Product Designer, Design Systems (Mobile)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Design Systems (Mobile)

Company: Topstep

Location: United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design Systems / Product Design

Date Posted: 2025-11-05T20:21:11

Experience Level: 8+ Years (Senior/Lead)

Remote Status: Hybrid (with remote options available within the US)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in establishing and evolving Topstep's foundational design system, with a strong emphasis on native mobile (iOS & Android) experiences and their integration with responsive web platforms.

• The Product Designer will be responsible for hands-on execution of UI components, interaction patterns, and documentation, ensuring consistency, quality, and speed across the product ecosystem.

• A key aspect of this position involves deep collaboration with mobile engineering teams to achieve pixel-perfect implementation and maintain code parity with design outputs.

• The role requires a systems-minded individual who can bridge the gap between product strategy, design execution, and technical implementation, driving the future of Topstep's design language at scale.

📝 Enhancement Note: The input data clearly indicates a strong focus on Design Systems and Mobile Design. The role is described as establishing the "first Design System" and evolving the "design language," suggesting a foundational and strategic impact. The explicit mention of "hands-on execution, systems architecture, and product strategy" highlights the multi-faceted nature of this senior-level design position, requiring both deep creative skills and strategic thinking.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Ownership: Lead the definition, development, and ongoing evolution of Topstep's comprehensive design system, encompassing design tokens, UI components, interaction patterns, and best practice documentation for both web and native mobile platforms.

• Component & Pattern Design: Design, prototype, and meticulously document reusable UI components and interaction patterns that foster visual consistency, enhance user experience, and streamline the design-to-development handoff process.

• Mobile Design Expertise: Act as a subject matter expert for mobile best practices, guiding the Product Design team and contributing significantly to the realization of Topstep's mobile product vision.

• Engineering Collaboration: Forge strong partnerships with iOS and Android engineering teams to establish implementation standards, ensure design-to-code parity, and guarantee pixel-perfect translation of designs into production-ready features.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with Product Management and Platform teams to identify evolving user needs, define system updates based on product requirements, and prioritize system enhancement efforts for maximum scalability and impact across multiple products.

• Cross-Platform Coherence: Ensure seamless and consistent user experiences across responsive web and native mobile paradigms by designing a flexible and adaptable design system that gracefully accommodates different platform conventions and device environments.

• System Standards & Governance: Define and maintain critical design system elements, including design tokens, accessibility standards (WCAG compliance), and motion principles, ensuring they are adaptable to various device contexts and adhere to OS-specific guidelines.

• Design Quality & Mentorship: Champion a high standard of design quality and craft across the organization, mentoring fellow designers on mobile UX patterns, platform conventions, and the application of systems thinking principles in their daily work.

• Strategic Vision Contribution: Participate in strategic planning, contributing to the development of frameworks, principles, and roadmaps that will guide the future evolution and expansion of Topstep's multi-product ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities have been detailed to reflect the strategic and hands-on nature of a senior design systems role. Emphasis has been placed on the ownership, collaboration, and strategic impact expected, aligning with industry standards for such positions. The "advise and guide" responsibility has been expanded to "Mobile Design Expertise" to better reflect the senior contribution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent expertise is paramount. A background in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in Product Design, with a significant portion dedicated to building and scaling design systems and native mobile applications.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Leadership: 8+ years of experience in end-to-end product design, with a demonstrated ability to lead complex design initiatives from exploration through successful delivery.

• Design Systems Expertise: 3+ years of dedicated experience in designing, building, and maintaining robust design systems.

• Native Mobile Design: 3+ years of hands-on experience designing and shipping native mobile applications for iOS and/or Android at scale.

• Figma Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Figma, including deep knowledge of component variants, auto layout, variables, and workflows for design token integration.

• Systems Thinking: Proven ability to think systematically, connect design patterns, define reusable frameworks, and simplify complex user flows.

• Visual & Interaction Craft: Exceptional visual design skills and interaction design craft, coupled with a strong understanding of usability principles and accessibility best practices.

