Senior UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer

Company: Generac Power Systems (ecobee)

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-09-11

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days onsite in Toronto office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design strategy and execution for ecobee's energy technology platform, focusing on intelligent energy devices, systems, and user interactions.

• Drive the development and adoption of design systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to accessibility standards across product teams.

• Design sophisticated AI product experiences, including generative interfaces and adaptive surfaces, prioritizing trustworthiness, legibility, and user-centricity.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Research teams to influence roadmaps and translate complex problems into intuitive user solutions.

• Own the end-to-end design process, from user research and rapid prototyping to high-fidelity visual and interaction design for iOS and Android platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role sits at the intersection of established smart home technology and cutting-edge AI, requiring a designer who can bridge complex systems with user empathy. The focus on design systems and AI product experiences indicates a strategic need for scalable, consistent, and forward-thinking design solutions within Generac's energy technology division.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and refine user experiences for mobile applications (iOS and Android), ensuring native conventions, patterns, and user expectations are met with high fidelity.

• Partner with Product Managers and Engineers to influence product roadmaps, translate ambiguous requirements into clear design direction, and champion user-centered design principles.

• Conduct and leverage user research, usability testing, and rapid prototyping to validate design hypotheses early and iterate efficiently on core product features.

• Ensure a coherent and unified product experience by connecting information and user flows across various product surfaces and internal teams.

• Develop and champion the design of AI product experiences, focusing on generative interfaces, agentic workflows, and adaptive surfaces that are trustworthy and human-centered.

• Contribute significantly to the design system by creating and extending reusable patterns, enhancing visual consistency, and building shared libraries that scale effectively across multiple product teams.

• Champion inclusive design principles and embed accessibility standards into the foundation of the design system, ensuring all designers inherit best practices by default.

• Actively participate in design critiques, sharing work proactively and providing thoughtful, constructive feedback to peers to elevate the overall design quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "connecting information across product surfaces and teams" and "raising the bar for visual consistency" suggests a need for a Senior UX Designer who can act as a design systems evangelist and facilitator, driving adoption and upholding standards across a growing product portfolio. The inclusion of AI product design responsibilities highlights a forward-looking approach to user experience in the energy technology sector.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior UX Designer role. A strong portfolio can often substitute for formal education.

Experience: 5+ years of professional product design experience, with a proven track record of shipping high-quality products at scale.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Expertise: 5+ years of experience in end-to-end product design, including user research, interaction design, and visual design.

• Portfolio: A strong portfolio demonstrating extensive experience with visual design, interaction craft, and successfully shipped products at scale.

• AI Product Design: Experience designing for AI-powered products or a well-defined perspective on responsible and thoughtful AI integration.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to conceptualize and design complex systems, understanding the interconnectedness of user flows, patterns, mental models, and business logic.

• Visual Design Acumen: High aptitude for visual design, with a distinctive design voice and the ability to produce polished, pixel-precise work.

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders, utilizing storytelling techniques.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in Figma, including expertise in component architecture, auto-layout, variables, and prototyping complex interactions.

• Mobile Design Fluency: Confident design capabilities for both iOS and Android platforms, with a deep understanding of each platform's native conventions and patterns.

Preferred Skills:

• UX Research Background: Experience conducting user research, running discovery sprints, and synthesizing qualitative insights.

• AI Coding Tools: Familiarity with AI coding tools like Claude Code for rapid prototyping and improved communication with engineering teams.

• Startup/Growth Environment Experience: Prior experience working in a fast-growing startup or a design-led, product-driven organization.

• Motion Design: Experience with motion design principles and creating purposeful animations that enhance user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5+ years of experience and a portfolio demonstrating shipped products at scale, coupled with advanced Figma skills, suggests that candidates will be expected to be highly autonomous and capable of contributing immediately to complex projects. The emphasis on AI product design and systems thinking indicates a need for strategic thinkers who can shape future product direction.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Shipped Products at Scale: Showcase at least 2-3 significant projects demonstrating your end-to-end design process, from initial concept to successful product launch, highlighting the scale of impact.

• Visual Design & Interaction Craft: Provide examples that clearly illustrate your high visual design aptitude and sophisticated interaction design skills, showcasing pixel-perfect execution and intuitive user flows.

