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: 2026-06-24

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the development, scaling, and ongoing maintenance of a robust design system to ensure visual and interactive consistency across Medal's consumer-facing gaming clip platform.

• Translate complex design system principles, including tokens, components, and documentation, into actionable guidelines that align with production-ready code.

• Drive a systems-first approach to product design, focusing on building foundational elements that enable rapid iteration and maintain brand integrity for millions of users.

• Foster strong collaborative relationships with engineering and product teams to ensure seamless integration of design system assets into the live product, impacting core user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically focused on the foundational aspects of design systems, emphasizing the candidate's ability to build and scale a system from its core, rather than simply utilizing an existing one. The "systems-first mindset" and "building, scaling, and maintaining design systems from the ground up" indicate a strategic and hands-on approach to design operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and evolve a comprehensive design system, including establishing design tokens, creating reusable components, and defining clear documentation standards.

• Maintain a living design system library within Figma, ensuring component architecture, variables, and auto layout are optimized for efficiency and scalability.

• Collaborate daily with software engineers to ensure accurate implementation of design system components and to provide ongoing support for their integration into the product codebase.

• Design and iterate on user interfaces for both desktop and mobile platforms, ensuring adherence to platform-specific UX patterns, accessibility best practices, and overall system consistency.

• Actively participate in product development cycles, providing design system expertise to inform feature development and ensure alignment with strategic product goals.

• Conduct user research and usability testing to gather feedback on design system components and user interfaces, informing iterative improvements.

• Champion the use of the design system across product and engineering teams, promoting best practices and providing training where necessary.

• Stay abreast of industry trends in design systems, consumer-facing applications, and gaming culture to continuously improve Medal's design offerings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a deep engagement with the entire lifecycle of a design system, from foundational architecture to ongoing maintenance and cross-functional adoption. The emphasis on "production-ready code" and "keeping libraries in sync with what ships in production" points to a critical role in bridging design and development for efficient product delivery.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, HCI, or a related field is often a strong indicator of foundational knowledge. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 4+ years of dedicated experience in designing consumer-facing digital products, with a significant portion focused on building and managing design systems. Experience with social or creator-driven platforms is highly valuable.

Required Skills:

• Design Systems Expertise: Proven track record of building, scaling, and maintaining design systems from inception.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced skills in Figma, including component architecture, variants, auto layout, variables, and prototyping.

• Component Development: Deep understanding of design tokens, component libraries, and best practices for their implementation.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work effectively with engineering and product management teams, ensuring design-to-code fidelity.

• Platform Design: Experience designing for both desktop and mobile interfaces, with an understanding of responsive design principles.

• User-Centric Design: Strong foundation in UX principles, user research methodologies, and usability testing.

• Accessibility Standards: Knowledge of WCAG guidelines and experience implementing accessible design patterns.

• Documentation Skills: Ability to create clear, concise, and comprehensive documentation for design system components and guidelines.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for communities, content creation, or real-time interaction platforms (e.g., Discord, Twitch, TikTok).

• Familiarity with front-end development concepts and how design systems translate into code (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks).

• An understanding of or interest in gaming culture, including common terminology, social dynamics, and user behaviors within gaming communities.

• Experience with design system governance and contribution models.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "4+ years of experience" combined with the emphasis on building systems "from the ground up" suggests a mid-to-senior level role. The preference for experience with "social or creator-driven platforms" and "gaming culture" indicates a need for a candidate who can quickly understand and cater to Medal's specific user base and market.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Studies: Showcase at least one detailed case study of a design system you built, scaled, or significantly contributed to. This should highlight your process from initial concept to implementation and ongoing maintenance.

• Component Architecture Examples: Include examples of your Figma component architecture, demonstrating proficiency in organizing, naming, and structuring components for reusability and scalability.

• Token Strategy: Illustrate your approach to design tokens, showing how you define, manage, and apply them across different design elements and states.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Evidence: Provide examples of how you've collaborated with engineers, including challenges faced and solutions implemented to ensure design fidelity in production.

