Design Systems Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Systems Designer

Company: Rundoo

Location: Redwood City, California, USA

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Design Operations / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-03-31

Experience Level: 3-5+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the development and evolution of Rundoo's comprehensive design system, ensuring consistency and scalability across all product experiences.

• Rebuild and maintain sophisticated Figma component libraries for both web and mobile platforms, optimizing for ease of use and extensibility.

• Act as a key liaison between design and engineering teams, translating design principles into production-ready code and championing system adoption.

• Align the design system roadmap with overarching product priorities, proactively identifying opportunities for system enhancement and feature integration.

• Contribute to product design efforts for features that may fall outside the established system, guiding system extension and ensuring best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as the first dedicated Design Systems Designer, indicating a foundational opportunity to shape the company's design infrastructure. The emphasis on bridging design craft and technical implementation, along with evangelizing the system to engineers, highlights a critical need for strong communication and collaboration skills beyond pure design execution. The hybrid work model with a significant in-office component suggests a culture that values direct collaboration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Ownership: Audit existing design patterns, components, and guidelines to establish a cohesive, scalable, and user-friendly design system that supports current and future product needs.

• Component Library Development: Rebuild and meticulously maintain Figma web and mobile component libraries, simplifying and augmenting them with robust auto layout, component variants, and design tokens.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Evangelism: Partner closely with engineering teams to translate design system components into production-ready code (React, CSS), providing clear documentation and championing widespread adoption to ensure design consistency.

• Strategic Roadmap Alignment: Collaborate with Product, Design, and Engineering stakeholders to integrate the design system roadmap with the product development roadmap, ensuring the system actively enables and accelerates product initiatives.

• Product Design Support: Design features that extend or require new components within the design system, acting as a product designer to inform system evolution and guide engineering implementation when necessary.

• Establish Design Principles & Standards: Define and document clear guidelines for typography, color, spacing, iconography, and interaction patterns to ensure a unified and high-quality user experience across all Rundoo products.

• Tooling & Process Optimization: Research and implement best practices for design system tooling, documentation, and contribution workflows to maximize efficiency and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic ownership and hands-on execution. The need to "jump in as a product designer" when engineers struggle highlights the practical, problem-solving nature of this role, requiring adaptability and a deep understanding of user needs beyond just component creation.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong foundation in Design principles, UI/UX, or a related field is implied. A portfolio showcasing relevant experience will be paramount.

Experience:

• 3-5+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a significant portion of that time specifically focused on contributing to or building design systems.

Required Skills:

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced mastery of Figma, including auto layout, component variants, instances, prototyping, and design token implementation.

• Design System Development: Demonstrated experience in auditing, defining, building, and maintaining scalable design systems.

• Component-Based Frameworks: Solid understanding of how design systems bridge to frontend implementation, with specific knowledge of CSS and component-based frameworks like React.

• Platform Best Practices: Well-versed in web and mobile design best practices, understanding platform-specific nuances and user expectations.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to think holistically about design consistency, scalability, and the interconnectedness of components and patterns.

• Cross-Functional Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with and influence engineers, product managers, and other designers.

• Problem-Solving: Aptitude for identifying design system gaps and developing practical, implementable solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Frontend Development: Technical skills including knowledge of writing frontend code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and comfort building simple components that implement designs.

• Early-Stage Startup Experience: Prior experience in an early-stage startup, particularly in building a design system from the ground up.

• B2B SaaS Experience: Familiarity with B2B SaaS product design, especially with dense, data-heavy UI patterns and complex workflows.

• Design Tokens: Experience with defining and managing design tokens for consistent theming and branding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "meaningful time spent working on or contributing to a design system" suggests that candidates with a primary focus on individual product design features, without a dedicated design systems component, may not be the ideal fit. The preference for technical skills and B2B SaaS experience points towards a need for a designer who can deeply understand the technical constraints and business context of Rundoo's product.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Studies: Showcase at least one comprehensive case study detailing your experience building, evolving, or contributing significantly to a design system. This should include the problem statement, your approach, key decisions, and measurable outcomes.

• Component Library Examples: Provide clear examples of component libraries you have built or maintained, demonstrating proficiency in Figma's advanced features (auto layout, variants, tokens).

• System Scalability & Consistency: Illustrate how your design system work has improved consistency and scalability across multiple products or features.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Evidence: Include examples or descriptions of how you've partnered with engineering to implement design system components and advocated for their adoption.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate an understanding of how to document and optimize workflows related to design system creation, contribution, and maintenance.

