Lead Product Design, Design Systems & Experience

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Design, Design Systems & Experience Quality

Company: Brightspeed

Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: 2026-09-17

Experience Level: 8+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the creation and maintenance of a scalable design system, encompassing reusable components, interaction patterns, and comprehensive documentation for Brightspeed's digital products.

• Drive consistency, accessibility, and implementation efficiency across the entire digital ecosystem, including innovative AI-supported and agent-based experiences.

• Translate strategic product and experience objectives into practical, reusable design solutions and quality standards.

• Elevate the overall quality and coherence of digital customer journeys through advanced systems thinking and cross-functional collaboration.

• Provide expert guidance and thought leadership on design system best practices, AI experience patterns, and implementation quality to design and technology teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is critical for establishing a unified and high-quality digital experience at Brightspeed, focusing on the foundational elements of a design system and extending its application to emerging AI technologies. The emphasis on "Experience Quality" suggests a strong focus on user satisfaction, usability, and adherence to best practices across all digital touchpoints.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design, document, and meticulously maintain a comprehensive library of reusable components, interaction patterns, templates, and overarching design standards for Brightspeed's digital products.

• Define detailed component specifications, including anatomy, properties, variants, states, responsive behavior, accessibility requirements, content guidance, and best practices for usage.

• Manage and curate high-fidelity Figma libraries, ensuring they are up-to-date, well-organized, and supported by robust documentation, contribution standards, and reference designs.

• Proactively identify and address inconsistencies, redundancies, and implementation drift within existing customer experiences, proposing scalable design system solutions.

• Establish and evangelize practical standards for interaction design, visual hierarchy, responsive design principles, accessibility compliance (WCAG), content presentation, and detailed design annotations for developers.

• Design and validate complex components, innovative interaction models, interactive prototypes, and end-to-end reference flows, requiring advanced systems thinking and close technical collaboration.

• Develop compelling prototypes and reference experiences that clearly illustrate the intended functionality and integration of approved components and interaction patterns across intricate customer journeys.

• Conduct thorough design reviews to ensure adherence to Brightspeed's design system, accessibility standards, responsive design requirements, and documented interaction patterns.

• Foster alignment between Figma components, design tokens, coded components, and front-end documentation, acting as a key liaison between design and technology stakeholders.

• Develop specialized reusable components, interaction patterns, behavioral documentation, reference prototypes, and quality criteria specifically for AI-enabled, conversational, and agent-based digital experiences.

• Define clear AI experience patterns that articulate AI interaction boundaries, system capabilities, data usage, confirmation requirements, and seamless escalation or human handoff processes.

• Create robust, reusable patterns for AI feedback mechanisms, confirmation dialogues, error handling, escalation procedures, failure states, and human handoff to ensure consistent, accessible, and understandable customer interactions.

• Provide craft-focused, expert guidance on design system adoption, interaction pattern best practices, accessibility standards, AI behavior design, responsive design implementation, and overall digital experience quality.

• Lead and facilitate design system working sessions, workshops, and training initiatives to enhance team adoption, promote consistency, and ensure effective utilization of shared design standards and components.

• Partner with design leadership to strategically prioritize design system investments, focusing on customer impact, delivery efficiency, adoption rates, and alignment with business objectives.

• Operate as a lead individual contributor, driving influence and expertise across cross-functional teams without direct people management responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus: strengthening the core design system for traditional digital products and pioneering its application to emerging AI and conversational interfaces. This requires a deep understanding of systems thinking, component-based design, and the unique challenges of designing for AI interactions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, User Experience (UX), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Factors, Visual Communication, Product Design, or a closely related field.

• Equivalent practical experience will be considered in lieu of a formal degree. Experience:

• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressive experience in product design, interaction design, design systems, UX/UI design, or digital product design.

• Proven track record of successfully designing, building, or maintaining scalable design systems, including reusable components and interaction patterns.

• Demonstrated experience in creating and managing comprehensive design system documentation, style guides, and component libraries.