• Systems Thinking Examples: Include case studies that demonstrate your ability to think systemically, illustrating how you've connected disparate features, managed complex flows, or contributed to a unified user experience.

• AI Product Design Case Study: Present a project or concept that specifically addresses the design challenges of AI-powered products, generative interfaces, or adaptive surfaces, detailing your approach to trust, legibility, and user control.

• Design System Contributions: Detail your involvement in building or extending design systems, including examples of components, patterns, and the impact of your contributions on design consistency and efficiency across teams.

Process Documentation:

• User Research & Validation: Document your process for conducting user research, usability testing, and rapid prototyping, emphasizing how insights informed design decisions and iteration cycles.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate your collaborative process with Product Managers, Engineers, and Researchers, highlighting how you influenced roadmaps, translated requirements, and ensured alignment.

• Design System Development: Detail your methodology for contributing to design systems, including pattern creation, documentation standards, and strategies for driving adoption and maintaining consistency.

• Accessibility Integration: Showcase how you embed accessibility standards into your design process and design system foundations, ensuring inclusive design practices are a core part of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. Candidates should focus on demonstrating not just individual design skills but also their ability to think strategically about systems, contribute to scalable design infrastructure (design systems), and navigate the complexities of emerging technologies like AI. Quantifiable results and clear articulation of the design process are critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The estimated salary range for this position in Toronto, ON is $130,000 - $160,000 CAD annually. This range is determined by factors including relevant work experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Includes Medical, Dental, and Vision plans.

• Insurance: Life insurance and Long-term Disability coverage.

• Financial Wellness Accounts: Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA).

• Time Off: Accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays (10 days for Ontario).

• Retirement Savings: RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) retirement benefits.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. This is a full-time position.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is based on the company's stated range for this role in Toronto. The benefits package is extensive, covering health, wellness, financial planning, and retirement, which are strong indicators of a company investing in employee well-being and long-term commitment. The hybrid nature of the role (2 days onsite) is also a key factor in the overall compensation and work-life balance consideration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Smart Home Devices, Energy Management, IoT (Internet of Things), Renewable Energy. As a subsidiary of Generac Power Systems, there's a strong emphasis on sustainable and cleaner energy solutions.

Company Size: ecobee is a growing global tech company, and Generac is a larger, established player in the energy sector. Together, they represent a significant force in the connected home and sustainable energy markets. The exact combined size implies a robust organizational structure with ample resources.

Founded: ecobee was founded in 2007, and Generac in 1958. Their combined legacy brings both innovation and stability.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is composed of system thinkers with deep customer empathy, working across various user segments (homeowners, dealers, installers).

• This Senior UX Designer will be part of an "energy technology platform team," indicating a focus on integrated systems and infrastructure.

• The role involves close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and Research, suggesting a highly cross-functional and agile team environment.

• The design team actively participates in critiques, fostering a culture of shared learning and continuous improvement. Methodology:

• User-Centric Design: A strong emphasis on understanding and empathizing with customers to drive product decisions.

• Iterative Development: Utilization of user research, usability testing, and rapid prototyping to validate ideas and iterate quickly.

• Design Systems: A commitment to building and maintaining scalable design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency across product teams.

• AI Integration: Forward-thinking approach to integrating AI capabilities into product experiences in a responsible and user-friendly manner.

Company Website: https://www.generac.com/ and https://www.ecobee.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The acquisition of ecobee by Generac signifies a strategic move towards integrating smart home technology with broader energy solutions. This implies a company culture that values both innovation (ecobee's roots) and robust, reliable engineering (Generac's heritage), with a growing emphasis on sustainability and the future of energy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level Product Designer role, indicating a significant level of autonomy, responsibility, and influence. The designer is expected to lead complex design initiatives, mentor junior designers, and contribute strategically to product direction and design system evolution.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Manager, or Director within the Product Design organization. They will work within cross-functional product teams, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the user experience of ecobee's energy technology platform, influencing customer adoption, satisfaction, and retention. By designing coherent, purposeful, and beautifully simple interactions, especially with AI integration, the designer will shape how users interact with and benefit from ecobee and Generac's combined energy solutions. This directly contributes to the company's mission of improving everyday life and making a positive environmental impact.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead Designer or Design Manager role, overseeing teams and strategic design initiatives.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI product design, design systems, or specific areas of energy technology.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunity to move into Product Management or other strategic roles within the product organization.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design team.