• Communication & Influence: Outstanding communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to advocate for and influence system-level design decisions across cross-functional leadership (design, product, engineering).

• Financial Workflow Design: Experience designing end-to-end customer-facing financial workflows across desktop, with a strong understanding of the nuances of financial technology user experiences.

• Usability Validation: Demonstrated track record of leveraging usability studies and user research to inform and validate user experience designs.

• Engineering Collaboration: Experience collaborating effectively with engineers on the implementation and maintenance of design tokens, component libraries, and front-end architecture.

Preferred Skills:

• Cross-Platform Design: Experience in establishing and maintaining coherence across responsive web and native mobile design paradigms.

• Design Token Implementation: Hands-on experience with the full lifecycle of design tokens, from definition to implementation and governance.

• Accessibility Standards: Deep understanding and practical application of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) in design system development.

• Motion Design Principles: Familiarity with defining and applying motion principles within a design system context.

• Mentorship: Experience mentoring junior designers and championing design quality and best practices within a team.

• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile development processes and how design systems integrate within them.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills have been elaborated to reflect the seniority and specific technical demands of a Design Systems role. The "8+ years minimum of experience in Product Design" has been contextualized with the specific breakdown provided in the input. Emphasis has been added to Figma mastery, systems thinking, and communication, crucial for a role focused on foundational design elements. Preferred skills have been inferred based on the responsibilities and the nature of design systems work.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Studies: Showcase detailed case studies of design systems you have contributed to or led, highlighting your role, the system's architecture, component libraries, and the impact on product consistency and development velocity.

• Mobile Application Showcase: Include examples of native mobile applications (iOS and/or Android) you have designed, emphasizing complex financial workflows, user experience improvements, and adherence to platform conventions.

• Figma Workflow Demonstrations: Provide evidence of your Figma expertise, such as well-structured component libraries, effective use of auto layout and variants, and examples of design token integration.

• Collaboration & Handoff Artifacts: Present examples of documentation, interaction specifications, and collaboration artifacts that illustrate your process for effective design-to-development handoff.

• Usability Study Integration: Demonstrate how you have incorporated usability study findings into your design process and how these insights have shaped the final user experience and system components.

Process Documentation:

• Design System Documentation Standards: Exhibit your ability to create clear, comprehensive, and maintainable documentation for design system components, patterns, and guidelines, suitable for both designers and engineers.

• Workflow Optimization Examples: Showcase instances where your design system contributions have led to measurable improvements in design and development workflows, such as reduced design time, faster iteration cycles, or improved code efficiency.

• Accessibility & Platform Guidelines: Provide documentation or examples that illustrate your approach to integrating accessibility standards and platform-specific design guidelines into a scalable design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section has been tailored to the specific requirements of a Design Systems role, emphasizing the need for tangible proof of design system creation, mobile design execution, and Figma proficiency. The portfolio requirements are structured to allow candidates to demonstrate their systems thinking and collaborative capabilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $190,000 - $210,000 per year. This range is provided directly in the job description and is considered competitive for a senior-level Product Designer specializing in Design Systems in the US market. It reflects the extensive experience required and the strategic importance of the role.

Benefits:

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance coverage.

• Dental Insurance: Dental care benefits.

• Vision Insurance: Vision care benefits.

• 401(k) Matching: Competitive matching program for retirement savings.

• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous PTO accrued monthly.

• Family Leave: Comprehensive paid family leave policies.

• Company Paid Holidays: 10 paid holidays throughout the year.

• Food and Groceries Budget: A dedicated budget to support employee food and grocery expenses.

• Health and Wellness Contributions: Company contributions towards employee health and wellness initiatives.

• Vacation Encouragement: Bonus incentive for taking 5 consecutive days of vacation.

• Employee Referral Bonuses: Incentives for successful employee referrals.

