Design Systems Lead Join to apply for the Design Systems Lead role at TrustedHousesitters. TrustedHousesitts is a fast growing, direct‑to‑consumer marketplace that is redefining pet care and travel. We’re on a mission to make travel work better for pets, for their people, and for the global community of animal lovers who look after them. Our goal is to grow to 1 million members and become the world’s most‑loved pet‑travel solution. At present, a sitter starts every two minutes somewhere on the planet. To reach our vision we need the right people in the right roles; the Design Systems Lead will help shape that future. Reports to: Director of DesignAlliance / squad: Platform and enablement alliance, front‑end guildPeople management: NA Key Skills

Scalable design systems Product design Product management Design system measures Component architecture Accessibility standards Cross‑functional facilitation Design‑dev collaboration Design system governance frameworks Stakeholder management Design ops Technical documentation Contribution models Roadmap planning Systems thinking AI prototyping tools and tooling automation

What You'll Do Leadership & Strategy

Lead regular design systems ceremonies with Front‑end Guild engineers and product designers to align on priorities, resolve blockers, and foster collaboration. Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our existing design system—including Figma libraries, Storybook components, documentation, standards, processes, and governance models. Define and drive the strategy for our 2026 design system evolution, balancing technical debt, new capabilities, and organisational needs. Partner with other design, product and engineering leaders to shape AI‑powered product development vision. Establish governance frameworks and contribution models that scale across squads. Build and maintain the design system roadmap in partnership with product and engineering leadership.

Hands‑On Execution

Design and deliver high‑quality UI components, patterns, and guidelines in Figma. Collaborate with engineers on component implementation, ensuring design‑dev parity. Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for designers and developers. Contribute to design and code reviews and component API design decisions. Build practical examples and usage guidelines that accelerate product team adoption.

Enablement & Advocacy

Champion design system adoption across product teams through education, workshops, and office hours. Gather feedback from designers and engineers to continuously improve the system. Measure and communicate design system impact through metrics like adoption rates, efficiency gains, and consistency improvements.

What We're Looking For Required Experience

7+ years in product design or product management with at least 4 years focused on design systems work. Proven track record of both designing and implementing design system components. Strong proficiency in Figma including variables, components, and library management. Working knowledge of front‑end, HTML, CSS, and component‑based frameworks. Experience with design tokens, accessibility standards, design principles.

Technical Skills

Expert‑level Figma skills with deep understanding of auto‑layout, variants, and design system architecture. Proficiency with Storybook, Zeroheight or similar component documentation tools. Understanding of version control (Git) and design‑dev handoff workflows. Proficiency in project management tools such as Jira. Knowledge of design token implementation and tooling. Active usage of AI tools, such as Replit, Bolt, v0 and others.

Strategic Skills

Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on execution. Strong product management sensibilities including prioritization, stakeholder management, and roadmap planning. Experience establishing design system governance and contribution models. Track record of driving adoption and measuring impact.

Collaboration & Communication

Excellent facilitation skills for leading cross‑functional ceremonies and workshops. Clear communicator who can translate between design and engineering contexts. Empathetic partner who builds trust across disciplines. Comfortable giving and receiving feedback in collaborative environments.

What Success Looks Like

In 3 months: completed the design system audit, established regular ceremonies, built relationships with key stakeholders, and begun shipping improvements to high‑priority components. In 6 months: defined and socialised the 2026 strategy, improved design‑dev workflow efficiency, increased system adoption across teams, and established clear governance practices. AI‑prototype squads can utilise the design system without issues. In 12 months: the design system is a thriving practice with measurable impact on consistency, strong cross‑functional ownership, and a clear roadmap that supports business goals.

Why This Role Matters As our first Design Systems Lead, you’ll shape the foundation of how we build products at scale. You’ll have the autonomy to define best design practices, the support to drive meaningful change, and the opportunity to work hands‑on while establishing strategic direction. This role is perfect for someone who loves the craft of design systems and wants to build something impactful from the ground up. Next Steps If you’re ready to join us on our mission to become the most loved pet travel solution, we’d love to hear from you! Pronouns and Inclusion In your application, please note which pronouns you use (e.g., she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs). Equal Opportunity Statement At the heart of our team are a mix of diverse backgrounds. We’re committed to the equal opportunities policy throughout the interview process and selection. Offers of employment into TrustedHousesitters are based solely on individual merit, qualifications, and the person’s professional suitability. Gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or beliefs, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, pregnancy or maternity status, or any other protected characteristics do not enter into our decision‑making process. AI in the Hiring Process We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analysing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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