Principal UI Designer

Soar; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A forward-thinking tech company in New York is seeking a Principal UI Designer to lead the evolution of its visual design system. The successful candidate will design crucial UI components, establish visual design tokens, and ensure accessibility across the board. With over 8 years of experience, expertise in Figma, and a strong understanding of interaction design principles, they will significantly influence design practices throughout the organization. This role emphasizes strategic thinking and mentorship within the design team.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in UI/visual design with extensive design systems experience.
• Exceptional visual design aesthetic with a strong portfolio demonstrating refined craft.
• Expert understanding of interaction design principles and micro-interactions.
• Proficiency in motion design for UI, including transitions and animations.
• Solid knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) with practical application experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain design system components including buttons, form fields, and navigation.
• Build contextual design patterns that combine components into repeatable solutions.
• Establish and manage visual design tokens, typography scales, and foundational styles.
• Collaborate with design system engineers to ensure designs translate to code.
• Create comprehensive documentation for component usage and design rationale.

Skills

UI/visual design

Design systems

Visual design aesthetic

Interaction design principles

Motion design

Visual and contextual hierarchy

Figma expertise

Accessibility standards (WCAG)

CSS concepts

HTML/CSS knowledge

React and Flutter familiarity

Communication skills

Mentoring

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Design or related field

Tools

Figma

Design system tools

Job description

Overview

We're seeking a Principal UI Designer to own and evolve the visual foundation of our design system. In this specialized role, they'll craft the core components, patterns, and visual language that empower product teams across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain design system components including buttons, form fields, navigation, data visualizations, and all reusable UI elements
• Build contextual design patterns that combine components into repeatable solutions for project use cases
• Establish and manage visual design tokens: color palettes, typography scales, spacing systems, elevation, and other foundational styles
• Design interaction patterns and motion behaviors for components across different states and transitions
• Create clear visual and contextual hierarchies that guide users through interfaces
• Collaborate with design system engineers to ensure designs translate seamlessly into code
• Create comprehensive documentation including usage guidelines, component variants, states, and design rationale
• Evaluate and respond to component and pattern requests from product teams
• Ensure all components and patterns meet accessibility standards (WCAG)
• Maintain visual consistency and quality across the entire design system
• What Makes This Role Unique

What Makes This Role Unique

This role focuses on creating the building blocks and patterns that other designers and developers use, rather than designing product features or specific application pages. The impact multiplies across the entire organization.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in UI/visual design with extensive design systems experience
• Exceptional visual design aesthetic with a strong portfolio demonstrating refined craft and attention to detail
• Expert understanding of interaction design principles and micro-interactions
• Proficiency in motion design for UI, including transitions, animations, and state changes
• Mastery of visual and contextual hierarchy to create intuitive, scannable interfaces
• Proven track record of building and scaling design systems at organizational level
• Expert proficiency in Figma, including variants, auto-layout, and component libraries
• Deep understanding of design systems architecture: tokens, components, patterns, and their relationships
• Experience with design tokens and theming systems
• Knowledge of component API design
• Solid knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) with practical application experience
• Understanding of how design translates to code: CSS concepts, responsive design, technical constraints
• Familiarity with HTML/CSS, React and Flutter
• Understanding of version control concepts
• Experience with design system governance
• Ability to think in systems rather than individual pages or features
• Excellent communication skills for documenting decisions and collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Experience mentoring and providing design direction to other designers
• Strategic thinking and ability to influence design system adoption across the organization