Product Designer, Design Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Design Systems

Company: Harvey

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Design Operations / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-08-11

Experience Level: Mid-level (3-5 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the evolution and maintenance of Harvey's core Design System, ensuring consistency and scalability across an AI-native product.

• Collaborate closely with Product Designers and Frontend Engineers to implement and refine production-ready components, patterns, and documentation.

• Support the integration of AI-assisted design workflows, optimizing system assets for both human and machine interaction.

• Focus on meticulous execution, visual craft, and the operational efficiency of the design system to accelerate product development.

• Contribute to shaping the processes and practices of a growing Design Systems team in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw listing is for a Product Designer, the specific focus on "Design Systems" and collaboration with "frontend engineers" positions this role firmly within the Design Operations and Product Design disciplines, emphasizing the operational aspects of maintaining and scaling design assets. The mention of "AI-native product" and "AI-assisted design workflows" indicates a forward-thinking approach to design tooling and processes.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and evolve production-ready design system components, patterns, documentation, and reusable assets within Figma and emerging AI-native design workflows.

• Partner with the Senior Design Systems Designer to scale Harvey's visual language and support the rollout of new system foundations across the entire product suite.

• Collaborate extensively with product designers and frontend engineers to ensure system components are intuitive to use, accurately implemented in code, and consistently adopted across teams.

• Own the creation and delivery of polished production assets, comprehensive libraries, interactive prototypes, and detailed documentation that empower teams to build quickly and with confidence.

• Actively support AI-assisted design workflows by preparing and optimizing components, documentation, and system assets for seamless interaction with both designers and AI tools.

• Maintain the overall quality and health of the design system through rigorous QA processes, proactive organization, continuous refinement, and strategic operational improvements.

• Advocate strongly for exceptional craftsmanship, visual consistency, and optimal usability across all product surfaces and user interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on, execution-oriented role with a strong emphasis on production quality and system health. The inclusion of "AI-assisted design workflows" and "emerging AI-native design workflows" suggests a need for adaptability and forward-thinking in design system development.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: No specific educational requirements are listed, suggesting a focus on demonstrated experience and portfolio strength.

Experience: 3–5 years of experience as a Product Designer, Production Designer, UI Designer, or Design Systems Designer working on digital products.

Required Skills:

• Exceptional visual craft with a meticulous eye for detail, layout, spacing, consistency, and production quality.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams while maintaining a high quality bar.

• Proven experience building and maintaining component libraries and design systems in Figma, leveraging features like auto layout, variables, components, and variants.

• Curiosity and demonstrated experience or strong interest in AI-assisted design tools and evolving implementation workflows.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a proactive desire to learn through close partnership with design and engineering teams.

• Comfort and adaptability in working within a fast-moving, often ambiguous, startup environment.

• Enthusiasm for actively shaping and contributing to an evolving Design Systems practice. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the legal tech or professional services domain, understanding the unique needs for trust, clarity, and efficiency in these sectors.

• Familiarity with frontend engineering principles and how design systems translate into code.

• Experience with design operations processes and tools for managing design assets and workflows at scale.

• A proactive approach to identifying and solving system-level design problems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "AI-native product," "AI-assisted design workflows," and "emerging AI-native design workflows" suggests a preference for candidates who are not only skilled in traditional design systems but are also forward-thinking and adaptable to the integration of AI in the design process. The experience requirement is specific to digital products, reinforcing the technical nature of the role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 years of digital product design experience, with a strong emphasis on design systems work.

• Include detailed case studies demonstrating the creation, maintenance, and evolution of component libraries and design systems within Figma.

• Highlight examples of how you've applied auto layout, variables, components, and variants to build scalable and consistent UI.

• Present work that exemplifies exceptional visual craft, meticulous attention to detail, and a high standard of production quality.

• Demonstrate your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (designers, engineers) and articulate your design decisions and system rationale.

• Include examples of polished production assets, documentation, and any prototypes created to support design system adoption.

• If applicable, showcase any experience or exploration with AI-assisted design tools or workflows. Process Documentation:

• Provide documentation examples that illustrate your approach to organizing and maintaining design system assets and libraries.

• Show evidence of clear and concise documentation for components, patterns, and usage guidelines, ensuring ease of adoption for other teams.

• If applicable, demonstrate how you've contributed to or developed processes for QA and continuous refinement of a design system.

