Design System Lead

Interactive Investor; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment platform in the UK is seeking a Design System Owner who will lead the creation, evolution, and maintenance of the Design System. This role involves collaborating with UX designers and engineers, managing rollout across products, and conducting user research for continuous improvement. Ideal candidates will have extensive UI design experience, expert proficiency in Figma, and the ability to mentor teams. Strong attention to detail and communication skills are essential. The company offers competitive benefits and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Group Personal Pension Plan

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

25 Days Annual Leave

Staff Discounts

Personal & Well-being Fund

Retail Discounts

Voluntary Flexible Benefits

Qualifications

• Strong portfolio demonstrating Design System leadership.
• Expert-level proficiency in Figma.
• Experience leading and coaching designers.

Responsibilities

• Own creation and maintenance of the Design System.
• Collaborate with UX Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers.
• Manage rollout of the Design System across teams.
• Conduct user testing on components and patterns.
• Prepare documentation for Design System meetings.

Skills

UI design expertise

Proficiency in Figma

Attention to detail

Solid understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Agile development experience

Mentoring skills

Facilitation skills

Education

Extensive experience in interaction or UI design

Tools

Figma

Job description

Design System Ownership & Governance

• Own the creation, evolution, and maintenance of ii's Design System.
• Define and document comprehensive design guidelines, principles, Components, and Patterns.
• Ensure alignment with brand, accessibility, usability, and technical standards.
• Establish governance processes to maintain quality and consistency over time.

Collaboration & Integration

• Work closely with UX Designers, Product Managers and Engineers to embed the design system across all products.
• Partner with Engineering to ensure smooth alignment between Figma, Storybook, and live implementations.
• Conduct audits of existing products to identify inconsistencies and opportunities for improvement.
• Work with the DAS squad to build a prioritised backlog of Design System improvements and future assets.

Adoption, Rollout & Evangelism

• Manage the rollout of the Design System (V2 and beyond) across design teams and products.
• Ensure all micro-apps are positioned to use the latest library, reducing fragmentation and outdated implementations.
• Advocate for the Design System and user-centred design practices beyond UX, including Engineering, Product, and the wider business.
• Effectively use storytelling and communication to clearly articulate and demonstrate the value of the Design System.

User Research, Testing & Data-Informed Design

• Conduct continuous user testing on components and patterns.
• Build pages and flows using new assets to validate how components work together in real contexts.
• Run deeper sessions with Design System users to uncover pain points and usage challenges.
• Base UI changes on data and user insight, clearly evidencing why changes are made.
• Use research and testing outcomes to justify decisions when challenged by stakeholders.

Documentation, Enablement & Upskilling

• Work with DesignOps lead to help create and maintain clear, usable documentation to ensure assets are used correctly and consistently.
• Prepare materials and updates for weekly Design System meetings.
• Upskill Designers and teams to reduce Design System-related issues and increase confidence in usage.
• Find ways to keep teams engaged with the Design System, even when they don't have direct access.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in interaction or UI design, with a strong portfolio demonstrating Design System leadership.
• Proven, expert-level proficiency in Figma.
• Demonstrable UI design expertise with exceptional attention to detail.
• Solid understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and how they influence design decisions.
• Experience working in Agile development environments.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and coaching designers.
• Strong facilitation and workshop-leading skills.

Desirable

• Experience integrating Design Systems with Storybook or similar Component libraries.
• Experience driving adoption and change at scale within large or complex organisations.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g. WCAG) and inclusive design practices.

interactive investor is an award-winning investment platform that puts its customers in control of their financial future. We've been helping investors for nearly 30 years. We've seen market highs and lows and been resilient throughout. We're now the UK's number one flat-fee investment platform, with assets under administration approaching £75 billion and over 500,000 customers. For a simple, flat monthly fee we provide a secure home for your pensions, ISAs and investments. We offer a wide choice of over 20,000 UK and international investment options, including shares, funds, trusts and ETFs. We also bring impartial, content from our award-winning financial journalists, highly engaged community of investors, and daily newsletters and insights.

Benefits

• Group Personal Pension Plan - 8% employer contribution and 4% employee contribution
• Life Assurance and Group Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance - Provided by Bupa
• 25 Days Annual Leave, plus bank holidays
• Staff Discounts on our investment products
• Personal & Well-being Fund - Supporting your physical and mental wellness
• Retail Discounts - Savings at a wide range of high street and online retailers
• Voluntary Flexible Benefits - Tailor your benefits to suit your lifestyle