• Practical experience designing or prototyping AI-enabled experiences, including defining AI interaction patterns, agent workflows, or reusable design solutions for AI interfaces.

• A strong, compelling portfolio is essential, showcasing expertise in component architecture, reusable interaction patterns, accessibility standards, responsive design, systems thinking, detailed documentation, and a commitment to implementation quality. Required Skills:

• Advanced proficiency in design systems principles, component architecture, interaction design, responsive design methodologies, accessibility standards (WCAG), prototyping techniques, and digital experience quality assurance.

• Expert-level skills in Figma, including significant experience in creating and maintaining complex component libraries, comprehensive design-system documentation, interactive prototypes, and detailed reference designs.

• Solid understanding of the relationship between design tokens, coded components, front-end implementation, and the integrity of design-system standards within Figma.

• Foundational understanding of AI-enabled experience considerations, such as model behavior, prompt engineering, system instructions, tool usage, data access protocols, confidence scoring, latency management, failure states, privacy implications, security considerations, and the necessity of human oversight.

• Ability to effectively translate high-level product and experience strategies into scalable design patterns, actionable standards, and clear implementation guidance for development teams.

• Exceptional systems thinking capabilities, with a demonstrated ability to identify patterns, inconsistencies, dependencies, and opportunities for reuse across diverse and complex digital experiences.

• Strong collaboration, communication, facilitation, and influencing skills, with the proven ability to provide specialized design guidance and build consensus across product, design, and technology teams.

• Capacity to lead through specialized expertise and influence, operating effectively within established product strategies, priorities, and design direction set by product and design leadership.

• Fluency in English is required; bilingual proficiency in Spanish is a significant advantage. Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience in industries such as telecommunications, broadband, utilities, subscription services, fintech, retail, or service-based eCommerce.

• Experience designing specific customer-facing experiences including customer support, self-service portals, checkout flows, account management interfaces, onboarding processes, recommendation engines, conversational AI interfaces, or agent-based support systems.

• Experience in developing design-system contribution models, governance documentation, user training materials, component usage standards, or related enablement resources to drive adoption and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "8+ years" experience level, combined with the emphasis on design systems and AI, points to a senior or lead individual contributor role. The requirement for a strong portfolio is paramount, especially for demonstrating systems thinking and AI design capabilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a deep understanding of component architecture and its application in building scalable design systems.

• Include detailed case studies demonstrating the design and implementation of reusable interaction patterns across various digital products.

• Highlight your contributions to improving accessibility and ensuring responsive design across different platforms and devices.

• Provide examples of your systems thinking approach, illustrating how you identify and resolve inconsistencies within a digital ecosystem.

• Present clear documentation examples that demonstrate how you effectively communicate design standards and component usage to development teams.

• Include evidence of designing or prototyping AI-enabled experiences, detailing the thought process behind AI interaction patterns and user flows.

• Demonstrate a strong focus on implementation quality and how your designs translate effectively into production. Process Documentation:

• Examples of detailed component documentation, including states, variants, usage guidelines, and accessibility considerations.

• Workflow diagrams or process maps illustrating the design system lifecycle, from component creation to adoption and maintenance.

• Case studies detailing how you’ve used design systems to improve delivery efficiency and reduce design/development debt.

• Documentation outlining contribution standards and governance models for design system evolution.

• Examples of how you’ve documented AI interaction patterns, error handling, and human handoff procedures.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirement is extensive, emphasizing not just visual design but also process, documentation, and the strategic application of design systems, particularly for AI. Candidates should be prepared to detail their contribution to the "how" and "why" behind their design decisions.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on industry benchmarks for a Lead Product Designer with 8+ years of experience in a hybrid role in Charlotte, NC, the estimated salary range is between $120,000 - $170,000 annually. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, expertise in design systems and AI, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance plans to support your health and well-being.

• Life Insurance coverage for added financial security for you and your family.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering confidential support for personal and professional challenges.

• 401K Retirement Savings Plan with a valuable company match to help you plan for the future.

