Principal Design System Architect

Creative People; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Creative People in Mountain View, CA is seeking a visionary Principal Design System Designer to shape the visual and interactive DNA of our product platform. You will lead architecture from 0 to 1 or major revamps, reporting to the Head of Design, and influence design and engineering teams across the organization.

This role requires 8–10 years building large-scale design systems, deep accessibility expertise, and a proven ability to drive AI-driven design ops and cross-functional collaboration

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience as a system designer with a track record building 0–1 design systems or overhauling large-scale systems.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced tech environment.
• Strong visual craft linked to scalable, systematic thinking.
• Experience across Web, iOS, Android with native interaction patterns.
• Deep accessibility expertise and commitment to inclusive design.
• Ability to prioritize, make trade-offs, and drive adoption across teams.
• Hands-on experience with AI-driven design ops and engineering handoffs.

Responsibilities

• Architect the Company's Future: define long-term trajectory of the product design system.
• Speed & Bias for Action: drive rapid iteration while maintaining architectural integrity.
• Establish System Governance: create contribution models, docs standards, and version control.
• Exceptional Execution & Craft: maintain high visual quality and consistency.
• Drive & Measure Adoption: collaborate with engineering/product to quantify impact.
• Bridge Design, Code, & AI: integrate Figma environments into production code.
• Strategic Collaboration & Trade-offs: balance autonomy with cross-functional alignment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Design system

System design

Cross-functional leadership

Accessibility

AI design ops

Tools

Figma

Frontend handoff

AI MCP servers

Job description

Creative People in Mountain View, CA is seeking a visionary Principal Design System Designer to shape the visual and interactive DNA of our product platform. You will lead architecture from 0 to 1 or major revamps, reporting to the Head of Design, and influence design and engineering teams across the organization.

This role requires 8–10 years building large-scale design systems, deep accessibility expertise, and a proven ability to drive AI-driven design ops and cross-functional collaboration