• Implementation & Automation: Show how you've considered the implementation of designs into code and any automation strategies used to streamline the design system process.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Present how you've measured the impact and effectiveness of your design system work, using metrics to drive improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The paid take-home assignment, which involves auditing and improving an existing Figma design system, directly tests these portfolio requirements. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate their ability to analyze current systems, identify gaps, and execute on improvements within a defined scope.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Base Salary: $156,000 - $176,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Full medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 100% of premiums covered for the employee and 50% for dependents.

• Retirement Savings: 401k plan administered through Betterment, offering a structured approach to long-term financial planning.

• Flexible Paid Time Off: Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) policy, coupled with 10 company-paid holidays, allowing for ample rest and personal time.

• In-Office Perks: Daily team lunches provided for employees working in the Redwood City office, fostering team connection and convenience.

• Professional Development: Access to learning materials and audiobook subscriptions to support continuous learning and skill development.

• Equity: 0.0328% - 0.0364% equity grant, offering ownership in the company's growth.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with the flexibility afforded by an unlimited PTO policy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Design Systems Designer role in the SF Bay Area with 3-5 years of experience. The equity component is significant for an early-stage startup, providing a strong incentive for long-term commitment. The benefits package is robust, particularly the health coverage and professional development resources. The mention of "daily team lunches for those in office" reinforces the hybrid model's emphasis on in-person collaboration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: B2B SaaS, specifically focused on modernizing technology for independent supply stores (e.g., hardware stores, nurseries). The company aims to bring best-in-class technology to an underserved market.

Company Size: Early-stage startup, recently raised $18M across three funding rounds. The team is growing rapidly.

Founded: Rundoo was founded with the mission to empower independent supply stores with modern technology. The company is backed by prominent investors like Bessemer and CRV.

Team Structure:

• The design team is currently small, consisting of the Co-Founder & CTO (Andrew) and a Product Designer (Zach). This role will be the first dedicated Design Systems Designer.

• This implies a flat hierarchy within the design function, with direct access to leadership.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Approach: While not explicitly detailed for design systems, the company's B2B SaaS focus suggests a reliance on data to inform product decisions and measure success.

• Iterative Development: As a startup, expect agile and iterative processes for design and development, with a focus on rapid prototyping and feedback loops.

• Systems Thinking: The core of this role is systems thinking, aiming to bring order and consistency to a complex product landscape.

Company Website: https://getrundoo.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The small, existing design team structure means this role has a high degree of autonomy and influence. The CTO's background in engineering and dance suggests a unique blend of technical rigor and creative problem-solving at the leadership level. The company's mission to serve independent supply stores provides a clear market context and potential for significant impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a foundational role as the first dedicated Design Systems Designer. It represents a mid-level to senior individual contributor position with significant ownership and strategic influence. The role is critical for establishing the core design infrastructure that will scale with the company.

Reporting Structure: The Design Systems Designer will likely report directly to a Head of Product, Head of Design (if one exists or is hired), or potentially a Co-Founder/CTO, given the current team structure. Direct access to leadership is a key characteristic.

Operations Impact: The Design Systems Designer's work will have a direct and profound impact on:

• Product Consistency & Quality: Ensuring a cohesive and professional user experience across all Rundoo products.

• Development Efficiency: Accelerating engineering velocity by providing reusable components and clear guidelines, reducing redundant work and bug fixing.

• Design Team Scalability: Enabling a growing design team to work more efficiently and maintain brand integrity.

• Brand Perception: Contributing to a polished and trustworthy brand image for Rundoo's clients.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design Systems: Grow into a Design Systems Lead or Manager role as the team and system scale, potentially building out a dedicated design systems team.

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in frontend implementation, design tokens, and advanced component architecture.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Expand influence across product and engineering by championing design best practices and driving adoption of the design system.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute significantly to the product strategy by identifying how the design system can enable new product capabilities and user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: As the inaugural Design Systems Designer, this role offers a unique opportunity to define best practices and build the foundation for future design operations. The growth trajectory is clearly geared towards leadership within the design systems discipline or broader product design leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, with a requirement to be in the Redwood City office approximately 4 days per week. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to foster team interaction.

