Product Designer - Design System

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer - Design System

Company: Skello

Location: Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: 2026-06-08

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (Implied 5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the definition, architecture, and evangelization of Skello's Design System (DS) to ensure product-wide visual and interactional consistency.

• Develop and maintain a robust DS encompassing tokens, components, patterns, motion, and accessibility standards, aligning design and technology.

• Drive AI integration by encoding the DS for machine readability, enabling AI agents to generate up to 90% of screens with minimal manual rework.

• Collaborate closely with Product Strategists and Engineers to foster adoption and ensure the DS is a scalable foundation for innovative product features and AI-native experiences.

• Act as the guardian of global product coherence, arbitrating exceptions and ensuring seamless alignment between brand identity and the product user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly focused on Design System development and maintenance, with a significant emphasis on AI integration. This suggests a need for a candidate who can bridge the gap between design, front-end development, and emerging AI technologies. The implied experience level of 5-10 years aligns with the complexity of building and scaling a design system for a company with 600,000 daily users.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and document the core principles, components, tokens, patterns, and motion guidelines of the Skello Design System.

• Construct and maintain the Design System library in Figma and Storybook, ensuring strict alignment between design and front-end code versions.

• Develop machine-readable guidelines and prompts to enable AI agents to consume and utilize the Design System effectively for screen generation.

• Train Product Strategists and Product Engineers on Design System usage, best practices, and adoption rituals (e.g., screen reviews, Q&A sessions).

• Design key screens and innovative UX patterns for new features, particularly those leveraging AI, ensuring they meet Skello's quality standards.

• Oversee the global visual and interactional coherence of the product, identifying and correcting deviations from the Design System.

• Collaborate with AI Product Operations to integrate the Design System into the AI agent stack, ensuring seamless functionality and quality output.

• Bridge the gap between Skello's brand identity and product experience, ensuring visual consistency across all touchpoints.

• Evaluate and refine AI-generated screens, approving, reworking, or rejecting them based on Skello's quality and brand standards.

• Arbitrate design decisions when exceptions to the system are necessary, ensuring strategic alignment and maintaining overall product integrity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on foundational design system work and cutting-edge AI integration. The expectation for encoding the DS for AI consumption and ensuring 90% screen generation points to a highly technical and forward-thinking design role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for this level of responsibility, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: Proven experience (5-10 years implied) in building, scaling, and maintaining comprehensive Design Systems in a product-focused environment.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in building and maintaining Design Systems at scale.

• High proficiency in Figma for design and prototyping.

• Strong familiarity with Storybook for component documentation and development.

• Solid understanding of front-end development principles and code (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks like React or Vue.js) to ensure design-tech alignment.

• Experience defining and implementing design tokens, components, patterns, and motion guidelines.

• Deep understanding of UX principles, interaction design, and visual design craft.

• Ability to think in terms of scalability, dependencies, and unit production.

• Proficiency in creating machine-readable guidelines and AI prompts for design system consumption.

• Experience with accessibility standards (WCAG) and their implementation within a Design System.

• Strong communication and documentation skills, capable of persuading through quality and clear documentation.

• Professional English proficiency for cross-functional and international collaboration. Preferred Skills:

• Experience working with AI tools and understanding their application in design workflows.

• Familiarity with AI Product Operations and integrating design systems into AI agent stacks.

• Experience in bridging brand identity with product design across multiple channels.

• Ability to arbitrate design exceptions strategically and authoritatively.

• Experience in a fast-paced, high-growth SaaS environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for being "half-design, half-front" and comfortable with both Figma and code suggests a hybrid role that requires a strong technical aptitude alongside design skills. The emphasis on AI consumption implies a need for candidates who are not just designers but also system thinkers who can translate design logic into machine-understandable formats.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrable experience in building or significantly contributing to a scalable Design System from its foundational stages.

• Clear examples of how your Design System work has improved consistency, efficiency, and developer velocity.

• Case studies showcasing the architecture of a Design System, including component libraries, design tokens, and pattern documentation.

• Evidence of collaboration with engineering teams to ensure the Design System is implemented effectively and maintained across codebases.

• Examples of how you've documented components with DOs, DON'Ts, use cases, and anti-patterns.

• Projects that highlight your approach to accessibility and inclusivity within a Design System. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your process for defining and evolving Design System principles and standards.

• Provide examples of how you document components and guidelines for both designers and developers.

• Illustrate your methodology for training teams on Design System adoption and best practices.

• Include examples of how you've managed the versioning, deprecation, and evolution of a Design System over time.

• Demonstrate your approach to ensuring consistency between design tools (e.g., Figma) and development environments (e.g., Storybook).

