Product Designer, Design Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Design Systems

Company: General Intuition & Medal

Location: New York City, NY, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: 2026-05-14

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (4+ years)

Remote Status: On-site (5 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the development, scaling, and maintenance of a robust design system for a rapidly growing gaming clip platform, impacting millions of users.

• Drive best practices in component architecture, design tokens, and documentation to ensure consistency and efficiency across consumer-facing digital products.

• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration between design and engineering teams to translate design system elements into high-quality, production-ready code.

• Contribute to the evolution of gaming culture by designing intuitive and engaging social experiences that resonate with a passionate player base.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is explicitly for a Product Designer with a specialization in Design Systems, emphasizing hands-on building and scaling rather than just consumption. The focus on consumer-facing digital products, particularly within social or creator-driven platforms, and a deep understanding of Figma are critical. The requirement for 5 days in the office in NYC indicates a strong preference for in-person collaboration and team integration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and meticulously maintain a comprehensive, scalable design system from its foundational elements (tokens, components) to its advanced libraries.

• Develop and enforce design system governance, including version control, release management, and clear documentation standards for components and patterns.

• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure seamless implementation of design system components, troubleshoot integration issues, and maintain fidelity between design and code.

• Conduct user research and usability testing on design system elements and the products they support to identify areas for improvement and innovation.

• Champion the adoption and consistent application of the design system across all product development teams, providing training and support as needed.

• Design and prototype new components and patterns for the design system that address evolving product needs and enhance user experience across desktop and mobile platforms.

• Ensure adherence to accessibility best practices (WCAG) and platform-specific UX patterns within the design system.

• Stay abreast of emerging trends in design systems, UI/UX, and gaming culture to inform system evolution and product strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities outline a proactive and foundational role. The emphasis on "building, scaling, and maintaining from the ground up" and "keeping libraries in sync with what ships in production" highlights the need for a designer with system-level thinking and execution capabilities, not just a component librarian.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 4+ years of experience in designing consumer-facing digital products, with a significant portion focused on building and managing design systems.

Required Skills:

• Proven hands-on experience building, scaling, and maintaining design systems from the ground up.

• Deep expertise in Figma, including advanced features like component architecture, variants, auto layout, and managing living libraries.

• Strong understanding of design system fundamentals: design tokens, component libraries, documentation, and governance.

• Proficiency in translating complex design concepts into well-documented, reusable UI components.

• Experience collaborating closely with engineers to ensure accurate implementation of designs in production code.

• Familiarity with designing for both desktop and mobile platforms, understanding platform-specific UX patterns.

• Knowledge of accessibility best practices (e.g., WCAG guidelines).

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for social platforms, creator-driven applications, or community-focused products (e.g., Discord, Twitch, TikTok).

• Understanding of gaming culture, player language, and social dynamics within gaming communities.

• Experience with front-end development principles and how design systems integrate with codebases.

• Familiarity with design system tooling beyond Figma, such as Storybook or Zeroheight for documentation.

• Experience with user research methodologies and applying insights to design system improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "4+ years of experience" for a "Product Designer, Design Systems" role implies a mid-to-senior level individual contributor. The explicit mention of "not just consuming them" and "from the ground up" suggests the company is looking for someone who can establish and grow the system, not just manage an existing one. An interest in gaming culture is a key differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrable case studies showcasing the end-to-end process of building or significantly evolving a design system.

• Examples of foundational elements created, such as design tokens, typography scales, color palettes, and core UI components.

• Detailed documentation of component architecture, usage guidelines, and version history.

• Evidence of collaboration with engineering teams, illustrating how design system components were translated into code and maintained.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase your methodology for defining and organizing component states, variants, and interactions within Figma.

• Illustrate how you manage design system updates and communicate changes to product teams and stakeholders.

• Provide examples of how you ensure accessibility and responsive design principles are embedded within the system.

• Detail your approach to creating and maintaining comprehensive documentation for designers and developers.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Design Systems role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond showcasing UI design skills and demonstrate a deep understanding of systems thinking, componentization, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering. The emphasis should be on the process of building and maintaining a system, not just the final output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $180,000 - $220,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• 401(k) plan.

• Wellness and fitness perks, including a Wellhub membership and mental health resources.

• Paid parental leave, fertility, and maternal health benefits.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) policy.

• Daily meals and commuter benefits at the NYC HQ.

