Lead Product Designer - Design Foundations, Interstate

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Product Designer - Design Foundations, Interstate

Company: Cox Enterprises

Location: Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Burlington, VT

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / UX Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: September 14, 2026

Experience Level: 6+ years (Mid to Senior Level)

Remote Status: Hybrid - Ability to work remotely part of the week

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and evolution of the Interstate B2B design system, serving as the primary design authority for this foundational element.

• Drive innovation in AI-assisted design tooling and workflows, ensuring the design system is optimized for machine readability and agent-based composition.

• Champion and enforce high standards for design quality, accessibility (WCAG), and usability across all Cox Automotive B2B products.

• Foster a collaborative environment for design and engineering teams, enabling efficient product development through robust design infrastructure and clear communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant influence, focusing on the strategic growth and application of a core design system within a large enterprise. The emphasis on AI and the "playbook for 'design systems + AI'" indicates a forward-thinking approach to design operations and product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the Interstate design system, including guidelines, design tokens, components, reusable patterns, and overarching structural decisions to maintain coherence across diverse teams and products.

• Define the design direction for new, ambiguous features, ensuring alignment with product strategy, customer value, and the design system's principles.

• Establish and maintain the organization's quality bar for design execution, accessibility (WCAG compliance), and usability, setting expectations for all product teams.

• Develop interaction and visual patterns that are scalable across different product areas and user types, while also knowing when to innovate beyond the existing system to solve novel problems.

• Define and manage the rules of engagement for the Interstate design system, including contribution models, versioning strategies, and deprecation processes to enable rapid evolution without fragmentation.

• Shape the AI aspects of the Interstate design system, focusing on making the system machine-readable and defining how AI agents can correctly compose UIs from its components.

• Proactively identify opportunities for system improvement by engaging with product managers, designers, and engineers, driving initiatives to address system shortcomings and measuring their impact.

• Mentor and elevate the design judgment of other designers through critiques, pairing sessions, and the establishment of clear standards, ensuring design quality is maintained independently.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic ownership, technical depth in design systems, and strong leadership/mentorship. The focus on "spotting the opportunity no one assigned you" and "moving designers, engineers, and senior stakeholders alike through clarity rather than authority" underscores the "Lead" aspect of the title, emphasizing proactive influence and strategic thinking.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline (e.g., Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science) or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: Minimum of 6 years of experience in product design, UX architecture, or a related field, with a significant portion focused on design systems. A Master's degree may substitute for 2 years of experience.

Required Skills:

• Systems Thinking: Demonstrated ability to understand and articulate the underlying architecture of design systems, including token architecture, component states, pattern adoption, and governance models.

• Visual & Interaction Craftsmanship: Meticulous attention to detail in visual design execution, interaction patterns, and adherence to design quality standards.

• High Agency & Influence: Proven ability to take initiative, drive projects without direct assignment, and influence cross-functional stakeholders (designers, engineers, product managers, senior leadership) through clear communication and strategic reasoning.

• Bias for Shipping: Ability to balance polish with speed, knowing when to finalize and ship features or system updates efficiently.

• Clear Communication & Teaching: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to advocate for design decisions, document effectively, and teach design principles and reasoning to others.

• AI-Assisted Design Fluency: Experience working with AI tooling and agent-based workflows, with a clear point of view on how design systems can support these new paradigms.

• Accessibility Expertise: Strong understanding of WCAG guidelines and hands-on experience designing and testing for assistive technologies.

• Outcome Orientation: Ability to connect design decisions to measurable business and user outcomes, and to demonstrate impact through data.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience leading or significantly contributing to a widely adopted or open-source design system.

• Proficiency with Figma variables, theming capabilities, and token pipelines like Style Dictionary.

• Hands-on experience creating AI tooling for design, such as agents, MCP connectors, or prompt-based workflows.

• Experience implementing design decisions in code (e.g., React, web components, HTML/CSS) or a strong technical understanding to collaborate effectively with engineers.

• Experience with change management processes related to design system adoption and evolution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Who You Are" section is translated into a more structured "Required Skills" and "Preferred Skills" format. The emphasis on "lead" and "influence" is captured in the "High Agency & Influence" skill, which is critical for a senior individual contributor role. The AI fluency and systems thinking are highlighted as core requirements.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Studies: Showcase at least one comprehensive case study detailing your experience leading or significantly contributing to a design system (like Interstate or a similar initiative). This should include your role, the system's architecture, governance model, and adoption strategy.

