Senior Product Designer, UI Design & Design Systems, CoStar Product at CoStar Group

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer, UI Design & Design Systems, CoStar Product

Company: CoStar Group

Location: Richmond, Virginia, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UI Design & Design Systems

Date Posted: 2025-06-10T00:00:00

Experience Level: Senior (6+ years)

Remote Status: On-site (Richmond, VA)

🎨 Role Summary

Lead the creation and evolution of a comprehensive design system, establishing standards for UI quality, consistency, and accessibility across a large product suite.
Focus on deep craft in visual and interaction design, translating brand identity and user needs into scalable, reusable UI components and patterns.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional product, design, and engineering teams to drive adoption and successful implementation of the design system.
Act as a key contributor to the design team's culture, mentoring other designers and advocating for system-focused design practices and innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role emphasizes a strong focus on UI design and design systems at scale within an enterprise product environment. The Senior level indicates expectations for leadership in defining standards and driving adoption across multiple teams and platforms. The requirement for a portfolio showcasing "UI excellence and system thinking" is a critical indicator of the specific skills sought.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Design, document, and maintain the core components, visual styles, and guidelines of the company's design system, ensuring scalability and flexibility.
Define and implement processes for design system governance, contribution, and version control, enabling efficient collaboration across design and engineering teams.
Set and enforce high standards for visual design quality, accessibility (WCAG standards), and consistency across all product interfaces and platforms (web, mobile, desktop).
Translate complex user needs and business requirements into intuitive, elegant, and production-ready UI designs and interactive prototypes.
Partner with front-end engineers to ensure pixel-perfect implementation of design system components and patterns, facilitating smooth design-to-development handoffs.
Educate and influence product teams on the value and proper usage of the design system, fostering a culture of design consistency and efficiency.
Research and evaluate emerging design tools, technologies (design tokens, variables), and industry best practices related to design systems and UI architecture.
Champion visual storytelling, brand expression, and responsive design principles within the product interfaces, enhancing the overall user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: Responsibilities highlight the dual nature of the role: hands-on design system creation/maintenance and strategic leadership/advocacy. The emphasis on accessibility, cross-platform design, and collaboration with engineering underscores the practical application of design system principles in a large-scale product environment. Adding specific examples like WCAG and design tokens provides actionable context for candidates.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field from an accredited, not-for-profit University or College. A strong portfolio demonstrating application of design principles is often considered alongside formal education.

Experience: Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in product design, interface design, or a closely related design discipline. This experience should include significant involvement in creating or scaling design systems for complex applications. A portfolio showcasing a strong track record of UI excellence and system thinking is mandatory.

Required Skills:

Expert-level proficiency in UI design principles, including typography, layout, color theory, spacing, hierarchy, and visual aesthetics.
Extensive experience in developing, documenting, and maintaining design systems, including component libraries, style guides, and governance processes.
Advanced proficiency with Figma, including expertise in building and utilizing component systems, variants, auto layout, tokens, and variables.
Deep understanding of interaction design principles and patterns, creating intuitive and efficient user flows and interface behaviors.
Strong knowledge of web and mobile accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), ensuring designs are inclusive and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Proven ability to design for responsiveness and adaptability across multiple platforms, screen sizes, and device types.
Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and influence stakeholders across product, engineering, and design teams.
A strong portfolio demonstrating a solid understanding of design systems, UI design excellence, and a systematic approach to design problem-solving.

Preferred Skills:

Experience working in large-scale SaaS, enterprise, or multi-product environments with complex data structures.
Familiarity with front-end development concepts and frameworks (e.g., React, Vue), and experience with design handoff and QA workflows.
Experience supporting or maintaining design systems that accommodate multiple brands, themes, or white-labeling requirements.
Knowledge of motion design principles and their application within user interfaces to enhance interaction and usability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills section is expanded to explicitly mention key UI design principles, specific Figma features crucial for design systems, and essential cross-functional skills. Preferred skills provide context on the complexity of the environment and potential technical collaboration, guiding candidates on areas that could differentiate their application.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Your portfolio must prominently feature projects demonstrating significant contributions to the creation or scaling of a design system. This should include examples of component design, documentation, and system implementation.
Showcase examples of your UI design excellence across a range of projects, highlighting attention to detail, visual hierarchy, typography, and overall aesthetic quality.
Include detailed case studies that walk through your design process, from understanding the problem and user needs to ideation, iteration, and final design solution, specifically for UI and system-level challenges.
Demonstrate your ability to design for accessibility and responsiveness, showing how your designs adapt across different devices and adhere to accessibility standards.

