Product Designer, Design Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Design Systems

Company: Harvey

Location: Canada

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Design Operations / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-08-11

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is critical for establishing and scaling the foundational design language and component library for Harvey's AI-native product, ensuring consistency and quality across all user interactions.

• You will act as a hands-on builder and a key partner within the Design Systems team, focusing on the precise creation and maintenance of design assets and documentation.

• The position requires close collaboration with product designers and frontend engineers to ensure seamless implementation and adoption of system components and patterns.

• A significant aspect of this role involves preparing system assets for emerging AI-assisted design workflows, bridging the gap between human designers and AI tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is categorized under Design Operations and Product Design due to its focus on building and maintaining the core design infrastructure (Design Systems) that underpins product development and ensures operational efficiency and consistency in design execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Component Development: Build, maintain, and evolve production-ready design system components, patterns, documentation, and reusable assets using Figma and preparing them for emerging AI-native design workflows.

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

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product designers and frontend engineers to ensure system components are intuitive, accurately implemented, and consistently adopted, fostering a shared understanding of design intent.

• Asset Creation and Ownership: Own and create polished production assets, libraries, prototypes, and comprehensive documentation that empower product teams to build quickly and with confidence.

• AI-Assisted Design Optimization: Support AI-assisted design workflows by preparing components, documentation, and system assets that are optimized for both human designers and AI tools, a key differentiator for an AI-native product.

• System Quality and Maintenance: Maintain the overall quality and health of the design system through rigorous QA, ongoing organization, continuous refinement, and implementing operational improvements.

• Advocacy for Craftsmanship: Champion exceptional craftsmanship, consistency, and usability across all product surfaces, ensuring a cohesive and trustworthy user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a hands-on approach to building and maintaining the design system, with a strong focus on collaboration and the unique challenges of an AI-native product, including preparing assets for AI-assisted design workflows.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant design skills and experience is paramount. A background in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: 3–5 years of experience as a Product Designer, Production Designer, UI Designer, or Design Systems Designer working on digital products, with a proven track record of contributing to or building design systems.

Required Skills:

• Visual Craftsmanship: Exceptional visual design skills with a meticulous eye for detail, layout, spacing, consistency, and overall production quality.

• Design System Proficiency: Proven experience building and maintaining component libraries and design systems within Figma, including deep understanding and practical application of auto layout, variables, components, and variants.

• Organizational Skills: Exceptional organizational capabilities, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously while upholding a high standard of quality.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a proactive desire to learn and partner effectively with design and engineering teams.

• Adaptability: Comfort working in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment and enthusiasm for helping shape an evolving Design Systems practice.

• AI Design Curiosity: Curiosity and foundational experience or strong interest in AI-assisted design tools and evolving implementation workflows; a drive to understand where the discipline is heading.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with emerging AI-native design tools and workflows.

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

• Experience documenting design systems for both human and machine consumption.

• A portfolio that showcases contributions to established design systems and examples of their impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement is specified as 3-5 years, aligning with a mid-level position. The emphasis on Figma proficiency and AI-assisted design curiosity suggests a need for candidates who are not only skilled in traditional design but also forward-thinking about the future of design tools and processes.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Contributions: Showcase specific examples of contributions to a design system, clearly detailing your role, the components or patterns you developed, and the impact on product consistency and development speed.

• Figma Mastery: Demonstrate advanced proficiency in Figma, including complex component structures, auto layout, variants, and variable usage, with clear examples of how these features were applied to build scalable systems.

• Production Asset Examples: Include examples of polished production assets, system libraries, and documentation that illustrate your attention to detail and ability to create high-quality, developer-ready design elements.

• Collaboration & Process Documentation: Provide evidence of how you have collaborated with engineering teams and documented design system usage, showcasing your ability to create clear guidelines and support adoption.

Process Documentation:

• Component Design and Documentation: Showcase examples of how you have designed and documented individual components, including their states, usage guidelines, accessibility considerations, and potential edge cases.

• System Workflow Design: Illustrate your understanding of how design systems integrate into product development workflows, including collaboration handoffs, version control, and QA processes.

• AI-Assisted Workflow Preparation: If possible, include examples or conceptual work demonstrating how you would prepare design assets and documentation to be optimized for AI-assisted design tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily weighted towards practical application and demonstrable skills in Figma and design systems. The inclusion of AI-assisted design preparation indicates a forward-looking expectation for candidates to engage with emerging technologies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the location (Canada) and the mid-level experience (3-5 years) for a Product Designer specializing in Design Systems at a rapidly growing AI company, a competitive salary range can be estimated. Based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in Canada, a range of CAD $90,000 - CAD $130,000 annually is a reasonable estimate. This range accounts for variations based on specific experience, skills, and the strategic importance of the design systems function within an AI-native company.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Including medical, dental, and vision insurance, crucial for supporting employee well-being.