Working Hours: The role is structured around a standard 40-hour work week. While Topstep fosters a collaborative culture with cameras on during meetings and a robust Slack environment, flexibility may be available, aligning with hybrid work arrangements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is directly extracted. The benefits list has been organized and clarified. The working hours are inferred as standard full-time, with a note on potential flexibility within the hybrid model. A note on the bonus eligibility has been included for completeness.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech) / Trading Platforms. Topstep operates within a dynamic and regulated industry, providing proprietary trading firms and aspiring traders with tools and capital. This context implies a need for robust, secure, and user-friendly design solutions that can handle complex financial data and workflows.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, Topstep is presented as an organization with multiple teams (Product, Engineering, Design) and a hybrid/remote work environment, suggesting a mid-to-large size company with established operational processes.

Founded: Information not provided about the founding date.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: The Product Designer will be part of a Product Design team, working alongside peers and potentially reporting to a Design Lead or Manager.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role necessitates close collaboration with Product Managers, Mobile Engineers (iOS and Android), and potentially other design disciplines (e.g., UX Researchers, other Product Designers).

• Reporting: The role is likely to report into a Design leadership position, with significant autonomy in executing design system responsibilities.

Methodology:

• Systems-Centric Design: A core methodology is the development and application of a design system to ensure consistency, efficiency, and quality across all products.

• User-Centric Approach: Emphasis is placed on using usability studies to inform and validate user experiences, ensuring that designs meet user needs, especially within financial workflows.

• Agile Development Integration: While not explicitly stated, the need for "speed" and "accelerate product delivery" suggests integration with agile development processes.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role requires leveraging data and user feedback to inform system updates and prioritize efforts.

Company Website: Topstep.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company industry and context have been inferred based on the role and company name. The team structure and methodologies have been extrapolated from the responsibilities and industry norms for design systems roles in FinTech.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior/Lead level Product Design role focused on Design Systems. It requires significant experience and the ability to operate autonomously, influence stakeholders, and drive strategic initiatives. The scope of ownership for a foundational design system indicates a high level of responsibility and impact.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director, working closely with Engineering Managers and Product Leads. While not a management role, it carries significant leadership influence within the design and development process.

Operations Impact: The impact is substantial, extending to:

• Development Velocity: Accelerating product delivery by providing reusable components and patterns.

• Product Quality & Consistency: Ensuring a cohesive and polished user experience across all platforms.

• Brand Cohesion: Maintaining a unified visual and interactive language.

• Scalability: Enabling the organization to build and iterate on products more efficiently as it grows.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design Systems: Potential to grow into a Design Systems Lead or Manager role, overseeing the entire system's strategy and team.

• Cross-Platform Expertise: Deepen expertise across mobile (iOS/Android) and web, becoming a go-to authority on multi-platform design.

• Strategic Influence: Increase influence on product strategy and architectural decisions related to the user experience.

• Mentorship & Team Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and shape the design culture and best practices within Topstep.

• Industry Recognition: Contributing to a well-regarded design system can lead to industry recognition and speaking opportunities.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section interprets the role's seniority and potential career trajectory within the design and operations (in a broader sense of business operations) context. The "Operations Impact" focuses on how design systems contribute to business efficiency and product scalability, directly relating to operational effectiveness.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. Topstep offers a flexible work environment that ranges from fully remote to hybrid. This suggests a modern approach to workplace structure, accommodating diverse employee needs.

Office Location(s): While the job is posted for the "United States," specific office locations are not detailed. The "America/Chicago" timezone derivation suggests a potential hub or headquarters in that region, but remote work within the US is clearly supported.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Culture: Fosters a culture of collaboration, emphasizing "cameras on" during meetings and utilizing Slack for robust communication. This indicates an environment that values real-time interaction and transparent communication.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma is explicitly mentioned) and collaboration platforms. The role requires close integration with engineering workflows.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with design peers, product managers, and engineers through scheduled meetings, Slack channels, and potentially in-person gatherings if opting for a hybrid model.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is implied for full-time employees. The hybrid/remote flexibility allows for potential adjustments in daily scheduling, provided core collaboration hours and responsibilities are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment details are drawn from the "Company Culture & Perks" section, focusing on the practical aspects of where and how the work will be done. The "America/Chicago" timezone inference provides a potential geographical anchor, though the remote/hybrid nature is emphasized.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

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

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, showcasing relevant design system case studies, mobile projects, and your Figma workflow. Expect in-depth questions about your process, decision-making, and impact.

