Design Director, Platform UI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director, Platform UI

Company: CourtAvenue

Location: Dallas, TX; Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; San Diego, CA; Bentonville, AR; Cincinnati, OH

Job Type: Full-time USA

Category: Design Operations / Product Design Leadership

Date Posted: 2026-08-07

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the visual interface layer for complex enterprise platform engagements, translating UX foundations into production-ready UI.

• Architect, evolve, and govern design systems and component libraries utilized by engineering teams for long-term production deployments.

• Drive exceptional visual design quality across typography, color, spacing, iconography, motion, and micro-interactions for polished platform experiences.

• Partner deeply with engineering, product management, and platform architects as a peer to ensure design intent is realized within platform constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is explicitly focused on the "visual interface layer" of platforms and "system-aware UI," differentiating it from pure UX or brand design. The emphasis on "pixel-level interfaces that ship in production for years" and "enterprise client work" highlights a need for a seasoned craftsperson with a strong understanding of platform constraints and long-term maintainability. The "Design Director" title indicates a significant leadership component, including team management and client-facing responsibilities.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete visual interface layer of platform engagements, transforming validated UX flows and information architecture into engineering-ready UI designs.

• Develop, maintain, and govern robust design systems and component libraries, including establishing component standards, design tokens, documentation, versioning, and contribution protocols.

• Ensure meticulous visual design quality through attention to typography, color palettes, spacing, iconography, motion design, and micro-interactions, elevating the overall platform polish.

• Collaborate as a peer with engineering, product management, and platform architects, actively participating in technical discussions and ensuring design fidelity in shipped products.

• Act as a defined upstream collaborator with the Experience Strategy team, respecting their ownership of UX and research while translating their work into a high-fidelity UI.

• Champion and embed accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA minimum) as a core discipline within all components, patterns, and design reviews.

• Establish and manage design critique sessions, design system governance processes, and other rituals to scale design quality across multiple concurrent projects.

• Inspire, mentor, and manage the career growth of a team of UI designers, overseeing hiring, performance management, and skill development.

• Cultivate trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders to drive organic growth, effectively presenting design rationale and platform vision to executive audiences.

• Communicate design and system decisions clearly and concisely to product, engineering, and business leadership, avoiding jargon and focusing on business impact.

• Ensure the long-term maintainability, scalability, and evolvability of designs for ongoing engagements and future design iterations.

• Maintain current knowledge of platform UI trends, design system best practices, accessibility standards, and emerging interface patterns, applying this expertise to client recommendations and internal capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of individual craft in UI and systems design, team leadership, and strategic client engagement. The distinction between UX ownership (Experience Strategy) and UI ownership (Design Director) is critical, requiring a candidate who can collaborate effectively without overstepping boundaries. The focus on "governance," "scaling design quality," and "long-running engagements" points to a need for process-oriented thinking and a strategic approach to design operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a background in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is strongly implied by the role's focus.

Experience: 8+ years of experience in digital product design, UI design, or visual/interface design, with a minimum of 3 years specifically focused on product, platform, or B2B SaaS work. Demonstrated experience in a design leadership role (agency, consulting, or product company) with direct people management of designers is required.

Required Skills:

• UI Design & Visual Craft: Proven ability to deliver high-fidelity, pixel-perfect visual interfaces, including mastery of typography, color theory, layout, and iconography.

• Design Systems Architecture & Governance: Extensive experience architecting, evolving, and governing design systems and component libraries for production use, including component standards, design tokens, and contribution models.

• Figma Proficiency: Mastery of Figma, including advanced features like component architecture, variables, auto-layout, and design system management capabilities.

• Accessibility Standards: Deep understanding and practical application of WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring inclusive design practices.

• Enterprise & B2B SaaS Experience: Demonstrated experience designing for complex enterprise platforms, B2B SaaS, MarTech, content/commerce platforms, or regulated environments. Consumer brand work alone is insufficient.

