Senior Design Manager, Jira AI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Design Manager, Jira AI

Company: Atlassian

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Design Leadership / Product Design (AI Focus)

Date Posted: June 01, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic design vision for Jira's evolution into an intelligent, AI-native platform, focusing on agentic systems and human-team collaboration.

• Drive the definition of novel interaction paradigms and trust frameworks for AI agents as first-class collaborators within Jira.

• Manage, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of 8-12 designers, ensuring exceptional craft standards and an inclusive team culture.

• Collaborate closely with product and engineering leadership to navigate technical complexities of AI architectures, LLM behavior, and platform design.

• Own the end-to-end design quality and user experience of shipped AI-powered features across Jira's diverse product surfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned at the forefront of AI integration within a flagship enterprise product, requiring a leader capable of shaping future interaction models for a massive user base. The emphasis on "agentic systems" and "native collaborators" indicates a deep dive into autonomous AI agents rather than simple AI-assisted features, demanding significant strategic foresight and technical understanding.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and champion the overarching design vision for Jira's agentic AI experiences, establishing the look, feel, and interaction models for AI agents as integral team members.

• Set the strategic direction for multi-year product evolution, building strong alignment and buy-in across product management, engineering, and executive leadership.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 8-12 designers, fostering their professional growth, setting high craft standards, and cultivating an inclusive and collaborative team environment.

• Partner closely with engineering leaders to thoroughly understand and strategically leverage technical constraints and opportunities related to AI agent architectures, LLM capabilities, and platform design principles.

• Drive a robust experimentation process, including MVPs, prototypes, and concept sprints, to validate novel interaction paradigms and user workflows before scaling.

• Oversee the end-to-end design quality and execution of all AI-driven experiences integrated into Jira's various product surfaces, ensuring a cohesive and high-fidelity user experience.

• Contribute to and influence the broader Atlassian design organization's strategy and best practices for designing AI-native products.

• Coordinate effectively with AI platform teams, ecosystem design groups, and adjacent product teams to ensure a connected, coherent, and consistent user experience across Atlassian's product suite.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, team management, and hands-on design oversight, particularly in the nascent field of agentic AI. The "greenfield opportunity" mentioned implies a significant degree of ambiguity and the need for proactive problem-solving and innovative solutioning.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While formal education requirements are not specified, a strong portfolio and proven experience in AI-driven design leadership are paramount. A background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, Design, or a related field would be beneficial.

Experience: A minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant portion dedicated to leading design for complex, large-scale enterprise or developer-facing products.

Required Skills:

• Direct experience designing for agentic systems, AI platforms, or autonomous workflows, demonstrating a deep understanding of AI's role beyond simple assistance.

• Exceptional technical depth and fluency, enabling peer-level collaboration with engineering leaders on architecture, LLM behavior, and system design.

• Proven track record of defining and driving a compelling product vision, successfully delivering against it in ambiguous and evolving environments.

• Demonstrated experience in managing, mentoring, and growing design teams of 8 or more individuals, fostering talent development and high performance.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities to conceptualize and design complex, interconnected AI-driven experiences.

• Proficiency in leading end-to-end design processes, from concept and strategy to execution and iteration, for enterprise-grade products. Preferred Skills:

• Background in developer tools, project management software, or productivity platforms, providing domain expertise relevant to Jira.

• Experience in companies focused on building agent infrastructure, whether established players or agile startups.

• Familiarity with the enterprise project management landscape and the daily workflows of teams utilizing such tools.

• A proven ability to build and retain strong, diverse, and high-performing design teams.

• Experience working across organizational boundaries, leveraging influence and collaboration to achieve design objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "What Would Set You Apart" section strongly suggests that candidates with direct experience in developer tools or project management software will have a distinct advantage, as this aligns directly with Jira's core market and user base. The emphasis on "agent infrastructure" points towards a need for understanding the underlying technology of AI agents.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing direct experience in designing agentic AI systems or AI platforms, clearly demonstrating your role and impact.

• Case studies that illustrate your ability to define and execute a product vision for complex, large-scale, or enterprise-facing products.

• Examples of leading design for AI-native products, highlighting innovative interaction paradigms and trust frameworks.

• Demonstrations of your team leadership capabilities, including examples of managing, mentoring, and growing design teams.

• Documentation of your technical fluency and ability to collaborate with engineering on system design, LLM behavior, or architecture. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of driving experimentation (MVPs, prototypes, concept sprints) to validate new interaction models and user workflows.

• Examples of owning end-to-end design quality for shipped AI experiences, detailing the process from concept to delivery.

