Senior Product Designer (Design Systems)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (Design Systems)

Company: Careem

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: July 31, 2026

Experience Level: Senior

Remote Status: Hybrid (Remote OK)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the evolution of a comprehensive design system for a multi-vertical super app, ensuring consistency across platforms (iOS, Android, Web) and locales, including RTL/Arabic.

• Integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate design workflows, enhance system maintenance, and enable AI agents to consume and generate design elements.

• Drive the adoption of AI-native design practices and tools across the design and engineering teams to increase efficiency and quality.

• Partner closely with engineering, product, and AI teams to translate design patterns into scalable, deployable components and ensure technical feasibility.

• Champion accessibility standards (WCAG) at a system level and manage the design system backlog in collaboration with cross-functional partners.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is highly specialized, focusing on the intersection of Design Systems and AI. The emphasis on AI integration and building "AI-native" systems suggests a forward-thinking approach to design operations and tooling. The "Super App" context implies a need for robust scalability and cross-functional coordination.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete lifecycle of the design system's tokens, components, and patterns, from inception and definition through shipping, iteration, and deprecation.

• Define and enforce rigorous standards for color, typography, spacing, and interaction patterns across all platforms (iOS, Android, Web) and regions, with a specific focus on RTL/Arabic language support.

• Establish and maintain a clear, intentional token architecture to resolve organizational ownership ambiguities and ensure cross-component consistency.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive, high-quality documentation for the design system, detailing appropriate guidance for adoption and adherence.

• Champion and implement accessibility standards (WCAG) as a system-level guarantee, managing the backlog and prioritization with product and engineering partners.

• Structure tokens and components to enable agentic design-to-code and prompt-to-design workflows, ensuring on-system output.

• Build and maintain essential integrations such as Code Connect mappings, MCP integrations, and structured component metadata to support AI workflows.

• Implement AI-assisted audits and linting tools to proactively identify and rectify off-system usage and token misuse before deployment.

• Utilize AI to ensure design system documentation remains verified and versioned in sync with the components it describes.

• Prototype and develop Figma plugins and agent workflows to automate repetitive tasks for the broader design team, enhancing overall productivity.

• Articulate the design system's value proposition, emphasizing efficiency gains and quality improvements, to diverse stakeholders from individual contributors to executive leadership.

• Facilitate design system guilds and critiques, synthesizing feedback from various product verticals into prioritized system improvements.

• Enhance the organization's AI proficiency through workshops, training materials, and best practice sharing.

• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to translate design patterns into production-ready, deployable components, ensuring technical feasibility and maintainability.

• Apply strategic judgment to manage component bloat, making informed decisions on when to maintain separate architectures (e.g., Quick cards) versus merging variants to avoid excessive technical complexity.

• Partner with key stakeholders across product, engineering, and AI to align on design system goals and overall product strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus: maintaining a robust, scalable design system and pioneering AI integrations within it. The emphasis on "AI-native" systems, agentic workflows, and prototyping tools indicates a hands-on technical design role, not just strategic oversight.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent knowledge and practical application of design system principles and AI integration is expected.

Experience:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in product design.

• Minimum of 3 years specifically dedicated to building and managing design systems at scale, ideally within multi-brand or super-app environments. Required Skills:

• Advanced knowledge of variables, token architecture, component APIs, library management, and branching strategies within design systems.

• Demonstrated experience building practical workflows using Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic tools, such as Figma Plugin API, MCP-based integrations, or advanced prompt design.

• Proficiency in prototyping and development using JavaScript/TypeScript and JSON.

• Expertise in managing design token pipelines and transformation processes.

• Strong ability to distinguish semantic design intent from value coincidence and effectively manage complexity through unification and strategic architecture.

• Excellent English writing and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical and design concepts clearly.

• Deep understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and their implementation within design systems.

• Experience defining and enforcing design standards across multiple platforms and locales, including RTL/Arabic. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with RTL/Arabic-first products or a strong understanding of the Middle East market dynamics.

• Hands-on experience with production-level design-to-code pipelines, including tools like Code Connect and token transformation utilities.

• Active and recognized participation in the AI × Design community, evidenced by open-source contributions, speaking engagements, or published articles/workshops.

• Experience with cross-functional collaboration in a fast-paced, agile environment.

• Familiarity with design operations (DesignOps) principles and practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of deep design systems expertise and hands-on AI/coding skills. The "bonus points" suggest a preference for candidates who are not only practitioners but also thought leaders and active contributors within the emerging fields of AI in design.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase at least one comprehensive design system project, detailing its architecture, token structure, component library, and governance model.

• Include examples of how the design system was implemented and scaled across multiple products or platforms within a single organization.

