Senior Product Designer - Design Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer - Design Systems

Company: Xometry

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Job Type: Contractor

Category: Product Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: 2026-02-20T18:03:22

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a hands-on, individual contributor role focused on the design, maintenance, and evolution of Xometry's design system.

• You will be responsible for creating and refining UI components, patterns, and foundational design elements to ensure consistency and quality across Xometry's platform.

• Close collaboration with Design Systems Engineering and product designers is crucial for ensuring feasibility, documentation, and adoption of system solutions.

• The role requires a strong ability to translate product needs into scalable, reusable system components and patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the original listing is for a "Senior Product Designer - Design Systems," the provided data suggests this role might be filled by a contractor, which is a significant detail for potential applicants managing their career path. The remote-only nature for Buenos Aires, Argentina, also points towards a global talent acquisition strategy for specialized roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and meticulously refine UI components, patterns, and foundational elements (color, typography, spacing, layout) within Xometry’s established design system.

• Translate complex product and platform requirements into scalable, reusable, and maintainable design system solutions.

• Partner closely with Design Systems Engineering to ensure the technical feasibility, comprehensive documentation, and production-readiness of all designed components.

• Actively support product designers across various teams by providing guidance, resources, and ensuring the effective and consistent utilization of the design system.

• Develop and maintain clear, concise, and actionable documentation, usage guidelines, and illustrative examples within Figma and associated tools.

• Participate actively in design reviews, providing constructive feedback and incorporating feedback from the Design Systems Lead and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Proactively identify gaps, inconsistencies, and opportunities for enhancement within the design system, contributing to its continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a proactive and collaborative approach, highlighting the need for a designer who can not only create but also advocate for and support the adoption of the design system. The partnership with engineering is a key operational aspect, ensuring the design system is robust and practical.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and a deep understanding of design principles is expected.

Experience: 5+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a significant portion focused on contributing to or directly managing aspects of a design system.

Required Skills:

• Exceptional visual, interaction, and UI design skills with an acute attention to detail.

• Proven experience designing component-based systems, specifically within Figma.

• Demonstrated ability to think conceptually about patterns, scalability, and reusability in design.

• Comfort and proficiency in collaborating closely with engineers, understanding and incorporating technical constraints into design solutions.

• Clear and effective communication skills, with a demonstrated openness to receiving and incorporating feedback.

Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience partnering with front-end engineers on the development and refinement of component libraries.

• Familiarity with accessibility standards, such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

• Exposure to or familiarity with ANT Design, understanding its principles and application.

• Proven experience supporting the successful adoption and integration of a design system across multiple product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and component-based systems, along with collaboration with engineering, points to a need for a designer with practical, hands-on experience in building and maintaining scalable design infrastructure. The "preferred skills" suggest an ideal candidate will have broader exposure to related technologies and adoption strategies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 projects that explicitly demonstrate your contribution to a design system, detailing your role and impact.

• Include examples of UI components, patterns, and foundational elements (e.g., color palettes, typography scales, spacing guidelines) you have designed or refined.

• Provide case studies illustrating how you translated product requirements into scalable, reusable system solutions.

• Demonstrate your process for documenting design system elements, including usage guidelines and examples.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to designing and documenting system components, ensuring clarity and consistency for other designers and developers.

• Illustrate how you ensure scalability and reusability of design elements within a system context.

• Showcase examples of how you have supported the adoption and effective use of a design system by product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a design systems role, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond individual product designs to showcase an understanding of system thinking, reusability, and the ability to create scalable design assets that empower other teams. Specific examples of component design and documentation are paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers with specialized Design Systems experience in a remote capacity in Argentina, a competitive range would typically fall between ARS $3,000,000 to ARS $6,000,000 per month, depending on experience, specific skill set, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Competitive contractor compensation.

• Opportunity to work remotely from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• Direct impact on the consistency, usability, and scalability of Xometry's platform.

• Collaboration with a global team and exposure to the manufacturing technology sector.

• Potential for ongoing engagement based on performance and project needs.

