Director, Creative Engineering & Design Systems

twentysix; Calgary; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Maternity and parental leave extraDays

Competitive benefits packages

Vacation, compassionate leave, sick &/

Flex days

Online services for families

Diversity and Inclusion Board

Internal learning and development

Employee discounts

Job summary

Critical Mass is seeking a Creative Engineering Director to own the discipline across accounts, defining the vision for design systems and ensuring teams push craft, speed, and innovation. You will mentor leads and engineers, champion AI adoption as a tool not a novelty, and manage relationships with clients to translate complex work into clear narratives.

Your role includes setting standards, leading the innovation agenda, and developing a leadership pipeline to scale talent while balancing

Qualifications

• 10+ years in creative technology, front-end development, or related field with team leadership experience.
• Proven ability to mentor managers and engineers.
• Deep expertise in design systems architecture across web, email, social, and in-platform formats.
• Experience applying AI to solve client challenges and improve workflows.
• Strong narrative and presentation skills for both engineers and C-suite audiences.
• Experience representing a function in new business and client relationships.
• Track record of building and scaling teams, processes, and standards across accounts.

Responsibilities

• Define vision for scalable design systems spanning multiple formats.
• Set strategy for Dynamic Creative Optimization and content across accounts.
• Identify AI opportunities and champion tool/platform adoption.
• Champion compliance, accessibility, and security standards.
• Represent Creative Engineering with clients and in new business pitches.
• Build trusted client relationships and articulate technically possible options.
• Lead and mentor leaders and engineers, developing a leadership pipeline.

Skills

Design systems architecture

Leadership

Presentations & storytelling

Client relationship management

AI adoption & tooling

Cross-functional collaboration

Scaling teams & processes

Job description

Critical Mass is seeking a Creative Engineering Director to own the discipline across accounts, defining the vision for design systems and ensuring teams push craft, speed, and innovation. You will mentor leads and engineers, champion AI adoption as a tool not a novelty, and manage relationships with clients to translate complex work into clear narratives.

Your role includes setting standards, leading the innovation agenda, and developing a leadership pipeline to scale talent while balancing