Lead UX Designer & Systems Engineer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Designer & Systems Engineer

Company: Jostens

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Digital Product & Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-13T17:47:49.22

Experience Level: 8+ Years Professional Experience (with leadership emphasis)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office per week)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end product experience strategy and delivery for key digital experiences across multiple brands, with a strong focus on eCommerce journeys and revenue maximization for platforms like The Mascot Shop.

• Engineer, scale, and govern a multi-brand design system, focusing on shared foundations, component integrity, and accessibility to speed up time-to-market across digital properties.

• Act as a UX design leader and systems builder, translating design standards into reusable, coded components and tokenized foundations that support distinct brand expressions.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, Merchandising, and Marketing teams to ensure alignment, drive discovery, and deliver user-validated designs.

• Provide functional leadership and mentorship to other designers and product partners, fostering strong craft and decision-making within the digital product management team.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role bridges traditional UX Design leadership with the technical discipline of Systems Engineering, specifically within the context of a design system. The emphasis on "engineering and scaling a multi-brand design system" and "delivering coded components" indicates a need for a candidate who can not only conceptualize user experiences but also understand and influence their technical implementation and long-term maintainability. This is a critical GTM (Go-To-Market) enablement function, ensuring brand consistency and efficient digital product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the discovery, strategy, and end-to-end design of critical digital experiences across multiple brands, ensuring alignment with customer needs and measurable business outcomes (e.g., conversion rates, findability, task success).

• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to define project scope, establish sequencing, and set measurable success metrics for digital product initiatives.

• Establish and maintain high-quality standards for interaction design, visual design, content clarity, and accessibility (WCAG) across all customer journeys.

• Communicate design strategies and rationale effectively through compelling storytelling and data-informed recommendations to diverse stakeholder groups.

• Mentor and coach design and product partners through design critiques, feedback sessions, and collaborative problem-solving, modeling best practices in craft and decision-making.

• Plan and facilitate user research activities, including concept testing, usability testing, and iterative refinement, to validate designs with consumers before launch.

• Lead cross-functional workshops such as journey mapping, design sprints, and co-creation sessions to drive alignment and prioritize user-centric solutions.

• Engineer and scale a robust multi-brand design system, defining its architecture, governance, and contribution standards for foundations, tokens, and component libraries.

• Collaborate with front-end engineers to ensure the fidelity, performance, and accessibility of coded components (React, Angular, Web Components) that align with design system specifications.

• Define and maintain clear documentation, contribution workflows, QA checklists, accessibility audits, and versioning practices for the design system.

• Develop multi-brand theming patterns and brand-safe variants to enable product teams to build faster while preserving brand integrity.

• Measure the effectiveness of the design system through metrics such as adoption rates, reuse, time saved, and defect reduction.

• Facilitate design governance rituals and partner with Brand, Marketing, and Merchandising teams to translate campaign needs into system-compatible patterns.

• Provide enablement resources, including documentation and training, for teams adopting the design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus: leading strategic product design for customer-facing journeys and building/scaling a foundational design system. The emphasis on "engineering and scaling" the design system, "delivering coded components," and "owning design system architecture and governance" suggests a significant technical component to this role, requiring a deep understanding of front-end development principles and how design systems are implemented and maintained in a production environment. This is not just a design role, but one that requires systems thinking and a strong partnership with engineering.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 8+ years of professional experience in product design/UX with demonstrated leadership experience across complex digital products.

• Strong preference for candidates with significant eCommerce or transactional journey design experience.

Required Skills:

• User Experience (UX) Design: Deep understanding of user interaction design principles, UX methodologies, and user-centered design processes.

• Design Systems Engineering: Proven ability to engineer, scale, and govern multi-brand design systems, including foundations, tokens, component libraries, and theming strategies.

• Figma Expertise: Expert proficiency with Figma, including advanced features like libraries, components, variants, auto-layout, and collaborative workflows; experience with prototyping tools.

• Front-End Fundamentals: Working knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML/CSS), component-based UI architecture, and responsive design principles.

• Accessibility Fluency: Strong understanding of WCAG guidelines, accessibility patterns, and testing approaches.