• Illustrate any processes you've implemented or improved to enhance the efficiency and scalability of design system development and maintenance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on design systems and AI-native workflows, a portfolio is crucial. It should not only showcase visual design skills but also the candidate's ability to think systematically, document processes clearly, and collaborate effectively. The emphasis on "production-ready" assets and "AI-assisted design workflows" means candidates should highlight their ability to deliver tangible, implementable designs and their forward-thinking approach.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,800 - $207,350 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health coverage

• Dental coverage

• Vision coverage

• Retirement benefits

• 401k match

• Flexible PTO

• Equity plan

• Bonus

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, typical for full-time roles. The "On-site" work arrangement implies a standard office schedule, though the company values decisiveness and speed, suggesting a dynamic work environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific and competitive for a mid-level Product Designer role in Design Systems within New York City. The benefits package is comprehensive, typical for a well-funded tech startup like Harvey, and includes attractive elements like equity and bonus potential, which are significant for operations and design professionals in high-growth companies. The 40-hour work week is standard, but the company culture emphasizes intensity and decisiveness, which may translate to a demanding workload.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Legal Tech / AI-Powered Professional Services. Harvey is at the forefront of transforming how legal and professional services operate by leveraging frontier agentic AI.

Company Size: The company is scaling fast, indicating a growth phase with a dynamic and evolving organizational structure. The specific employee count isn't provided, but the context implies a significant, well-funded startup environment.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the description suggests it's a relatively new company experiencing rapid growth and defining a new market category.

Team Structure:

• The Design Systems team is growing, working closely with Product Designers and Frontend Engineers.

• This role will partner with a Senior Design Systems Designer, indicating a tiered structure within the design function.

• Collaboration is expected to be cross-functional, involving product, engineering, and potentially AI specialists. Methodology:

• Data-Driven & AI-Centric: The product is AI-native, meaning data analysis and AI integration are core to its operation and development.

• Agile & Iterative: The emphasis on "fast-moving environments," "scaling fast," and "defining a new category in real time" suggests an agile methodology.

• Customer-Focused: The statement "staying close to our customers" highlights a commitment to user feedback and product-market fit.

• Values-Driven: The company operates by three core values: Decisiveness, Simplicity, and "Job's Not Finished" (continuous improvement).

Company Website: https://www.harvey.ai/

📝 Enhancement Note: Harvey operates in a cutting-edge intersection of AI and professional services. This implies a culture that values innovation, rapid execution, and deep technical understanding. The "Design Systems" team plays a critical role in ensuring the AI's complex outputs are translated into a coherent, trustworthy, and scalable user experience. The company's values (Decisiveness, Simplicity, Job's Not Finished) suggest an environment that rewards proactive problem-solving, efficiency, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer focused on Design Systems. It offers an opportunity to gain deep expertise in building and scaling a critical design infrastructure within an AI-native product. The "hands-on builder" aspect is key, with potential to influence the growth and processes of the Design Systems team.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to a Design Lead or the Senior Design Systems Designer, with close collaboration across product design and frontend engineering teams.

Operations Impact: The Design Systems team's work directly impacts the efficiency of product development, the consistency and quality of the user experience, and the overall trustworthiness of Harvey's AI-powered platform. By ensuring a cohesive visual language and reusable components, this role enables faster iteration cycles and reduces the cognitive load on both internal teams and end-users.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in design systems, component architecture, and AI-assisted design workflows.

• Leadership: Potentially grow into a senior or lead role within the Design Systems team as it expands, influencing strategy and mentoring junior designers.

• Skill Development: Gain experience with cutting-edge AI design tools and contribute to defining best practices in this emerging field.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Develop strong partnerships with engineering and product management, understanding the full product development lifecycle.

• Impact: Contribute significantly to a product that is redefining an industry, offering substantial career growth and potential financial rewards through equity and bonuses.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Design Systems role, growth often involves moving from individual contribution to team leadership, influencing broader design strategy, and potentially specializing in areas like design operations, accessibility, or the integration of AI into design tooling. The fast-paced nature of Harvey suggests rapid opportunities for those who can demonstrate impact and leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is specified as "On-site" in New York. This suggests a traditional office-based work environment, likely designed to foster collaboration and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): New York, New York, United States. This location offers access to a vibrant tech ecosystem and a diverse talent pool.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative: The emphasis on partnering with product designers and frontend engineers points to a highly collaborative workspace where ideas are shared freely.