• Demonstrate experience with AI integration within design workflows, such as prototypes of Figma plugins, agentic workflows, or prompt-based design tools.

• Provide evidence of contributions to design-to-code pipelines or automated design processes.

• Highlight projects that showcase a strong commitment to accessibility (WCAG) and cross-platform consistency, including RTL/Arabic considerations. Process Documentation:

• Detail the processes followed for defining, documenting, and maintaining design tokens and components.

• Illustrate the workflow for gathering feedback from designers and engineers, and how it influenced system iteration.

• Explain the methodologies used for ensuring system adoption and providing support to product teams.

• Showcase how AI tools were integrated into the design system workflow for automation, auditing, or documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, the portfolio is critical for demonstrating not only design system maturity but also innovative application of AI. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their contributions in detail, explaining the technical implementation and strategic impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Given the seniority, specialized skillset (Design Systems + AI), and location in Dubai, a competitive salary is expected. Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers with Design System and AI experience in major tech hubs, the estimated range for this role in Dubai would be AED 350,000 - AED 500,000 per annum. This estimate accounts for the high demand for AI talent and the strategic importance of design systems in a super-app environment.

Benefits:

• Unlimited Vacation Days: Empowers employees to manage their time off for optimal work-life balance and rejuvenation.

• Remote Work Flexibility: Opportunity to work remotely from any country in the world for 30 days a year, offering significant global flexibility.

• Healthcare Benefits: Comprehensive medical coverage for employees.

• Fitness Reimbursements: Support for health and wellness activities, including gym memberships, health club access, and training classes.

• Learning & Growth Opportunities: Access to internal and external learning resources, workshops, and potential for career advancement within Careem.

• Community of Inspiring Colleagues: Opportunity to work alongside and learn from talented professionals in a collaborative environment.

• Purposeful Organisation: Contribution to a mission-driven company focused on simplifying and improving lives in the Middle East.

Working Hours:

The standard working hours are expected to be around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered due to the remote work options and unlimited vacation policy. The focus is on output and impact rather than strict adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on available data for senior tech roles in Dubai, considering the niche expertise in AI and Design Systems. Benefits are detailed based on the provided information, highlighting Careem's commitment to employee well-being and flexibility.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (Super App, Mobility, Food Delivery, Payments)

Company Size: Large (Likely 1,000+ employees given its regional presence and acquisition by Uber)

Founded: 2012 (Providing a decade of operational experience and growth, now entering an AI-powered chapter)

Team Structure:

• The Design Systems team likely operates as a central platform team, supporting multiple product verticals (Rides, Food, Groceries, Payments, etc.).

• This role will report into a Design leadership position, with close collaboration with engineering leads, product managers, and AI specialists.

• Cross-functional collaboration is key, involving designers, engineers, product managers, AI researchers, and potentially marketing/brand teams. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging analytics to understand system adoption, usage patterns, and impact on product quality and efficiency.

• Agile methodologies for iterative development of the design system and AI integrations.

• Focus on continuous improvement, automation, and efficiency through the application of AI and robust system design.

• Strong emphasis on user-centered design principles, ensuring the design system and AI tools serve both internal creators and end-users.

Company Website: https://www.careem.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Careem's positioning as a "Super App" and its current focus on AI indicate a dynamic, tech-forward culture. The company's mission to simplify and improve lives, coupled with its regional focus, suggests a culture that values impact, innovation, and understanding local nuances.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor (IC) role, specifically a Design Systems Lead with a strong technical and AI component. It represents a high level of expertise and responsibility within the design function.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to a Head of Design, Director of Product Design, or a similar senior design leadership position. Close collaboration with Engineering Leads, Product Managers, and AI/ML teams is expected.

Operations Impact: The design system is fundamental to Careem's "Super App" strategy, ensuring a cohesive and high-quality user experience across all verticals. By owning and evolving this system, especially with AI integration, this role directly impacts:

• Efficiency: Streamlining design and development processes, reducing duplication of effort, and accelerating time-to-market for new features.

• Consistency & Quality: Maintaining brand integrity and a unified user experience across diverse product offerings.

• Innovation: Enabling the adoption of advanced technologies like AI by providing the foundational structure and tools.

• Scalability: Ensuring the design and development infrastructure can support Careem's continued growth and expansion into new services.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design tools, advanced token architecture, and design-to-code pipelines.

• Leadership: Transition into a formal leadership role managing a design systems team or a broader design operations function.

• Cross-functional Influence: Become a key influencer in shaping Careem's technology strategy, particularly concerning AI in product development.

• Industry Recognition: Contribute to the broader design and AI communities through speaking, writing, or open-source projects, enhancing personal and company brand.

