Lead Design Systems Architect for AI-Driven Product

PermitFlow; United States; Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity

100% employer-paid health coverage

401(k)

Unlimited PTO

Home office stipend

Daily in-office meals

Commuter benefits

Job summary

PermitFlow is hiring its first Design Systems Designer and Architect to build Cornerstone—the visual and interaction foundation for an AI-enabled product. This is not maintenance; you establish the standards for the next stage of product complexity.

You will lead components, tokens, and governance, working with frontend engineers, design, and product leadership, ensuring accessibility and performance across multi-product platforms.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in product design with ownership of a design system across multiple products.
• Experience defining architecture for components and tokens.
• Proven ability to collaborate with frontend engineers to ship production-grade systems.
• Track record establishing and reinforcing accessibility standards.
• Strong communication with designers, engineers, and executives.

Responsibilities

• Build and refine Cornerstone core blocks, components, and tokens with brand cohesion.
• Set multi-year design system direction and roadmaps across teams.
• Prototype and ship production-ready components with engineering partners.
• Define governance, contribution, and deprecation models for AI-native environment.
• Ensure accessibility, responsiveness, and performance from day one.
• Create comprehensive documentation and onboarding materials.
• Advocate for the system in planning and reviews, balancing speed and integrity.

Skills

Design systems

Component architecture

Design tokens

Frontend collaboration

Accessibility standards

Communication

Figma

Notion

Linear

Brand/visual design

Tools

Figma

Notion

Linear

Job description

PermitFlow is hiring its first Design Systems Designer and Architect to build Cornerstone—the visual and interaction foundation for an AI-enabled product. This is not maintenance; you establish the standards for the next stage of product complexity.

You will lead components, tokens, and governance, working with frontend engineers, design, and product leadership, ensuring accessibility and performance across multi-product platforms.