Process Documentation:

Document your approach to defining design system principles, guidelines, and governance processes. Explain how you ensure consistency and collaboration within a design team.
Detail your methods for user research and discovery specifically as they inform UI design and system requirements (e.g., understanding how users interact with components).
Illustrate your ideation and iteration process for designing reusable components and patterns, including sketches, wireframes, and high-fidelity mockups.
Explain your approach to validating design system components with users and developers, ensuring usability and technical feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides explicit guidance on what the portfolio should contain, focusing heavily on design system work and UI excellence. It details the specific aspects of the design process that should be documented, emphasizing system-level thinking and collaboration, which is critical for this role.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry data for Senior Product Designer roles with a focus on UI and Design Systems in the Richmond, Virginia area, the estimated salary range is typically between $110,000 and $150,000 annually. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience level, depth of design system expertise, portfolio quality, and negotiation skills. (Note: This is an estimate based on market data and publicly available salary aggregators for similar roles in the region as of mid-2025. Actual compensation may differ.)

Benefits:

Comprehensive healthcare coverage, including Medical, Vision, Dental, and Prescription Drug plans.
Life, legal, and supplementary insurance options.
Access to virtual and in-person mental health counseling services for individuals and family members.
Commuter and parking benefits to support on-site work.
401(K) retirement plan with matching contributions to support long-term financial planning.
Employee stock purchase plan, offering an opportunity to invest in the company's success.
Generous paid time off (PTO) policy.
Tuition reimbursement program to support continuous learning and professional development in design or related fields.
On-site fitness center and/or reimbursed fitness center membership costs (location dependent), with amenities like a yoga studio, Pelotons, personal training, and group exercise classes.
Access to CoStar Group's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Employee Resource Groups.
Complimentary gourmet coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fresh fruit, and other healthy snacks available on-site.

Working Hours: This is a full-time, on-site position based in Richmond, VA, requiring adherence to standard business hours (Monday through Friday). While specific hours may be flexible within the core workday, the role necessitates consistent presence in the office for team collaboration and meetings. The nature of design work may occasionally require focused time outside of standard hours to meet project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: A salary range estimate is provided based on typical compensation data for Senior Product Designer roles with a design system specialization in the Richmond, VA market. The methodology acknowledges the estimate nature and factors influencing the final offer. Benefits are detailed, highlighting those particularly relevant to employee well-being and professional growth. Working hours are clarified, emphasizing the on-site requirement and standard work week.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: CoStar Group operates within the Real Estate industry, specifically focusing on commercial and residential real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces. This context means design plays a crucial role in making complex data and market insights accessible and actionable for professionals and consumers. Design solutions must be robust, scalable, and capable of presenting vast amounts of information clearly and effectively.

Company Size: With over 9,600 employees globally, CoStar Group is a large, established public company. For design professionals, this indicates a structured environment with potentially large and specialized design teams, established processes, and opportunities to work on high-impact products used by a wide audience. It also suggests the need for strong collaboration across different departments and product lines.

Founded: Founded in 1986, CoStar Group has a long history in the real estate information space. This history implies a mature company with deep industry knowledge and a focus on continuous innovation to maintain its leadership position. The design culture likely values a blend of established best practices and forward-thinking approaches to stay competitive.

Team Structure:

The Design team likely includes various specializations (UI, UX, Research, Content Strategy) organized within product areas or as centralized functions.
As a Senior role focused on Design Systems, this position will likely report to a Design Lead, Manager, or Director, potentially within a dedicated Systems team or a central design operations function.
Frequent collaboration is expected with other Product Designers, UX Researchers, Product Managers, and Software Engineers across multiple product teams who will consume and contribute to the design system.