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical, especially one that can demonstrate not just design output but also the underlying processes and systems thinking applied to design. The AI integration aspect means portfolios that show how design can be systematized and made machine-readable will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the "Product Designer - Design System" title, the location in Paris, and the implied 5-10 years of experience, a competitive salary range for this role in Paris would typically fall between €55,000 and €80,000 gross per year. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, the depth of their design system and front-end expertise, and their AI fluency.

Benefits:

• Meal Vouchers (Swile): 55% covered by Skello, contributing to daily meal expenses.

• Group Sports Classes: Organized weekly, promoting team well-being and fitness.

• RTT Days: 8 additional paid leave days per year to compensate for overtime (10 days for sales roles on a fixed-hour contract).

• Comprehensive Onboarding: A structured program designed to integrate new hires effectively within their first week.

• CSE Happy Pal: A platform offering €20/month subsidy for sports and cultural activities.

• Inclusive Parenting: 5 additional parental leave days, a €175 birth bonus, and free health insurance for children.

• Remote Work Options: A flexible policy tailored to team rhythms, allowing for hybrid work arrangements.

• Central Offices: Modern, accessible offices located in dynamic city centers (Paris and Lille).

Working Hours: The role implies a standard full-time work week, likely around 40 hours, with flexibility for remote work as part of the hybrid arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical market rates for experienced Product Designers with specialized Design System skills in Paris, France, considering the company's stage (400+ employees, significant user base) and the high demand for such specialized roles. The benefits package is directly extracted from the job description and highlights Skello's commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: SaaS (Software as a Service) in Human Resources (HR) Tech, specifically for field-based teams. Skello operates within the rapidly growing HR tech market, modernizing workforce management for a significant segment of the European economy.

Company Size: Skello is a substantial company with over 400 employees, indicating a mature organizational structure with established processes, but still retaining some of the agility of a scale-up. This size suggests opportunities for impact and career growth, alongside the need for strong operational frameworks.

Founded: Skello was founded with the mission to provide a reference HR solution for field teams, addressing a gap in the digital solutions available to this large workforce segment. This founding vision drives their focus on user-centricity and practical application.

Team Structure:

• The Design team is described as passionate, talented, and multidisciplinary, working at the forefront of product creation.

• Product Designers are central to developing innovative and user-friendly features.

• There is a strong emphasis on cross-functional collaboration, with Product Designers working closely with Product Strategists and Product Engineers.

• The role involves close collaboration with the AI Product Operations team for integrating the Design System with AI agents. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: While not explicitly stated for Design, the company's use of AI and focus on user needs implies a data-informed approach to product decisions.

• Agile Workflows: Standard in SaaS product development, expecting iterative design and development cycles.

• Customer-Centricity: "Focus on customers first" is a core value, guiding all product and design efforts.

• Systematic Design: The emphasis on a Design System and AI integration points to a methodology that prioritizes consistency, scalability, and efficiency through systematic approaches.

Company Website: skello.io

📝 Enhancement Note: Skello's focus on field teams and their significant user base (600,000 daily users) means the Design System's impact is substantial. The company's growth and European presence suggest a dynamic environment where design plays a crucial role in scaling the product effectively and consistently. The AI integration is a key differentiator, positioning Skello at the forefront of HR tech innovation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Mid-Senior level, likely translating to 5-10 years of relevant experience. The responsibilities indicate a lead role in shaping the foundational design language of the product, not just executing designs. This level requires strategic thinking, system-level problem-solving, and the ability to influence product direction.

Reporting Structure: The candidate will report to a manager within the Product Design team and will work closely with Product Managers/Strategists and Product Engineers. The Head of Design is also mentioned in the interview process, indicating a clear leadership hierarchy within the design function.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer - Design System has a profound impact on the entire product's user experience, developer efficiency, and brand consistency. By establishing a robust Design System, this role directly influences the speed of feature development, the quality of user interfaces across all touchpoints, and the overall scalability of the platform. The AI integration aspect means this role will significantly shape how AI features are experienced by users and how efficiently they can be developed.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Specialization: Opportunity to become a recognized expert in Design Systems and AI-driven design within the HR Tech space.

• Leadership Development: Potential to lead Design System initiatives, mentor junior designers, and influence design strategy across the organization.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge of front-end development, AI product operations, and product strategy through close collaboration.

• Career Progression: Advancement to Senior Product Designer, Lead Product Designer, or Head of Design roles, depending on performance and organizational needs.

