Product Designer (Design Systems Specialist)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (Design Systems Specialist)

Company: TEKsystems

Location: Seattle, WA

Job Type: CONTRACTOR

Category: Product Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: November 4, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the development, maintenance, and evolution of a comprehensive design system for next-generation wearable products, encompassing glasses, watches, and other emerging hardware experiences.

• Create and manage a scalable Figma component library, ensuring reusability, consistency, and adherence to design best practices across multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Web).

• Collaborate closely with product designers and engineering partners to define, build, and document reusable components, patterns, templates, and key product flows, facilitating efficient product development.

• Drive consistency, scalability, usability, and efficiency across the entire product ecosystem through detailed design audits, documentation, and proactive identification of improvement opportunities.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is crucial for establishing a standardized visual language and user experience framework for TEKsystems' clients developing wearable technology. The focus on a "Design Systems Specialist" indicates a deep dive into the architecture and governance of design assets, rather than broad product design responsibilities. The hybrid nature suggests a need for both in-person collaboration and independent work.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Build, organize, maintain, and distribute a comprehensive Figma component library, ensuring all assets are up-to-date and easily accessible.

• Create and maintain reusable components, patterns, templates, and key product flows, ensuring adherence to established design principles and scalability requirements.

• Develop detailed design specifications and documentation for all components and patterns, clearly outlining their usage, constraints, and interaction behaviors.

• Write, publish, and maintain clear, concise, and accessible design system documentation to guide designers and engineers on effective system utilization.

• Partner with product designers to explore, define, and iterate on new component variants and features, ensuring the design system remains relevant and adaptable.

• Help establish and continuously improve design system workflows across design and engineering teams, optimizing for efficiency and seamless integration.

• Manage design handoffs, specifications, task tracking, and design system updates, ensuring smooth communication and version control.

• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to design files, components, layers, and overall file organization within Figma.

• Provide expert guidance, training, and ongoing support to product designers and other stakeholders utilizing the design system.

• Conduct detailed design audits across iOS, Android, web, and other supported platforms to identify inconsistencies and opportunities for system enhancement.

• Identify and champion opportunities to improve consistency, scalability, usability, and efficiency across the entire product ecosystem.

• Help scale design system knowledge, standards, and best practices across the organization through documentation, workshops, and direct support.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a strong focus on governance, standardization, and enablement. The role requires not just creation but also the strategic management and dissemination of design system assets and knowledge. The audit and troubleshooting responsibilities highlight the need for meticulous attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is typically expected for a role of this nature.

Experience: 5+ years of relevant product or digital design experience, with a significant portion dedicated to developing, maintaining, or stewarding design systems.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level proficiency with Figma, including advanced knowledge of component libraries, variants, auto-layout, and reusable design patterns.

• Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, or stewarding comprehensive design systems for digital products.

• Proven ability to translate complex product requirements into scalable, reusable components and interaction patterns.

• Strong systems-oriented approach to design with exceptional attention to detail.

• Experience creating clear, detailed, and actionable design specifications and documentation.

• Excellent cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to effectively advocate for design system standards and practices to both design and engineering teams.

• Experience working collaboratively with product designers and engineering partners throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment with shifting priorities and a degree of ambiguity, demonstrating adaptability and resilience.

• Experience designing for native platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows) and responsive web experiences.

• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and basic markup concepts to understand the implementation context of design components. Preferred Skills:

• Previous experience building or significantly scaling a design system from its inception.

• Strong prototyping skills using tools like Figma or other relevant software.

• Experience working on complex, multi-platform product ecosystems with diverse user needs.

• Ability to clearly present design rationale, build consensus, and influence stakeholders across various disciplines.

• Experience establishing productive partnerships between design systems, product design, and engineering teams to foster collaboration and alignment.

• Experience with production design and component-level quality assurance (QA) to ensure design integrity.

• A genuine passion for design systems and a desire to help other designers work more consistently and efficiently.

• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for asset creation or modification.

• Familiarity with file management and versioning workflows using tools such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or GitHub.

• Experience training designers or scaling design system knowledge across teams through workshops or documentation.

• Proficiency in creating and presenting design concepts using tools such as Apple Keynote or Google Slides.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "expert-level proficiency with Figma" is a critical requirement, emphasizing hands-on skill with the platform's advanced features. The distinction between required and preferred skills highlights a need for foundational design systems experience while valuing candidates who have led significant design system initiatives. Familiarity with HTML/CSS is important for bridging the gap between design and development.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A dedicated section showcasing your experience with design systems, including examples of component libraries you've built, maintained, or stewarded.

• Demonstrate the process of creating reusable components, patterns, and templates, highlighting how scalability and consistency were achieved.