Methodology:

The company likely utilizes a mix of Agile and potentially Waterfall methodologies for product development, requiring designers to be adaptable.
Design processes likely involve user research, requirements gathering, ideation, prototyping, user testing, and iterative refinement.
Emphasis on data-driven design decisions, leveraging analytics and user feedback to inform UI patterns and system components.

Company Website: http://www.costargroup.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Company information is integrated with design-specific implications. The industry, size, and history provide context for the scale and complexity of design challenges. Assumptions about team structure and methodology are based on the company's size and the nature of a Senior Product Designer role focused on design systems in an enterprise environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This is a Senior-level Product Designer role, specifically focusing on UI and Design Systems. This level typically involves leading significant design initiatives, mentoring less experienced designers, and having a strong influence on design strategy and standards. Responsibilities include not just execution but also defining approaches and driving adoption of the design system across the organization. It's a key role in shaping the future of the company's product interfaces.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Lead who oversees the Design Systems function or a specific product area that heavily utilizes the system. There will be close collaboration with other Senior and Lead designers, as well as peers in Product Management and Engineering.

Design Impact: This role has a high potential for impact. By leading the design system, you will directly influence the quality, consistency, and efficiency of design and development across the entire CoStar product suite. Your work will empower other teams to build better products faster and ensure a cohesive user experience for millions of users. The impact will be felt both in the final product quality and in the productivity of the design and engineering organizations.

Growth Opportunities:

Advancement to a Lead Product Designer or Design Manager role, potentially leading a team focused on the design system or a specific product area.
Opportunity to specialize further in design systems architecture, governance, or emerging technologies like design tokens and AI in design workflows.
Growth into a Principal Designer role, focusing on strategic, high-level design challenges and mentoring across multiple teams.
Potential to contribute to broader design operations initiatives and influence the overall design practice within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career analysis clarifies the seniority of the role and its strategic importance related to design systems. Growth opportunities are outlined, suggesting potential paths within design leadership, specialization, or broader strategic influence, aligning with typical career progression in large design organizations.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: The role is explicitly on-site in Richmond, VA. This suggests a traditional office environment, likely with dedicated workspaces for the design team. The focus on on-site work emphasizes the company's preference for in-person collaboration, which can be particularly beneficial for complex design system work and cross-functional team interactions.

Office Location(s): The primary location is 501 S 5th Street, Richmond, VA 23219, US, as well as 951 E Byrd St, Suite 900, Richmond, Virginia 23219, US, and 901 Semmes Ave, Richmond, Virginia 23224, US. Being in a major city like Richmond offers access to transportation, amenities, and potentially a local design community. The multiple office locations in Richmond suggest a significant presence in the area.

Design Workspace Context:

The on-site nature likely facilitates spontaneous collaboration, whiteboarding sessions, and close interaction with product and engineering peers.
Access to necessary hardware, software, and potentially dedicated design studios or collaborative spaces.
Opportunities for in-person design critiques, workshops, and team-building activities that contribute to the design culture.

Work Schedule: The position requires being in the Richmond office Monday through Friday. While specific start/end times may have some flexibility, the expectation is a standard full-time work week on-site. This structure supports the collaborative nature of design system work and integration with co-located product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment description focuses on the implications of an on-site requirement for a design role, highlighting the benefits and expectations of in-person collaboration, access to facilities, and team interaction. Specific office locations are included for candidate awareness.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial Screening: Likely involves a recruiter call to discuss your background, experience, and interest in the role, with a focus on your design system and UI experience.
Hiring Manager Interview: A deeper dive into your experience, portfolio, and approach to design systems and UI design with the hiring manager or design lead. Be prepared to discuss your process, challenges faced, and impact of your work.
Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio in detail, focusing specifically on projects related to design systems, UI excellence, and your problem-solving process. Be ready to explain the "why" behind your design decisions.
Design Challenge/Exercise: You may be given a practical design exercise, potentially related to extending or utilizing a design system component, to assess your skills in real-time. Alternatively, a take-home challenge may be assigned.
Team Interviews: Meetings with potential team members (other designers, engineers, product managers) to assess collaboration style, technical communication, and cultural fit. Be ready to discuss how you work cross-functionally.
Final Round/Executive Interview: Potentially a discussion with a Design Director or VP to discuss your strategic thinking, leadership potential, and broader impact on the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Clearly highlight your experience creating and scaling design systems. Dedicate specific case studies or sections to this work, showcasing components, documentation, and examples of how the system was implemented.
Present high-fidelity UI designs that demonstrate your mastery of visual design principles, attention to detail, and understanding of accessibility and responsiveness.
For each project (especially design system work), clearly articulate your role, the problem you were solving, your process, key decisions made, and the impact of your work. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) where appropriate.
Showcase your ability to document design decisions and system guidelines clearly, as this is a key aspect of design system work.
Be prepared to discuss the technical considerations of your designs and how you collaborate with engineers for implementation.