• Tool-Rich: Expect access to industry-standard design tools like Figma, with potential for exploration of new AI-assisted design technologies.

• Dynamic: As a fast-growing startup, the environment is likely energetic, with opportunities for close interaction with a dedicated team focused on a shared mission.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied for full-time employees, the company culture values "Decisiveness" and "Job's Not Finished," suggesting that effective time management and a willingness to go the extra mile when needed are important. The on-site nature will require adherence to office hours and team schedules.

📝 Enhancement Note: An on-site role in New York City for a company like Harvey implies a professional office setting. The emphasis on collaboration suggests a workspace designed to facilitate teamwork, potentially with open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and shared resources. The "fast-moving" nature of the company means the environment is likely energetic and focused on execution.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where you will present your design systems work. Be prepared to walk through case studies, explain your design decisions, and detail the impact of your contributions. Focus on your Figma proficiency, visual craft, and any experience with AI-assisted design.

• Design/Technical Interview: This may involve a design challenge or a deep dive into your portfolio, focusing on your problem-solving approach, system thinking, and technical skills (e.g., Figma auto layout, variables). Expect discussions on how you collaborate with engineering.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Conversations with Product Designers and Frontend Engineers to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and how you integrate design systems into product development.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion to assess overall fit, career aspirations, and alignment with company values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design Systems: Dedicate significant portion of your portfolio to design systems work. Showcase component libraries, pattern documentation, and the thought process behind their creation and maintenance.

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Provide clear examples of your proficiency with Figma features like auto layout, variables, components, and variants. Demonstrate how these features contribute to scalability and consistency.

• Detail Your Process: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your approach, the solutions you implemented, and the outcomes or impact. Quantify results where possible (e.g., reduction in design time, improved consistency metrics).

• Emphasize Collaboration: Include examples or descriptions of how you partnered with engineers and other designers. Discuss how you ensure accurate implementation and adoption of the design system.

• Address AI Integration: If you have experience or strong interest in AI-assisted design, showcase any relevant projects or thought leadership. Explain your perspective on how AI can enhance design systems.

• Visual Polish: Ensure your portfolio is impeccably designed, reflecting the "exceptional visual craft" and "meticulous attention to detail" the role requires.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Challenge: Be prepared for a potential challenge focused on creating a new component or pattern, or refining an existing one within a given context. Focus on scalability, accessibility, and ease of implementation.

• Process Improvement: Anticipate questions about how you would improve a design system's adoption, maintenance, or scalability.

• Collaboration Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how you handle disagreements with engineers about implementation or how you advocate for design system best practices.

• AI Design Thinking: Consider how you would approach designing for or with AI tools, and how a design system supports this.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's practical design systems experience and their ability to translate design into production-ready assets. The portfolio is paramount, and candidates should be prepared to articulate their process, decision-making, and collaborative approach in detail, especially concerning Figma and any AI-related design explorations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for design, component creation, library management, auto layout, variables, and prototyping.

• Design System Platforms: While not explicitly named, expect tools or methodologies for managing and distributing design system assets and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly part of the designer's primary toolset, understanding how design system adoption and impact are measured might involve familiarity with analytics platforms used for product usage and development efficiency. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the core responsibilities of this role, but familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) for tracking design system tasks and bug fixes is likely beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a core tool. The "AI-native product" and "AI-assisted design workflows" suggest the company is likely exploring or already utilizing tools that integrate AI into the design process, which candidates should be open to learning and adapting to. Proficiency in Figma's advanced features like auto layout and variables is critical.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Decisiveness: Expect a culture that encourages quick decision-making based on available information, rather than waiting for perfect clarity. This applies to design system choices and process implementations.

• Simplicity: A core value that emphasizes creating clear, scalable, and easy-to-understand systems and solutions, even within complex AI-driven products.

• Job's Not Finished: A commitment to continuous improvement, iteration, and never settling for the status quo. This means the design system and its associated processes will always be evolving.

• Excellence & Ownership: A drive for high-quality output and a culture where individuals take responsibility for their work and its impact.

• Customer Proximity: A focus on understanding and serving the needs of users, ensuring the design system directly supports their experience and the company's mission.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: Close collaboration with product designers and frontend engineers is fundamental, fostering a shared sense of ownership over the design system and its implementation.

• Iterative & Feedback-Driven: The "Job's Not Finished" value implies a culture of ongoing feedback, refinement, and iteration on designs and processes.