• Industry Influence: Contribute to shaping the future of smart home and energy technology design through impactful product work and design system contributions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior level suggests a path toward leadership or deep specialization. The candidate's ability to influence product roadmaps and shape design systems indicates potential for significant impact and career advancement within the combined Generac/ecobee organization, particularly in the rapidly evolving energy technology sector.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a hybrid position, requiring presence in the Toronto office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The office environment is likely designed to foster collaboration and innovation, supporting the hybrid work model.

Office Location(s): The primary office location for this role is downtown Toronto, Canada. This location offers access to a vibrant tech ecosystem and talent pool.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office is expected to have spaces conducive to team meetings, design critiques, and cross-functional collaboration, especially important for the designated hybrid days.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma), research platforms, and potentially internal development environments will be provided to support design workflows.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for in-person interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and fellow designers on hybrid days, facilitating communication and team cohesion.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with an estimated 40 hours per week. The hybrid model allows for flexibility on non-office days, while requiring specific in-office presence on Wednesdays and Thursdays to facilitate in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with two mandatory in-office days per week indicates a company culture that values both flexibility and in-person collaboration. This structure is designed to ensure team cohesion and spontaneous idea exchange while allowing for focused work from home.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the role's core requirements, particularly experience with product design, AI, and design systems.

• Portfolio Presentation & Deep Dive: A session where you will present your portfolio, discussing key projects, your design process, problem-solving approach, and contributions to shipped products. Expect in-depth questions about your systems thinking and AI design rationale.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Management, Engineering, and Research peers to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to translate complex technical requirements into user-friendly designs.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be given a design problem to solve or asked to critique an existing experience, focusing on your approach to problem definition, ideation, and solution articulation, potentially involving AI or design system considerations.

• Final Interview: Discussions with senior leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall alignment with the company's vision and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your skills in product design, systems thinking, AI product design, and design system contributions. Tailor your selection to highlight relevant experience.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process (research, ideation, iteration, testing), key decisions made, and the impact/outcomes. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Systems & AI: Dedicate specific sections or projects to demonstrating your systems-level thinking and your approach to designing AI-powered experiences. Explain your rationale for specific AI design choices.

• Showcase Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your advanced Figma skills, including component architecture, auto-layout, variables, and complex prototyping. If possible, provide examples.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics and data to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction scores, adoption rates of design system components).

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with smart home technology, energy management systems, and current trends in AI product design.

• Practice Problem Framing: Be ready to deconstruct ambiguous problems, ask clarifying questions, and define the core user needs and business objectives.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss design decisions, including the trade-offs considered, especially when balancing user needs, technical constraints, and business goals.

• Design System Thinking: Practice applying design system principles to solve a given problem, considering scalability and consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely to be rigorous, with a strong emphasis on portfolio quality and the candidate's ability to articulate their design process, strategic thinking, and specific experience with advanced concepts like AI and design systems. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just design execution but also their capacity for leadership and strategic influence.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, component architecture, auto-layout, and variables. Expected advanced proficiency.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities, potentially supplemented by tools like Principle or After Effects for more complex animations.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback).

• Collaboration Tools: Jira, Confluence, Slack for team communication and project management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior, feature adoption, and conversion funnels.

• Data Visualization: Potentially experience with tools like Tableau or Power BI for analyzing and presenting user data insights.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct responsibility for UX Design, understanding how CRM systems (like Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms influence user journeys can be beneficial for context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable and expected at an advanced level. Experience with user research and analytics tools is crucial for data-informed design. Familiarity with AI coding tools like Claude Code is a plus, indicating a willingness to engage with emerging technologies in the design workflow.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Empathy: A deep understanding and focus on the needs and experiences of homeowners, dealers, and installers.

• Innovation & Purpose: Driving technological advancements in energy efficiency and home automation that make a meaningful difference to the environment and everyday life.

• Collaboration & Inclusivity: Working together across teams, valuing diverse perspectives, and championing inclusive design practices.

• Excellence & Craft: A commitment to high-quality design, attention to detail, and continuous improvement in both product and process.

• Sustainability: A core value, reflected in the products and the company's mission.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Active collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Research to ensure aligned product development and cohesive user experiences.