• Skills-Based Assessment/Challenge: Potentially a design challenge or a system architecture exercise, either take-home or live, to evaluate your problem-solving abilities, systems thinking, and practical design skills within a time-bound scenario.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially other designers to assess collaboration style, communication effectiveness, and cultural fit.

• Leadership/Final Interview: A final discussion with senior leadership to evaluate strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit with Topstep's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design Systems Impact: Clearly articulate the "why" behind your design system decisions. Quantify the impact on efficiency, consistency, or development speed wherever possible.

• Showcase Mobile-Native Expertise: Dedicate sections to your native iOS and Android design work. Detail your understanding of platform conventions and how your design system supports them.

• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Organize your Figma examples to highlight component variants, auto layout, variables, and any custom workflows or plugins you've developed.

• Structure for Clarity: Use clear headings, concise descriptions, and compelling visuals. For case studies, follow a logical flow: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Impact.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects that involved building foundational systems or significant mobile components, aligning with Topstep's stated needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Systems Thinking Focus: For any design challenge, approach it by thinking about scalability, reusability, and how it fits into a broader system. Consider how your solution could become a reusable component.

• Mobile-First Perspective: If the challenge involves multiple platforms, prioritize or clearly articulate considerations for native mobile experiences.

• Process Articulation: Be prepared to explain your thought process, the trade-offs you considered, and how you would collaborate with engineers and product managers to implement your solution.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Ensure your solutions are designed with accessibility and inclusivity in mind, demonstrating awareness of best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates, translating the job requirements into specific preparation strategies for the interview and portfolio review process, with a strong emphasis on design systems and mobile design.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool, with advanced usage expected for component variants, auto layout, variables, and design token integration workflows.

• Prototyping Tools: Likely integrated within Figma or other associated tools for creating interactive prototypes.

• Design System Management Platforms: Tools or methodologies for organizing, documenting, and distributing the design system (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or custom solutions).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Usability Study Tools: Platforms or methods for conducting and analyzing usability studies (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, or in-house tools).

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with how design decisions impact user behavior tracked in analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) will be beneficial for understanding design impact.

CRM & Automation:

• Collaboration Platforms: Slack is explicitly mentioned as a primary communication tool.

• Project Management Tools: Likely used for tracking design system development and product design tasks (e.g., Jira, Asana, Trello).

• Version Control Systems: While not explicitly stated for design assets, understanding concepts like versioning and branching might be relevant for managing design system evolution, especially in relation to code.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tool stack is inferred based on the explicit mention of Figma and the nature of design systems work, including common tools for collaboration, documentation, and user research in the design field.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craft & Quality: A high value placed on the quality and polish of design output, ensuring pixel-perfect execution and adherence to design principles.

• Efficiency & Velocity: A strong drive to increase design and development speed and efficiency through scalable systems and reusable components.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Emphasis on open communication, active participation in meetings, and a collaborative spirit across design, product, and engineering.

• Systems Thinking: A core value of approaching design challenges with a focus on scalability, reusability, and interconnectedness.

• User-Centricity: Commitment to understanding and serving user needs through thoughtful design and validation.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive & Communicative: Expectation of active participation in discussions, providing input, and maintaining open communication channels via Slack and video calls.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: A style that actively seeks out and builds strong relationships with engineering and product teams to ensure alignment and successful implementation of design solutions.

• Mentorship & Peer Support: A culture that encourages sharing knowledge, providing constructive feedback, and supporting the growth of fellow designers.

• Iterative & Feedback-Driven: An approach that embraces feedback cycles and iterative improvements to designs and system components.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values and collaboration styles are extrapolated from the company culture description, the role's responsibilities, and general best practices for senior design roles in collaborative tech environments.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New Design System: Building a design system from the ground up requires significant strategic thinking, stakeholder buy-in, and the ability to define foundational principles that will endure.