• Design Leadership & People Management: Proven track record in leading design teams, including hiring, performance management, and career development of UI designers.

• Client-Facing Communication: Exceptional ability to present design rationale, system architecture, and platform vision to senior client stakeholders effectively and without jargon.

• Process & Workflow Management: Strong organizational skills to manage design quality and team momentum across multiple concurrent enterprise engagements.

• Collaboration: Experience working downstream to UX/Research teams, translating foundational work into final UI without redoing strategic efforts.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with design system documentation tools such as Storybook or Zeroheight.

• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite.

• Digital agency or consulting firm background.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements clearly delineate between consumer-facing brand work and enterprise platform design. The emphasis on Figma mastery, design systems, and accessibility highlights the technical and operational rigor expected. The need for a "downstream partner" to UX emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting established UX foundations while excelling in UI execution and systemization.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Shipped Product Interfaces: A portfolio showcasing concrete examples of shipped digital product interfaces, not just conceptual brand guidelines or marketing sites.

• Design System Case Studies: Detailed case studies demonstrating experience in architecting, evolving, or governing design systems, highlighting component architecture, design tokens, and their adoption by engineering.

• Pixel-Level Craftsmanship: Visual evidence of meticulous attention to detail in typography, spacing, color, and iconography at the pixel level.

• Engineering Partnership: Case studies that illustrate collaboration with engineering teams, showing how design intent was translated into production realities and how platform constraints were navigated.

• Accessibility Integration: Examples demonstrating how accessibility principles (WCAG 2.1 AA) were integrated into the design process and final UI.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of establishing and managing processes for design system governance, including versioning, contribution models, and documentation.

• Examples of running design critique sessions and fostering a culture of constructive feedback within a design team.

• Documentation or presentation materials that articulate design rationale and platform vision to non-design stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are highly specific, demanding evidence of tangible, shipped work with a strong emphasis on design systems and engineering collaboration. This is not a role for purely conceptual designers; demonstrated impact on production platforms is key. The emphasis on "governance" and "process" implies a need for candidates who can formalize and scale design operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $180,000 per year.

Explanation: This range is provided by the employer and is dependent on the candidate's total related experience and geography. For a Design Director role with 10+ years of experience, this range is competitive within major US metropolitan areas, particularly for specialized B2B SaaS and enterprise platform design leadership.

Benefits:

• Structured Hybrid Work Model: Offers a balance of in-office collaboration and remote flexibility (3 days in-office, 2 days remote).

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive health coverage (details not specified).

• Paid Time Off: Standard PTO and holidays (details not specified).

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning and skill development in design systems, accessibility, and leadership.

• 401(k) or Retirement Plan: (Details not specified).

• E-Verify Participation: Compliance with US employment eligibility verification.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are implied, with a structured hybrid model requiring 3 days in the office and 2 days remote per week. A typical 40-hour work week is standard for this role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is explicit. The benefits are standard for a full-time US role but lack specific detail, which is common. The hybrid work model is clearly defined, indicating an expectation for in-office presence for a portion of the week. The mention of "geography" influencing final compensation suggests that cost of living and local market rates will be considered.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Digital Transformation Consulting. CourtAvenue specializes in accelerating digital transformation for ambitious companies, focusing on redesigning the consumer-service experience through seamless, transparent engagement.

Company Size: CourtAvenue's exact size is not specified in the provided data, but it operates across multiple US locations and serves enterprise clients, suggesting a medium to large-sized consulting firm.

Founded: CourtAvenue was founded in 2019, indicating a relatively young but rapidly growing company focused on modern digital solutions.

Team Structure:

• The Design Director will lead a team of UI designers, operating within a larger design and technology consulting practice.

• This role involves close collaboration with the "Experience Strategy team" (owning CX, UX, research, IA) and engineering, product management, and platform architects.

