Experience Designer Lead Senior - Design Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Experience Designer Lead Senior - Design Systems

Company: PNC

Location: Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Design Operations / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-02

Experience Level: Senior (8+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Leads and mentors a pod of designers in the maintenance and evolution of critical enterprise design systems.

• Drives the strategic roadmap and discovery for design system enhancements, incorporating customer feedback and emerging trends like AI.

• Orchestrates the creation and adoption of reusable design patterns across Figma components, code libraries, and documentation.

• Facilitates design system governance through steering committees, design reviews, and cross-team alignment sessions to ensure consistency and scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is classified under Design Operations with a strong emphasis on Product Design leadership. The focus on design systems, governance, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and accessibility partners aligns with typical senior-level operations roles in large financial institutions. The mention of AI-powered workflows indicates a forward-looking approach to design operations and efficiency.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Provide daily direction, mentorship, and work orchestration for a pod of eight designers contributing to multiple enterprise design systems.

• Lead the evolution of design system libraries, including Figma components, design foundations/tokens, coded component libraries, and supporting documentation.

• Drive design system strategy, roadmap, and discovery work, incorporating customer feedback, competitive analysis, and emerging industry trends, including AI-powered workflows.

• Oversee and facilitate design system governance, including steering committees, design reviews, cross-team alignment sessions, and the evolution of contribution models.

• Define and drive alignment to design system standards, patterns, principles, and accessibility requirements, ensuring compliance with WCAG standards.

• Coordinate with engineering and accessibility partners to ensure seamless design-to-development collaboration in compliance with established standards.

• Drive and enable adoption of the design system through office hours, AMAs, and help desk support, serving a broad community of product designers.

• Lead and contribute to design reviews and audits to promote consistency and identify opportunities for system improvements.

• Facilitate cross-team collaboration and working sessions to connect design efforts and scale system usage across products within the digital organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities highlight a blend of individual contribution (hands-on design system evolution) and leadership (mentorship, orchestration, strategy). The emphasis on governance, adoption, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and accessibility is crucial for successful design system implementation and maintenance.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree required. Higher-level education such as a Master's degree, PhD, or relevant certifications is desirable.

Experience: Typically 8+ years of industry-relevant experience, with a strong focus on design systems, user experience (UX) design, and user interface (UI) design. Experience in a lead or senior capacity is expected.

Required Skills:

• Deep expertise in Design Systems principles, methodologies, and best practices.

• Proficiency in design tools, particularly Figma, for component creation, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Strong understanding of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design principles, with a proven ability to translate complex needs into intuitive designs.

• Experience with design governance frameworks, including steering committees and contribution models.

• Ability to lead and mentor a team of designers, providing direction and feedback.

• Familiarity with Agile Web Development methodologies and the product development life cycle.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and their integration into design systems.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with coded component libraries and collaboration with engineering teams.

• Familiarity with JavaScript and front-end development concepts.

• Proficiency in wireframing, prototyping, and user journey mapping tools.

• Experience with business requirements documentation (BRD).

• Exposure to AI-powered workflows and their impact on design processes.

• Knowledge of IT architecture principles relevant to digital products.

• Competencies in Business Analytics, Creativity, Design Thinking, Effective Communications, Graphic Visualization, Group Facilitation, Product Development Life Cycle, Requirements Analysis, Solutions Development, User Experience Design, and User Interface Design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The educational requirement is a Bachelor's degree, but the experience level (8+ years) and the "Lead Senior" title suggest that practical expertise and leadership capabilities are paramount. The preferred skills indicate a need for a well-rounded designer who can bridge the gap between design, code, and business strategy, with a particular emphasis on modern tooling and emerging technologies like AI.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of leadership in managing and evolving complex design systems.

• Case studies showcasing the creation, implementation, and adoption of reusable design components and patterns.

• Examples of strategic contributions to design system roadmaps, governance models, and contribution frameworks.

• Evidence of collaboration with engineering and accessibility teams to ensure successful design-to-development handoffs.

• Projects illustrating the application of design thinking, user research, and accessibility best practices. Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how design system documentation was created, maintained, and utilized by cross-functional teams.

• Present methodologies used for design reviews, audits, and consistency checks across digital products.

• Detail processes for facilitating adoption and measuring the effectiveness of design systems (e.g., through office hours, feedback sessions, metrics).

• Illustrate how design system updates were managed, including contribution models and steering committee processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Lead Senior" role focused on Design Systems, the portfolio should not only showcase design execution but also strategic thinking, leadership, and process management. Candidates are expected to demonstrate their ability to influence, govern, and scale design practices across an organization.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Senior Lead Experience Designer specializing in Design Systems in Pittsburgh, PA, with 8+ years of experience, the estimated salary range is $120,000 - $170,000 annually. This range accounts for the seniority of the role, specialized expertise in design systems, and the cost of living in Pittsburgh.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, and Vision Insurance.