• Process Optimization Examples: Provide examples of how you've improved design processes, efficiency, or quality through systemization, automation, or new methodologies. Quantify improvements where possible.

• AI-Assisted Design Integration: Demonstrate how you've incorporated or considered AI in design workflows or how a design system can facilitate AI-driven UI composition.

• Accessibility Focus: Include examples of how you've ensured accessibility (WCAG compliance) in your designs and design system components.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Portfolio pieces should illustrate your ability to design, document, and optimize design workflows, especially concerning design system contribution, versioning, and adoption.

• System Implementation & Automation: Evidence of how you've implemented design system components, tokens, or processes, and how you've leveraged or proposed automation for efficiency.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Examples of how you've measured the impact of design system initiatives, such as improvements in team velocity, design consistency, or user satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is tailored to a design systems role, emphasizing the unique portfolio requirements for showcasing design system leadership, AI integration, and process optimization. The focus is on demonstrating a systematic approach to design and its impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $111,500 - $185,900 annually. Note: The exact base salary will be determined by the candidate's ultimate work location, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The position may also be eligible for an incentive program.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Retirement Planning: 401(k) plan with company contributions.

• Generous Paid Time Off:

  • Flexible vacation time as consistent with duties and company needs.
  • Seven paid holidays.
  • Up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually.
  • Additional paid time off for bereavement, voting, jury duty, volunteer work, military service, and parental leave.

• Drug-Free Workplace: Adherence to federal and state drug laws, with no pre-employment drug test for marijuana for this specific position.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work week, typically 40 hours per week. The hybrid arrangement offers flexibility in scheduling work days between remote and in-office presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is directly from the job description. The benefits are detailed, emphasizing the flexibility and comprehensive nature of PTO. The working hours are standard, with the hybrid model offering flexibility.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Automotive Services & Technology. Cox Automotive operates within a dynamic sector that spans digital marketplaces, data analytics, and automotive retail solutions, influencing how vehicles are bought, sold, and owned.

Company Size: Cox Enterprises is a large, privately held conglomerate with a significant global presence, encompassing various media, automotive, and technology businesses. Cox Automotive itself is a substantial division within this larger entity.

Founded: Cox Enterprises was founded in 1898, bringing a long history of stability and innovation. Cox Automotive's specific origins and growth are tied to strategic acquisitions and organic development within the automotive sector.

Team Structure:

• Design Foundations Team: A specialized, relatively small group focused on building and maintaining the core design infrastructure (design systems, AI tooling) for Cox Automotive's B2B products.

• Reporting Structure: The Lead Product Designer reports to the Design Director, indicating a leadership role within the design function.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Close collaboration is expected with product managers, other designers, front-end engineers, and potentially AI/ML specialists across various B2B product teams.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Improvement: Emphasis on measuring the impact of design decisions and system changes on product quality, efficiency, and user outcomes.

• Systems Approach to Design: Focus on building scalable, consistent, and efficient design infrastructure (design systems) that supports rapid product development.

• AI Integration: Proactive exploration and implementation of AI tools and agent-based workflows to enhance design and development processes.

Company Website: https://www.coxenterprises.com/ and https://www.coxauto.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context emphasizes Cox Enterprises' scale and history, and Cox Automotive's focus on transforming the automotive industry. The Design Foundations team is presented as a critical enabler of quality and efficiency through design systems and AI.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior individual contributor (IC) path within product design, specifically focused on design systems and infrastructure. It's a "Lead" role, signifying leadership in a specific domain rather than people management. The career progression often leads to Principal or Staff Designer roles within specialized areas, or potentially into design leadership if management is desired later.

Reporting Structure: Reporting directly to a Design Director places this role at a strategic level, with visibility to senior design leadership. The IC path means direct management is not part of this role, but influence and mentorship are key.

Operations Impact: The design system is a critical operational component for all B2B products at Cox Automotive. By owning Interstate, this role directly impacts the efficiency, consistency, quality, and scalability of product development across the organization, leading to faster time-to-market and a more cohesive user experience. The integration of AI further amplifies this operational impact.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Advancement: Deepen expertise in design systems, AI-assisted design, and scalable design infrastructure, potentially reaching Principal Designer level.