Working Hours: The role is based on a standard full-time workload, estimated at 40 hours per week, with flexibility inherent in a remote contractor position.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a contractor role based in Argentina, compensation should be benchmarked against local market rates for senior design talent with specialized skills, considering the remote nature and the specific demands of design systems work. The provided range is an estimate based on typical contractor rates for this seniority and specialization in the Argentinian market.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Xometry operates within the Manufacturing and Technology sectors, specifically providing a digital marketplace that connects buyers with manufacturers. This industry context implies a focus on efficiency, scalability, and technological innovation within industrial processes.

Company Size: Xometry is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: XMTR). While the exact size of the Design Systems team isn't specified, the company's scale suggests a robust product organization with multiple product teams relying on the design system.

Founded: Xometry was founded in 2013. This relatively young company history suggests a culture that is likely agile, innovative, and focused on rapid growth and technological advancement.

Team Structure:

• The Design Systems team operates under a Design Systems Lead, indicating a clear reporting structure for system-related initiatives.

• This role involves close collaboration with product designers and Design Systems Engineering, highlighting a cross-functional team approach.

Methodology:

• The core methodology revolves around creating and maintaining a scalable design system that drives efficiency and consistency in product development.

• This involves iterative design, close collaboration with engineering, and a focus on documentation and user support for the system.

• Data-driven insights are implied through the goal of improving platform consistency and usability.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Xometry's position in the manufacturing technology space is key. The design system's role is to streamline product development in a complex industry, emphasizing efficiency and scalability. The company's founding date suggests a dynamic environment focused on innovation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer, indicating a mid-to-senior level individual contributor. It requires a high degree of autonomy in design execution and a strong understanding of system-level thinking, with guidance from a Design Systems Lead.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer reports to a Design Systems Lead. This structure provides mentorship and direction while allowing for significant design ownership.

Operations Impact: The work of the Design Systems team directly impacts the efficiency of product development cycles, the consistency of user experiences across Xometry's platform, and the overall quality and accessibility of the digital products. This, in turn, influences user adoption and satisfaction within the manufacturing marketplace.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepen expertise in design systems, component architecture, and atomic design principles.

• Develop leadership skills by supporting and mentoring junior designers in system adoption.

• Gain experience in cross-functional collaboration with engineering and product management in a growing tech company.

• Potential to contribute to the strategic direction of the design system as the company scales.

• Exposure to accessibility standards and best practices, enhancing specialized design skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies a need for demonstrated experience and proactive contribution. Growth opportunities are focused on specialization within design systems and increased influence within the product organization, rather than traditional people management in this specific role.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a remote-only position, allowing the designer to work from anywhere within Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Office Location(s): While the company has a physical presence, this specific role is designated as remote within Argentina.

Workspace Context:

• The remote setup necessitates strong self-discipline and effective asynchronous communication practices.

• Collaboration will primarily occur through digital tools like Figma, Slack, and video conferencing.

• Access to Xometry's digital tools and platforms will be provided to facilitate work.

• The environment fosters a focus on design output and system contribution, with less emphasis on traditional office interactions.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, typical for a full-time contractor role. Flexibility may exist within the remote arrangement, but significant overlap with core business hours for collaboration with the team in other time zones is likely required.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote aspect for Argentina means the candidate must be comfortable with a distributed team environment and proficient in remote collaboration tools. The "work schedule" implies a need for availability during key team syncs, even if daily hours are flexible.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess experience with design systems and Figma.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: Candidates will likely present a selection of their work, focusing on design system contributions. A practical design challenge related to component design or system application may be given.

• Team & Engineering Interviews: Discussions with the Design Systems Lead and potentially engineers to evaluate collaboration style, technical understanding, and system thinking.

• Final Interview: May involve a broader discussion about career goals, cultural fit, and strategic thinking related to design systems.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Work: Clearly showcase projects where you contributed to a design system. Detail your specific role, the challenges you addressed, and the impact of your contributions.

• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Include examples of well-structured Figma files, component libraries, and documentation created within the tool.

• Showcase Pattern Thinking: Illustrate how you design reusable components and patterns, explaining your rationale for scalability and consistency.

• Document Your Process: Explain your design process for system elements, including research, ideation, iteration, and collaboration with engineers.

• Quantify Impact (if possible): If you have data on how your design system work improved efficiency, consistency, or reduced development time, present it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Component Design: Be prepared to design a new component or refine an existing one within a given context, adhering to system principles.

• System Application: Practice applying existing design system components to new UI mockups.

• Documentation: Consider how you would document a new component or pattern for a design system.