• Health Savings Account (HSA) option.

• Employee and Spouse/Child Life Insurance.

• Short-term and Long-term Disability Protection.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) with PNC match, and a Pension Plan.

• Stock Purchase Plan.

• Dependent Care Reimbursement Account.

• Back-up Child/Elder Care services.

• Adoption, Surrogacy, and Doula Reimbursement programs.

• Educational Assistance, including some fully paid programs.

• Robust Wellness Program with financial incentives.

• Paid Time Off: Maternity and/or Parental Leave, up to 11 Paid Holidays annually, 9 Occasional Absence Days annually, and 15-25 Vacation Days annually depending on career level and years of service.

Working Hours: The standard working hours for this full-time role are 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, PNC fosters a culture that promotes work-life balance, and specific arrangements can be discussed with the hiring manager.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on industry data for senior-level design roles in a major metropolitan area. PNC's extensive benefits package, including robust PTO and wellness programs, is a significant draw for employees seeking a stable and supportive work environment. The mention of specific reimbursement programs (adoption, surrogacy, doula) indicates a progressive approach to employee support.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Banking and Financial Services)

Company Size: Large Enterprise (PNC is a major financial institution with tens of thousands of employees globally). This implies a structured environment with established processes, significant resources, and opportunities for large-scale impact.

Founded: PNC Financial Services Group was founded in 1852, indicating a long history and deep-rooted presence in the financial sector.

Team Structure:

• The role is within PNC's Digital organization, specifically on the Design Systems team.

• This team likely consists of several designers (eight are mentioned as being led by this role), potentially product managers, and close collaborators from engineering and accessibility.

• The "Experience Designer Lead Senior" will provide daily direction, suggesting a direct reporting relationship or strong influence over their assigned pod.

• This role will interact extensively with product design teams across various digital initiatives. Methodology:

• The role emphasizes a user-centered design approach, incorporating customer feedback, competitive analysis, and user research (contextual inquiries, generative, and quantitative research).

• Agile Web Development methodologies are standard for this type of role.

• A strong focus on process optimization, efficiency, and scalability through design systems.

• Governance is a key methodology, involving steering committees and structured reviews to maintain system integrity.

• Collaboration with engineering and accessibility partners is critical for successful implementation.

Company Website: https://www.pnc.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: PNC's long history and size in the financial services industry suggest a culture that values stability, risk management, and customer focus, while also embracing digital transformation. The Design Systems team is positioned as a central enabler of this digital transformation, requiring a balance of established practices and innovative thinking.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as "Lead Senior," indicating a senior individual contributor with leadership responsibilities over a small team (a "pod"). It sits at a high level within the design discipline, focusing on strategic impact and mentorship rather than purely hands-on execution. The scope involves influencing design across multiple enterprise-level systems.

Reporting Structure: The role provides "daily direction, orchestration, and mentorship to a pod of designers." This suggests they may either be a formal manager of this pod or a highly influential senior individual contributor acting as a team lead, reporting to a Director or VP of Design/Digital. They will work closely with product design teams and likely collaborate with engineering leads and accessibility champions.

Operations Impact: The core impact of this role is to drive consistency, scalability, efficiency, and quality across PNC's core digital experiences. By maintaining and evolving robust design systems, this role directly influences the user experience of millions of customers, reduces redundant design and development efforts, and accelerates the delivery of new digital products and features. The integration of AI-powered workflows also hints at a future impact on design process efficiency and innovation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Progression: Potential to move into a formal Design Manager or Director role, overseeing larger teams or broader design functions.

• Specialization Expansion: Deepen expertise in specific areas of design systems, such as advanced token management, code integration strategies, or AI-driven design tooling.

• Strategic Influence: Transition to a Principal Designer or Architect role, focusing on enterprise-wide design strategy and cross-functional alignment at a higher level.

• Cross-functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into roles focused on product management, UX strategy, or even operations leadership roles within the digital organization, leveraging their deep understanding of product development processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead Senior" title implies a significant level of responsibility and influence. Growth opportunities are geared towards expanding leadership scope, deepening specialized expertise, or moving into broader strategic roles within the digital product development ecosystem.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: PNC emphasizes an "in-office company" culture, indicating a preference for on-site work and in-person collaboration. This environment is described as supportive, fostering inclusivity and employee well-being.