• Industry Influence: Contribute to the evolving field of design systems and AI-assisted design, potentially through conference presentations or thought leadership.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop stronger strategic influence across product, engineering, and AI teams, shaping the future of design and development practices at Cox Automotive.

• Mentorship & Teaching: Hone leadership and mentorship skills by guiding other designers and engineers on design system best practices and quality standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis focuses on the career trajectory for a senior IC in design systems, highlighting the strategic impact and growth potential beyond traditional management paths. The "operations" aspect is interpreted through the lens of design operations and infrastructure enablement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, allowing employees to work remotely part of the week and from a designated Cox Automotive office location on other days. This suggests a blend of remote flexibility and in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): The role is listed with primary locations in Atlanta, GA (6305 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd Bldg B), Austin, TX, and Burlington, VT. Candidates are expected to be based in or willing to relocate to one of these hubs.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: Office spaces likely designed to facilitate team collaboration, design critiques, and cross-functional meetings.

• Tooling & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (e.g., Figma), development environments, and potentially specialized AI design tools. The role emphasizes knowledge of Figma variables and token pipelines.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with fellow designers, engineers, and product managers within the office, complementing remote collaboration efforts.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week, with the hybrid model providing flexibility on which days are worked remotely versus in-office, allowing for better work-life integration while ensuring team connectivity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role and the specific office locations are detailed. The workspace context is inferred based on typical large tech companies and the emphasis on collaboration and modern tooling.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Recruiter or hiring manager call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where candidates present their design system work, case studies, and approach to AI-assisted design. Expect detailed questions about their specific contributions, rationale, and impact.

• Design Challenge/Workshop: Potentially a hands-on exercise or workshop focused on a design system problem, evaluating systems thinking, problem-solving skills, and communication under pressure.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with engineers, product managers, and potentially other designers to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to influence.

• Director/Leadership Interview: Final discussion with the Design Director to evaluate strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit for the team and company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Design System Leadership: Clearly articulate your role in defining, evolving, or governing a design system. Highlight specific contributions to guidelines, tokens, components, and patterns.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Explain why certain design decisions were made, how they cascade across products, and how the system addresses scalability and consistency challenges.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, provide metrics or evidence of how your work improved efficiency, quality, accessibility, or user experience. Use case studies to tell a compelling story of problem, solution, and outcome.

• Address AI Integration: Be prepared to discuss your experience with AI in design, how a design system supports AI tools, and your vision for the future of AI-assisted design systems.

• Highlight Accessibility: Showcase specific examples of how you've integrated accessibility (WCAG) into your design process and system.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Design System Principles: Be ready to discuss core concepts like tokens, components, states, theming, and contribution models.

• Think Systemically: For any problem presented, approach it by considering the broader system implications, potential impact on other teams, and long-term maintainability.

• Practice Articulation: Clearly explain your thought process, design choices, and proposed solutions, as if you were presenting to a mixed audience of designers and engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates, outlining a likely interview process and specific preparation strategies for portfolio presentations and potential challenges, tailored to a Lead Product Designer role focused on design systems and AI.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for design, prototyping, and collaboration. Specific emphasis on proficiency with Figma variables, theming, and component variants.

• Design System Management Tools: Experience with tools or methodologies for managing design tokens, component libraries, and versioning (e.g., Storybook, Zeplin, or internal tools).

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes to demonstrate user flows and interaction patterns.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Design System Analytics: Tools or methods for tracking adoption rates, component usage, and impact on design/development velocity.

• User Feedback Platforms: Experience with tools for gathering and analyzing user feedback on designs and products.

• Performance Monitoring: Understanding how design choices impact front-end performance metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• Internal Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence for team communication and project management.

• Potential for Code Integration: While not a coding role, understanding how design systems connect to codebases (e.g., React, Web Components) and familiarity with tools like Style Dictionary for token pipelines is highly beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are typical for a senior product designer role, with a specific emphasis on Figma’s advanced features and the technical aspects of design system implementation and AI integration.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Quality & Consistency: A deep commitment to maintaining high standards for visual design, interaction quality, and accessibility across all B2B products through the Interstate design system.

• Efficiency & Speed: Valuing processes and tools that enable designers and engineers to build faster and more effectively, reducing redundancy and technical debt.

• Collaboration & Influence: Fostering a culture where ideas are shared openly, feedback is constructive, and individuals can influence direction through clarity and data, not just authority.