• Include examples of design specifications and system documentation you have authored, showcasing clarity and comprehensiveness.

• Present case studies that illustrate how you've improved design workflows, facilitated cross-functional collaboration, or driven efficiency through a design system.

• Showcase your ability to conduct design audits and identify opportunities for improvement within a complex product ecosystem. Process Documentation:

• Examples of detailed design specifications for components and patterns, clearly outlining their behavior, states, and usage guidelines.

• Screenshots or links to design system documentation that you have written, demonstrating your ability to communicate standards and best practices effectively.

• Illustrations of workflow improvements you've implemented or proposed for design system adoption and maintenance.

• Case studies detailing how you've troubleshooted and resolved issues related to design files, components, or version control.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Design Systems Specialist, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond typical product design work to explicitly demonstrate expertise in system thinking, componentization, documentation, and cross-functional enablement. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their Figma libraries and documentation during interviews.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $65.00 - $75.00 per hour.

• This range is indicative of a contract role for an experienced specialist in a high-cost-of-living area like Seattle. The hourly rate reflects the specialized nature of design systems expertise and the demand for experienced professionals in this niche. Benefits:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for healthcare needs.

• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Insurance: Additional protection for significant health events.

• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Options for pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions to support long-term financial planning.

• Life Insurance: Voluntary Life & AD&D coverage for employees and dependents.

• Short and Long-Term Disability: Income protection in case of extended illness or injury.

• Health Spending Account (HSA): A tax-advantaged savings account for healthcare expenses.

• Transportation Benefits: Support for commuting costs.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential counseling and support services.

• Time Off/Leave: Includes PTO, Vacation, or Sick Leave, though specific accrual rates and policies for contract roles can vary.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week.

• While a standard 40-hour work week is expected, the hybrid nature may offer some flexibility in scheduling, allowing for focused work blocks and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The compensation is structured as an hourly rate for a contract position, typical for specialized technical roles. The benefits package is robust for a contract role, offering a good range of health, financial, and wellness support. The "Hybrid" work arrangement implies that while remote work is possible, regular in-office presence in Seattle will be required.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology Services & Staffing (TEKsystems is a leading provider of IT staffing and services). The role is likely embedded within a client organization that develops technology, specifically wearable hardware.

Company Size: TEKsystems is part of Allegis Group, a massive global workforce solutions company with 80,000 employees and over 6,000 clients, including 80% of the Fortune 500. This indicates a very large, established organization with extensive resources.

Founded: TEKsystems was founded in 1983. This longevity suggests stability and deep experience in the technology staffing and services sector.

Team Structure:

• The Product Designer will likely be part of a dedicated design team within the client company, focusing on wearable products.

• They will report to a Design Lead or Manager responsible for product design and/or design systems.

• Close collaboration is expected with Product Managers, UX Researchers, other Product Designers, and Engineering teams (Frontend, Mobile, possibly Hardware engineers). Methodology:

• The design system will be built and maintained using agile methodologies, with iterative development cycles, regular feedback loops, and close collaboration between design and engineering.

• Emphasis will be placed on data-driven design decisions, user feedback, and continuous improvement of components and workflows.

• Workflow optimization will be a key focus to ensure efficient design and development processes.

Company Website: https://careers.teksystems.com/us/en

📝 Enhancement Note: While TEKsystems is the staffing agency, the role is embedded within one of their clients. The "About TEKsystems" section describes TEKsystems itself as a large, global IT services and talent solutions provider. The actual team culture and methodology will be dictated by the client company that TEKsystems is placing the candidate with. The emphasis on "partners in transformation" and "accelerate business transformation" suggests a client base focused on innovation and technological advancement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Specialist or Senior Designer, focusing on a specific, critical area of design operations: the design system. It requires deep expertise rather than broad management.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Lead, and work collaboratively with Product Managers and Engineering Leads. They will be a key contributor within the product development lifecycle, influencing the technical and visual foundation of wearable products.

Operations Impact: The impact is significant and foundational. A well-maintained design system directly influences product consistency, development speed, brand integrity, and user experience quality across all wearable products. This role directly supports the scalability and efficiency of product development efforts.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Advancement: Deepen expertise in design systems, potentially moving into a "Design Systems Architect" or "Lead Design Technologist" role.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Lead initiatives to expand design system adoption and best practices across multiple product lines or even different divisions of the client company.

• Mentorship: Mentor junior designers on design system principles, Figma best practices, and component development.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to the strategic direction of product design and development processes by advocating for robust system-based approaches.

• Broader UX/Product Design: Transition into a broader Product Design role on a specific product team, leveraging the systems thinking and component knowledge gained.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for specialization within the design field, focusing on the critical infrastructure of design systems. The growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise and increasing strategic influence within design and product development operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid position in Seattle, WA. This means a mix of remote work and in-office presence will be required.