Office Location(s): The primary location mentioned is Pittsburgh, PA, specifically "Two PNC Plaza (PA374)". Pittsburgh is a major city with a significant presence of financial services and tech industries, offering a vibrant urban environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The emphasis on an "in-office" culture suggests a workplace designed for collaboration, with shared spaces, meeting rooms, and opportunities for spontaneous interaction.

• Tools & Technology: While not explicitly detailed for this role beyond Figma, it's reasonable to assume a modern tech stack supporting digital design, development, and project management will be available. This includes access to necessary software, hardware, and internal platforms.

• Team Interaction: The role involves leading a "pod" of designers and facilitating cross-team collaboration. This means the workspace will support team meetings, design reviews, and joint working sessions.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, 40 hours per week. While the company is "in-office," there's an acknowledgment of employee balance, suggesting that while on-site presence is key, discussions about specific work arrangements might be possible, though the primary expectation is full-time office attendance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "in-office" requirement is a key differentiator. Candidates must be prepared for a traditional office-based work environment, emphasizing face-to-face collaboration and team presence. The Pittsburgh location offers access to a strong talent pool and a good quality of life.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Application review, potentially followed by a brief HR or recruiter screening to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: Candidates will likely present their portfolio, focusing on their design system work, leadership experience, and strategic thinking. A design challenge or case study related to design systems, governance, or problem-solving within a large enterprise context may be presented.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interviews: In-depth discussions with the hiring manager and key team members (designers, engineers, product managers) to assess technical skills, leadership capabilities, problem-solving approach, and cultural alignment.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with partners from engineering and accessibility to evaluate collaboration skills and understanding of technical constraints and best practices.

• Final Round: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the challenges faced, the solutions implemented through the design system, and the measurable impact (e.g., improved consistency, faster development cycles, reduced design debt).

• Showcase Leadership: Include examples of how you've mentored designers, led design reviews, facilitated governance, and driven adoption.

• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Explain your approach to design system strategy, roadmap planning, and how you incorporate user feedback and emerging trends.

• Detail Collaboration: Provide specific examples of working with engineering, accessibility, and product teams to ensure seamless integration and adoption.

• Quantify Achievements: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your design system initiatives (e.g., percentage of components adopted, time saved, reduction in bugs).

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Audit/Improvement: Be prepared to analyze an existing design system (hypothetical or real-world) and propose improvements for consistency, scalability, or adoption.

• Governance Proposal: Outline how you would establish or refine design system governance processes for a large organization.

• Component Design/Documentation: Potentially be asked to design a new component or document an existing one according to system standards.

• AI Integration Strategy: Consider how AI tools could be leveraged to enhance design system creation, maintenance, or adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process for a senior, leadership-oriented role like this will be thorough. Candidates should expect to demonstrate not only design prowess but also strategic leadership, process management, and strong collaboration skills. A well-curated portfolio is critical.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for component creation, design system libraries, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows. Proficiency is a must.

• Design System Management Platforms: While not explicitly named, tools for managing design tokens, component libraries, and documentation (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook for documentation, or internal solutions) are likely utilized.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, other tools like InVision may be used for advanced prototyping or user testing.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Tools like Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, or internal BI tools to track user behavior and measure the impact of digital experiences and design system adoption.

• Design Audit Tools: Software or methodologies for conducting design audits to ensure consistency and adherence to system standards.

• Reporting Dashboards: Tools for creating and sharing reports on design system health, adoption rates, and impact (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, or internal dashboards).

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar for managing design sprints, workflows, and team tasks.

• Collaboration & Documentation Tools: Confluence, SharePoint, Slack, Microsoft Teams for team communication, knowledge sharing, and documentation.

• Code Repositories: Familiarity with Git and platforms like Bitbucket or GitHub is beneficial for understanding coded component libraries.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable for this role. Experience with tools that facilitate design system documentation, governance, and cross-functional collaboration is also highly valued. A general understanding of the broader tech stack used in digital product development is beneficial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focused: Prioritizing customer needs and satisfaction in all design decisions, ensuring that design systems enable delightful and intuitive customer experiences.

• Managing Risk: Adhering to established processes and standards to mitigate design and development risks, ensuring compliance and system integrity.

• Collaboration: Fostering a collaborative environment where designers, engineers, accessibility experts, and product managers work together effectively.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Driving improvements in design and development efficiency and scalability through well-maintained and adopted design systems.

• Innovation: Encouraging exploration of new trends, such as AI, to enhance design processes and outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with engineering, accessibility, product management, and other design teams to ensure the design system is practical, adopted, and effective.

• Facilitation & Guidance: A style that involves actively facilitating discussions, leading working sessions, and providing clear guidance and support to designers and stakeholders.