• The structure implies a project-based or client-engagement model, common in consulting firms, requiring adaptability and strong cross-functional teamwork. Methodology:

• Digital Transformation: Core focus on modernizing client businesses through technology and design.

• Agile & Iterative Design: Implied by the need to work within platform constraints and partner closely with engineering.

• Data-Driven Insights: While not explicitly stated for design, the company's broader focus on data scientists suggests an underlying data-informed approach.

• Systemic Design: Emphasis on design systems and component libraries points to a methodological approach to scalable and maintainable design.

Company Website: courtavenue.com

📝 Enhancement Note: CourtAvenue positions itself as a modern, entrepreneurial firm focused on high-impact digital transformation. The "habitually restless" culture suggests a fast-paced, innovative environment. The role's placement within this context means the Design Director must align with the company's mission to redesign user experiences and drive client growth through technology. The explicit mention of "enterprise B2B SaaS" and "client work" reinforces the consulting nature of the role.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership role, a "Design Director," placing it at a high level within the design function. It involves direct people management, strategic oversight of a critical design discipline (Platform UI), and significant client influence. This level typically requires extensive experience and a proven track record of success in both craft and leadership.

Reporting Structure: The Design Director will likely report to a VP of Design, Head of Design, or a senior executive overseeing design and technology services. They will, in turn, manage a team of UI designers. Collaboration with Experience Strategy leads and engineering/product leadership is expected to be peer-level.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is substantial:

• Platform Quality & Consistency: Directly influences the usability, scalability, and long-term maintainability of enterprise client platforms.

• Client Satisfaction & Growth: High-quality UI and robust design systems contribute to client success, leading to repeat business and organic growth.

• Team Development: Nurturing a team of UI designers builds internal capability and talent.

• Brand Reputation: Delivering exceptional platform experiences enhances CourtAvenue's reputation as a leader in digital transformation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into higher executive design leadership roles (e.g., Head of Design, Chief Design Officer) within CourtAvenue or other organizations.

• Specialization Expansion: Deepen expertise in design operations, design system strategy, or specific industry verticals (e.g., FinTech, MarTech).

• Client Relationship Management: Develop stronger strategic advisory skills and take on more senior client-facing roles.

• Mentorship & Training: Contribute to building CourtAvenue's design practice and developing emerging talent through training and mentorship programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned for seasoned design professionals ready to lead, manage, and influence at a strategic level. The growth path involves not just managing more people or larger projects, but also contributing to the strategic direction of CourtAvenue's design offerings and client engagements. The emphasis on "organic growth through trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders" highlights a key area for career development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: CourtAvenue operates a structured hybrid work model. This means employees are expected to work from a designated office location for a portion of the week, specifically three days, with the remaining two days allowing for remote work.

Office Location(s): The primary target locations for this role are in the Midwest and Central US:

• Chicago, IL

• Cincinnati, OH

• Minneapolis, MN

• Dallas, TX

Candidates near Los Angeles and San Diego, CA offices will also be considered.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model necessitates in-office days for team collaboration, design critiques, and cross-functional meetings with UX, engineering, and product teams.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma is explicitly mentioned as mastered) and design system management platforms will be available.

• Client Engagement: The role involves frequent interaction with internal teams and external client stakeholders, requiring a professional and adaptable work setting.

Work Schedule: A structured hybrid schedule is in place, requiring employees to be in the office mid-week and remote on Mondays and Fridays. This provides a predictable balance between in-person collaboration and remote flexibility, designed to support team cohesion and individual focus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment. The requirement for 3 in-office days suggests a strong emphasis on face-to-face collaboration, team building, and client interaction, even within a hybrid setup. The inclusion of both Midwest and West Coast locations indicates a distributed team structure with specific anchor offices.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the experience and skills required, particularly for B2B SaaS platform design and design systems.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Expect to present a curated selection of your work, focusing on case studies that demonstrate your design system architecture, UI craft, engineering partnership, and leadership experience. Be prepared to discuss your role, process, and impact in detail.