• Learning and development stipend for professional growth.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, likely around 40 hours per week, with an expectation of 5 days per week in the NYC office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $180,000 - $220,000 USD is competitive for a mid-to-senior level Product Designer specializing in Design Systems in a high-cost-of-living area like New York City. The benefits package is comprehensive, aligning with typical tech industry offerings for full-time employees.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Social Media / Gaming Technology / Content Creation

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the $133M seed round suggests a rapidly scaling startup environment, likely ranging from 50-200 employees, with potential for significant growth.

Founded: Medal was founded with a mission to design products for gaming communities, backed by significant seed funding, indicating a drive for innovation and market disruption.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely operates within a Product department, working closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Marketing/Community teams.

• This role reports to a Design Lead or Head of Product/Design, with direct collaboration expected with engineering leads and individual engineers.

Methodology:

• A systems-first approach to product development, emphasizing consistency, scalability, and efficiency.

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging clip data and user engagement metrics to inform design and product strategy.

• Iterative development cycles, with a focus on rapid experimentation and learning.

• A culture that values ownership, creativity, and a passion for gaming.

Company Website: https://medal.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Medal is positioned as a leader in the gaming clip platform space, aiming to build the "next generation of gaming communities." The significant seed funding ($133M) implies a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment with ambitious goals. The company's focus on "social, monetized, and creator-powered" communities suggests a strong emphasis on user-generated content and community engagement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a mid-to-senior individual contributor role within the Product Design function, focused on a critical area of product development – the design system. It requires a high degree of autonomy and expertise.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to a Design Manager or Head of Design, with close collaboration with Product Management and Engineering leadership.

Operations Impact: The design system directly impacts the efficiency of the entire product development process, the consistency of user experiences across millions of users, and the scalability of the platform. A well-maintained system reduces development time, improves UI/UX quality, and enables faster feature iteration.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in design systems, potentially becoming a lead or principal designer in this domain.

• Leadership: Transition into a Design Lead role, managing other designers and guiding the overall design vision.

• Product Strategy: Contribute more broadly to product strategy, leveraging design system insights to influence product roadmaps.

• Cross-functional Expansion: Develop deeper understanding and influence in engineering practices and product management processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth within the design systems specialization, or a potential pivot into broader design leadership or product strategy roles within a fast-growing startup. The impact on the core product and development velocity provides significant visibility and opportunity.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Full-time in-office role at a company HQ.

Office Location(s): NYC HQ in Flatiron. This location offers excellent accessibility and amenities.

Workspace Context:

• A collaborative environment where designers work closely with product managers and engineers.

• Access to modern design tools and technologies within the Figma ecosystem.

• Opportunities for spontaneous brainstorming and problem-solving due to daily in-person interaction.

• A vibrant startup atmosphere in a prime NYC location.

Work Schedule: Full-time, 5 days a week in the NYC office. While specific hours aren't detailed, standard professional expectations apply, with flexibility managed by the team or manager.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for 5 days in the office in NYC's Flatiron district indicates a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration, team cohesion, and rapid iteration within the product development lifecycle. This is typical for startups aiming for accelerated growth and tight-knit team dynamics.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess overall fit, experience, and expectations.

• Portfolio Review: A deep dive session with hiring managers and/or senior designers to review your design systems portfolio, focusing on process, impact, and technical understanding. Be prepared to discuss specific projects in detail.

• Technical/System Design Interview: A session focused on your understanding of design system principles, Figma capabilities, and how you'd approach specific challenges related to building and scaling the system. This may involve a whiteboarding or Figma collaboration exercise.

• Cross-functional Interview: A meeting with Product Management and/or Engineering leads to assess collaboration style, communication, and understanding of the broader product development lifecycle.

• Final Interview/Culture Fit: A conversation with senior leadership to ensure alignment with company values and culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Clearly articulate your role and contributions in each project. For design systems, this means detailing the "why" behind your decisions, the process of building components, and your collaboration with engineers.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify the benefits your design system work has brought (e.g., reduced development time, increased UI consistency, faster onboarding of new designers/engineers).

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Demonstrate your ability to think holistically about a system's structure, scalability, and maintainability.

• Figma Proficiency: Be ready to demonstrate your advanced Figma skills, including complex component setups, variables, and organizational strategies.