• Case studies that highlight your ability to build alignment across cross-functional teams (product, engineering, executive).

• Documentation of your approach to fostering an inclusive team culture and developing design talent.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates are expected to present a portfolio that not only demonstrates design craft but also strategic thinking, technical collaboration, and leadership in the emerging field of AI-driven product design. The emphasis is on impact and process, particularly concerning agentic AI and complex enterprise products.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on Atlassian's provided US pay zones and the "Senior" level designation, the estimated salary range for this role is:

• Zone A (e.g., Seattle, WA): USD $267,300 - $348,975 per year

• Zone B: USD $241,200 - $314,900 per year

• Zone C: USD $222,300 - $290,225 per year

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health and wellbeing resources.

• Paid volunteer days to support community engagement.

• Potential for bonuses, commissions, and equity, reflecting performance and company success.

• Access to a wide range of additional perks and benefits designed to support employees and their families.

Working Hours: While not explicitly stated, a standard full-time work schedule is implied. Given the "Remote OK" status and the emphasis on "balance," flexibility is likely. A typical 40-hour work week is expected, with potential for adjustments based on project needs and team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Atlassian's compensation structure is tiered by geographic pay zones. The provided ranges are for new hires, with actual compensation determined by candidate skills, expertise, and experience. The range for Seattle (Zone A) is the highest, reflecting the cost of living and market demand in that region. The inclusion of bonuses, commissions, and equity suggests a performance-oriented compensation model.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software / Collaboration Tools / Enterprise Software. Atlassian operates within the highly competitive enterprise software market, providing mission-critical tools that enable team productivity and collaboration across various industries.

Company Size: Large (likely 5,000+ employees, based on general knowledge of Atlassian). This size indicates a well-established organization with structured processes, ample resources, and opportunities for career advancement across different product lines.

Founded: 2002. Atlassian has a history of innovation and growth, evolving from a startup to a global leader in team collaboration software. This longevity suggests a culture that values stability, continuous improvement, and long-term vision.

Team Structure:

• The Jira AI design team is part of the broader Jira product organization, which is a core pillar of Atlassian's offerings.

• The role reports to a design leadership position within Jira or a related product area, with direct management responsibility for 8-12 designers.

• Close collaboration is expected with Product Management, Engineering (including AI/ML specialists), and potentially Research teams, forming a central cross-functional unit focused on AI transformation. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging user research, analytics, and experimentation to inform design strategy and product development.

• Agile development methodologies, emphasizing iterative progress, rapid feedback loops, and adaptability to evolving requirements.

• A strong focus on user-centric design, with an emphasis on understanding customer needs and delivering high-value solutions.

• Collaborative approach to problem-solving, encouraging open communication and knowledge sharing across teams.

Company Website: https://www.atlassian.com/company/careers

📝 Enhancement Note: Atlassian is known for its strong engineering culture and its commitment to enabling team productivity through its tools. The "work from anywhere" philosophy is a key aspect of their current culture, offering flexibility to employees. The company's focus on AI represents a significant strategic investment and a major opportunity for innovation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior leadership level within the design function, specifically focused on a critical, transformative area of Atlassian's flagship product. It requires not just design expertise but also strategic vision, people management, and cross-functional influence.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Design Manager will report to a Director or VP of Design within the Jira or broader product organization. They will directly manage a team of 8-12 designers and work closely with Product Management and Engineering leads.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is profound, as it directly shapes how millions of users interact with AI within Jira, a tool central to many organizations' workflows. Success here will influence Atlassian's competitive position in the AI-driven software market and redefine team collaboration for the future.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into Director-level roles within design, managing larger teams or broader product areas, or to lead design for other strategic initiatives within Atlassian.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI product design, agentic systems, and the future of human-AI collaboration, becoming a recognized thought leader within the company and the industry.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Opportunities to influence product strategy at a higher level, guiding the broader company's approach to AI integration and user experience.

• Mentorship: Develop skills in nurturing and advancing the careers of designers, contributing to the growth of Atlassian's design talent pool.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is designed for individuals looking to make a significant impact on a foundational product during a period of major technological shift. The growth trajectory is strongly geared towards leadership in AI product development and design strategy.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Atlassian operates a "Team Anywhere" policy, meaning employees can choose to work from home, in a designated Atlassian office, or a hybrid combination. This offers significant flexibility in defining one's workspace.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote-friendly, Atlassian has offices in key locations, including Seattle, WA. Employees can opt to work from a co-located office if desired, facilitating in-person collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Flexibility: Employees have the autonomy to create a work environment that best suits their productivity and personal needs, whether that's a dedicated home office or a co-working space.

• Technology & Tools: Access to Atlassian's suite of products (Jira, Confluence, Trello, etc.) and modern design and collaboration tools is standard. The team will likely utilize advanced AI/ML tools and platforms for design and development.

• Collaboration: While remote work is embraced, the culture supports strong collaboration through digital tools and, where feasible, in-person interactions. This role will foster a connected team environment regardless of physical location.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, likely adhering to standard business hours relevant to the primary team and stakeholders (e.g., Pacific Time for Seattle). However, the "Team Anywhere" policy implies a degree of flexibility in scheduling, focusing on outcomes and effective collaboration rather than strict time tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Team Anywhere" model is a significant differentiator, offering unparalleled flexibility. Candidates should be comfortable with remote collaboration and demonstrate strong self-management skills. The Seattle location, while not mandatory for remote workers, indicates a significant presence and potential for in-person collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will conduct a preliminary call to assess overall fit, experience, and alignment with the role's core requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager to delve deeper into your experience with agentic AI, leadership capabilities, and strategic thinking.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, focusing on relevant case studies that demonstrate your design vision, leadership, and experience with complex AI products. Be prepared to discuss your process, decision-making, and impact.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Management and Engineering to assess your ability to collaborate, influence, and integrate design into technical development cycles.

• Team Interviews: Potentially meet with members of the design team to evaluate cultural fit and team dynamics.

• Executive/Senior Leadership Interview: A final discussion with senior leadership to assess strategic alignment and potential impact on the broader organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Agentic AI: Showcase projects where you designed for autonomous agents or AI platforms, not just AI-assisted features. Clearly articulate the "agentic" nature of the system.

• Strategic Vision: Highlight how you defined and drove a product vision, especially in ambiguous or evolving environments. Use case studies to demonstrate foresight and long-term thinking.

• Leadership & Influence: Provide examples of managing design teams, mentoring designers, and influencing cross-functional partners (Product, Engineering). Quantify team growth or impact where possible.

• Technical Fluency: Be ready to discuss your collaboration with engineers, your understanding of LLM behavior, system architecture, and technical constraints. Use examples where your technical understanding informed design decisions.

• Process & Impact: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your process, the design solutions, and the measurable impact (e.g., user adoption, efficiency gains, stakeholder satisfaction).

• Conciseness & Clarity: Given the complexity of AI, ensure your presentations are clear, concise, and focused on the most relevant aspects of your experience.

Challenge Preparation:

• AI Interaction Design: Be prepared for discussions or exercises around designing interactions for AI agents, including trust, transparency, negotiation, and error handling.

• Strategic Product Thinking: Anticipate questions about how you would approach the multi-year transformation of Jira with AI, your prioritization methods, and how you would measure success.

• Team Management Scenarios: Consider how you would handle common team management challenges, talent development, and fostering an inclusive culture within a remote or hybrid environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess strategic leadership, deep AI design expertise, and collaborative capabilities. A strong emphasis will be placed on the candidate's ability to articulate their vision and demonstrate tangible impact through their portfolio.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, given industry standards and Atlassian's ecosystem), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• Collaboration & Documentation: Confluence, Jira, Miro, Slack.

• AI/ML Platforms: Familiarity with the underlying technologies powering agentic AI, such as LLM frameworks (e.g., OpenAI API, Google AI Platform, Azure AI services), vector databases, and agent orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, AutoGen) would be advantageous.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or internal Atlassian analytics platforms to track user behavior and feature adoption.

• Reporting Dashboards: Tableau, Power BI, or custom internal dashboards for visualizing key metrics and performance indicators.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly managed by design, understanding CRM principles (e.g., Salesforce) is useful for enterprise context.

• Workflow Automation: Familiarity with workflow automation concepts and tools as they relate to how AI agents will integrate into existing processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is primarily design leadership, a strong understanding of the tools and technologies that enable AI development and deployment is crucial for effective collaboration with engineering and product teams. Proficiency in Atlassian's own suite of tools is a given.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Unleash the Potential of Every Team: This is Atlassian's core mission, and design leadership in AI must directly contribute to this by making teams more effective and collaborative.

• Build with Heart and Balance: Encourages empathy in design, a focus on user well-being, and sustainable work practices.

• High Craft Standards: A commitment to excellence in design execution, user experience, and attention to detail, especially critical for AI interactions where trust and reliability are paramount.

• Data-Driven & Customer-Focused: Decisions are informed by user insights and data, ensuring that design solutions address real customer needs and drive measurable impact.

• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and teams work together effectively to achieve common goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Synergy: Emphasis on seamless partnership between Design, Product Management, and Engineering, with shared ownership of product outcomes.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encourages constructive feedback loops at all levels to drive continuous improvement in design and product development.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, learnings, and insights, particularly within the rapidly evolving field of AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: Atlassian's culture emphasizes practical innovation, teamwork, and a genuine desire to help teams succeed. The design team will be expected to embody these values while navigating the complexities of AI integration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining Novel Interaction Paradigms: Establishing new ways for humans and AI agents to collaborate effectively in a complex enterprise context like Jira, where trust and reliability are paramount.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Shaping a multi-year vision and strategy for AI within a product undergoing significant transformation, requiring comfort with uncertainty and iterative development.

• Technical Constraints: Balancing ambitious design goals with the realities of LLM capabilities, agent architectures, and platform limitations.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Gaining and maintaining buy-in from diverse stakeholders (product, engineering, executives) for a forward-looking AI strategy.

• Scaling AI Experiences: Ensuring that innovative AI interactions can be reliably scaled across a vast user base and diverse product surfaces.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI & Agentic Systems Expertise: Deepen knowledge of cutting-edge AI technologies, LLM applications, and the principles of designing for autonomous agents.

• Leadership Development: Enhance skills in managing, mentoring, and strategically leading design teams, particularly in a specialized and rapidly evolving domain.

• Industry Exposure: Opportunities to engage with industry leaders, research papers, and conferences focused on AI and future of work technologies.

• Strategic Influence: Develop greater influence on product strategy and company direction by shaping the AI roadmap for a flagship product.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges in a cutting-edge field, offering substantial opportunities for professional growth and impact. Overcoming these challenges will require strong leadership, technical acumen, and a passion for innovation.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you define the design vision for Jira's agentic AI transformation over the next 3-5 years, considering both user needs and technical feasibility?" (Preparation: Map out potential AI roles in Jira, consider trust models, and outline a phased approach.)

• "Describe a time you had to align a cross-functional organization (Product, Engineering, Leadership) around a complex, forward-looking design strategy. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Preparation: Use the STAR method, focusing on influence, communication, and consensus-building.)

• "How do you approach designing for trust and transparency when AI agents are making decisions or taking actions on behalf of users?" (Preparation: Discuss principles of explainable AI, user control, and error handling in agentic systems.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Atlassian's 'Team Anywhere' policy, and how would you foster a high-performing, cohesive design team within that framework?" (Preparation: Research Atlassian's culture, values, and remote work practices.)

• "How do you see AI agents integrating with existing Jira workflows, and what are the biggest design risks you foresee?" (Preparation: Think about common Jira use cases and potential AI disruptions, focusing on user experience and process optimization.)

• "How do you measure the success of AI-driven design initiatives, especially when dealing with novel interaction patterns?" (Preparation: Discuss key metrics beyond traditional UX, such as agent effectiveness, user adoption of AI features, and overall team productivity gains.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Prioritize AI-Native Projects: Lead with case studies that most directly showcase your experience with agentic AI, AI platforms, or autonomous systems.

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your strategic approach, the specific design challenges related to AI, your solutions, and the quantifiable outcomes (e.g., improved efficiency, user adoption, stakeholder satisfaction).

• Demonstrate Leadership: Weave in examples of your team management, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration throughout your presentation.

• Technical Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss your partnership with engineering, your understanding of LLMs, and how technical constraints influenced your design decisions.

• Visionary Thinking: Conclude by articulating your vision for the future of AI in Jira, drawing on your experience and insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic leadership, deep understanding of agentic AI, strong collaborative skills, and the ability to articulate a compelling vision for the future of Jira. The portfolio is a critical tool for showcasing these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Design Manager, Jira AI position:

• Submit your application through the Atlassian Careers portal via the provided URL.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your most relevant work in agentic AI, AI platforms, and complex enterprise product design. For each project, clearly articulate your role, the strategic challenges, your process, the AI-specific design considerations, and the measurable impact.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your experience in design leadership, team management (specifically 8+ designers), AI product design, system thinking, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design vision for Jira AI, preparing specific examples of how you've led teams, influenced stakeholders, and navigated technical complexities in AI projects. Rehearse your portfolio presentation to be concise and impactful.

• Company Research: Deeply understand Atlassian's mission, values, "Team Anywhere" policy, and their strategic vision for AI. Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate your engagement and strategic thinking about their products and culture.

⚠️ 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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