• Leadership & Team Fit Interview: Interviews focused on your leadership style, experience managing designers, ability to foster design critique, and cultural fit with CourtAvenue's entrepreneurial and collaborative environment.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Interview: Discussions with peers from Experience Strategy, Engineering, and Product Management to assess your ability to collaborate effectively within constraints and communicate complex design decisions.

• Executive/Final Interview: A final conversation, potentially with senior leadership, to assess strategic thinking, client management capabilities, and overall fit for the Design Director role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best represent your experience with enterprise platforms, design systems, UI craft, and leadership. Prioritize shipped products over concepts.

• Detail Your Role & Impact: Clearly articulate your specific contributions, the challenges faced, the processes you followed, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., adoption rates, efficiency gains, quality improvements).

• Showcase Design System Expertise: Provide in-depth examples of your work on design systems, including component examples, token strategies, and governance models.

• Highlight Engineering Partnership: Demonstrate how you collaborated with engineers, navigated technical constraints, and ensured design fidelity in production.

• Emphasize Leadership: Include examples of managing designers, leading critiques, or influencing stakeholders.

• Be Ready to Discuss Accessibility: Be prepared to speak confidently about how you integrate WCAG 2.1 AA standards into your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Exercise: You may be asked to critique an existing component library, propose improvements to a design system, or outline a strategy for scaling a system.

• UI Critique: Prepare to analyze and provide constructive feedback on a given UI example, focusing on visual craft, usability, and accessibility.

• Leadership Scenarios: Be ready to discuss how you would handle common team management challenges, foster collaboration, or resolve design disagreements.

• Client Presentation Practice: Rehearse how you would present complex design decisions or platform strategies to executive-level clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to rigorously evaluate both design craft and leadership capabilities, with a heavy emphasis on practical experience with design systems and enterprise platforms. The portfolio is critical, requiring specific types of case studies that prove the candidate's ability to deliver production-ready, scalable UI solutions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Mandatory mastery for UI design, component architecture, variables, auto-layout, and design system management.

• Design System Documentation Tools: Familiarity with tools like Storybook and Zeroheight is preferred for managing and communicating design system standards.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma offers robust prototyping, other tools might be used for specific needs.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed for this design role, understanding how design impacts user behavior and business metrics is crucial. Proficiency with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) and dashboarding tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) to interpret user data and report on design impact would be beneficial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the core design responsibilities, but an understanding of how design integrates with MarTech stacks and CRM platforms used by enterprise clients is advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the cornerstone tool for this role. The emphasis on design systems extends to the need for related documentation and management tools. While direct analytics and CRM tool usage isn't the primary focus, an awareness of how design impacts these areas for clients is a valuable asset, aligning with the company's digital transformation mission.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A deep commitment to pixel-level detail, visual polish, and the creation of high-quality, production-ready interfaces.

• Systematic Thinking: A methodical approach to design, emphasizing the creation and governance of scalable design systems and component libraries.

• Collaboration & Partnership: A belief in working effectively with cross-functional teams (UX, Engineering, Product) as peers, respecting boundaries while driving towards shared goals.

• Accessibility as a Foundation: A non-negotiable principle to embed accessibility into every design decision and output.

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A proactive, innovative, and "habitually restless" mindset, aligned with CourtAvenue's mission to drive digital transformation.

• Client Focus: A dedication to understanding and meeting the needs of enterprise clients, building trusted relationships, and driving business growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Peer-to-Peer: Works closely with Experience Strategy (upstream) and Engineering/Product (downstream/peer) teams, fostering open communication and mutual respect.

• Design Critique Culture: Actively participates in and leads design critique sessions to elevate work and foster continuous improvement.

• Transparent Communication: Emphasizes clear, jargon-free communication with all stakeholders, including senior client leadership.

