Staff Experience Designer - International Expansion

About Airbnb and the Team

Founded in 2007, Airbnb has grown from two hosts welcoming three guests to over 5 million hosts serving more than 2 billion guest arrivals worldwide. The platform fosters authentic connection between guests and local communities through unique stays and experiences.

Role Overview

Join as a Staff Experience Designer focused on international growth initiatives, collaborating across countries with managers, researchers, engineers, data scientists, and product experts to create elegant, accessible, and inclusive user experiences for hosts and guests alike.

Key Contributions

In this position, you will significantly influence how Airbnb adapts globally and regionally, ensuring products resonate locally while contributing insights to global strategy. Operating at the crossroads of product design and international strategy, you will oversee UI enhancements and strategic design projects, spearheading AI-influenced workflows and providing design leadership within a complex, impactful global landscape. Reporting to a Manager or Director of Experience Design, this is an individual contributor role.

Typical Responsibilities

• Lead design strategy, vision, and execution for international projects, elevating user experience standards.
• Guide Airbnb's platform development through international perspectives to maintain brand and product consistency.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product, Engineering, Data Science, Research, and Localization to define problems, develop user flows, prototype, and launch new offerings.
• Present compelling design narratives to influence executive leadership and assist teams in navigating ambiguity.
• Manage project scoping, design workflows, resource allocation, and timelines with cross-disciplinary partners.
• Mentor fellow designers through critiques, advocate design thinking and best practices across multiple functions.

Required Qualifications and Expertise

• Minimum 10 years’ experience as a designer or design leader with independent design direction capability.
• Skilled in strategic leadership, guiding teams through ambiguity, and shaping design strategy globally.
• Systems thinker with capability to create integrated online and offline user experiences beyond digital interfaces.
• Exemplary craftsmanship in visual and interaction design.
• Strong analytical skills and empathetic approach, adept at translating user insights into actionable designs.
• Excellent storytelling, presentation, and communication abilities combined with stakeholder management expertise.
• Proven experience in full product development lifecycle or leading major redesigns with mature design systems.
• Well-versed in balancing technological potential, business goals, and user demands alongside practical constraints.