Lead Design Systems Architect — Cross-Platform UI

Watershed Ventures; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity awards

401(k) Plan

Paid time off

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a systems-minded designer to scale design across vehicle, mobile, and web platforms. You’ll define the structure and language of a unified digital ecosystem and build scalable UI frameworks for infotainment, mobile companion apps, and web experiences.

You’ll mentor peers on design infrastructure to accelerate product velocity while upholding brand integrity. The role emphasizes accessibility, localization, and performance at scale, partnering with Product and Engineering to

Qualifications

• Application Requirement: Include a link to your portfolio showcasing scalable design patterns and cross-platform experiences.
• Experience: 10+ years of experience crafting user-centered digital products, with at least 3 years dedicated to building design systems, frameworks, or cross-platform consistency.
• Technical Mastery: Proficient in Figma with advanced components, variants, tokens, and structured files.
• Systemic Thinking: Ability to abstract complexity into modular, precise designs.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Experience working with engineers and product stakeholders to deliver production-ready UI frameworks.
• Communication: Strong ability to document rationale and explain design intent to diverse audiences.
• Preferred: Familiarity with Zeroheight or Storybook; multi-brand or white-label environments.

Responsibilities

• Architect scalable UI frameworks for in-vehicle, mobile, and web experiences.
• Create modular patterns balancing flexibility with brand integrity across platforms.
• Align visual frameworks with product architecture and component libraries.
• Build and maintain pattern libraries in Figma and documentation tools.
• Prototype and test complex systems using Figma and ProtoPie (or code).
• Lead design standards, versioning practices, and feedback loops.
• Champion accessibility, localization, and performance for a global audience.
• Mentor peers and senior team members in design infrastructure and velocity.

Skills

Design Systems

Figma

Cross-functional Collaboration

Systemic Thinking

Communication

Multi-brand / White-label environments

Tools

ProtoPie

Job description

Rivian is seeking a systems-minded designer to scale design across vehicle, mobile, and web platforms. You’ll define the structure and language of a unified digital ecosystem and build scalable UI frameworks for infotainment, mobile companion apps, and web experiences.

You’ll mentor peers on design infrastructure to accelerate product velocity while upholding brand integrity. The role emphasizes accessibility, localization, and performance at scale, partnering with Product and Engineering to