• Product Strategy & Vision: Ability to translate customer needs and business objectives into cohesive product experience strategies.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work effectively with Product Management, Engineering, Merchandising, and Marketing teams.

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Proven skills in communicating design direction, building consensus, and influencing stakeholders at various organizational levels.

• User Research & Validation: Experience planning and conducting user research, concept testing, and usability testing to validate designs.

• Visual Communication: Strong skills in creating detailed UX deliverables such as journey maps, user flows, wireframes, and mockups.

• Project Management: Ability to manage complex projects, define scope, and ensure on-time delivery.

• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Creative thinking combined with strategic and analytical problem-solving capabilities.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for CMS-driven experiences (e.g., dotCMS).

• Deep understanding of component APIs, constraints, and implementation details for front-end development.

• Experience defining design system documentation standards, governance models, versioning, and contribution workflows.

• Familiarity with React, Angular, or Web Components.

• Experience in optimizing digital properties for conversion, discoverability, and usability in eCommerce contexts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "Systems Engineering" alongside UX Design, coupled with the emphasis on "delivering coded components" and "working knowledge of front-end fundamentals," strongly suggests this role requires a hybrid skillset. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate not just design thinking but also an understanding of how design systems are technically implemented and maintained. The "8+ years" experience level, combined with "demonstrated leadership," points to a senior individual contributor or potential team lead capacity, requiring strategic thinking and mentoring capabilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design leadership for complex digital experiences, ideally within an eCommerce or multi-brand context.

• Include detailed case studies demonstrating your process for identifying user needs, developing product strategies, and delivering impactful UX/UI solutions.

• Present examples of your work in creating and scaling design systems, highlighting your role in defining foundations, components, tokens, and governance.

• Provide evidence of collaboration with engineering teams on design system implementation, including coded component alignment and accessibility considerations.

• Demonstrate your ability to translate brand requirements into scalable, reusable UI patterns and components.

• Showcase your approach to user research, validation, and iterative design refinement, with clear outcomes tied to user testing.

Process Documentation:

• Document your methodology for leading design sprints, journey mapping, and other collaborative workshops, showcasing how you facilitate alignment and drive decision-making.

• Illustrate your process for defining design system architecture, including contributions to foundations, tokens, component libraries, and theming strategies.

• Provide examples of your workflow for collaborating with front-end engineers on component development, API definitions, and implementation details.

• Detail your approach to establishing design system governance, including contribution standards, versioning, release notes, and deprecation practices.

• Showcase your process for creating comprehensive design system documentation and enablement materials for designers, product managers, and engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Systems Engineer" aspect of the title and the detailed responsibilities around design system engineering, a portfolio should explicitly highlight projects where the candidate has been instrumental in building, scaling, or significantly contributing to a design system. This includes demonstrating an understanding of its technical implementation, governance, and adoption strategies, not just its visual or interaction design aspects. Demonstrating experience with coded components and accessibility standards within the system is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $105,000 - $130,000 annually. This range is based on the provided information and industry benchmarks for Lead UX Designer & Systems Engineer roles in Minneapolis, MN, considering the experience level and hybrid work arrangement. The specific offer will depend on the candidate's qualifications, experience, and interview performance.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage, including health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Voluntary benefits such as home and car insurance, and pet insurance.

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for healthcare or dependent care expenses.

• 401K retirement plan with immediate vesting, allowing for immediate contributions and employer matching (if applicable).

• Generous paid time off (PTO) accrual.

• Company-paid holidays.

• Family paid leave policy.

• Tuition reimbursement program available after 6 months of service, supporting professional development.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, estimated at 40 hours per week.

• Hybrid work arrangement requires 3 days per week in the Minneapolis office, offering flexibility for the remaining workdays.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a strong indicator of the role's seniority and the competitive market for specialized design and systems engineering talent in Minneapolis. The benefits package is comprehensive, with particular emphasis on immediate vesting for the 401K and tuition reimbursement, indicating a commitment to employee long-term well-being and development. The hybrid model with specific in-office days is important for candidates to note for work-life balance planning.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Education Technology, Manufacturing (Jewelry, Awards, Yearbooks), Consumer Goods. Jostens operates in a unique space, serving educational institutions, sports teams, and organizations with commemorative products.