• Balancing Web & Mobile Needs: Ensuring the design system effectively serves both responsive web and native mobile (iOS/Android) platforms, each with distinct conventions and technical constraints.

• Achieving Code Parity: Bridging the gap between design specifications in Figma and actual implementation in code for both web and native mobile, requiring close engineering collaboration and potentially custom tooling.

• Driving Adoption: Encouraging and supporting other designers and engineers to adopt and effectively utilize the design system across a growing product suite.

• Maintaining Momentum: As the company scales and products evolve, continuously updating and evolving the design system to meet new demands while maintaining its integrity.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepening Design Systems Expertise: Opportunity to become a recognized expert in design systems, potentially influencing industry best practices.

• Mastering Mobile Platform Nuances: Expanding knowledge of iOS and Android design patterns, human interface guidelines, and Material Design principles.

• Strategic Product Influence: Gaining deeper insights into product strategy and contributing to architectural decisions that shape the user experience of Topstep's offerings.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and influencing design direction.

• FinTech Industry Insights: Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the financial technology landscape and its unique design challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are identified based on the specific responsibilities of building a new design system for mobile and web, common hurdles in design system adoption, and the need for cross-platform coherence. Growth opportunities are aligned with career progression in design systems and FinTech.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a design system from scratch for a company with both web and native mobile products?" (Focus: Scalability, cross-platform strategy, initial component selection)

• "Describe a time you had to influence engineering or product leadership to adopt a new design system or pattern. What was your approach and the outcome?" (Focus: Communication, influence, stakeholder management)

• "How do you ensure accessibility and platform-specific conventions are effectively integrated into a design system for both iOS and Android?" (Focus: Technical knowledge, process, detail orientation)

• "Walk us through a complex financial workflow you've designed. What were the key challenges, and how did your design address them?" (Focus: Problem-solving, UX design, domain knowledge)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What are your thoughts on Topstep's current product experience (if you've had a chance to explore it)? What opportunities do you see for design systems?" (Focus: Research, critical thinking, initiative)

• "How do you envision collaborating with our mobile engineering teams to ensure design-to-code parity?" (Focus: Collaboration style, technical understanding, problem-solving)

• "Describe your ideal work environment and how you thrive in a hybrid setting." (Focus: Cultural fit, self-management, communication preferences)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your presentation with a clear narrative for each project, emphasizing the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the measurable impact.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: For design system projects, explicitly call out your contribution to the architecture, component structure, and documentation. Show how it solved a problem or improved efficiency.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use clear visuals, interactive prototypes (if possible), and concise explanations. For Figma, consider screen-sharing specific components or auto layout structures.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs, such as increased user engagement, reduced error rates, faster development cycles, or improved consistency scores.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design choices, technical constraints you considered, and how you handled trade-offs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation questions and portfolio presentation strategies are tailored to the specific demands of a senior Design Systems role, focusing on strategic thinking, technical proficiency, collaboration, and demonstrable impact, particularly within the FinTech context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer, Design Systems (Mobile) position:

• Submit Your Application: Utilize the provided link to submit your resume through the Greenhouse portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Prepare a digital portfolio that prominently features your experience with design systems, native mobile (iOS/Android) application design, and advanced Figma utilization. Include detailed case studies that demonstrate your process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your work.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 8+ years of product design experience, with specific emphasis on your 3+ years dedicated to design systems and mobile native design. Use keywords such as "Design Systems," "Figma," "Mobile Design," "iOS," "Android," "Component Libraries," "Design Tokens," and "Systems Thinking."

• Prepare for Portfolio Presentation: Practice articulating your design process, system architecture, and the impact of your contributions. Be ready to discuss specific examples from your portfolio, especially those related to financial workflows and cross-platform design.

• Research Topstep: Familiarize yourself with Topstep's products, company mission, and overall brand. Consider how your expertise in design systems can directly contribute to their goals and user experience, particularly in the FinTech space.

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