• Stock Options/Equity: As a fast-growing startup, equity is often a significant part of the compensation package, offering employees a stake in the company's success.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO): Including vacation days, sick leave, and public holidays, promoting work-life balance.

• Professional Development Budget: To support continuous learning, conference attendance, workshops, and skill development relevant to design systems and AI.

• Remote Work Stipend: To help employees set up an effective and comfortable home office environment.

• Parental Leave: Supportive policies for new parents.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically around 40 hours per week. Harvey emphasizes a results-oriented culture with flexibility, allowing for asynchronous work and adaptable schedules within reasonable operational bounds.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on general market data for Product Designers in Canada with 3-5 years of experience in tech, specifically within design systems. The benefits listed are typical for a growth-stage tech company with a remote-first or hybrid approach.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on AI-native solutions for Legal and Professional Services. Harvey aims to transform how critical knowledge work is performed, positioning itself as a category-defining company.

Company Size: Harvey is a growth-stage company, indicated by its "scaling fast" description. While specific numbers aren't provided, the emphasis on building a "generational company" and a "true inflection point" suggests a dynamic environment with a growing team, likely ranging from 50-200 employees, with potential for rapid expansion.

Founded: Harvey was founded in recent years (specific year not provided but implied to be a relatively young, high-growth company). This implies a culture that is agile, innovative, and driven by a strong mission.

Team Structure:

• Design Systems Team: This role is part of a dedicated Design Systems team, likely reporting to a Senior Design Systems Designer or Design Lead. The team is responsible for the core design infrastructure.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The Design Systems team works very closely with Product Designers, Frontend Engineers, and potentially AI/ML engineers to ensure seamless integration and adoption of the design system.

• Reporting: The role likely reports into a design leadership structure, emphasizing a collaborative and empowered design function.

Methodology:

• AI-Native Approach: The company's core identity is "AI-native," meaning AI is integrated into the product's foundation, not just an add-on. This influences design decisions towards clarity, consistency, and trust.

• Agile Development: Given the fast-paced environment, agile methodologies are likely employed for product development and design system iteration.

• Customer-Centricity: The company emphasizes staying "close to our customers," suggesting that user feedback and domain expertise (legal/professional services) are integral to product and system evolution.

• Values-Driven: Harvey operates by three core values: Decisiveness, Simplicity, and "Job's Not Finished." This indicates a culture that prioritizes action, clarity, and continuous improvement.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of Harvey as "AI-native" and its focus on transforming legal and professional services are key differentiators. The company's values (Decisiveness, Simplicity, Job's Not Finished) are important cultural indicators for potential employees.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer with a specialization in Design Systems. It's an opportunity to contribute significantly to the core infrastructure of a rapidly growing AI company. The focus is on execution, precision, and scaling the design system, rather than leading strategic design initiatives from scratch, which would be typical of a more senior role. The role is for someone who enjoys the craft of building and refining, ensuring the system is robust and user-friendly for both designers and engineers.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report to a Senior Design Systems Designer or a Design Lead. The structure emphasizes collaboration within the Design Systems team and close partnership with frontend engineering. This setup allows for mentorship and direct contribution to key system elements.

Operations Impact: The Design System is fundamental to the operational efficiency and scalability of Harvey's product development. A well-maintained system directly impacts:

• Development Velocity: Enables engineering teams to build features faster and more consistently.

• Product Consistency: Ensures a cohesive and trustworthy user experience across all touchpoints, especially critical for an AI product where clarity and reliability are paramount.

• Design Quality: Upholds a high standard of visual craft and usability.

• Scalability: Provides the foundation for the product to grow in complexity and feature set without introducing design debt.

• AI Integration: Facilitates the integration of AI-native features by providing a stable and predictable interface layer.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Specialization: Become an expert in design systems, AI-assisted design, and scalable product architecture within an AI-native context.

• Mentorship: Learn from senior design system practitioners and contribute to the growth of the design system practice at Harvey.

• Process Improvement: Play a key role in shaping and refining the processes, workflows, and tools used by the Design Systems team as it scales.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop strong partnerships with engineering and product teams, influencing how design systems are adopted and utilized across the organization.