• Mission-Aligned: The team is united by Harvey's ambitious mission to transform professional services, fostering a collaborative spirit towards achieving this goal.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values (Decisiveness, Simplicity, Job's Not Finished) are crucial for understanding the operational ethos. For a Design Systems role, this translates to a need for designers who can make timely decisions, create elegant and scalable solutions, and are committed to continuous improvement and refinement of the system and its processes.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling an Evolving System: As Harvey grows and its AI capabilities expand, the design system must adapt quickly to new features and interaction paradigms, potentially including novel AI-native interfaces.

• Maintaining Consistency in Ambiguity: Balancing the need for strict consistency with the fast-paced, often ambiguous nature of a startup environment and the introduction of new technologies.

• Driving Adoption: Ensuring that product teams consistently and correctly adopt the design system, requiring strong advocacy, clear documentation, and accessible support.

• Integrating AI Workflows: Navigating the complexities of designing for and with AI tools, which may require developing new patterns, documentation, and processes not yet standard in the industry.

• Balancing Production & System Work: Effectively managing time between building new system components/documentation and maintaining/refining existing ones, while also supporting product teams.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Frontier: Gain hands-on experience at the cutting edge of AI-native product design and AI-assisted design workflows.

• Design Systems Expertise: Deepen expertise in advanced design system architecture, tooling, and best practices for scalability and maintainability.

• Cross-Functional Mastery: Develop strong working relationships and understanding with frontend engineering and product management in a high-growth tech company.

• Process Innovation: Contribute to defining and improving the processes for design system development, QA, and adoption within a rapidly evolving organization.

• Industry Impact: Be part of a team building a foundational element for a product that is set to revolutionize professional services.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenges revolve around the dynamic nature of a fast-growing AI company and the evolving landscape of design tooling. Growth opportunities are significant for those who can adapt, innovate, and contribute to building robust, scalable design infrastructure.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a new component for our design system, considering its use in an AI-native product and potential AI-assisted design workflows?" (Focus on process, scalability, and AI considerations.)

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for design system adoption or adherence with a team that was resistant. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Assess collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.)

• "How do you ensure simplicity and consistency in a design system when working in a fast-paced, often ambiguous environment like Harvey?" (Evaluate alignment with company values and ability to manage complexity.)

• "What are your thoughts on the future of design systems with the rise of AI? How can a design system prepare for or support AI-driven design tools?" (Gauge forward-thinking and understanding of AI's impact on design.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Harvey's values of Decisiveness, Simplicity, and 'Job's Not Finished' resonate with your work style, particularly in a design systems role?" (Assess cultural fit and understanding of company ethos.)

• "What excites you most about working on a design system for an AI-native product in the legal/professional services sector?" (Evaluate motivation and industry interest.)

• "How do you see the Design Systems team collaborating with product design and engineering to achieve the company's mission?" (Understand your perspective on cross-functional integration.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio to lead with your strongest design systems work. Use clear case study formats that highlight problem, solution, process, and outcome.

• Figma Demonstration: Be prepared to share your screen and demonstrate your Figma skills, particularly auto layout, component variants, and variables, explaining their purpose and benefits in building a robust system.

• Quantify Success: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your design system work (e.g., "reduced design time by X%", "improved UI consistency score by Y%", "enabled faster feature rollout").

• Narrative of Collaboration: Weave in stories of how you collaborated with engineers and product managers. Explain how you ensured accurate implementation and gathered feedback.

• AI Design Perspective: If you have relevant experience, be ready to discuss your insights on how design systems can integrate with or support AI-driven design tools. Be honest about your current level of experience but demonstrate curiosity and a willingness to learn.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a deep understanding of design systems principles, practical Figma expertise, and an ability to collaborate effectively in a fast-paced, AI-centric environment. Candidates should be ready to articulate how their work directly supports the company's values and mission.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer, Design Systems position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight your most relevant design systems experience, specifically showcasing your proficiency with Figma, component libraries, and any experience or interest in AI-assisted design workflows.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 3-5 years of experience in digital product design, production design, or design systems, using keywords from the job description such as "Figma," "component libraries," "visual craft," and "AI-assisted design." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio with a focus on design systems case studies. Prepare to discuss your process, collaborative approach, and how you embody Harvey's core values of Decisiveness, Simplicity, and "Job's Not Finished."

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Harvey's mission, product, and the legal/professional services industry. Understand how a strong design system contributes to an AI-native product's success in this domain.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.