Design Systems Director

Location: London

WHO WE ARE

[REDACTED] is the tech-powered creative hub within [REDACTED]. We are a fusion of over 40 world-renowned acquisitions (from [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] to [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]) continuing the design studio mentality, both creatively and culturally. We think and create across industry, for brands and businesses inspiring change – our impact is evolving the way people live, bank, shop, work, and travel. Today, our practices span Commerce, Service, Marketing and Design & Digital Products. And our team is shaped by over 65 of the sharpest creative and strategic minds in the industry, collaborating to accelerate ideas into reality.

Underpinning it all is a treasure trove of technology, data and insights powered by [REDACTED]’s global capabilities.

Purpose

Lead the creation, evolution, and adoption of a design systems practice that enable [REDACTED] to deliver consistent, high-quality digital experiences at scale — for our clients and for ourselves.

Orientation

Own the vision, governance, and roadmap for design systems across engagements; bridge design and engineering through rigorous component thinking; build the tools, documentation, and contribution models that allow diverse teams to move fast without sacrificing quality. Be the go-to person for selling in projects across industry, specific to design systems.

Expectations

Be visionary. Set the standard. Build the culture. Lead with empathy at scale. Drive strategic clarity. Develop others relentlessly. Hold a high bar. Champion design with courage and conviction.

Years of Experience

10–14 years of experience, with 4+ years focused on design systems at scale. Demonstrable track record building and evolving design systems for large organisations or complex product portfolios. Experience collaborating with front-end engineers on design token pipelines and component libraries. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Design or a related field.

Leadership & Personal

Bring a clear, authoritative point of view on design systems — their role, architecture, and governance — and advocate for that view at senior levels. Champion the system as a product: maintained, versioned, documented, and actively adopted across teams. Stay current with the evolving design systems landscape, feeding new thinking back into the practice. Contribute to business development — articulating the value of design systems investment to client leadership.

Craft & Standards

Own the architecture and component structure of design systems, ensuring scalability and maintainability. Work closely with engineering teams to align design tokens, components, and patterns to coded output. Establish contribution models, versioning, and documentation standards that enable wide adoption. Audit existing design systems and deliver clear, prioritised recommendations for improvement. Embed accessibility and inclusive design into the system by default. Develop and maintain a design system roadmap aligned to client and product priorities.

People & Organisation

Lead and develop a team of design systems practitioners across design and engineering disciplines. Train and mentor designers and developers in design system thinking, usage, and contribution. Contribute to hiring and talent development for the design systems capability.

Client & Delivery

Manage the design system workstream across projects, aligning stakeholders around governance and adoption. Advocate for design system investment at client leadership level, framing the business case clearly. Act as the senior design systems authority in client conversations.

Industry & Community

Build [REDACTED] design systems practice — contributing to internal standards and shared tooling. Engage with the broader design systems community through talks, articles, or open-source contribution.

Skillset

Proven track record designing and scaling design systems for large, distributed teams. Deep knowledge of Figma — variables, auto-layout, component architecture, and design token integration. Ability to bridge design and engineering: familiarity with web standards, CSS, and component frameworks. Strong written communication skills for creating clear, adoption-friendly documentation. Experience facilitating alignment across multi-disciplinary teams. Robust understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and how they inform system architecture.

Set Yourself Apart

Hands-on experience with design token pipeline tooling (Style Dictionary, Theo, or similar). Open-source contributions to the design systems community. Experience working across multiple brands or design languages within a single system.

Portfolio Requirement

Applications without a design portfolio demonstrating craft quality, process, and relevant experience will not be considered.

What's in it for You

In addition to a competitive salary package, you will benefit from an extensive rewards offering including 25 days' annual leave, private medical insurance, and 3 additional days' leave per year for charitable work of your choice. Flexibility and mobility are required to deliver this role. There will be a requirement to spend meaningful time on-site with clients, partners, and teams to enable delivery of the first-class experiences we are known for. Some clients require background checks. You will need to complete a Baseline Personal Security Standard (BPSS) to confirm your identity, criminal record, right to work and residency. Comfortable with hybrid working. Every project is different, but we love our team to be in the studio and in our client's office to work collaboratively. [REDACTED] is an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.