• Potential for Senior Roles: As the company and design team grow, opportunities for advancement into Senior Designer or Lead roles within the Design Systems function could emerge.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Impact" section highlights how a design systems role contributes to the operational efficiency of the product development lifecycle, a key aspect for operations-minded candidates. The growth opportunities focus on specialization and influencing scalable processes.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as "TELECOMMUTE," meaning it is fully remote. This indicates a distributed workforce, with employees working from their chosen locations within Canada.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the requirement for the employee to be located in Canada suggests adherence to Canadian labor laws and potentially time zone considerations for collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration Tools: Expect to heavily utilize digital collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Figma, Notion) for communication, design reviews, and project management.

• Asynchronous Workflows: Given the remote and distributed nature, proficiency in asynchronous communication and workflow management is essential.

• Focus on Output: The culture values "Decisiveness" and "Job's Not Finished," suggesting an environment where individual contribution and results are highly valued, with flexibility in how work is accomplished.

• Design System as a Hub: The design system itself acts as a central hub for design assets and guidelines, facilitating collaboration and consistency remotely.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are expected, with flexibility in scheduling to accommodate different time zones within Canada and personal needs, provided that collaboration with the team and timely delivery of work are maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature of the role means that candidates must be self-motivated and adept at remote collaboration tools and asynchronous communication. The company's values will shape the expectations for how work is managed and executed in this distributed environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio, focusing on design systems experience, Figma proficiency, and visual craft.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A session where you will present your portfolio, highlighting specific design system contributions, your role, and the impact of your work. Expect detailed questions about your process, decision-making, and collaboration.

• Design Exercise/Challenge: Potentially a take-home assignment or a live design exercise focused on design system principles, component design, or problem-solving related to consistency and scalability.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Discussions with product designers and frontend engineers to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and understanding of implementation challenges.

• Hiring Manager/Team Lead Interview: A final conversation to assess cultural fit, alignment with company values (Decisiveness, Simplicity, Job's Not Finished), and overall suitability for the role and team.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the problems your design system work solved, the metrics improved (e.g., faster development, increased consistency), and your specific contributions.

• Showcase Figma Skills: Demonstrate your mastery of Figma's advanced features (auto layout, variables, components, variants) through practical examples.

• Detail Your Process: Explain your thought process for designing components, documenting them, and collaborating with engineers. Use case studies to illustrate your problem-solving abilities.

• Emphasize AI-Native Context: If you have experience or ideas related to AI-assisted design or preparing assets for AI tools, highlight this.

• Be Concise and Polished: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and visually polished, reflecting your attention to detail.

Challenge Preparation:

• Familiarize Yourself with Design System Principles: Revisit best practices for component design, pattern creation, theming, and documentation.

• Understand AI's Role in Design: Research current trends in AI-assisted design tools and how design systems can support them.

• Prepare to Discuss Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss the trade-offs involved in design system decisions, such as flexibility vs. consistency, or speed of implementation vs. robustness.

• Think About Scalability: Consider how a design system needs to scale with a growing product and organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to evaluate not only design skills but also collaboration, problem-solving, and alignment with Harvey's unique AI-native context and company values. The portfolio review is critical for demonstrating practical design systems experience.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for design system creation, component building, prototyping, and collaboration. Advanced proficiency in auto layout, variants, components, and variables is essential.

• Design System Management Tools: While Figma is central, expect potential integration with other tools for documentation, version control, or asset management as the system matures.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities will be key, potentially supplemented by other tools for more complex interactions if needed.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Usage Analytics: Tools or methods to track the adoption and usage of design system components by product teams.

• Feedback Mechanisms: Systems for collecting feedback from designers and engineers on component performance and usability.

• Performance Metrics: Tracking metrics related to development speed, design consistency, and bug reduction attributable to the design system.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: Likely candidates include Asana, Jira, or Trello for managing design system tasks, sprints, and roadmap items.

• Communication Platforms: Slack for real-time communication and collaboration.

• Documentation Platforms: Notion or Confluence for comprehensive documentation of design system guidelines, principles, and processes.

• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Emerging tools that integrate with design workflows, which the team is exploring and preparing for.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the central technology. The emphasis on AI-assisted design tools and the need for robust documentation and communication platforms highlight the modern, tech-forward environment.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Decisiveness: Acting quickly on clear judgment, even with incomplete information. This means being able to make timely decisions about component design and system direction.

• Simplicity: Believing that simplicity is what scales. This value will influence the design of components and the overall system architecture to be lean and maintainable.

• Job's Not Finished: A commitment to continuous improvement and never being satisfied with the current state. This fosters an environment of ongoing refinement and innovation within the design system.

