Design System Product Manager

Design Citizen; United States; Remote; USD 145,000 - 158,000; Full time

Job summary

Design Citizen is seeking a Product Manager to own the strategy and roadmap for its enterprise design system, the foundation for how digital experiences are built across patients, caregivers, and employees. This is a strategic seat, not a project management role, with accountability for vision, business case, and measurable impact.

You'll collaborate with the Product Owner, design and engineering leads to carry priorities from strategy through release, driving adoption and governance across a

Qualifications

• 7+ years in product management.
• Roadmaps and prioritization tied to measurable business value.
• Experience defining success metrics with data (usage telemetry, adoption analytics).
• Working knowledge of design systems: tokens, components, theming, documentation, versioning, governance and contribution models.
• Fluency in design-to-code workflows, including Figma, Claude Design, token pipelines and component libraries.
• Understanding of accessibility (WCAG).
• Experience leading migrations with clear communication, tooling and sunset plans.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; influence without authority.
• Strong judgment and ownership in ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategic direction of the design system end to end with proposals and recommendations.
• Build and communicate a vision tied to enterprise priorities and translate into a roadmap with clear in/out.
• Establish transparent prioritization weighing impact, effort, adoption and risk.
• Define success metrics and use telemetry, adoption data and user feedback to demonstrate value.
• Identify and align key stakeholders and communicate progress to senior leadership.
• Partner with the Product Owner, design and engineering leads on deliverables and release plans.
• Drive adoption and a healthy contribution model through enablement, documentation and feedback channels.
• Define where the system flexes and where it holds firm across canvases.
• Mentor Product Owners and designers in strategic product thinking.

Skills

Product management

Roadmaps

Metrics & telemetry

Design systems

Design-to-code workflows

Accessibility WCAG

Stakeholder alignment

Executive communication

Decision making

Tools

Figma

Claude Design

Job description

Position Type: 12+ Month Contract (Remote)

Location: Remote, U.S. Based Applicants Only

Compensation: $105/hr-$115/hr DOE

Who We Are

Design Citizen is a boutique, human-centered talent partner connecting exceptional design, creative and product leaders with organizations doing meaningful work. Our client, a global healthcare leader, is looking for a Product Manager to own the strategy and roadmap for its enterprise design system, the foundation for how the company designs and builds digital experiences for patients, caregivers and employees.

About the Role

This is a strategic product seat, not a project-management one. You'll own the vision, roadmap and business case for the design system, connect its delivery to measurable business value, and make its adoption and impact visible across a large, matrixed enterprise. You'll bring your own point of view, align a broad set of stakeholders around it, and partner closely with the Product Owner, design and engineering leads to carry priorities from strategy through release.

What You'll Do

• Own the strategic direction of the design system end to end, bringing proposals and recommendations rather than waiting for direction
• Build and communicate a vision tied to enterprise priorities, and translate it into a roadmap with clear rationale for what's in and what's out
• Establish transparent prioritization that weighs impact, effort, adoption and risk
• Define success metrics and use telemetry, adoption data and user feedback to demonstrate the system's value
• Identify and align key stakeholders, and communicate progress and outcomes at every level, including senior leadership
• Partner with the Product Owner, design and engineering leads on deliverables, release plans and post-release review
• Drive adoption and a healthy contribution model through enablement, documentation, feedback channels and change management
• Define where the system flexes and where it holds firm across canvases, from expressive marketing sites to dense, data-heavy applications
• Anticipate risks, dependencies and trade-offs, and mentor Product Owners and designers in strategic product thinking

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years in product management
• A track record of building roadmaps and prioritization frameworks tied to measurable business value
• Experience defining success metrics and telling a clear impact story with data (usage telemetry, coverage and adoption analytics)
• Working knowledge of design systems: tokens, components, theming, documentation, versioning, governance and contribution models
• Fluency in design-to-code workflows, including Figma, Claude Design, token pipelines and component libraries
• A foundational understanding of accessibility (WCAG)
• Experience leading migrations with clear communication, tooling and sunset plans
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, with the ability to influence without authority and make complex ideas clear for executives and practitioners alike
• Strong judgment and ownership, comfortable making and defending decisions in ambiguity

Nice to Have

• Product management experience specifically on a design system, platform, or internal design or developer tooling
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted design and development workflows
• Background in healthcare, life sciences or another regulated environment
• Experience scaling a system across multiple brands or product lines in a large enterprise

Success in This Role Looks Like

• A clear, compelling vision and roadmap that senior leadership understands and supports
• Measurable growth in adoption and coverage across consuming teams
• An executive-level impact narrative backed by real data
• A healthy contribution model where teams feed patterns in rather than working around the system
• Consistent, accessible experiences across marketing and productive application canvases
• Product Owners and designers thinking more strategically because of your influence

Join Us

At Design Citizen, we believe that great design starts with diverse perspectives. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer, providing equal opportunities regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, veteran status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability.