Product Designer – Design Systems

### About the Role A well-funded seed-stage AI infrastructure startup is looking for experienced **Design Systems specialists** to help build the data layer that teaches AI models what great design looks like. You'll work on production-grade design systems used to evaluate and train AI design tools — building them, implementing them in code, and assessing how well AI systems ingest and reproduce them. This is a **contract, fully remote** role with async flexibility and quick turnarounds. You can join on one of three tracks: * **Design Track:** Build complete design systems in Figma — tokens (color, type, spacing, radius), component libraries with variants and states, and golden screens composed exclusively from library components. * **Product Design Track:** Envision product designs from scratch using and implementing existing design systems, maintaining strict adherence throughout. * **Engineering Track:** Implement design systems as coded component libraries using React, Storybook (v8), token pipelines (e.g., Style Dictionary), and variant patterns (e.g., CVA). ### What You'll Do * Prompt AI models to generate and refine design work from a brief across multiple conversation turns * Evolve the underlying design system: refine color ramps, type scales, spacing and radius tokens, and component treatments * Evaluate AI outputs on design-system coherence, visual quality, and fit to the brief — flagging where adherence breaks down * Compare outputs, select the stronger one, and write clear rationale and reproduction prompts grounded in expert judgement * Vote and rank preferences to help train models on what a cohesive, high-quality design system looks like ### What We're Looking For ### Dealbreakers (must-haves): * 3+ years of professional experience building and owning token-based design systems (color ramps, type scales, spacing and radius tokens, components with variants and states) * You have personally built and owned a token-based system end-to-end — not just consumed one * Portfolio with at least 3 examples of end-to-end design work ### Required: * Experience reasoning about design systems expressed in code (HTML/CSS/tokens) and identifying interface breaks from system specifications * Professional experience building, maintaining, or applying design systems in an in-house team, agency, or design-engineering role * Experience with React or Figma variables for design system implementation * Sharp eye for adherence — you notice when a corner radius, casing rule, or spacing value drifts from spec * Ability to write structured, specific creative direction grounded in design-systems principles ### Nice to Have: * Proficiency with AI design tools (Claude, Figma AI, or similar) * Experience with Storybook v8, Style Dictionary, or CVA * Eagerness to work at the frontier of AI-assisted design tooling ### Compensation & Benefits * **Rate:** $60–$100 per hour (USD) * ### Contract / freelance engagement * ### Fully remote and async-friendly * **Visa sponsorship:** Not available ### Location This role is **fully remote and open globally**. The primary hiring timezone is aligned with **New York, United States**. Originally posted on [Himalayas](https://himalayas.app)