Design Systems Lead

Zebra People; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Zebra People is seeking a Design Systems Lead in the UK to steer a mature cross‑platform design system across web and native mobile. You’ll be a hands‑on leader, balancing strategy with hands‑on work, and manage a small team to drive tokens, components and documentation with governance.

The role partners with Product and Engineering to improve design‑to‑code workflows and scalability. Two days per week in the Canary Wharf office, with a collaborative, product‑led environment and opportunities to

Qualifications

• Experience leading or owning a design system within a product organization.
• Strong understanding of design systems, tokens, components, patterns, documentation and governance.
• Experience partnering closely with Engineering to translate design systems into code.
• Experience designing for native mobile products (iOS and Android).
• Previous people management or player‑coach leadership experience.
• Strong systems thinking with the ability to balance strategic direction and hands‑on delivery.
• Excellent stakeholder management with the confidence to influence at all levels.
• A data‑informed approach to prioritisation and decision‑making.
• Desirable: design tokens, Storybook or design‑to‑code workflows.
• Desirable: accessibility standards in design systems.
• Desirable: AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Figma MCP) to improve workflows.
• Desirable: experience in high‑growth consumer tech/fintech/digital products.
• Desirable: scaling design systems across multiple product teams.

Responsibilities

• Leading the evolution of a cross‑platform design system across web and native mobile products.
• Mentoring and developing a small team of Product Designers.
• Defining and evolving design tokens, components, patterns and documentation.
• Driving design system governance, adoption and contribution models across teams.
• Partnering with Engineering to improve design‑to‑code workflows and implementation.
• Collaborating with Product and Design leadership to influence strategy and prioritisation.
• Championing accessibility, consistency and scalability across customer experiences.
• Exploring how AI can enhance design workflows and improve system efficiency.

Skills

Design systems leadership

People management

Stakeholder management

Systems thinking

Prioritisation

Hands-on delivery

Tools

Storybook

Design tokens

Design-to-code workflows

Claude

ChatGPT

Figma MCP

Job description

We're partnering with a fast-growing UK consumer technology business that's investing heavily in its Product Design function and looking for a Design Systems Lead to help shape the next phase of its design maturity. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you'll lead a small team while evolving a mature cross‑platform design system used across web and native mobile products. Working closely with Product and Engineering, you'll drive adoption, governance, scalability and consistency, while exploring how AI can enhance design workflows and delivery. It's an opportunity to have a genuine impact on products used by millions of customers, balancing strategic thinking with hands‑on execution.

The client

We’re partnering with one of the UK’s leading digital consumer businesses as they continue to invest in their Product Design organization. They’re looking for a Design Systems Lead to shape the evolution of a mature design system that supports millions of customer interactions across web and native mobile products.

Working closely with Product, Engineering and Design leadership, you’ll lead a small team while driving design system strategy, governance and adoption. This is a hands‑on leadership role focused on creating scalable, accessible experiences, strengthening design‑to‑engineering collaboration, and exploring how AI can enhance design workflows.

It’s an opportunity to join a collaborative, product‑led environment where design plays a central role in shaping customer experiences at scale.

2 days per week in the Canary Wharf office.

The role

You’ll lead the evolution of a mature cross‑platform design system, helping shape how products are designed and built across web and native mobile. This is a player‑coach role, combining hands‑on design systems work with people leadership, strategy and close collaboration with engineering.

You’ll be involved in:

• Leading the evolution of a design system across web and native mobile products.
• Managing, mentoring and developing a small team of Product Designers.
• Defining and evolving design tokens, components, patterns and documentation.
• Driving design system governance, adoption and contribution models across multiple product teams.
• Partnering closely with Engineering to improve design‑to‑code workflows and implementation.
• Collaborating with Product and Design leadership to influence strategy and prioritisation.
• Championing accessibility, consistency and scalability across customer experiences.
• Exploring how AI can enhance design workflows and improve the efficiency of the design system.

The candidate

Essential experience:

• Experience leading or owning a design system within a product organization.
• Strong understanding of design systems, including tokens, components, patterns, documentation and governance.
• Experience partnering closely with Engineering to ensure design systems translate effectively into code.
• Experience designing for native mobile products (iOS and Android).
• Previous people management or player‑coach leadership experience.
• Strong systems thinking with the ability to balance strategic direction and hands‑on delivery.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the confidence to influence and challenge at all levels.
• A pragmatic, data‑informed approach to prioritisation and decision‑making.

Desirable:

• Experience with design tokens, Storybook or design‑to‑code workflows.
• Experience embedding accessibility standards into design systems.
• Practical experience using AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT or Figma MCP to improve design workflows.
• Experience working within high‑growth consumer technology, fintech or other digital product businesses.
• Experience scaling design systems across multiple product teams or business units.

Interview process

• Introductory interview with Zebra People.
• First‑stage interview with the hiring team.
• Final interview focused on collaboration, leadership and design systems thinking.

If you’re passionate about building scalable design systems, enjoy working closely with engineers, and want to shape how products are designed and delivered at scale, I’d love to hear from you.