Challenge Preparation:

Understand the typical structure and expectations of design challenges for senior roles (e.g., time constraints, deliverables).
Practice articulating your design process and rationale clearly and concisely while working through a problem.
Be prepared to ask clarifying questions during the challenge to ensure you understand the constraints and goals.
Focus on demonstrating your system thinking and ability to apply design principles efficiently, even under time pressure.
If presenting a take-home challenge, allocate sufficient time, document your process thoroughly, and prepare a clear presentation explaining your solution.

ATS Keywords: Design System, UI Design, User Interface, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Component Library, Style Guide, Pattern Library, Figma, Accessibility, WCAG, Responsive Design, Cross-Platform, Prototyping, Wireframing, User Centered Design, Design Thinking, Agile, Collaboration, Handoff, Documentation, Design Tokens, Variables, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Product Design, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Real Estate, Metrics, Usability Testing, User Research, Information Architecture, Design Strategy, Mentorship, Leadership, Design Operations, Front-end Development, React, Storybook, HTML, CSS, JavaScript.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process section outlines a typical interview flow for a Senior Design role, providing specific preparation advice for each stage, including portfolio presentation and design challenges. Portfolio tips are tailored to the role's focus on design systems and UI excellence. A comprehensive list of ATS keywords is provided, categorized for clarity and resume optimization.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Figma: Expert-level proficiency is required, including extensive experience with advanced features like component systems, variants, auto layout, design tokens, and variables for building scalable design systems. This is the core tool for UI design and system management.
Sketch/Adobe Creative Suite: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other design tools like Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator may be beneficial for working with legacy assets or specific creative tasks.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Jira/Confluence: Likely used for project management, task tracking, and documentation, requiring familiarity with agile workflows and documenting design specifications.
Storybook or similar documentation platforms: Experience with tools that showcase design system components in isolation and provide documentation for developers is highly relevant.
Version Control (e.g., Git concepts): Understanding how version control applies to design files and documentation within a system context is valuable for collaboration with engineering.

Research & Testing:

UserTesting.com, Maze, or similar: Familiarity with platforms for conducting usability testing and gathering user feedback on component designs and interface patterns.
Analytics Tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics): Ability to use data to understand how components and interfaces are being used and identify areas for improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools section highlights Figma as the absolute core requirement, detailing specific features relevant to design systems. It also includes collaboration, handoff, research, and testing tools commonly used in product design environments, providing a more complete picture of the technical ecosystem.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

Excellence in Craft: A strong emphasis on high-quality UI design, attention to detail, and pixel-perfect implementation, reflecting a commitment to raising the bar for interface quality.
System Thinking: Valuing a systematic approach to design problem-solving, focusing on creating reusable patterns and components that contribute to consistency and efficiency.
Collaboration: Fostering a collaborative environment where designers work closely with engineering and product teams, sharing knowledge and building solutions together.
Continuous Improvement: Encouraging exploration of new tools, technologies, and methodologies in design systems and UI design to stay at the forefront of the field.
User-Centered Approach: While focused on systems, the underlying value is creating interfaces that are intuitive, accessible, and effectively meet the needs of commercial real estate professionals and other users.