• Systemic Approach: Promotes a collaborative approach to design system development and governance, encouraging contributions and feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture values high-quality craft, systematic approaches, and strong collaborative partnerships. The "entrepreneurial spirit" and "client focus" are central to CourtAvenue's identity. The emphasis on "accessibility as a foundation" and "systematic thinking" points to a desire for mature design operations within the team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Enterprise Platform Constraints: Designing within the often-complex technical limitations and legacy systems of large enterprise clients requires adaptability and strong problem-solving skills.

• Balancing Design System Governance with Project Velocity: Maintaining design system integrity while ensuring timely delivery across multiple concurrent client engagements can be challenging.

• Translating UX to Production-Ready UI: Effectively taking UX foundations and delivering polished, system-aware UI without redoing foundational work requires strong collaboration and clear role definition.

• Managing Remote/Hybrid Teams: Leading and inspiring a design team across a hybrid work model requires deliberate communication and engagement strategies.

• Influencing Senior Client Stakeholders: Articulating the value of design systems and UI craft to non-design executives demands strong communication and strategic thinking.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Strategy: Opportunities to deepen expertise in advanced design system architecture, governance models, and scaling practices.

• Leadership Development: Formal and informal training in people management, strategic advisory, and client relationship management.

• Industry Trend Immersion: Staying at the forefront of platform UI, accessibility, and design tooling through conferences, workshops, and continuous research.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gaining deeper insights into the challenges and opportunities within MarTech, B2B SaaS, and other enterprise verticals CourtAvenue serves.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and benefit from mentorship from senior leadership within CourtAvenue.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the practical, real-world complexities of enterprise design consulting. The growth opportunities are geared towards advancing both individual expertise and leadership capabilities within the operations and design strategy domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you architected or significantly evolved a design system for an enterprise platform. What were the key challenges, your approach, and the outcomes?" (Focus on system design, governance, and engineering adoption).

• "How do you ensure design quality and consistency across multiple concurrent projects and designers, especially in a hybrid work environment?" (Focus on process, critique, and leadership).

• "Walk us through a complex UI challenge you faced on an enterprise platform. How did you collaborate with engineering and product to arrive at a solution, and what was the final UI?" (Focus on problem-solving, collaboration, and UI craft).

• "How do you approach receiving UX foundations from a strategy team and translating them into production-ready UI without redoing their work?" (Focus on collaboration, respect for roles, and UI execution). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about CourtAvenue's focus on digital transformation and enterprise client work?" (Showcase understanding of the company's mission).

• "How do you foster a culture of accessibility and design excellence within a design team?" (Connect to company values).

• "Describe your experience in a client-facing role. How do you build trust and present design rationale to executive stakeholders?" (Demonstrate client management skills). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Prioritize Impact: Start with case studies that demonstrate significant impact on shipped products and align with enterprise platform/design system requirements.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role and process, the solutions you designed, and the measurable outcomes.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively to showcase UI craft, component details, and system architecture.

• Highlight Collaboration: Explicitly mention how you worked with UX, engineering, and product teams.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design decisions, technical trade-offs, and leadership actions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will probe deeply into practical experience with design systems, enterprise platforms, and leadership. Candidates should prepare specific, data-backed examples from their portfolio to illustrate their capabilities. The ability to articulate strategy and rationale clearly to non-design audiences is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever link: https://jobs.lever.co/court-avenue/2fc43af3-de0c-4a75-a15e-b3dd7b80982b

• Customize Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 key case studies that specifically highlight your experience in enterprise platform UI, design systems, and leadership. Ensure they demonstrate shipped products and detailed collaboration with engineering.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 8+ years of relevant experience, focusing on B2B SaaS, enterprise platforms, design system leadership, and people management. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio case studies, focusing on your specific contributions, process, impact, and ability to communicate complex design decisions clearly. Rehearse discussing your approach to accessibility and design governance.

• Research CourtAvenue: Understand the company's mission, its focus on digital transformation for enterprise clients, and its culture. Be prepared to articulate why you are a good fit for their specific environment.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.