Director of Creative Engineering & Design Systems

Criticalmass; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Maternity and parental leave extraDays

Competitive benefits packages

Vacation, compassionate leave, sick, &

Flex days

Access to online services for families

Diversity and Inclusion Board with 12

Internal learning and development

Enterprise-wide employee discounts

Job summary

Critical Mass is seeking a Creative Engineering Director to own the discipline of turning ideas into scalable design systems across websites, emails, social and in-platform interfaces. You will mentor Creative Engineering Leads, ACEDs, and engineers, define the vision, and drive AI adoption, ensuring accessibility and security standards across accounts.

You will also lead client-facing storytelling and new business opportunities, building trusted relationships and shaping technical narratives

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in creative technology or a related field with leadership
• Proven experience mentoring managers and engineers
• Deep expertise in design systems architecture across multiple formats
• Experience using AI to solve client challenges and improve workflows
• Strong ability to translate complex technical work into clear stories for executives

Responsibilities

• Define the vision for scalable design systems across websites, emails, social, and in-platform interfaces
• Lead and mentor Creative Engineering Leads, ACEDs, and engineers
• Champion AI adoption and toolsets across accounts
• Ensure compliance, accessibility, and security standards across teams and clients
• Represent the function in new business and client relationships
• Own the narrative in high-stakes presentations to C-suite audiences

Skills

Design systems leadership

People leadership

AI adoption

Executive storytelling

Client relationships

Team building

Presentation narrative

Job description

Critical Mass is seeking a Creative Engineering Director to own the discipline of turning ideas into scalable design systems across websites, emails, social and in-platform interfaces. You will mentor Creative Engineering Leads, ACEDs, and engineers, define the vision, and drive AI adoption, ensuring accessibility and security standards across accounts.

You will also lead client-facing storytelling and new business opportunities, building trusted relationships and shaping technical narratives