Office Location(s): Redwood City, California, USA. This location is central to the SF Bay Area tech ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is likely set up to encourage interaction, with daily team lunches provided to facilitate connection and informal discussions.

• Technology-Rich: As a tech company, expect access to modern design and development tools, including robust Figma setups and integrated development environments.

• Cross-Functional Integration: The hybrid model and emphasis on collaboration imply frequent interaction with product managers, engineers, and other designers, fostering a dynamic work environment.

Work Schedule: Full-time employment with a hybrid arrangement. The focus is on output and collaboration within the office, balanced with personal flexibility afforded by the unlimited PTO policy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 4-day in-office expectation is a strong indicator that direct, in-person collaboration is highly valued by Rundoo, especially for a role that bridges design and engineering. This environment is suited for individuals who thrive on team synergy and face-to-face problem-solving.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Intro Call (20 mins): Initial screening to assess basic role alignment and gauge design foundational knowledge.

• Take Home Overview & Portfolio Review (30 mins): Discussion of the take-home assignment and a walkthrough of the candidate's portfolio, focusing on past work and design systems experience.

• Paid Take Home Assignment (~5 hours): A practical exercise involving auditing Rundoo's current Figma design system, identifying gaps, and executing on filling at least one identified gap. This is a key evaluation of practical skills and problem-solving.

• Onsite Interview (4 hours, in-person):

  • Take-home Review: Deep dive into the take-home assignment with team members.
  • Culture Interview: Behavioral questions assessing alignment with Rundoo's values and culture.
  • Lunch with the Team: Informal interaction to gauge team fit and cultural integration.
  • Engineering Collaboration (1:1 with CTO): Discussion focused on technical collaboration, system implementation, and bridging design and code.
  • Design Collaboration (1:1 with Product Designer): Focus on design craft, system reasoning, and workflow integration.

• References: Verification of experience through one manager and one peer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the problems your design system solved, the process you followed, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., increased consistency, faster development time, reduced bugs).

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Demonstrate expertise in Figma's advanced features (auto layout, variants, tokens) through clear examples and annotated screenshots.

• Detail Your Process: Explain your methodology for auditing existing systems, defining new patterns, documenting guidelines, and collaborating with engineers.

• Quantify Achievements: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to showcase the success of your design system contributions.

• Tailor to Rundoo: Understand Rundoo's mission and target audience (independent supply stores) and frame your experience in a way that demonstrates how you can contribute to their specific needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Figma Audit Strategy: Practice quickly identifying common design system issues (e.g., inconsistent spacing, lack of variants, missing tokens, unclear documentation).

• Component Design Exercise: Be prepared to design and implement a new component or refactor an existing one within Figma, demonstrating your understanding of best practices.

• Engineering Collaboration Scenarios: Think about how you would explain technical constraints to designers and design rationale to engineers, focusing on clear communication and compromise.

• Cultural Fit: Prepare examples of how you've navigated fast-paced startup environments, collaborated effectively with diverse teams, and advocated for design quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The paid take-home assignment is a significant part of the evaluation, indicating the company's commitment to assessing practical skills. Candidates should treat this as a mini-project and invest the time to produce high-quality work. The mix of technical, design, and cultural interviews suggests a holistic evaluation process.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for design system creation, component library management, prototyping, and collaboration. Advanced proficiency is essential.

• Design System Documentation Tools: While not specified, candidates should be familiar with tools or methods for documenting design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal wikis).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Development Integration:

• React: Strong understanding of how design system components translate to React components for frontend implementation.

• CSS: Proficiency in CSS for styling and theming.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly called out as a requirement. The emphasis on bridging to frontend implementation strongly implies familiarity with modern web development stacks, particularly React. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these technologies and how they facilitate design system implementation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Empowerment of Independent Stores: A core mission that drives product development and design decisions.

• Building Best-in-Class Technology: A commitment to high quality and advanced solutions, even for traditionally overlooked industries.

• Consistency & Craft: High value placed on cohesive design and meticulous attention to detail, essential for a design system role.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Strong emphasis on working together across design, engineering, and product to achieve shared goals.

• Adaptability & Speed: Operating in a fast-paced startup environment requires flexibility and the ability to iterate quickly.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands deep integration with engineering and product teams, requiring proactive communication and shared ownership.

• Process-Oriented: Building and maintaining a design system is inherently a process-driven activity, requiring clear workflows and documentation.