• UI Design Examples: Showcase examples of consumer-facing digital products you've designed, demonstrating your ability to create intuitive and engaging user experiences across desktop and mobile.

Process Documentation:

• Design System Guidelines: Include samples of design system documentation or style guides you have created, detailing component usage, accessibility standards, and interaction patterns.

• Workflow Optimization: Demonstrate how your design system processes have led to increased efficiency, faster iteration cycles, or improved product quality within a team.

• System Evolution: Show evidence of how you have managed the evolution of a design system, including version control, deprecation strategies, and onboarding new contributors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "building, scaling, and maintaining design systems from the ground up" and "keeping libraries in sync with what ships in production" implies that the portfolio must go beyond visual design. It should clearly articulate the candidate's strategic thinking, process management, and collaborative efforts in creating and operationalizing a design system.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

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

Explanation: This range is based on the provided salary data and is typical for a senior Product Designer specializing in Design Systems in a high-cost-of-living area like New York City. It reflects the required 4+ years of experience and the specialized skillset in building and scaling design systems, which is highly valued.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

• 401(k) plan

• Wellness and fitness perks, including a Wellhub membership

• Mental health resources

• Paid parental leave, fertility and maternal health benefits

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) policy

• Daily meals provided at the NYC HQ

• Commuter benefits for the NYC office

• Learning and development stipend for professional growth

Working Hours: Full-time, with an expectation of approximately 40 hours per week. The role requires a strong on-site presence in the NYC office, indicating a structured work schedule that prioritizes in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package is comprehensive, with specific perks like daily meals, commuter benefits, and a Wellhub membership, indicating a focus on employee well-being and convenience, particularly for those working in the NYC office. The inclusion of fertility and maternal health benefits suggests a progressive and inclusive company culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Social Media / Gaming Technology / Creator Economy. Medal operates at the intersection of gaming, social media, and content creation, aiming to empower millions of gamers to capture, share, and connect around their in-game achievements.

Company Size: The company has received significant seed funding ($133M), suggesting a growing startup environment with ambitions to scale rapidly. While an exact employee count isn't provided, this funding level typically supports teams ranging from 50-200 employees, allowing for dedicated specialists and cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: Medal was founded to build the next generation of gaming communities. The company's mission is to make sharing, discovering, and connecting around gaming moments seamless and fun, positioning it as a key player in the evolving landscape of online gaming and social interaction.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely consists of specialized roles, with this position focusing specifically on the design systems aspect.

• Collaboration is expected to be close with product managers, engineers, and potentially marketing or community managers to ensure a cohesive user experience.

• Given the on-site requirement in NYC, the team structure likely emphasizes direct, in-person collaboration and agile development methodologies. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Medal leverages data from billions of recorded clips to understand user behavior and identify opportunities for platform improvement.

• Iterative Development: The company embraces an iterative approach, likely using agile methodologies to rapidly develop, test, and refine features based on user feedback and performance metrics.

• Community-Centricity: A core methodology involves understanding and serving the gaming community, translating player language and social dynamics into product features.

Company Website: https://medal.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "gaming clips," "social, monetized, and creator-powered" communities, and a significant seed round indicates a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment. The emphasis on "millions of gamers" and "billions of clips" underscores the scale and impact of the products being designed.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a senior Product Designer with a specialization in Design Systems. It requires 4+ years of experience and the ability to build and scale systems from scratch, indicating a significant level of responsibility and autonomy. The individual will be a key contributor to the foundational infrastructure of Medal's user experience.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a senior designer specializing in design systems would typically report to a Head of Design, Design Lead, or Director of Product. They would work closely with engineering leads and product managers on a day-to-day basis.

Operations Impact: The design system is critical infrastructure that directly impacts the efficiency of the product team, the consistency of the user experience, and the scalability of the platform as Medal continues to grow. This role has a direct impact on the speed of feature development, the quality of the UI, and the overall brand perception among millions of gamers.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design Systems: Opportunity to become the go-to expert and leader for design systems at Medal, potentially building out a dedicated design systems team in the future.