• A suite of Voluntary Benefits designed to provide additional options and coverage tailored to individual needs. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time role, typically requiring approximately 40 hours per week.

• The hybrid work arrangement allows for flexibility, with an expectation of in-office presence on specific days to foster collaboration.

• Occasional additional hours may be necessary to meet project deadlines, business priorities, or critical deliverable timelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical Lead Product Designer compensation in a major US city with a hybrid work model, considering the specific skills requested (Design Systems, AI). The benefits are explicitly listed and are standard for a large organization.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Telecommunications & Broadband Services. Brightspeed operates in a dynamic sector focused on upgrading infrastructure, particularly from copper to fiber optics, to deliver high-speed internet, especially to underserved rural markets. This industry is characterized by rapid technological advancement, significant capital investment, and a strong emphasis on customer experience and reliable service delivery.

Company Size: Brightspeed is a substantial organization, implied by its broad operational reach across twenty states and backing from Apollo Global Management. This scale suggests a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for impact within specialized teams. For operations professionals, this means working within a robust framework but having the potential to influence significant process improvements and system implementations.

Founded: While the founding date is not explicitly stated, Brightspeed is a relatively new entity formed through significant investments and strategic initiatives, aiming to rapidly deploy fiber optic technology. This background suggests a company culture that is both established in its operational needs and agile in its pursuit of growth and modernization.

Team Structure:

• The role likely sits within a larger Product Design or Digital Experience team, possibly within the Consumer Group as indicated in the job details.

• This team is expected to collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering (Front-end and potentially AI/ML), UX Research, and other GTM (Go-To-Market) functions.

• The Lead Product Designer will act as a senior individual contributor, influencing and guiding without direct line management, focusing on specialized expertise in design systems and AI experiences. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using data and analytics to inform design decisions, identify areas for improvement, and measure the impact of design system implementations.

• Agile Development: Collaboration within agile sprints and development cycles, requiring efficient design handoffs and iterative feedback loops.

• Systems Thinking: A core methodology for this role, focused on understanding and optimizing the interconnectedness of digital components and experiences.

• User-Centricity: Maintaining a strong focus on customer needs and experience quality throughout the design and development process.

Company Website: http://brightspeed.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Brightspeed's focus on fiber expansion and customer experience in a competitive market indicates a need for efficient, scalable, and high-quality digital tools and platforms. The role of a Design Systems Lead is crucial for achieving this at scale.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Lead" individual contributor, signifying a senior-level position. It requires extensive experience and specialized expertise in design systems and AI-driven user experiences. The focus is on deep technical and strategic contribution rather than people management.

Reporting Structure: The Lead Product Designer will likely report to a Design Director, Head of Product Design, or a similar senior design leadership role. They will collaborate extensively with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially AI/ML specialists.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant. By establishing and maintaining a robust design system, the Lead Product Designer directly influences the consistency, usability, and efficiency of all Brightspeed digital products. This translates to improved customer satisfaction, reduced development costs, faster time-to-market for new features, and a more cohesive brand experience, particularly as AI integration increases.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Specialization: Further develop expertise in advanced design systems, AI/ML UX, and complex digital ecosystems.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to the strategic direction of Brightspeed's digital product roadmap and design vision.

• Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior designers and cross-functional teams on design system best practices and AI experience design.

• Industry Leadership: Potentially become a recognized expert in design systems and AI UX within the telecommunications industry.

• Broader System Ownership: With proven success, the role could expand to encompass a wider range of digital experience quality initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title indicates a path for senior individual contributors to grow without necessarily moving into people management, focusing on technical mastery and strategic influence.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Brightspeed HQ is located in a modern office space in Charlotte, NC, described as a "vibrant destination for our hybrid workforce." This suggests a professional, collaborative, and well-equipped office environment. The company emphasizes contemporary ways of working, indicating a modern approach to office design and functionality.