• Advocacy & Influence: The Design Systems Designer will need to actively advocate for the system and influence adoption through clear communication and demonstrating value.

• Feedback Loops: A culture that likely embraces iterative feedback from both designers and engineers to refine the system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description emphasizes a team composed of "builders, sellers, and industry veterans." This suggests a pragmatic, results-oriented culture with a deep appreciation for both technical excellence and market understanding. The founders' backgrounds (Stanford CS, trading, engineering at Apple) point to a high-caliber, intellectually curious team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New System: As the first dedicated designer, building a design system from a relatively nascent state requires significant foundational work, strategic planning, and buy-in.

• Balancing System Needs with Product Velocity: Ensuring the design system supports rapid product development without becoming a bottleneck.

• Driving Adoption: Persuading designers and engineers to consistently use and contribute to the system requires strong evangelism and clear value demonstration.

• Bridging Design & Engineering: Effectively translating design intent into production code and managing technical debt related to the system.

• Adapting to Startup Agility: Navigating frequent changes in priorities and product direction common in early-stage companies.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Systems Leadership: Opportunity to define and lead the evolution of a critical design asset.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Deepen understanding of frontend development, component architecture, and accessibility standards.

• Cross-Functional Impact: Gain broad exposure to product strategy, engineering challenges, and business operations within a growing SaaS company.

• Mentorship: Direct interaction with founders and experienced team members.

• Industry Best Practices: Staying at the forefront of design systems trends and tooling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in foundational building and adoption in a startup environment. The growth opportunities are substantial for someone looking to make a significant mark and advance within the specialized field of design systems.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design System Philosophy: "Describe your philosophy for building and scaling a design system. What are the key principles you prioritize?" (Focus on consistency, scalability, maintainability, developer experience).

• Gap Analysis & Prioritization: "If you were given our current Figma library, how would you approach auditing it, identifying its biggest gaps, and prioritizing what to address first?" (Emphasize a structured, data-informed approach).

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: "How do you ensure engineers adopt and correctly implement design system components? Describe a time you faced resistance and how you overcame it." (Highlight communication, empathy, and demonstrating value).

• Roadmap Alignment: "How do you align a design system roadmap with a fast-moving product roadmap? How do you handle competing priorities?" (Focus on collaboration, flexibility, and proactive planning).

Company & Culture Questions:

• Mission Alignment: "What resonates with you about Rundoo's mission to empower independent supply stores?" (Show genuine interest in the problem space).

• Startup Environment: "Describe your experience working in a fast-paced startup. How do you adapt to changing priorities?" (Provide specific examples of adaptability and resilience).

• Team Collaboration: "How do you approach collaborating with engineers who may have different priorities or perspectives?" (Focus on empathy, active listening, and finding common ground).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each design system project, clearly define the problem, your role and process, the solutions you implemented (with visual examples), and the outcomes (quantified where possible).

• Showcase Figma Skills: Be ready to navigate your Figma files and demonstrate your proficiency with auto layout, variants, tokens, and component organization.

• Explain Technical Considerations: Be prepared to discuss how your designs translate to code and the technical constraints you considered.

• Tell a Story: Frame your experience as a narrative of problem-solving and impact, not just a list of tasks.

• Be Ready for the Take-Home: Practice articulating your thought process for auditing and improving a design system, as this is a core part of the interview.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to test practical application and collaboration. Candidates should be prepared to not only discuss their experience but also demonstrate it through the portfolio review and the paid take-home assignment. Understanding Rundoo's specific market and mission will be crucial for demonstrating cultural fit.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Systems Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Craft a Compelling Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features at least one detailed design system case study, showcasing your work in Figma, your process for auditing and improving systems, and any measurable impact. Tailor your portfolio to highlight experience relevant to B2B SaaS and early-stage startups.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description such as "Design Systems," "Figma," "Component Libraries," "React," "Frontend Implementation," and "Product Design." Quantify your achievements whenever possible, particularly those related to efficiency gains or consistency improvements.

• Prepare for the Take-Home: Familiarize yourself with common design system auditing techniques and practice articulating your reasoning for identifying and prioritizing design system gaps. Be ready to execute on a small design system task within Figma.

• Research Rundoo: Understand the company's mission, target market (independent supply stores), and recent funding news. This will help you frame your interview responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions tailored for operations and design roles. All details, especially regarding specific responsibilities, team dynamics, and expectations, should be verified directly with the hiring organization during the interview process.