• Engineering Collaboration: Provide concrete examples of how you partnered with engineers, the challenges you faced, and how you resolved them.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Audit/Proposal: Be prepared to discuss how you would audit an existing system (or create one from scratch) for a platform like Medal.

• Component Design Exercise: You might be asked to design a new component or evolve an existing one within Figma, explaining your rationale.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you handle conflicting design needs, engineering constraints, or the adoption of new system features.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your design systems expertise, particularly your hands-on experience with Figma and your ability to work collaboratively within a fast-paced engineering environment. A strong portfolio showcasing tangible design system work and its impact is crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool, requiring deep expertise in component architecture, variables, auto layout, and library management.

• Design System Management: Experience with tools for organizing, documenting, and distributing design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal documentation platforms).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to this role's core function, but understanding how design systems integrate with product development workflows is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the central tool for this role. Proficiency in its advanced features for component creation, organization, and management is non-negotiable. Experience with design system documentation platforms is a strong plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for the design system's success and its impact on the product.

• Creativity: Bringing innovative solutions to design challenges and system architecture.

• Experimentation: Willingness to try new approaches and learn from outcomes.

• Collaboration: Working effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve common goals.

• Systems-First Mindset: Prioritizing consistency, scalability, and efficiency in all design and development efforts.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, working closely with product managers, engineers, and fellow designers.

• Emphasis on clear communication, constructive feedback, and shared understanding of goals.

• A culture that values open discussion and problem-solving as a team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company emphasizes "ownership, creativity, and experimentation." For a design systems role, this translates to taking initiative in building and refining the system, proposing novel solutions for component design and architecture, and being open to iterative improvements based on feedback and data.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling a System: Ensuring the design system can scale effectively as the product and team grow, maintaining performance and manageability.

• Adoption & Governance: Driving consistent adoption of the design system across multiple teams and projects, and managing contributions and changes effectively.

• Balancing Standardization with Flexibility: Creating a system that provides strong consistency while allowing for necessary product innovation and unique user experiences.

• Syncing Design and Code: Maintaining tight synchronization between the design system in Figma and the implemented code components, a common challenge in design ops.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Specialization: Become a recognized expert in design systems, potentially leading the charge for a major platform.

• Cross-Functional Learning: Gain in-depth understanding of engineering practices and product strategy within a fast-paced tech environment.

• Industry Engagement: Opportunities to present at conferences, contribute to design system communities, or mentor emerging designers.

• Strategic Impact: Play a key role in defining the visual language and user experience of a rapidly growing social platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to design systems work, particularly in a high-growth startup. The opportunities for learning and development are significant, focusing on deepening specialized expertise and gaining broad exposure to product development within the gaming tech industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your philosophy for building a design system from the ground up. What are the first 3-5 things you would focus on?"

• "How do you balance the need for design consistency with the desire for product innovation and unique user experiences?"

• "Walk me through a time you had to convince stakeholders (engineers, PMs, leadership) of the importance of investing in or adhering to a design system."

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Medal's mission and the gaming community we serve?"

• "How do you approach working with engineers to ensure design system components are implemented accurately and efficiently?"

• "Describe your experience working in an in-office, collaborative environment. What do you enjoy most about it?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each design system project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, the solution (showcasing components, tokens, documentation), and the impact.

• Figma Walkthrough: Be prepared to share your Figma file and demonstrate your advanced techniques for component architecture, variants, and organization.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics where possible to demonstrate the value of your work (e.g., "reduced design time by X%", "increased component reuse by Y%").

• Showcase Collaboration: Highlight specific instances of working with engineers, including how you handled feedback and ensured successful implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to articulate your systems thinking, demonstrate deep Figma mastery, and showcase your collaborative approach with engineering. Be ready to speak passionately about gaming culture and Medal's mission.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer, Design Systems position:

• Submit your application through the provided Ashby link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your experience with design systems, Figma expertise, and specific achievements in building, scaling, or maintaining design libraries. Use keywords like "Design Systems," "Figma," "Component Architecture," "Design Tokens," and "cross-functional collaboration."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies on design systems. Focus on the process, your specific contributions, and demonstrable impact. Be ready to walk through your Figma files.

• Prepare for the Interview: Practice articulating your design system philosophy, your collaboration methods with engineering, and your understanding of Medal's product and target audience.

• Research Medal: Understand their platform, their user base, and their mission to connect gaming moments. Be ready to discuss how your design system expertise will contribute to their 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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