• Strategic Influence: Influence the long-term design strategy and technical direction of the product by establishing robust and scalable design foundations.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced Figma capabilities, design token methodologies, and the intricate relationship between design and front-end development.

• Impact on a Growing Platform: Contribute significantly to a platform used by millions of gamers, shaping the future of how they connect and express themselves online.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for growth within the design systems discipline, moving from a senior individual contributor to a potential leadership role. The significant funding and user base suggest ample opportunities for impact and career advancement within a rapidly scaling company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job explicitly states "In-person: Looking to hire in NYC to work alongside the product team. 5 days in the office." This indicates a traditional, fully on-site work environment.

Office Location(s): Based in the Flatiron district of NYC, a vibrant and central tech hub known for its accessibility and concentration of creative and tech companies. This location offers excellent public transportation links and a dynamic urban setting.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The 5-day in-office requirement emphasizes a culture of direct collaboration, spontaneous brainstorming, and strong team cohesion. Designers will be working closely with product and engineering peers.

• Tooling: Access to industry-standard design tools, particularly advanced Figma capabilities, and likely other collaboration and project management software.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for face-to-face interaction with designers, product managers, engineers, and potentially leadership, fostering a close-knit team dynamic.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, implying a standard 40-hour work week. The on-site nature suggests a structured schedule, though the benefits of daily meals and commuter assistance aim to enhance the daily work experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5 days in the office" policy is a strong indicator of a preference for high-touch, in-person collaboration. This environment is ideal for individuals who thrive in team settings and value direct communication and relationship building with colleagues.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role and company.

• Portfolio Review & Design Exercise: Presentation of your portfolio, focusing on design system case studies and demonstrating your systems-first approach. This will likely be followed by a design exercise or challenge, potentially involving a prompt related to expanding or improving Medal's design system or a specific product feature.

• Team Interviews: Meetings with other designers, product managers, and engineers to assess collaboration skills, technical proficiency, and strategic thinking. Expect discussions around your experience with Figma, component architecture, and cross-functional teamwork.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the hiring manager to delve deeper into your experience, career aspirations, and how you envision contributing to Medal's design vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the problems your design system solved, the processes you implemented, and the measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, consistency improvements, faster development cycles).

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Demonstrate your advanced Figma skills, particularly in component architecture, auto layout, and variables. Be prepared to walk through complex component structures.

• Emphasize Collaboration: Provide concrete examples of how you partnered with engineers and product managers. Discuss communication strategies and how you addressed design-to-code translation challenges.

• Tailor to Medal: Research Medal's existing product and user base. Frame your experience and case studies to show how your skills align with their needs and vision for the gaming community.

• Present System Thinking: Focus on your "systems-first mindset." Explain your approach to building foundational elements that enable scalability and maintainability.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Principles: Be ready to discuss core design system concepts, including design tokens, component states, theming, and documentation.

• Problem-Solving: Prepare to tackle a hypothetical design challenge related to expanding or refining a design system, or designing a new feature within its constraints.

• Figma Practice: Ensure you are proficient with Figma's advanced features, as you may be asked to demonstrate your skills live or during a take-home exercise.

• Gaming Culture Context: Consider how design decisions might be influenced by gaming culture, user behavior, and the unique demands of a platform for gaming clips.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "systems-first mindset" and building "from the ground up" suggests that interviewers will be looking for a strategic thinker who understands the operational aspects of design systems, not just the visual output. The portfolio must clearly demonstrate this capability.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The cornerstone of the design process. Expect deep engagement with advanced features such as component architecture, variants, auto layout, variables, smart animate, and prototyping. Proficiency is non-negotiable.

• Design Systems Tools: Familiarity with tools and methodologies for managing and distributing design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook integrations, or internal documentation platforms).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or similar for understanding user behavior, tracking feature adoption, and measuring the impact of design changes.

• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret data from dashboards and reports to inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Software: Tools such as Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks, sprints, and cross-functional workflows.