• Feedback-Driven: Openness to feedback from users of the design system (product designers, developers) and incorporating it into system evolution.

• Data-Informed: Utilizing data from user research, adoption metrics, and system audits to inform design system strategy and improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: PNC's stated values of "Customer Focused" and "Managing Risk" will heavily influence the design system's development and governance. The collaborative style is essential for a role that acts as a central hub for design consistency across a large organization.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Driving Adoption: Ensuring widespread adoption and consistent usage of the design system across numerous product teams with varying levels of maturity and buy-in.

• Maintaining Consistency at Scale: Managing a large, mature design system for an enterprise-level organization presents ongoing challenges in maintaining consistency, managing versioning, and preventing fragmentation.

• Balancing Innovation and Stability: Integrating new patterns, technologies (like AI), and user needs while maintaining the stability and core principles of the existing system.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Achieving and maintaining alignment with diverse stakeholder groups, including engineering, product, marketing, and legal, each with their own priorities.

• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the ROI and effectiveness of the design system in a way that resonates with business stakeholders.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Strategy: Opportunities to lead the strategic direction of design systems for a major financial institution, influencing long-term digital product development.

• AI in Design: Exploration and implementation of AI-powered tools and workflows within design systems, staying at the forefront of industry innovation.

• Leadership Development: Formal and informal training in people management, strategic planning, and cross-functional leadership.

• Industry Engagement: Potential for participation in design system conferences, workshops, and community events to bring best practices back to PNC.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and develop future design leaders within PNC.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role operates in a complex enterprise environment, presenting significant challenges in adoption, governance, and strategic alignment. However, these challenges also offer substantial opportunities for professional growth and impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to developing and scaling an enterprise-level design system. What are the key phases and considerations?"

• "How would you foster adoption of a design system across diverse product teams, some of which may be resistant to change?"

• "Imagine a scenario where engineering and design disagree on the implementation of a core component within the design system. How would you facilitate a resolution?"

• "How do you incorporate emerging technologies like AI into a design system strategy? What are the potential benefits and risks?"

• "What metrics would you use to measure the success and ROI of a design system?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see the principles of 'Customer Focused' and 'Managing Risk' influencing the design and governance of a design system at PNC?"

• "Describe your experience working within a large, established financial institution. What are the unique challenges and opportunities?"

• "How would you contribute to PNC's inclusive workplace culture through your role on the Design Systems team?"

• "What is your experience with on-site collaboration versus remote work, and how do you approach building strong team dynamics in an office environment?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame your portfolio pieces as narratives – problem, solution, process, and outcome. For design systems, focus on the journey from inception to adoption and impact.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your design system work (e.g., adoption rates, time savings, reduction in UI bugs).

• Showcase Leadership: Clearly articulate your role in leading teams, mentoring designers, and driving strategic initiatives.

• Focus on Process: Detail your process for research, design, collaboration, and governance. Explain why you made certain decisions.

• Tailor to PNC: Research PNC's digital products and brand. Be prepared to discuss how your design system expertise can specifically benefit their organization.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Audit: Prepare to analyze a hypothetical or existing design system and identify areas for improvement in terms of consistency, accessibility, documentation, or governance.

• Component Design/Documentation: Be ready to design a new component or document an existing one, adhering to best practices for clarity, reusability, and accessibility.

• Governance Proposal: Outline how you would establish or refine design system governance for a large organization, including mechanisms for contribution, review, and decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, process management, and a deep understanding of design systems within a large enterprise context. Be ready to articulate your experience with data-driven decision-making and cross-functional collaboration.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Experience Designer Lead Senior - Design Systems position at PNC:

• Submit your application through the provided link on PNC's Workday job portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your most impactful work on design systems. Highlight specific examples of component libraries, design tokens, governance processes, and adoption strategies. Quantify achievements where possible, focusing on scalability, consistency, and efficiency gains.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience in leading design system initiatives, mentoring design teams, and collaborating with engineering and accessibility partners. Use keywords from the job description such as "Design Systems," "Figma," "UX Design," "UI Design," "Design Governance," and "Agile."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design system philosophy, leadership approach, and problem-solving methodologies. Prepare to discuss case studies from your portfolio in detail, focusing on the strategic impact and process. Research PNC's digital presence and current design initiatives to tailor your responses.

• Company Research: Understand PNC's mission, values, and their digital transformation efforts. Familiarize yourself with their customer focus and risk management principles, and consider how a robust design system supports these priorities. Prepare thoughtful questions about the team, the design system's current state, and future strategic goals.

⚠️ 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.