Design Systems Lead

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO policy

Home-office equipment budget

Health and wellness stipend

Travel budget

Weekly coffee stipend

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Design Systems Lead to shape vision, standards, and reusable foundations for a scalable product experience. You will partner with design and engineering to raise visual and interaction quality while enabling faster, cohesive product development. Remote - US-based; hands-on leader with prototyping and coding.

The role emphasizes building design systems that drive adoption and collaborating on technical architecture with engineers. AI in design workflows is encouraged.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years in design/design engineering leadership.
• Strong visual and interaction design skills.
• Experience building design systems that drive adoption.
• Advanced hands-on prototyping and coding.
• Experience applying AI to design workflows.
• Ability to translate design principles into scalable guidance.
• Excellent problem-solving in ambiguous situations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the design systems team to achieve ambitious goals
• Own and define the vision for the design system
• Elevate visual and interaction design standards
• Translate design principles into usable guidelines and reusable patterns
• Guide technical architecture in collaboration with engineers
• Maintain a hands-on role in building and prototyping
• Measure and define quality standards for design outputs

Skills

Design leadership

Design systems

Prototyping

Coding for prototyping

AI in design

Design principles

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Design Systems Lead to join the team of a leader in the Enterprise Technology space.

This role will shape the vision, standards, and reusable design foundations that help create a consistent and scalable product experience.

You will partner closely with design and engineering to raise visual and interaction quality while enabling faster, more cohesive product development. The position calls for a hands-on leader who can combine systems thinking, prototyping, and technical collaboration to turn design principles into practical guidance.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $125,000 - $150,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the design systems team to achieve ambitious goals
• Own and define the vision for the design system
• Elevate visual and interaction design standards
• Translate design principles into usable guidelines and reusable patterns
• Guide technical architecture in collaboration with engineers
• Maintain a hands-on role in building and prototyping
• Measure and define quality standards for design outputs

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in design or design engineering leadership roles
• Strong visual and interaction design skills with a clear perspective
• Proven ability to build and implement design systems that drive adoption
• Advanced technical skills for hands-on prototyping and coding
• Demonstrated use of AI in design workflows
• Experience translating design principles into scalable guidance
• Excellent problem-solving skills in ambiguous situations

Benefits

• Flexible PTO policy
• Centralized ordering for home-office equipment
• Health and wellness stipend
• Budget for intra-office travel
• Weekly coffee stipend
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 401(k) with employer match for US employees
• Annual membership to One Medical
• Fertility HRA for US employees
• Parental leave policy with up to 16 weeks at 100% pay

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.