Office Location(s): Seattle, Washington. Specific office details would be provided by the client company.

Workspace Context:

• The environment will likely be collaborative, requiring active participation in design critiques, team meetings, and cross-functional syncs.

• Access to robust design tools (Figma) and potentially collaboration platforms (Slack, Jira, Confluence) is expected.

• Opportunities to interact with both design and engineering teams will be frequent, fostering a strong connection between design intent and technical implementation.

• The focus on wearable technology suggests an environment geared towards innovation and cutting-edge hardware development.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week, with potential for some flexibility depending on the client's specific policies. The hybrid model necessitates structured availability for in-office collaboration days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature is a key aspect. Candidates should be prepared for regular in-office days in Seattle, balancing them with remote work. This environment is ideal for those who can self-manage their time effectively and thrive in both independent and collaborative settings.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter from TEKsystems will likely conduct an initial screening to assess basic qualifications, experience, and interest.

• Hiring Manager/Design Lead Interview: This will focus on your experience with design systems, Figma proficiency, and understanding of component-based design. Be prepared to discuss your approach to building and maintaining systems.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio, with a specific focus on your design system work. You may be asked to present a case study or complete a focused design challenge related to component creation, documentation, or system critique.

• Cross-functional Interview: An interview with engineering or product management partners to assess your collaboration skills, communication style, and ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior design leader or hiring manager for final approval, focusing on cultural fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Expertise: Dedicate a significant portion of your portfolio to your design system work. Showcase specific examples of component libraries, patterns, and documentation.

• Demonstrate Process: Clearly articulate your process for building, maintaining, and scaling a design system. Explain your decision-making rationale for component design, organization, and documentation.

• Showcase Figma Proficiency: Be ready to demonstrate your skills within Figma. Explain how you leverage its features (variants, auto-layout, components) to create efficient and scalable systems.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, quantify the impact of your design system work. Did it reduce design or development time? Improve consistency scores? Increase user satisfaction?

• Documentation Examples: Include clear examples of design system documentation you've created. This shows your ability to communicate complex ideas simply and effectively.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Explain how you collaborated with engineers and product managers. Provide examples of how you translated their feedback or requirements into system updates.

Challenge Preparation:

• Component Design: Be prepared to design a new component or modify an existing one based on specific requirements, demonstrating your understanding of reusability, variants, and constraints.

• System Audit: You might be asked to audit a set of existing designs or components for consistency and adherence to a hypothetical design system.

• Documentation Task: You could be asked to write documentation for a specific component or pattern.

• Figma Skills: Practice common Figma tasks related to component creation, library management, and file organization under timed conditions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review specifically for design systems work is critical. Candidates should curate their portfolios to prominently feature this expertise, rather than general product design projects. The interview process is structured to validate deep technical skills in Figma and design systems, alongside collaborative abilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expert-level proficiency is essential for building, maintaining, and distributing component libraries, creating design specifications, and collaborating with teams. This is the core tool for this role.

• Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign): Preferred for asset creation, editing, and potentially for creating visual assets that integrate with the design system.

• Prototyping Tools (e.g., Figma's native prototyping, InVision): Useful for demonstrating component interactions and user flows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not the primary focus, understanding how design system usage is tracked or how design impacts product analytics would be beneficial. Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics might be relevant in the broader product context. CRM & Automation:

• Jira / Confluence: Likely used for task tracking, project management, and documentation, especially for managing design system updates and collaborating with engineering.

• Version Control (e.g., GitHub, Dropbox, Google Drive): Familiarity with file management and versioning workflows is important for managing design assets and collaborating effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the non-negotiable core tool. Proficiency in other design and collaboration tools is important but secondary to deep Figma expertise for this specific role. The mention of HTML/CSS suggests an awareness of front-end development technologies, which aids in designing practical and implementable components.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Systematic Thinking: A core value will be the ability to think in systems, creating organized, scalable, and maintainable design solutions.

• Consistency & Standardization: A drive to promote and enforce design consistency and adherence to standards across all product touchpoints.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A commitment to building frameworks that enable faster development cycles and easier scaling of products.

• Collaboration & Communication: Valuing open communication and strong partnerships with design, engineering, and product teams to ensure alignment and shared understanding.

• Detail-Oriented: A meticulous approach to design, documentation, and quality assurance to ensure the integrity of the design system.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: Working closely with product designers to understand their needs and integrate new components, and with engineers to ensure technical feasibility and smooth implementation.

• Documentation-Driven: Relying on clear, accessible documentation to empower users of the design system and ensure consistent application.