Company Size: Jostens is a large, established company with a significant global presence, indicated by "13 first-class facilities across the globe." This suggests a structured environment with established processes but also potential for large-scale impact.

Founded: Jostens has a long history, founded over 125 years ago. This implies a stable company with deep roots in its market, likely valuing tradition alongside innovation.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the Digital Product Management team, focusing on a unified omnichannel strategy.

• This team likely collaborates closely with Product Management, Engineering, Merchandising, and Marketing departments.

• As a "Lead," this position may involve functional leadership, potentially guiding project design teams and other designers on specific initiatives.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using data analytics, A/B testing, and customer insights to inform strategy and design.

• User-Centricity: Commitment to creating innovative, user-driven experiences grounded in customer needs and validated through user testing.

• Process Optimization: Focus on engineering and scaling systems (like design systems) to improve consistency, accessibility, and speed-to-market.

• Omnichannel Strategy: Aiming for a unified experience across various digital platforms and channels.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Jostens' long history suggests a company that values tradition and quality, which can translate into a culture that appreciates well-crafted, reliable systems. The "Marketing" section describes a team focused on customer engagement and digital strategies, indicating that operations roles like this one are integral to driving business growth through improved digital touchpoints. The hybrid work model suggests a modern approach to employee work-life balance within a traditional company structure.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Lead" position, indicating a senior individual contributor role with significant responsibility. It requires not only deep expertise in UX design and design systems but also the ability to provide functional leadership, mentor others, and influence cross-functional teams. This level is crucial for driving strategic initiatives and establishing best practices.

Reporting Structure: The role is part of the Digital Product Management team. The specific reporting manager is not detailed, but it's likely a Director or Senior Manager of Digital Product Management or a related digital experience function. The role will require reporting on progress, outcomes, and system health to various stakeholders.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on revenue and business decisions by:

• Enhancing the user experience of eCommerce platforms, directly influencing conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

• Engineering and scaling a design system that accelerates product development cycles, reduces costs, and improves consistency across all digital properties, freeing up resources for innovation.

• Ensuring accessibility and brand integrity, which are critical for customer trust and regulatory compliance.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Advancement: Deepen expertise in design systems, front-end integration, accessibility, and multi-brand strategy, potentially becoming a recognized subject matter expert within Jostens.

• Leadership Development: Progress into management roles, leading design teams or product initiatives, and further developing mentoring and strategic planning skills.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broader experience by collaborating across Marketing, Merchandising, and Engineering, understanding different facets of the business and contributing to broader GTM strategies.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Opportunity to work closely with engineering teams, potentially leading to growth in understanding complex software architectures and UI engineering practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title combined with "Systems Engineer" suggests a role that is both technically deep and strategically influential. Growth opportunities likely involve moving into more senior individual contributor roles (e.g., Principal UX Designer) or transitioning into management, depending on career aspirations. The emphasis on design systems as a foundation for GTM efficiency means this role is critical for scaling the business.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Jostens offers a hybrid work schedule, requiring 3 days per week in their Minneapolis office. This suggests a blend of focused individual work and collaborative in-office engagement.

Office Location(s): Minneapolis, Minnesota. This location is a significant metropolitan area with access to a skilled workforce and amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model encourages in-office collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, Merchandising, and Marketing teams, fostering idea exchange and alignment.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma is explicitly mentioned), prototyping software, and likely collaboration platforms (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams) and project management tools. The role's focus on design systems implies a robust digital toolset.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for design critiques, system reviews, workshops, and direct mentorship with colleagues and cross-functional partners.

Work Schedule:

• The hybrid schedule allows for flexibility, with 3 days designated for in-office work and 2 days for remote work. This structure aims to balance focused work with team collaboration and company culture integration.

• Standard full-time working hours (estimated 40 hours/week) are expected, with the flexibility to manage time effectively across the hybrid model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment. Candidates should consider how they best thrive in a mixed remote/in-office setting. The emphasis on collaboration suggests that the 3 days in the office are intended for high-impact team interactions, design reviews, and strategic planning sessions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, assessing alignment with basic qualifications and experience.

2. Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Be prepared to present a curated selection of your work, focusing on 2-3 key projects that demonstrate your UX design leadership and design systems engineering capabilities. Expect to discuss your process, decision-making, challenges, and outcomes in detail. This is where your portfolio will be scrutinized for depth and relevance.