• Industry Influence: Contributing to the evolution of Design Systems and their integration with AI, potentially speaking at conferences or contributing to industry best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of Design Systems and AI, a rapidly evolving field. This specialization can lead to significant career advancement and high demand in the market. The company's growth trajectory suggests ample opportunities for taking on more responsibility and advancing within the design organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Skello offers a hybrid work model, meaning employees will split their time between remote work and working from their central offices. This model aims to balance flexibility with the benefits of in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): The primary office locations are in Paris and Lille, France. These offices are described as being in dynamic city centers and easily accessible by public transport, facilitating commutes for employees.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on team rituals (like screen reviews, Q&A sessions, and group sports) suggest an environment that values both independent work and collaborative interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Employees will have access to industry-standard design tools (Figma, Storybook) and will be working with modern front-end development stacks and AI technologies.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with Product Strategists, Product Engineers, AI Product Ops, and other designers, fostering knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule is expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with the flexibility afforded by the hybrid work policy. This structure allows for focused work sessions both remotely and in the office, supporting the demands of design system development and AI integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model in central Paris or Lille offices provides a modern work environment that balances flexibility with the benefits of in-person collaboration, crucial for intensive design system work and team alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Call (TA with Paul): A 45-minute phone screening likely focused on high-level fit, motivation, and initial assessment of experience with Design Systems and front-end.

• Product Manager Interview (Visio): A 1-hour video call with a Product Manager to delve deeper into product thinking, collaboration style, and understanding of user needs.

• Practical Case Study: A take-home assignment followed by a restitution session with the Head of Design and a Head of Product. This is where your Design System expertise, technical skills, and problem-solving abilities will be rigorously evaluated. Expect to present your approach to defining, building, and documenting components, as well as your strategy for AI integration.

• Vision Interview (Physical): A 30-minute in-person meeting with the VP Product to discuss broader product vision, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Design System Focus: Prioritize projects where you built or significantly contributed to a Design System. Clearly articulate the problem, your solution, your role, and the impact.

• Technical Depth: Showcase your ability to bridge design and code. Include examples of how you've worked with Storybook, defined design tokens, or collaborated with developers on implementation.

• AI Integration Strategy: If possible, include examples or conceptual work demonstrating how you think about making designs consumable by AI. Detail your process for encoding guidelines and defining prompts.

• Documentation Clarity: Present well-documented components, showing your approach to DOs, DON'Ts, and use cases. This demonstrates your ability to evangelize and onboard others.

• Process & Rationale: Explain your design process, your decision-making rationale, and how you measured success or impact. Be prepared to discuss trade-offs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Fundamentals: Be ready to discuss core principles of Design Systems, scalability, component architecture, and maintenance strategies.

• Figma & Storybook Proficiency: Prepare to demonstrate your skills or discuss your workflows in these tools.

• Front-end Alignment: Understand how your design decisions translate to front-end code and how you ensure consistency between design and development.

• AI for Design: Research current trends in AI for design and how Design Systems can support AI-driven product development. Be prepared to discuss hypothetical scenarios.

• Communication & Persuasion: Practice articulating your ideas clearly and persuasively, especially when discussing complex technical and design concepts to both design and product stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is multi-stage and rigorous, culminating in a practical case study. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate both their design craft and their technical understanding, with a specific emphasis on their ability to conceptualize and build for AI integration.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary tool for design, prototyping, and collaboration on UI elements and user flows.

• Storybook: Essential for documenting, developing, and testing UI components in isolation, ensuring consistency and reusability.

• Front-end Code: Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (likely with a framework like React or Vue.js) is expected for direct contribution or close collaboration with developers.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly detailed, a Product Designer in this role would likely interact with analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) to understand user behavior and the impact of design changes.

• Reporting on Design System adoption metrics, component usage, and impact on development velocity would be crucial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the Product Designer role, but understanding how the Design System supports the broader product and its automation features (e.g., AI agents) is key.

• Integration tools would be relevant in the context of connecting design artifacts to development pipelines and AI workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technical stack revolves around design and front-end development tools. The emphasis on Storybook and front-end code suggests a highly integrated design and development workflow, where the Design System acts as the single source of truth.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values: Skello's core values (SHIFT) deeply influence their culture and how operations professionals are expected to work:

• Set the bar higher everyday: A commitment to continuous improvement, pushing boundaries in design and technology, especially in the context of AI and Design Systems.

• Have each other’s back: Encourages strong teamwork, mutual support, and collaborative problem-solving, vital for complex Design System projects.

• Imagine tomorrow, start today: A proactive and innovative mindset, essential for exploring and implementing new technologies like AI in design.

• Focus on customers first: A user-centric approach that guides all design decisions, ensuring the Design System serves the needs of both users and internal teams.