Office Location(s): The primary office location mentioned is 1120 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28203. The company also has operations across twenty states, but this specific role appears to be focused on the Charlotte HQ for its hybrid component.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office is designed to support a hybrid workforce, implying spaces for team meetings, workshops, and focused individual work. Expect opportunities for in-person collaboration with colleagues from various departments.

• Technology-Enabled: As a technology-forward company, the workspace will likely be equipped with modern tools and infrastructure to support digital design, communication, and collaboration.

• Dynamic Environment: Being part of a company focused on rapid growth and modernization means the work environment will likely be dynamic, with opportunities to contribute to evolving processes and systems.

Work Schedule:

• The role is full-time, with an expectation of approximately 40 hours per week.

• The hybrid arrangement offers flexibility, requiring a balance of remote work and in-office presence at the Charlotte HQ. Specific office days will be determined to facilitate collaboration.

• Occasional overtime may be required to meet critical project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role requires candidates to be comfortable with a mix of remote and in-office work, with the Charlotte HQ serving as a central point for collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios. Be prepared to clearly articulate your experience with design systems, component architecture, and AI experience design.

• Technical Interview / Portfolio Review: This will likely be a deep dive into your portfolio. Expect to present specific case studies demonstrating your work on design systems, reusable components, interaction patterns, and AI-related projects. Be ready to discuss your process, challenges, and outcomes.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: You may meet with Product Managers, Engineering Leads (especially front-end and AI/ML), and other designers. These interviews will assess your collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to influence across teams.

• Leadership Interview: A final interview with senior design or product leadership to assess strategic thinking, cultural fit, and overall leadership potential within an individual contributor capacity.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design Systems: Dedicate a significant portion of your portfolio to your design systems work. Showcase component libraries, documentation, and how you’ve driven consistency.

• Showcase AI Experience Design: Include specific examples of designing for AI, conversational interfaces, or agent-based systems. Detail your approach to interaction patterns, feedback, and human-AI collaboration.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Use case studies to illustrate your ability to see the bigger picture, identify patterns, and create scalable solutions.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your work – e.g., reduction in design/dev time, improvement in consistency scores, user satisfaction metrics related to AI interactions.

• Structure for Clarity: Organize your portfolio logically. For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, your process, the solutions you designed, and the results achieved.

• Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to talk through your Figma workflows, component creation strategies, and library management techniques.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Audit: You might be asked to audit an existing set of screens for design system consistency and propose improvements.

• Component Design Exercise: You could be given a scenario and asked to design a new reusable component or pattern.

• AI Interaction Flow: You may need to map out a user flow for an AI-driven interaction, including error states and escalation paths.

• Presentation Skills: Practice presenting your portfolio and design rationale concisely and persuasively. Focus on articulating your thought process and strategic decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio review and potential design challenges underscores the practical, hands-on nature of this role. Candidates must be able to visually and verbally demonstrate their expertise.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for design, prototyping, and design system management. Mastery of component creation, variants, auto-layout, and library management is critical.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with tools like InVision, Axure, or others for advanced prototyping may be beneficial.

• Design System Management Platforms: Experience with tools or methodologies for managing design tokens, component libraries, and documentation (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook – though direct experience with these might be preferred rather than strictly required).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar for understanding user behavior and identifying areas for design improvement.

• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for analyzing and presenting data insights related to user experience and design system adoption.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how design systems integrate with customer-facing platforms (potentially including CRM-adjacent customer portals or support tools) is valuable.

• Familiarity with workflow automation concepts as they relate to design processes and developer handoffs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the cornerstone tool. Understanding the ecosystem around design systems, including design tokens and front-end integration, is crucial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Being Real: Encourages authenticity, transparency, and bringing one's true self to work. For this role, it means open communication about design challenges and solutions.

• Customer Experience: A core tenet, driving the need for high-quality, consistent, and accessible digital interactions.

• Innovation & Growth: As a company focused on fiber expansion, there's an inherent value placed on forward-thinking solutions and embracing new technologies like AI.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Essential for a design systems role, ensuring that designs and processes can be applied effectively across a large and growing digital footprint.