• Craftsmanship & Precision: A deep appreciation for high-quality, polished work and meticulous attention to detail, crucial for a design systems role.

• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on working closely with others, valuing partnership with design and engineering to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: The team fosters close partnerships with product designers and frontend engineers, viewing them as integral stakeholders and collaborators in the design system's success.

• Iterative & Feedback-Driven: Embraces feedback loops for continuous improvement, with regular reviews and discussions to refine components and processes.

• Transparent Communication: Utilizes tools and practices that ensure clear and open communication, especially important in a remote environment.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encourages sharing of best practices, learnings, and challenges to collectively elevate the team's capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values are directly applicable to the day-to-day work of a design systems professional, influencing how decisions are made, how work is approached, and how collaboration occurs.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling a Design System: As Harvey grows rapidly, the design system must evolve to accommodate new features, products, and user needs without becoming unwieldy or introducing technical debt.

• Balancing Consistency with Flexibility: Ensuring the design system provides sufficient structure while allowing product teams the flexibility to innovate and meet specific user requirements.

• AI-Native Design Integration: Navigating the evolving landscape of AI-assisted design tools and workflows, and ensuring the design system is optimized for these new paradigms.

• Adoption and Governance: Driving consistent adoption of the design system across multiple product teams and establishing effective governance processes to maintain its integrity.

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong relationships with team members across different locations and time zones.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Expertise in Design Systems: Becoming a go-to expert in design system theory, implementation, and best practices, particularly within an AI-focused product.

• Exposure to AI-Native Product Development: Gaining firsthand experience in building products at the intersection of AI and professional services.

• Mentorship from Senior Designers: Learning from experienced design leaders on strategy, process, and advanced design techniques.

• Shaping Design Processes: Having a direct impact on how design systems are built, maintained, and integrated into the product development lifecycle at a growing company.

• Industry Trends in AI and Design: Staying at the forefront of how AI is transforming design tools and workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the dynamic nature of working in a fast-growing tech company, particularly one at the cutting edge of AI. The growth opportunities focus on skill development and strategic influence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a new component for our design system, considering our AI-native product and the need for simplicity and consistency?" (Focus on process, decision-making, and alignment with values).

• "Describe a time you collaborated with frontend engineers to implement a design system component. What were the challenges, and how did you ensure accuracy and usability?" (Focus on collaboration, problem-solving, and technical understanding).

• "How do you balance the need for a consistent design system with the need for product teams to iterate and innovate?" (Focus on understanding trade-offs and system flexibility).

• "What are your thoughts on the role of AI in design systems, and how can a system be optimized for AI-assisted workflows?" (Focus on forward-thinking and relevant expertise). Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Harvey's values of Decisiveness, Simplicity, and 'Job's Not Finished' resonate with your work style and philosophy?" (Focus on cultural fit and understanding).

• "What interests you most about working at an AI-native company transforming professional services?" (Focus on mission alignment and industry interest).

• "How do you approach working in a fast-moving, potentially ambiguous environment?" (Focus on adaptability and resilience). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio presentation around key projects, clearly stating the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the impact (using metrics where possible).

• Deep Dive on Design Systems: For design system projects, detail the specific components or patterns you created, demonstrate your Figma skills, and explain the rationale behind your design decisions.

• Showcase Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you worked with engineers, product managers, or other designers, highlighting your communication and teamwork.

• Highlight Quality and Detail: Emphasize your meticulous attention to detail, visual craft, and commitment to high-quality production assets.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, how you handle feedback, and your understanding of the technical implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design skills but also an understanding of design systems' operational impact, collaboration, and adaptability to new technologies like AI.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer, Design Systems position:

• Submit Your Application: Apply through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume highlights your 3-5 years of experience in product design, UI design, or design systems, with specific keywords like "Figma," "Design Systems," "Component Libraries," "Visual Craft," and "AI-Assisted Design." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Prepare a portfolio that prominently features your design systems work. Showcase your Figma skills (auto layout, variables, components, variants) with clear examples of components, patterns, and documentation. Include case studies that demonstrate your process, problem-solving, and collaboration.

• Prepare for a Portfolio Presentation: Be ready to walk through your portfolio, focusing on your design system contributions and their impact. Practice articulating your design rationale and collaboration experiences.

• Research Harvey: Understand Harvey's mission, its AI-native approach, and its focus on transforming legal and professional services. Familiarize yourself with their values (Decisiveness, Simplicity, Job's Not Finished) to articulate your cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.

---