• Broader Product Strategy: Gain insights into the strategic direction of a multi-vertical super app, potentially influencing product roadmaps.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of AI integration within design systems, a rapidly evolving field. Growth potential is significant, moving beyond core design systems into areas of AI strategy and broader product operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Careem operates a hybrid work model, allowing for significant remote work flexibility. While specific office details aren't provided, it's typical for large tech companies to offer modern, collaborative office spaces in key locations like Dubai.

Office Location(s): Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the primary specified location, but the company has a broad regional presence.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic environment where collaboration across disciplines (design, engineering, product, AI) is encouraged and facilitated through various communication tools and potential in-person meetups.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design and development tools, with a strong emphasis on leveraging AI-powered solutions and custom tooling being developed.

• Operations Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with a dedicated design systems team, as well as broader product and engineering teams, fostering a culture of shared learning and problem-solving.

Work Schedule:

Flexible working hours are a key perk, with the ability to work remotely from anywhere globally for 30 days a year. The core expectation is to deliver on responsibilities and collaborate effectively with teams across different time zones, suggesting a focus on asynchronous communication and scheduled synchronous meetings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and remote-friendly nature of the role, combined with flexible working hours, suggests a trust-based culture that prioritizes results and employee well-being. The Dubai location offers a vibrant, international tech hub environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on experience with design systems at scale and AI-related skills.

2. Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: You will likely present your portfolio, showcasing your design system work, AI integrations, and technical proficiency. This will be followed by a deep dive into your technical skills, system architecture understanding, and problem-solving approach. Expect questions on tokenization, component APIs, accessibility, and AI/LLM workflows.

3. Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be given a take-home assignment or an in-interview challenge focused on a specific design system problem, potentially involving AI integration or scenario planning for the Careem super app.

4. Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with engineering leads, product managers, and potentially AI specialists to assess collaboration style, strategic thinking, and ability to influence across teams.

5. Hiring Manager/Leadership Interview: A final discussion focusing on overall fit, career aspirations, and alignment with Careem's culture and mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight AI Integration: Clearly showcase any projects where you've used AI to automate design tasks, build agentic workflows, or enhance design system efficiency. Explain the problem, your solution, the tools used (Figma plugins, prompt engineering, etc.), and the impact.

• Demonstrate System Maturity: For design system projects, detail the scale, governance, token architecture, component library structure, and how you ensured consistency across platforms and locales (especially RTL).

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the value of your work. For example, "Reduced design implementation time by X%," "Achieved Y% adoption rate," or "Improved accessibility scores by Z points."

• Showcase Technical Skills: Include examples of code (JavaScript/TypeScript, JSON) or detailed explanations of technical implementations related to design tokens, component APIs, or plugin development.

• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio presentation to tell a compelling story about the problem, your approach, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes achieved.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the "Super App" Context: Familiarize yourself with Careem's various services (rides, food, groceries, payments) and how a unified design system and AI could enhance these.

• AI in Design Thinking: Prepare to articulate your vision for AI's role in design systems and product development. Think about prompt design, agentic workflows, and how AI can automate repetitive tasks.

• Design System Best Practices: Refresh your knowledge on tokenization strategies, semantic vs. literal tokens, component state management, accessibility standards, and documentation best practices.

• Technical Proficiency: Be ready to discuss JavaScript/TypeScript, JSON, and how you'd implement specific features or integrations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical demonstration of skills and strategic thinking, particularly regarding AI integration. A strong portfolio that clearly articulates technical execution and business impact is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (primary tool for design, prototyping, and plugin development).

• Design System Management: Tools for token management (e.g., Style Dictionary, Specify), component libraries, and documentation platforms (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook).

• AI & Automation:

  • LLM Platforms: Experience with APIs from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar.
  • Agentic Workflow Tools: Understanding of frameworks or custom solutions for building AI agents.
  • Figma Plugin API: For building custom tools and automating design tasks.
  • MCP (Multi-Component Platform) or similar internal tools for component management.

• Version Control: Git (for code, plugins, and potentially design tokens).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Tools for tracking design system adoption, component usage, and impact on product metrics.

• Data visualization tools for presenting system performance to stakeholders. CRM & Automation:

• While not directly CRM-focused, understanding how design systems integrate with development workflows (CI/CD) and product management tools (Jira, Asana) is crucial.

• Potential for integration with internal systems for data management and workflow automation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily weighted towards modern design tools, AI/ML frameworks, and development practices. Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript and familiarity with AI integration tools are key technical requirements.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Simplicity & Impact: A core value at Careem, aiming to simplify lives and create tangible positive impact in the region. This translates to building efficient systems and tools that deliver measurable results.

