Design Thinking Internship - UX/UI Designer

About Barilla

At Barilla, we believe that every great journey begins with passion and a bold vision. From our humble beginnings in 1877 in a small shop in Parma, Italy, we’ve blossomed into a global leader in the food industry, guided by our commitment to progress and excellence.

Today, Barilla is an international group present in more than 100 countries and we are proud to be recognized as the world’s top food company by reputation. With 22 beloved brands in our portfolio, we are world leader for pasta, the number one choice for ready-made sauces in Europe, leader for bakery products in Italy, and for crispbread across Scandinavia with Wasa.

Our success story is written by a passionate team of almost 9,000 dedicated employees across 30 plants and offices worldwide, all united by a shared mission to nourish the future with purpose and passion.

Are you ready to add your unique flavor to our journey?

Job purpose

The Design Thinking unit, within the Global Discovery Center, drives design-led transformation across Barilla by leveraging human-centered methodologies and design expertise to enable innovation in experience design and digital transformation.

The team supports cross-functional projects by fostering a deep understanding of people’s needs (employees, partners, and stakeholders) and translating insights into actionable solutions, services, and experiences, both digital and non-digital.

The internship aims to support the design and development of a digital Open Innovation platform, to be integrated within Barilla’s corporate website and internal digital ecosystem.

The platform will serve as a central hub to showcase Barilla’s open innovation initiatives, collaborations, and projects, while enabling both internal stakeholders and external audiences to engage with the company’s innovation ecosystem.

The intern will contribute to the end-to-end design of the user experience and interface, ensuring a people-centric, intuitive, and engaging digital journey. The role will also involve close interaction with internal teams from different functions as well as potential exposure to external partners.

Main activities

Conduct user research and benchmark analysis to understand needs of internal key stakeholders and external audiences

Map user journeys and define key experience principles for the platform

Develop wireframes, prototypes, and UI solutions aligned with Barilla’s digital guidelines

Contribute to content structuring and storytelling to effectively showcase innovation projects and collaborations

Support testing and validation activities with target users to improve usability and engagement

Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Innovation teams, IT, Communication) to ensure feasibility and coherence.

Support the design of the Open Innovation digital platform from concept to implementation with external agency.

Requirements

Master’s degree (or final year) in Design (Interaction Design, Service Design, Digital Design, UX/UI) or related fields

Fluent Engish and Italian

Familiarity with user research methods, Design Thinking approach and prototyping techniques

Strong knowledge of UX/UI design principles and tools (e.g. Figma, Adobe XD or similar)

Basic understanding of digital platforms, web architecture, and content structuring

Familiarity with AI-based creative tools

Problem solving mindset, curiosity towards innovation

Ability to work in cross-functional and international environments

Proactive attitude, willingness to learn and good communication skills

Additional information

Duration: 6-months internship

Location: Parma HQ

Start date: September 2026

At Barilla, we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace where diversity in all its forms is valued and embraced. Our employment policies and practices are designed to ensure equal employment opportunities for all, regardless of age, race, color, citizenship, faith, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or characteristics of expression, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information, medical condition, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. Our commitment to equal employment stems from our unwavering belief that it is not only the right thing to do, but it is also a fundamental driver of innovation and business success.