• Innovation & Future-Forward Thinking: Embracing new technologies like AI to redefine how design systems operate and how products are created.

• Systems Thinking: Encouraging a holistic view of design and product development, understanding how individual components and decisions fit into the larger ecosystem.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: A highly collaborative approach, working closely with product management and engineering to ensure design systems are practical, adopted, and effective.

• Proactive Engagement: Encouraging team members to actively seek out opportunities for improvement and to engage early in the product development lifecycle.

• Knowledge Sharing: Promoting a culture of sharing best practices, learnings, and challenges through critiques, documentation, and open discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section infers the team's values and collaboration style based on the job description's emphasis on quality, efficiency, AI, and leadership through influence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Design System Scalability & Adoption: Ensuring the Interstate design system remains relevant, maintainable, and widely adopted across a large and diverse organization with evolving product needs.

• Integrating AI with Design Systems: Navigating the nascent landscape of AI-assisted design and defining how design systems can best support and be supported by AI agents and workflows.

• Balancing Standardization with Innovation: Finding the right balance between enforcing consistency through the design system and allowing teams the flexibility to innovate and solve unique problems.

• Driving Change & Influence: Effectively communicating the value of the design system and new methodologies (like AI integration) to gain buy-in and drive adoption across various teams and stakeholders.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI & Design: Opportunities to explore and experiment with the latest AI tools and their application in design and product development workflows.

• Design System Leadership: Developing advanced skills in design system strategy, governance, and community building.

• Industry Best Practices: Staying at the forefront of design system evolution, accessibility standards, and emerging design technologies.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Developing leadership capabilities by guiding and mentoring other designers within Cox Automotive.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are identified based on common issues in large-scale design system initiatives and the forward-looking nature of AI integration. Growth opportunities align with the role's focus and potential career paths.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to evolve a design system to meet new product requirements or technological shifts. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, decision-making, and impact measurement.)

• "How would you approach making a design system 'machine-readable' for AI agents? What are the key considerations for enabling AI to compose UIs from your system?" (Demonstrate your understanding of AI-assisted design and system architecture.)

• "Imagine a product team is resistant to adopting the Interstate design system. How would you influence them to adopt it, and what metrics would you use to demonstrate its value?" (Highlight your communication, influence, and data-driven approach.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What are your thoughts on the role of design systems in a large, established company like Cox Enterprises, especially in light of emerging AI technologies?" (Show your understanding of scale, history, and future trends.)

• "How do you foster a culture of quality and collaboration within a distributed design and engineering team?" (Discuss your approach to mentorship, critiques, and team dynamics.)

• "How do you measure the success and impact of your design system work on the business and its users?" (Prepare to discuss specific KPIs and case studies.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your specific role and contribution, the proposed solution (design system elements, processes), the challenges faced, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Systems Thinking: Explain the "why" behind your design decisions for the system – not just what you designed, but the underlying principles, trade-offs, and long-term implications.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (screenshots, diagrams, interactive prototypes) to illustrate your work. For AI integration, explain the workflow and demonstrate how the system supports it.

• Highlight Influence & Leadership: Emphasize how you drove initiatives, collaborated with stakeholders, and influenced product direction or team practices.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about technical aspects (tokens, components, accessibility), strategic decisions, and your personal contributions.

📝 Enhancement Note: These interview questions and preparation tips are crafted to align with the specific requirements of a Lead Product Designer role focused on design systems and AI, emphasizing strategic thinking, influence, and technical depth.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Cox Careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest design system case studies that best showcase your experience in leading, evolving, and influencing design systems, particularly highlighting any AI integration or unique process improvements. Ensure these clearly articulate your role, the problem, your solution, and the measurable impact.

• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to highlight keywords and responsibilities relevant to design systems, UX architecture, AI-assisted design, accessibility, and leadership (e.g., "systems thinking," "design tokens," "WCAG," "Figma variables," "cross-functional influence"). Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice delivering a concise and compelling presentation of your portfolio case studies, focusing on your strategic thinking, problem-solving approach, and the tangible outcomes of your work. Be ready to articulate your vision for design systems in an AI-driven future.

• Research Cox Automotive: Familiarize yourself with Cox Automotive's product landscape, their mission, and their approach to technology and innovation. Understand how the Design Foundations team contributes to the company's overall goals.

⚠️ 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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