• Design Critiques: A culture of open feedback and shared learning, where designers present work early and often to gather constructive input.

• Systemic Approach: Encouraging designers to think beyond individual screens and consider the broader ecosystem of products and user journeys.

• Data-Informed Decisions: Utilizing research and analytics to guide design choices and measure impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture appears to blend the innovative, fast-paced spirit of a tech startup (ecobee) with the reliability and mission-driven focus of a larger, established company (Generac). The emphasis on empathy, sustainability, and collaborative design suggests a positive and impactful work environment for designers.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Complex Systems: Integrating intelligent energy devices, systems, and user interactions into a coherent and intuitive experience.

• Balancing Innovation with Usability: Designing cutting-edge AI features that are trustworthy, legible, and easy for users to adopt.

• Driving Design System Adoption: Championing and extending design system patterns across multiple product teams to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• Hybrid Work Model: Effectively collaborating and maintaining team cohesion in a hybrid work environment with designated in-office days.

• Evolving Technology Landscape: Staying ahead of rapid advancements in AI, IoT, and energy technology to inform future design strategies.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing generative interfaces, agentic workflows, and adaptive AI experiences.

• Design Systems Leadership: Grow into a lead role for design systems, influencing strategy and best practices across the organization.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain deeper insights into energy technology, hardware integration, and Generac's broader product ecosystem.

• Mentorship and Coaching: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and develop leadership skills.

• Industry Conferences & Workshops: Potential for attending relevant design and technology conferences to stay current with industry trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents significant opportunities for growth in specialized areas like AI design and design systems, while also offering a chance to contribute to a company with a strong sustainability mission. The challenges are rooted in complexity and innovation, which can be highly rewarding for ambitious designers.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex, interconnected system of products. What was your approach to ensuring coherence and usability?" (Focus on systems thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and user flow mapping.)

• "How do you approach designing AI-powered product experiences? What are the key considerations for trust, legibility, and user control?" (Be ready to discuss specific AI design principles and potential case studies.)

• "Walk us through your process for contributing to or leading a design system. How do you ensure adoption and maintain consistency across teams?" (Highlight your Figma proficiency, pattern creation, and evangelism skills.)

• "Tell us about a project where you had to significantly influence a product roadmap with design thinking. What was the situation, your strategy, and the outcome?" (Demonstrate your ability to impact strategic decisions.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about ecobee and Generac's mission, particularly in the energy technology space?" (Research the companies' sustainability initiatives and recent product developments.)

• "How do you see your role contributing to a hybrid work environment, and what are your expectations for collaboration?" (Emphasize your proactive communication and collaboration strategies.)

• "How do you ensure accessibility and inclusive design are integrated into your work, especially within a design system?" (Showcase your commitment to ethical and equitable design.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your specific role and responsibilities, your design process (including research, ideation, iteration, and testing), key decisions and rationale, and the measurable impact of your work.

• Showcase Systems & AI: Dedicate time to explicitly discuss your systems-thinking approach and your experience designing AI-driven features. Use visual aids to illustrate complex flows or AI interactions.

• Highlight Figma Mastery: Be prepared to discuss your advanced Figma techniques, such as component architecture, auto-layout, variables, and complex prototyping. If possible, offer a brief live demo or screenshots of your Figma file structure.

• Quantify Results: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. This could include user satisfaction scores, adoption rates, conversion improvements, or efficiency gains.

• Be Ready for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs considered, how you handled feedback, and your collaboration style.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your portfolio and your ability to articulate complex design thinking, especially concerning systems and AI. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate strategic thought leadership and a deep understanding of the product development lifecycle.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Generac Workday jobs portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects demonstrating your expertise in product design, AI product design, and design systems. Ensure case studies clearly articulate your process, problem-solving approach, and quantifiable impact.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords from the job description, such as "Product Design," "UX Design," "Figma," "AI Product Design," "Design Systems," "Systems Thinking," and "Interaction Design." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on clear storytelling, articulating design rationale, and demonstrating your Figma proficiency. Prepare for questions on systems thinking, AI design, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Generac and ecobee, understanding their mission, product portfolio, and recent developments, particularly in energy technology and AI. Be prepared to discuss how your skills align with their strategic goals.

⚠️ 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.