• Collaboration Scenarios: Think about how you would handle feedback from engineers or product designers regarding system components.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review and potential design challenge means candidates should prepare to walk through their work in detail, focusing on their specific contributions to design systems and their ability to collaborate effectively with engineering.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for designing UI components, patterns, and creating system documentation. Proficiency in advanced Figma features like components, variants, auto layout, and prototyping is expected.

• Design System Management Tools: While not explicitly named, familiarity with tools or methodologies for organizing and sharing design system assets is beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design role, but understanding how product design integrates with the broader user journey managed by CRM and automation systems can provide valuable context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the core tool. The role requires deep expertise in its capabilities for building and maintaining robust design systems. Awareness of how design system performance is tracked through analytics provides a more holistic understanding of its impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Consistency & Quality: A core value, driving the need for a strong design system to ensure a unified and high-quality user experience across all Xometry products.

• Efficiency & Scalability: The design system is a key enabler of these values, allowing product teams to build faster and more reliably.

• Collaboration: Close partnership between design, engineering, and product is essential for the success and adoption of the design system.

• User-Centricity: While focused on the system, the ultimate goal is to improve the user experience for Xometry's customers.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, with a strong emphasis on cross-functional teamwork between design and engineering.

• Open communication and feedback loops are crucial for iterating on system components and documentation.

• Asynchronous communication will be prevalent due to the remote nature of the role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of consistency, efficiency, and collaboration are directly supported by the existence and effective use of a design system. The candidate should be prepared to embody these values in their daily work.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Adoption: Encouraging and supporting product teams to adopt and consistently use the design system can be a significant challenge.

• Maintenance: Keeping the design system up-to-date with evolving product needs and technical advancements requires ongoing effort.

• Balancing Consistency with Flexibility: Finding the right balance between enforcing strict system rules and allowing teams the flexibility they need to innovate.

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and communicating design system updates and best practices within a remote, distributed team.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Become an expert in design systems methodology and best practices.

• Gain in-depth knowledge of front-end development principles related to component libraries.

• Develop skills in documentation, system governance, and design advocacy.

• Contribute to the strategic vision of Xometry's design language and user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the dynamic nature of design systems work, requiring strong communication, problem-solving, and advocacy skills. Growth opportunities are geared towards specialization and strategic contribution within the design domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you contributed to a design system. What was your specific role, what challenges did you face, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on demonstrating system thinking, problem-solving, and impact.)

• "How do you approach designing a new UI component for a design system? Walk us through your process from initial concept to final documentation." (Prepare to detail your systematic approach, including considerations for reusability, accessibility, and states.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Xometry and our mission in the manufacturing industry?" (Research Xometry's business, its impact, and how design systems support its goals.)

• "How do you ensure consistency and quality when working with a distributed team?" (Prepare examples of your remote collaboration strategies and communication techniques.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio around key design system projects. For each, clearly define the problem, your solution, your specific contributions, and the impact.

• Highlight Components: Dedicate specific slides or sections to showcase individual components and patterns you designed, explaining their structure, variants, and usage guidelines.

• Showcase Documentation: Include examples of your design system documentation, emphasizing clarity, comprehensiveness, and ease of use.

• Explain Collaboration: Detail your interactions with engineers and product designers, highlighting how you ensured feasibility and drove adoption.

• Be Concise: Focus on the most relevant aspects of your work and be prepared to go deeper on specific details when asked.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should strongly emphasize the candidate's experience with design systems, their ability to articulate their process, and their collaborative approach, especially in a remote setting.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer - Design Systems position:

• Submit your application through the Greenhouse portal (https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xometry/jobs/5058114007).

• Customize Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features your design system contributions, detailing your process, specific components designed, documentation examples, and any quantifiable impact. Tailor it to highlight Figma expertise and pattern-based design thinking.

• Optimize Your Resume: Highlight keywords relevant to design systems, UI design, component design, Figma, scalability, accessibility, and cross-functional collaboration. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio, focusing on your design system projects. Be ready to discuss your process, rationale, and collaboration with engineering and product teams. Prepare to articulate your understanding of Xometry's business and the role of design systems in their platform.

• Research Xometry: Understand Xometry's business model, its place in the manufacturing industry, and its product offerings. This will help you tailor your answers and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.