• Inclusion & Belonging: Promotes a diverse and equitable environment, emphasizing that diverse teams lead to better outcomes and serve a diverse customer base.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Strong emphasis on working collaboratively with Product Management, Engineering (Front-end, AI/ML), UX Research, and other stakeholders to ensure design system alignment and successful implementation.

• Influence Through Expertise: The role relies on influencing others through deep knowledge and clear communication, rather than direct authority.

• Iterative Feedback: A culture of providing and receiving constructive feedback to continuously improve designs, components, and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings, and insights related to design systems and AI UX across teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture values authenticity, customer focus, and a forward-looking approach. Collaboration is key, especially in translating design system principles into real-world applications across various teams.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• AI Design Complexity: Navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-enabled experiences and establishing clear, user-friendly patterns for AI interactions.

• Cross-Team Adoption: Ensuring consistent adoption and correct usage of the design system across diverse product teams with varying levels of design maturity.

• Maintaining Consistency at Scale: Balancing the need for a unified design system with the unique requirements of different digital products and features.

• Bridging Design & Code: Effectively aligning Figma components with front-end code and design tokens to prevent implementation drift and ensure accuracy.

• Prioritization: Managing competing demands and prioritizing design system initiatives based on impact, feasibility, and strategic alignment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI UX Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI, including prompt engineering, conversational design, and human-AI collaboration.

• Design System Strategy: Gain experience in strategic planning, governance, and roadmap development for large-scale design systems.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of design systems and AI UX trends through conferences, research, and community engagement.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance understanding of front-end development, product management, and AI/ML principles to foster stronger collaboration.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall design talent development within Brightspeed.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents opportunities to tackle cutting-edge challenges in AI UX and design systems, offering significant growth potential for experienced designers.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to building a design system from the ground up or scaling an existing one. What are the key phases and considerations?"

• "How do you handle design system adoption challenges across different teams? What strategies do you employ to ensure buy-in and consistent usage?"

• "Walk us through a complex AI-driven user experience you've designed. What were the unique challenges, and how did you address them using design system principles?"

• "How do you ensure your design system remains accessible and compliant with evolving standards like WCAG?"

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders (e.g., engineering, product) to adopt a particular design system pattern or standard. What was your approach and outcome?"

• "How do you balance the need for standardized components with the flexibility required for unique product features?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Brightspeed's mission and the telecommunications industry, what do you see as the biggest UX challenges and opportunities for our digital products?"

• "How do you align your design system work with broader product strategy and business objectives?"

• "How do you foster a culture of 'Being Real' and inclusion within your design collaborations?"

• "What are your thoughts on how a design system can support Brightspeed's goal of improving customer experience?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each portfolio piece, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, your design process, the challenges you faced, the solutions you implemented, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Design Systems & AI: Prioritize showcasing your most relevant work in design systems, component architecture, and AI-enabled experiences.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Use visual aids and clear explanations to show how your designs fit into a larger ecosystem and promote consistency.

• Highlight Collaboration: Discuss how you worked with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders.

• Explain Your Figma Mastery: Be ready to discuss your advanced Figma techniques, component best practices, and library management strategies.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to back up your claims about efficiency gains, consistency improvements, or user satisfaction.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, technical feasibility, and strategic thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on showcasing strategic thinking, deep technical expertise in design systems and AI, and strong collaborative capabilities. The portfolio is the primary tool for demonstrating these skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Brightspeed careers portal.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight experience with design systems, component architecture, Figma, AI/ML UX, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your portfolio: Ensure it prominently features your most impactful work in design systems, reusable components, interaction patterns, and AI-enabled experiences. Clearly articulate your process, challenges, and quantifiable results.

• Prepare your presentation: Practice walking through 2-3 key portfolio projects, focusing on your strategic thinking, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss AI interaction design specifically.

• Research Brightspeed: Understand their business, industry challenges, and their stated values (e.g., "Being Real," customer experience focus) to tailor your responses during interviews.

⚠️ 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.

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