3. Skills-Based Interview/Workshop: This may involve a design challenge, a system-building exercise, or a deep dive into technical aspects of UX and design systems. It could also include questions testing your problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and collaboration style.

4. Cross-Functional Interviews: You may meet with key stakeholders from Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing to assess your ability to collaborate, communicate, and influence across different disciplines.

5. Final Interview: Typically with senior leadership to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and confirm alignment with the company's vision and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your dual expertise in leading UX strategy for complex digital products (especially eCommerce) AND engineering/scaling multi-brand design systems.

• Quantify Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the solutions you implemented, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., conversion lift, efficiency gains, adoption rates, time saved). Use data and metrics wherever possible.

• Showcase Design System Expertise: Dedicate a significant portion of your portfolio to design system work. Detail your contributions to foundations, tokens, components, governance, and adoption. Include examples of coded component alignment and accessibility.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies with a clear narrative: problem, approach, solution, results. Highlight your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Demonstrate Leadership: For projects where you led teams or initiatives, clearly articulate your leadership approach, mentorship, and how you drove alignment and quality.

• Technical Understanding: Be prepared to discuss the technical aspects of design systems, including front-end fundamentals, component APIs, and accessibility standards, demonstrating your collaborative approach with engineers.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Thinking: Practice articulating how you would approach building or scaling a multi-brand design system. Consider governance, contribution models, token strategies, and theming.

• UX Strategy & Problem-Solving: Prepare to tackle hypothetical UX challenges related to eCommerce, customer journeys, or multi-brand consistency. Focus on your process, research methods, and data-informed solutions.

• Collaboration Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would work with engineers, product managers, and marketing teams to achieve project goals and resolve conflicts.

• Accessibility: Be ready to discuss WCAG principles and how you integrate accessibility into your design and system design processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Systems Engineer" component of this role means the portfolio review and any potential challenges will likely delve deeper into the technical aspects of design systems than a standard UX role. Candidates should be ready to discuss not just the 'what' and 'why' of their design decisions, but also the 'how' of implementation and system architecture.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned as a required expert-level proficiency tool for design, prototyping, and collaborative delivery workflows.

• Prototyping Tools: Likely includes Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities, or potentially others like InVision or Adobe XD for specific use cases.

• Design System Platforms: While not explicitly named, tools for managing design systems, component libraries, and documentation (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook) are highly relevant.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Tools: Experience with platforms like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar for tracking user behavior, conversion rates, and performance metrics is crucial for informing design decisions.

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools that can present data insights to stakeholders (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker) would be beneficial.

• User Testing Platforms: Tools for conducting usability tests, A/B tests, and gathering user feedback (e.g., UserTesting.com, Hotjar, Maze).

CRM & Automation:

• Content Management Systems (CMS): Experience designing for CMS-driven experiences is mentioned, with dotCMS as an example.

• Front-End Development Integration: While not a coding role, understanding how designs translate to coded components (e.g., React, Angular, Web Components) is essential. Familiarity with version control systems like Git is also implied for design system contribution workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and design systems indicates a modern, component-driven design workflow. The role requires a strong understanding of how design tools integrate with front-end development and analytics platforms to create and measure effective digital experiences. A candidate should be proficient in Figma's advanced features and comfortable discussing technical implementation details with engineering.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & User-Centricity: A drive to create innovative, user-driven experiences that meet customer needs and deliver exceptional customer journeys.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Strong emphasis on working closely with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Marketing, Merchandising) to achieve shared goals and drive unified strategies.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: Commitment to upholding high standards for design quality, interaction design, visual design, and accessibility across all digital properties.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A focus on building and maintaining systems (like design systems) that enable faster time-to-market, improve consistency, and support multiple brands efficiently.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing data analytics and research findings to inform design choices and measure impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires deep collaboration across various departments, acting as a bridge between design, product, and engineering.

• Process Governance: Facilitating design governance rituals to ensure alignment, quality, and adherence to design system standards.

• Mentorship & Enablement: A willingness to mentor designers and product partners, and to provide enablement resources to ensure successful adoption of design systems and best practices.