• Awesome Organisation: Fostering an inspiring work environment where talented individuals can thrive, learn, and grow. This implies a culture of mentorship, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by data and analytics, ensuring that design system evolution and AI implementations are strategic and effective.

• Customer-Centricity: Despite being an internal-facing role, the ultimate goal is to enhance the user experience for Careem's millions of customers.

• Innovation & AI-First: Embracing new technologies, particularly AI, to build smarter tools, automate workflows, and drive the company forward.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Strong emphasis on working closely with engineering, product management, and AI teams to ensure alignment and successful integration of the design system and AI initiatives.

• Open Communication: Encouraging open dialogue, constructive feedback, and knowledge sharing through guilds, critiques, and documentation.

• Proactive & Iterative: A proactive approach to identifying needs and solving problems, with an iterative mindset for developing and refining design system components and AI tools.

• Empowerment: Valuing autonomy and empowering individuals to take ownership of their areas, fostering a sense of responsibility and driving continuous learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: Careem's culture appears to be a blend of mission-driven impact, entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to technological innovation, particularly in AI. Collaboration is expected to be robust and cross-disciplinary.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling AI Integrations: Effectively integrating AI into design workflows and systems in a way that is reliable, maintainable, and genuinely beneficial, rather than a gimmick.

• Bridging Design & AI Expertise: Finding the right balance between deep design systems knowledge and practical AI/coding skills to effectively lead this specialized area.

• Cross-Vertical Consistency: Maintaining coherence across a diverse range of product verticals within the "Super App" while allowing for necessary specialization.

• Driving Adoption: Encouraging widespread adoption of new AI-powered tools and design system standards across a large organization.

• Keeping Pace with AI: Continuously learning and adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technologies and their potential applications in design.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design Specialization: Become a recognized expert in applying AI to product design and design operations.

• Leadership in Emerging Fields: Gain experience leading initiatives at the intersection of design systems and AI, a high-demand and future-oriented area.

• Cross-functional Impact: Develop a deep understanding of how design systems and AI influence broader product strategy and business outcomes in a large-scale tech company.

• Industry Contribution: Opportunity to contribute to the AI x Design community through speaking, writing, or open-source projects, building a personal brand and network.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers and engineers on design systems and AI tooling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents significant challenges related to cutting-edge technology adoption and organizational change management, balanced by substantial growth opportunities in a rapidly developing field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building an AI-native design system from the ground up, or evolving an existing one like Careem's?" (Focus on token architecture, component structure for AI consumption, and workflow automation.)

• "Describe a time you had to manage conflicting priorities between different product teams regarding design system adoption. How did you resolve it?" (Demonstrate negotiation, prioritization, and stakeholder management skills.)

• "What are the key challenges in ensuring accessibility (WCAG) at a system level, especially with AI-generated designs or code?" (Showcase understanding of accessibility principles and potential AI pitfalls.)

• "How would you measure the success and impact of your design system initiatives, particularly those involving AI?" (Prepare metrics related to efficiency, adoption, quality, and ROI.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Careem's mission and its position as a Super App in the Middle East?" (Research Careem's recent news, market position, and mission.)

• "How do you see AI transforming the future of product design and collaboration?" (Align your vision with Careem's stated AI focus.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration with engineering and product teams. How do you ensure buy-in and smooth implementation?" (Highlight your partnership approach.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with an executive summary of your most relevant projects, highlighting your contributions and key achievements, especially those involving AI.

• Deep Dive on AI Projects: For AI-related work, clearly articulate the problem, your unique approach (tools, techniques), the technical implementation, and the quantifiable outcomes.

• Design System Case Studies: For design system projects, walk through the architecture, governance, challenges, and how you ensured scalability and consistency.

• Technical Details: Be prepared to discuss code snippets, token structures, API designs, and the rationale behind your technical decisions.

• Q&A Readiness: Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, trade-offs made, and how your work aligns with business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on articulating a clear vision for AI in design systems, demonstrating technical prowess, and showcasing a strategic, impact-oriented approach to design operations.

📌 Application Steps

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

• Submit your application through the provided link on Greenhouse.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to specifically highlight your experience with design systems at scale and any AI/LLM-related projects. Prioritize examples that demonstrate your ability to build and integrate AI into design workflows.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly lists keywords such as "Design Systems," "Token Architecture," "Figma Plugins," "JavaScript," "TypeScript," "AI," "LLMs," "Agentic Workflows," and "Accessibility (WCAG)." Quantify your achievements with metrics where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your experience with design system governance, AI integration strategies, and technical implementation details. Prepare to walk through your portfolio with confidence and answer technical and strategic questions.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Careem's "Super App" offerings, its mission, regional presence, and its stated commitment to AI. Understand the challenges and opportunities of operating in the Middle East market.

⚠️ 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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