is essential for ensuring scalability and consistency.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a required tool for the designer, understanding and utilizing analytics to inform design decisions is implied. Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Tableau for reviewing user behavior and performance metrics would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Experience with CRM systems (like Salesforce, though not specified for eBay) is not directly mentioned for this design role. However, an understanding of how design impacts customer relationship management and operational automation for sellers would be valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma underscores its central role in eBay's design workflow. The ability to leverage these tools for complex, end-to-end design solutions, particularly those impacting operational efficiency for sellers, is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Seller Advocacy: A core value is to champion seller needs and perspectives, ensuring the platform design directly supports their success and operational efficiency.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Emphasizing the use of research findings, data, and insights to inform UX strategy and design execution.
• Collaboration and Partnership: Fostering strong, trusting relationships and working effectively across cross-functional teams (design, product, engineering, research).
• Innovation and Bold Ideas: Encouraging the exploration of new concepts and solutions to drive industry leadership in live commerce.
• Efficiency and Scalability: Designing solutions that are not only effective but also scalable to support a growing user base and evolving business needs.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Working seamlessly with product managers to define strategy, engineers to implement solutions, and researchers to validate hypotheses.
• Process Review and Feedback: Actively participating in design critiques, team reviews, and providing constructive feedback to peers and stakeholders to refine designs and processes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Contributing to team knowledge through mentorship, documentation, and sharing best practices in design and operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture at eBay appears to value a blend of user-centricity (specifically seller-centricity), data-informed decision-making, and strong collaborative practices, all within an innovative and growth-oriented environment. This suggests a workplace where designers feel empowered to drive change and improve operational outcomes.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complexity: Designing for a diverse seller base with varying technical skills and operational needs within the live commerce environment.
• Competitive Landscape: Differentiating eBay Live and its seller tools in a rapidly evolving and competitive live commerce market.
• Cross-Team Alignment: Ensuring consistent vision and execution across multiple product areas and functional teams that contribute to the overall seller experience.
• Scaling Operations: Developing design solutions that can scale effectively to support a large and growing number of sellers and transactions.
• Balancing Seller and Buyer Needs: A constant challenge in marketplace design is to optimize for both seller success and buyer experience simultaneously.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Live Commerce Expertise: Gaining deep domain knowledge in the fast-growing live commerce sector and its operational nuances.
• Strategic Design Leadership: Developing skills in influencing product strategy, leading design initiatives, and mentoring other designers at a senior level.
• Industry Best Practices: Learning and applying cutting-edge design methodologies, service design, and user research techniques within a large-scale e-commerce context.
• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Collaborating closely with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to gain a holistic understanding of product development and business operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in innovative product areas within large tech companies, offering significant opportunities for professional growth through tackling complex problems and contributing to strategic initiatives.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the design strategy for a complex seller-facing feature or platform. What was your process, what were the outcomes, and how did you measure success?" (Focus on strategic impact, seller operations, and metrics.)
• "How would you approach designing an end-to-end seller onboarding flow for a new live commerce feature on eBay? What key touchpoints and operational considerations would you prioritize?" (Assess understanding of seller journey, operational efficiency, and service design.)
• "Tell me about a situation where you had to influence senior leadership or cross-functional teams to adopt your design recommendations. How did you use storytelling and data to achieve alignment?" (Evaluate communication, influence, and presentation skills.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about eBay Live and the live commerce space? How do you see your design expertise contributing to its success?" (Gauge passion and understanding of the business context.)
• "How do you foster collaboration and build trusted relationships within a cross-functional team, especially when dealing with differing opinions or priorities?" (Assess collaboration style and team dynamics.)
• "How do you advocate for user needs (in this case, sellers) when faced with business constraints or competing priorities?" (Understand your user advocacy and problem-solving approach.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Flow: Structure your portfolio presentation like a story, guiding the interviewers through the problem, your process, your solutions, and the impact.
• Focus on Impact: Quantify the impact of your work whenever possible. Use metrics related to seller engagement, conversion rates, time savings, or satisfaction.
• Demonstrate "Staff" Level Thinking: Showcase your ability to think holistically, consider system-level impacts, and contribute to strategic vision, not just individual features.
• Address Operational Elements: Specifically call out how your designs improved operational efficiency, streamlined workflows, or addressed seller pain points related to the mechanics of live selling.
• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs you made, and how you would handle hypothetical scenarios related to eBay Live.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design craft but also strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of the operational needs of sellers in a live commerce environment. Quantifying impact and showcasing a structured, data-informed process are crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-focused product design position:

• Submit your application through the eBay careers portal via the provided URL.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating experience with seller-centric design, live commerce, marketplace platforms, and end-to-end UX strategy. Emphasize case studies that showcase your ability to improve operational workflows and drive seller success.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 10+ years of experience, focusing on achievements and responsibilities relevant to strategic product design, seller enablement, and operational efficiency improvements. Use keywords from the job description naturally.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on the "why" behind your design decisions, your collaborative process, and the measurable impact of your work. Prepare to discuss your approach to seller challenges and live commerce operations.
• Company Research: Deeply research eBay's current business strategy, particularly its focus on eBay Live, and understand the competitive landscape of live commerce. Familiarize yourself with eBay's user-centric culture and values to articulate how you align with them.

⚠️ 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.