• Feedback Exchange: An open and constructive approach to design critiques and reviews, fostering continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: Jostens, with its long history, likely values a blend of tradition and forward-thinking. The "Digital Product Management" team's focus on an omnichannel strategy and design systems suggests a culture that embraces modern digital practices while staying true to brand integrity and customer relationships built over time. The emphasis on "functional leadership" implies a collaborative, supportive environment where expertise is shared and leveraged.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Multi-Brand Design System Complexity: Engineering and scaling a design system that effectively supports distinct brand expressions while maintaining shared foundations requires careful architecture, governance, and ongoing management.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent adoption and adherence to design system standards across multiple teams and brands can be challenging, requiring strong communication and influencing skills.

• Balancing Brand Identity with System Consistency: Finding the right balance between allowing for unique brand expression and maintaining the efficiency and consistency benefits of a shared design system.

• Technical Implementation Oversight: Collaborating closely with engineers to ensure coded components accurately reflect design specifications, maintain performance, and meet accessibility standards.

• Rapidly Evolving Digital Landscape: Staying abreast of UI engineering trends, accessibility best practices, and evolving customer expectations in the digital space.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Expertise: Deepen knowledge in design system architecture, tokenization, theming strategies, and front-end component development.

• Leadership and Mentorship: Develop skills in leading design teams, mentoring junior designers, and influencing product strategy at a higher level.

• Cross-Functional Business Acumen: Gain a broader understanding of eCommerce, merchandising, marketing, and product management functions within Jostens.

• Accessibility Specialization: Become a go-to expert for accessibility best practices and compliance within the digital product and design teams.

• Emerging Technologies: Explore how new technologies can be integrated into the design system and digital product experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to roles that bridge design and systems thinking, particularly in a multi-brand environment. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a path to become a highly specialized and influential figure in digital product development and operations within Jostens.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to leading the end-to-end product design for a complex eCommerce journey. How would you incorporate user research, data, and business goals into your strategy?" (Focus on your process, metrics, and stakeholder alignment.)

• "How would you engineer and scale a multi-brand design system from the ground up, or significantly evolve an existing one? What are the key considerations for foundations, tokens, components, and governance?" (Highlight your systems thinking, technical understanding, and scalability approach.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Jostens and this role, how would you ensure our digital experiences reflect our brand heritage while also being innovative and user-friendly?" (Show research into Jostens' history and products, and connect it to your design philosophy.)

• "How do you see the 'Systems Engineer' aspect of this role impacting the daily responsibilities and collaboration within the Digital Product Management team?" (Discuss the synergy between design and technical implementation.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your most relevant projects (e.g., a significant design system initiative and a complex eCommerce UX project).

• Deep Dive on Case Studies: For each selected project, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, the methodologies you employed, the solutions you designed, and the quantifiable results.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Explicitly showcase your design system work, detailing the architecture, components, tokens, and governance. Explain how it improved efficiency, consistency, and accessibility.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Explain how you partnered with engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders throughout the process.

• Be Prepared for Technical Questions: Anticipate questions about Figma capabilities, front-end fundamentals, accessibility (WCAG), and design system implementation details.

• Focus on Outcomes: Emphasize the business impact and user value generated by your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview questions will likely test both your strategic UX vision and your practical systems engineering capabilities. Be ready to discuss not just the 'design' of systems but their 'engineering,' 'architecture,' and 'scalability,' and how they directly enable business outcomes.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UX Designer & Systems Engineer position:

• Submit your application through the Jostens careers portal link provided.

• Customize your resume: Highlight keywords and responsibilities directly related to UX design leadership, design systems engineering, eCommerce, Figma expertise, cross-functional collaboration, and front-end fundamentals. Quantify achievements with metrics wherever possible.

• Curate your portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your end-to-end product design leadership and significant contributions to design systems. Ensure your portfolio clearly outlines your process, impact, and technical understanding.

• Prepare your presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, articulating your decision-making process, quantifying results, and being ready to discuss technical aspects of design systems and front-end development.

• Research Jostens: Understand their products, market position, and company values. Consider how your skills and experience can contribute to their omnichannel strategy and digital transformation efforts.

⚠️ 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.