• Take work seriously, not ourselves: A balance of professionalism and a positive, down-to-earth attitude, fostering a healthy and productive work environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role demands close collaboration with Product Strategists, Product Engineers, and AI Product Ops, requiring clear communication and a shared understanding of goals.

• Process-Oriented: The emphasis on a Design System and documentation reflects a culture that values structured processes, clear guidelines, and efficient workflows.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in design reviews, Q&A sessions, and training programs to disseminate knowledge about the Design System and best practices.

• Feedback Exchange: A culture that encourages constructive feedback to continuously improve the Design System and product experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The SHIFT values provide a clear framework for how Skello expects its employees to operate. For a Design System role, "Set the bar higher" and "Imagine tomorrow" are particularly relevant given the focus on innovation and AI.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• AI Integration Complexity: Ensuring the Design System is robust and flexible enough to be effectively consumed by AI agents for automated screen generation requires significant technical foresight and ongoing refinement.

• Scalability and Maintenance: As Skello grows and evolves, maintaining the Design System's integrity, consistency, and relevance across an expanding product suite will be an ongoing challenge.

• Adoption and Evangelization: Convincing and training diverse teams (product, engineering) to consistently adopt and utilize the Design System requires strong advocacy and clear communication.

• Balancing Innovation with Consistency: Innovating on UX patterns and AI-native experiences while strictly adhering to Design System principles requires careful arbitration and strategic decision-making.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design: Deepen expertise in how AI can revolutionize design workflows and product development, becoming a leader in this emerging field.

• Design System Leadership: Develop skills in managing and evolving a large-scale Design System, including strategy, governance, and team enablement.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Further hone front-end development skills and gain deeper insights into modern web technologies and AI engineering practices.

• Cross-functional Acumen: Gain a comprehensive understanding of product strategy, AI product operations, and the business impact of design decisions.

• Industry Engagement: Opportunities to attend conferences, contribute to open-source projects, or present work at industry events related to Design Systems and AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in bridging the gap between established design system practices and the nascent field of AI-driven design. Success here offers significant growth potential in a highly sought-after specialization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach architecting a Design System for a rapidly scaling SaaS product with a focus on AI integration?" (Focus on modularity, tokenization, and machine-readability.)

• "Describe a situation where you had to convince a team to adopt a new Design System or a significant change within an existing one. What was your strategy and the outcome?" (Highlight communication, documentation, and demonstrating value.)

• "Given the goal of generating 90% of screens via AI, what are the key considerations for designing components and defining guidelines?" (Discuss constraints, parameters, and how to structure design elements for AI consumption.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Skello's SHIFT values resonate with your approach to design and collaboration, particularly 'Imagine tomorrow, start today' in the context of AI?" (Connect your work style and philosophy to their stated values.)

• "How do you see the Product Designer role contributing to Skello's mission of becoming the reference HR solution for field teams?" (Emphasize user-centricity and scalable design.)

• "What are your thoughts on the balance between maintaining brand consistency and driving product innovation in a fast-paced environment?" (Discuss your approach to arbitration and strategic decision-making.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around key Design System projects. For each, clearly state the problem, your role, your process, the solution (showcasing components, tokens, documentation), and the measurable impact (e.g., improved efficiency, consistency).

• Highlight AI Readiness: Explicitly demonstrate how your Design System work is structured to be AI-consumable. This could involve showing examples of structured documentation, well-defined tokens, or conceptual ideas for AI prompts.

• Technical Integration: Be prepared to discuss your experience with Figma and Storybook, and how you ensure alignment with front-end code.

• Storytelling: Weave a narrative around your Design System journey. Explain the evolution, the challenges overcome, and the lessons learned.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating a deep understanding of Design System principles, practical implementation skills, and a forward-thinking approach to AI integration. The case study will be a critical opportunity to showcase these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer - Design System position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.lever.co.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest Design System projects that best showcase your experience in building, maintaining, and scaling systems. Ensure these projects highlight your technical proficiency (Figma, Storybook, code understanding) and your strategic thinking around AI integration.

• Tailor Your Resume: Emphasize keywords related to Design Systems, component libraries, design tokens, Figma, Storybook, front-end development, AI design, and cross-functional collaboration. Quantify your achievements whenever possible (e.g., "Reduced UI development time by X%" or "Increased design consistency score by Y%").

• Prepare Your Case Study Presentation: Thoroughly review the case study expectations. Practice presenting your work, articulating your process, and clearly explaining the rationale behind your design decisions, especially concerning AI enablement. Be ready to discuss potential trade-offs and solutions.

• Research Skello: Understand Skello's product, target audience (field teams), mission, and their core values (SHIFT). Prepare to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with their customer-centric and innovative approach, particularly concerning the future of HR tech and AI.

⚠️ 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.