Design Systems Lead

About the Role

We are seeking a Design Lead (Expert) to direct the end-to-end design strategy, govern unified design systems, and drive cross-functional alignment for a major retail e-commerce transformation.

In this role, you will lead the strategic convergence of web (SAP Commerce Cloud / Angular) and native mobile app (Flutter) experiences. You will act as the primary design anchor, championing high-converting user journeys, setting design-system standards, and pairing with client stakeholders and engineering teams to ensure seamless delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Design Direction & Governance

- Direct the overall UX/UI strategy across web and native mobile channels, enforcing a single, converging design language.

- Establish and govern shared design-system tokens, components, and interaction patterns across both platforms to prevent experience drift.

- Oversee end-to-end user journeys focusing on high-intent touchpoints, including Single Page Checkout (SPC), Product Detail Pages (PDP), Search/Type-ahead, and loyalty features.

Stakeholder Alignment & Advisory

- Act as the lead design partner to client executives, product owners, and engineering leaders, facilitating alignment workshops and design reviews.

- Bridge business goals with user-centric design decisions, validating concepts through usability testing and data-backed UX rationale.

- Lead sprint planning for design deliverables across parallel tracks, ensuring build-ready artifacts and annotated specifications are delivered on time.

Team Pairing & Knowledge Handoff

- Work directly inside the client's design environment (Figma) from day one to ensure full transparency and seamless co-creation.

- Pair with client designers and internal pod members to mentor, maintain quality standards, and execute smooth knowledge handoffs with zero migration overhead.

- Integrate advanced, mobile-first, and store-companion patterns (e.g., AI size confidence, personalization, in-store features) into the core experience.

Requirements & Qualifications

- Experience: 8+ years of digital product design experience, with at least 3+ years in a Lead or Principal Design role governing complex e-commerce or retail ecosystems.

- Domain Expertise: Deep hands-on experience designing for large-scale omnichannel retail, e-commerce conversion optimization (Checkout, PDP, Cart, Search), and mobile-first user journeys.

- Design Systems Mastery: Proven track record of creating, maintaining, and scaling enterprise-level design systems using design tokens and shared pattern libraries across Web and Mobile Native frameworks.

- Tooling: Expert-level mastery of Figma (variables, auto-layout, advanced prototyping, component libraries, and developer handoff workflows).

- Technical Familiarity: Strong understanding of front-end capabilities and constraints across web storefronts (e.g., Angular/Spartacus) and native mobile frameworks (e.g., Flutter).

- Leadership & Communication: Exceptional presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to articulate complex design decisions clearly to non-designers.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with AI-assisted UX patterns (e.g., AI sizing recommendation tools, personalization engines).

- Background in omnichannel "store-companion" or BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up in Store) user experiences.