• Collaboration Tools: Slack or similar for real-time communication and team coordination.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a core requirement, underscoring its central role. The need for a "systems-first mindset" also implies a familiarity with the broader ecosystem of tools that support design system management, collaboration, and integration with development workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

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

• Creativity: Innovative problem-solving and a drive to push the boundaries of what's possible in gaming communities.

• Experimentation: A willingness to try new approaches, test hypotheses, and learn from both successes and failures.

• Collaboration: Working seamlessly with product, engineering, and other stakeholders to achieve shared goals.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of gamers.

Collaboration Style:

• In-person synergy: The 5-day in-office policy fosters a highly collaborative environment where ideas are exchanged freely and feedback is given constructively.

• Cross-functional integration: Designers are expected to be embedded within product teams, working closely with engineers and product managers on a daily basis.

• Open communication: A culture that encourages transparency, direct feedback, and shared learning to ensure alignment and continuous improvement across disciplines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of "ownership," "creativity," and "experimentation" are typical of fast-growing tech startups. The emphasis on "collaboration" and "user-centricity" is crucial for a company like Medal, which aims to build and nurture a strong gaming community.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling a Design System: Building and maintaining a design system that can effectively scale with a rapidly growing user base and product feature set.

• Balancing System Rigidity and Flexibility: Ensuring the design system supports rapid iteration and creativity while maintaining consistency and preventing fragmentation.

• Cross-functional Adoption: Driving consistent adoption and adherence to the design system across multiple product teams and engineers.

• Integrating with Evolving Technology: Keeping the design system aligned with advancements in front-end technologies and design tools.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to establish and potentially lead a dedicated design systems function within the company.

• Advanced Tooling: Deepen expertise in Figma's most advanced features and explore emerging design system management tools and methodologies.

• Industry Best Practices: Exposure to cutting-edge practices in design systems, consumer product design, and the gaming industry.

• Mentorship: Learn from experienced product leaders and engineers within a well-funded startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge revolves around the operationalization and scaling of a design system in a high-growth, consumer-facing product. This presents a significant opportunity for a designer looking to make a substantial impact and grow their expertise in this specialized field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to building a design system from scratch. What are the key stages, and what were the biggest challenges you faced in your previous roles?"

• "How do you ensure your design system components are consistently implemented by engineering? Walk me through a specific example of how you collaborated with developers on component integration."

• "Imagine Medal is launching a new feature that requires a unique interaction pattern not currently covered by the design system. How would you approach this: would you update the system, create a one-off component, or something else? Justify your decision." Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Medal and our mission to connect gamers through clips?"

• "How do you see your role in contributing to a 5-day in-office, collaborative work environment?"

• "Given your experience with design systems, how would you foster a culture of design system adoption within a growing product organization?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on System Impact: For each design system case study, clearly articulate the problem, your systematic solution, the processes you used, and the quantifiable results (e.g., reduced design/dev time, improved consistency scores).

• Demonstrate Figma Expertise: Be prepared to share your screen and walk through your Figma files, showcasing your component architecture, auto layout, variables, and overall file organization.

• Tell a Story of Collaboration: Highlight instances where you worked closely with engineers and product managers, explaining communication strategies, feedback loops, and how you navigated trade-offs.

• Connect to Medal's Vision: Frame your experience and skills in the context of Medal's goals – e.g., how your design system expertise can support their mission of making gaming moments seamless and fun for millions of users.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be assessing not only design skills but also strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative potential. Demonstrating an understanding of the operational aspects of design systems and their impact on development velocity and product quality will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer, Design Systems position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Preparation: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 1-2 detailed case studies on design systems you have built or significantly scaled. Ensure these showcase your Figma proficiency, component architecture, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Resume Optimization: Highlight experience with design systems, Figma expertise, and consumer-facing product design within the last 4+ years. Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Reduced design implementation time by X%").

• Interview Practice: Prepare to discuss your design system philosophy, walk through your portfolio with confidence, and articulate how you would contribute to Medal's on-site, collaborative culture. Practice answering strategy questions related to design system challenges.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Medal's platform, target audience (gamers), and mission. Understand their current product and identify potential areas where a robust design system could add significant value.

⚠️ 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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