Lead/Principal Product Designer, Design Systems

As our Lead or Principal Product Designer focused on Design Systems, you'll own the strategy, execution, and evolution of our design system end to end. We're looking for someone who sees a design system as far more than a UI kit. To us, a true design system is a living product: it encompasses UI components and usage rules, a developer-facing storefront, parity between design and code, governance and operations, and training and adoption programs that help designers and developers actually use it well. That's the bar we're building toward, and we need someone who's built at that level before.

This is also a role for someone who has navigated the real complexity of multi-product design systems — bringing together several products, teams, and processes into a unified system while those products are still live, actively used, and being sold.

Alongside design systems ownership, you'll contribute hands-on product design work across our portfolio. The balance will lean heavily toward systems, but delivery work is part of the role — you'll be embedded in the product, not siloed from it.Title will be determined by experience.

• Lead design system strategy across the product portfolio — treating it as a product with its own roadmap, users (designers and developers), and success metrics
• Build and evolve all layers of the system: UI components and usage rules, a developer-facing storefront, design-to-code parity, and the processes that keep them in sync
• Establish governance and operations: contribution models, documentation standards, adoption processes, and a sustainable workflow between design and front-end engineering
• Drive training and adoption — get designers and developers across teams using the system well, and build the culture that sustains it
• Lead design system audits and define strategies for unifying or sunsetting redundant patterns across products
• Partner closely with front-end engineering to close and maintain parity between Figma, Storybook, and production

• Drive design system consolidation across multiple live products — navigating the complexity of unifying while products are still in active use and development
• Bring together designers, developers, and product owners across teams around shared standards and ways of working
• Define patterns that scale across diverse user types — employees, managers, HR admins, executives — and across product contexts
• Identify and resolve systemic inconsistencies across the portfolio, advocating compellingly for the investment needed to address them

• Own design for assigned product areas from research through execution, contributing hands-on craft alongside systems work
• Design comprehensive user flows, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes with exceptional attention to detail
• Connect design decisions to product and business goals — demonstrating design's strategic value through the quality and clarity of your work
• Handle complex, ambiguous projects with minimal oversight
• Consider all constraints including accessibility, responsive design, edge cases, and localization

• Mentor designers at all levels on design systems thinking, craft, and how to contribute to and get value from the system
• Coach others on navigating ambiguity, managing change, and maintaining momentum during uncertain or difficult periods
• Model growth mindset and resilience — be a stabilizing presence when things are hard and a motivating one when things are going well
• Contribute to establishing team processes and standards that mature our practice

• Present work with polish and confidence to stakeholders at all levels
• Build rapport with cross-functional partners in product, engineering, and business
• Advocate for design systems investment using data, clear rationale, and storytelling
• Champion design's strategic value in business and product discussions

Both levels own the same design systems scope — this role leads design systems strategy and execution regardless of title. The differentiator is the depth of strategic influence and org-level leadership:

About Energage: 

Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 19 years of culture research and the results from 23 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com. 

Energage is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Energage encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including those of any race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.