• Feedback-Informed: Actively seeking and incorporating feedback from stakeholders to refine and improve the design system.

• Proactive Enablement: Taking initiative to educate and support teams in adopting and utilizing the design system effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture likely emphasizes precision, collaboration, and a dedication to building foundational assets that empower others. The "partners in transformation" ethos from TEKsystems' description suggests an environment focused on driving positive change through well-executed design and technology.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing System Needs with Product Innovation: Ensuring the design system supports rapid product iteration without becoming overly rigid or hindering unique feature development.

• Adoption and Enforcement: Gaining buy-in and ensuring consistent adoption of the design system across diverse teams and projects, especially in a fast-moving environment.

• Maintaining Scalability: Continuously evolving the system to accommodate new product requirements, platforms, and emerging technologies while keeping it manageable.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Bridging communication gaps and ensuring shared understanding and agreement between design, engineering, and product management on system standards and priorities.

• Documentation Burden: Keeping documentation comprehensive, up-to-date, and easily accessible, which can be a significant ongoing effort.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Wearable Technology UX: Gain specialized knowledge in the unique design challenges and opportunities presented by wearable devices.

• Advanced Design Systems Strategy: Learn and apply advanced strategies for design system governance, lifecycle management, and organizational scaling.

• Cross-Disciplinary Skill Building: Enhance understanding of front-end development processes, agile methodologies, and product management workflows.

• Mentorship and Training: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and lead training sessions on design system best practices.

• Industry Best Practices: Stay at the forefront of design system trends, tools, and methodologies through conferences, publications, and community engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role involves significant strategic thinking and problem-solving related to design infrastructure. The challenges are inherent to establishing and scaling design systems in complex product organizations, offering substantial learning opportunities in design strategy and operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your philosophy on building and maintaining a design system. What are the key pillars?" (Focus on reusability, scalability, documentation, and collaboration.)

• "How do you ensure a design system remains relevant and adaptable in a fast-paced environment with evolving product requirements?" (Discuss iterative development, feedback loops, and modular design.)

• "Walk us through a time you had to advocate for design system standards with a skeptical engineering or product team. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Highlight communication, data-driven arguments, and compromise.)

• "How do you approach design audits to identify inconsistencies and opportunities for improvement within a product ecosystem?" (Explain your methodology for analysis, documentation of findings, and prioritization.)

• "What are your strategies for managing design system updates and communicating changes to a large user base of designers and developers?" (Discuss version control, release notes, and communication channels.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working on wearable technology products?" (Show genuine curiosity about the domain.)

• "How do you see a design system contributing to the success of a company focused on hardware innovation?" (Connect design systems to efficiency, brand consistency, and user experience.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration dynamic with product designers and engineers." (Emphasize partnership, clear communication, and mutual respect.)

• "How do you handle ambiguity or shifting priorities in a project?" (Demonstrate adaptability and a problem-solving mindset.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: Begin with an overview of your design system philosophy and approach.

• Deep Dive into Case Studies: Select 2-3 key projects that best showcase your design system expertise. For each, detail the problem, your solution (components, patterns, documentation), your process, and the impact.

• Figma Demonstration: Be prepared to share your screen and walk through specific Figma files, demonstrating your component creation, library organization, and documentation practices. Explain your rationale for specific design choices.

• Quantify Success: If possible, present metrics that illustrate the positive impact of your design system work (e.g., reduction in design debt, faster feature delivery).

• Address Challenges: Be ready to discuss challenges you faced and how you overcame them, showcasing your problem-solving skills.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize aspects of your work that are most relevant to building and maintaining a system for wearable technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should heavily focus on demonstrating deep Figma expertise and a systematic, process-oriented approach to design. Candidates need to articulate not just what they designed, but how they designed it and why it matters for scalability and efficiency.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer (Design Systems Specialist) position:

• Submit your application through the TEKsystems careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your resume and portfolio prominently feature your design system experience, highlighting Figma proficiency and relevant case studies. Tailor your portfolio to showcase examples relevant to hardware or multi-platform design if possible.

• Resume Optimization: Clearly list your years of experience in product design and specifically with design systems. Use keywords from the job description such as "Figma," "design systems," "component libraries," "documentation," and "cross-functional collaboration." Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design system process, Figma skills, and collaborative approach. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and be ready to present your portfolio with a focus on your design systems work.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with TEKsystems and their role as a technology services provider. While the specific client company's culture will be key, understanding TEKsystems' general approach to talent solutions can be beneficial. Research common design system practices in the wearable technology sector if possible.

⚠️ 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 (TEKsystems) before making application decisions. The specific client company and its internal culture will significantly influence the day-to-day work environment.