Collaboration Style:

Likely involves regular design critiques and feedback sessions to ensure alignment and maintain quality standards within the design team.
Close partnership with front-end developers, potentially participating in stand-ups or dedicated syncs to discuss design system implementation and handoff details.
Active communication and alignment with Product Managers and other designers to ensure the design system meets the evolving needs of different product areas.
Knowledge sharing and documentation are key to enabling other teams to effectively utilize the design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section infers design values and collaboration style based on the role's focus on UI excellence and design systems within a large organization. Values like "Excellence in Craft" and "System Thinking" are directly tied to the job title and responsibilities, while collaboration aspects reflect the cross-functional nature of design system work.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Establishing and scaling a design system: This involves not just creating components but also defining governance, driving adoption across multiple teams, and ensuring consistency in a large, potentially complex product landscape.
Balancing consistency with product-specific needs: Ensuring the design system provides a strong foundation while allowing flexibility for unique requirements of different product areas within CoStar's diverse portfolio.
Maintaining accessibility across a large product suite: Ensuring all components and patterns meet high accessibility standards and advocating for accessible design practices throughout the organization.
Staying current with emerging design system technologies: Continuously evaluating and potentially integrating new tools and concepts like design tokens, variables, and AI-assisted design into the system.
Influencing cultural change: Encouraging a system-focused mindset and promoting the value of the design system among designers, engineers, and product managers who may be accustomed to different workflows.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Opportunity to become a recognized expert in design systems within a leading real estate technology company.
Potential to attend industry conferences and workshops focused on design systems, UI design, and front-end development.
Mentorship opportunities, both as a mentee learning from senior leaders and as a mentor guiding junior designers.
Access to internal training programs and the tuition reimbursement benefit to pursue further education or certifications in design or related fields.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are derived directly from the nature of leading a design system initiative in a large company, highlighting the technical, organizational, and cultural hurdles involved. Growth opportunities are linked to overcoming these challenges and leveraging company benefits for professional development in design systems and related areas.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

"Walk me through your process for creating a new component within a design system, from concept to documentation and handoff." Prepare to discuss research, ideation, testing, and collaboration steps.
"Describe a time you faced a significant challenge in getting a team to adopt a design system or specific component. How did you address it?" Focus on your communication, influence, and problem-solving skills.
"How do you ensure accessibility is integrated into the design system from the ground up?" Be prepared to discuss specific accessibility standards and testing methods.
"Explain your approach to documenting design system components and guidelines to make them easily understandable and usable by both designers and developers." Showcase examples from your portfolio if possible.

Company Culture Questions:

"How do you approach collaboration with engineers when implementing design system components?" Discuss your handoff process, communication style, and experience with technical constraints.
"Describe your experience mentoring other designers, particularly in adopting system-focused design practices." Share specific examples of guidance or training you've provided.
"What are your thoughts on the balance between design consistency (driven by a system) and allowing for product-specific innovation?" Show your ability to think strategically about system governance.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Structure your presentation to prioritize your design system work and strongest UI design projects.
For design system case studies, clearly explain the system's goals, your role in its creation or scaling, key components you designed, documentation examples, and the impact on design and development workflows.
For UI projects, focus on showcasing your visual design skills, attention to detail, understanding of hierarchy and layout, and how you addressed specific user or business problems.
Be prepared to articulate your design decisions and rationale clearly and concisely for each project.
Practice your presentation beforehand to ensure a smooth flow and stay within allocated time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation questions are tailored to the Senior Product Designer role with a focus on Design Systems and UI. Questions target both technical skills (process, challenges, accessibility, documentation) and behavioral/cultural aspects (collaboration, mentorship, strategic thinking). Portfolio presentation advice is specific to showcasing design system expertise and UI excellence effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link on the CoStar Group careers page.
Carefully customize your design portfolio to prominently feature your experience with creating or scaling design systems and showcase examples of your UI design excellence. Ensure case studies clearly explain your process and impact.
Optimize your resume for design-relevant ATS keywords listed above, ensuring your experience with UI design, design systems, Figma, accessibility, and collaboration is clearly highlighted.
Prepare thoroughly for the interview process by practicing explaining your design process, articulating your design decisions, and preparing for potential design challenges, with a focus on system-level thinking and UI craft.
Research CoStar Group, its products (especially the CoStar product suite), and its likely design culture to demonstrate your understanding of the company and how your skills align with their needs in the real estate tech space.

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

Senior Product Designer, UI Design & Design Systems, CoStar Product