Staff/Lead Product Designer, Design System

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff/Lead Product Designer, Design System

Company: ICEYE

Location: Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Design Operations / Product Design (Design Systems)

Date Posted: 2026-08-20

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days/week in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the creation and implementation of a comprehensive design system from inception to adoption, establishing foundational libraries, token architecture, and documented code components.

• Serve as the highest craft bar in product design, driving excellence in visual hierarchy, typography, and layout systems across complex professional interfaces.

• Foster deep collaboration with frontend engineering teams, actively participating in code reviews, understanding component APIs, and contributing to the technical realization of design system elements.

• Champion the adoption of the design system across diverse organizational units, including product managers, engineers, and leadership, through effective communication, advocacy, and direct migration support.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Staff/Lead level, indicating a high degree of autonomy, strategic influence, and the expectation to drive significant initiatives with minimal existing process. The "0-to-1" nature of building the design system from scratch underscores the need for a proactive, hands-on leader with a strong point of view and the ability to influence without direct authority. The emphasis on co-designing with frontend engineers and using AI tools suggests a forward-thinking approach to design operations and system maintenance.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Initiate and develop a foundational Figma library, shared design foundations, and a design playbook to establish default design patterns and resolve inconsistencies.

• Architect and implement a scalable token system that underpins the design system's consistency and flexibility across various product applications.

• Translate design system principles into production-ready code components in collaboration with frontend engineers, ensuring technical feasibility and maintainability.

• Develop comprehensive documentation for design system components, tokens, and guidelines to facilitate understanding and adoption by design and engineering teams.

• Actively engage with product managers, engineers, and leadership to articulate the value proposition of the design system and drive its integration into development workflows.

• Conduct user research and gather feedback from cross-functional teams and end-users to inform the evolution and improvement of the design system.

• Proactively identify opportunities to leverage AI tools for accelerating design system tasks such as documentation generation, variant auditing, and token maintenance.

• Ensure the design system meets high standards for accessibility, theming, and potentially multi-brand requirements, contributing to a cohesive and high-quality user experience.

• Own the end-to-end UX for complex professional products, ensuring systems thinking is applied from discovery through to shipped product and post-launch analysis.

• Collaborate with brand and marketing design teams to ensure alignment and consistency with the overall company brand identity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic design leadership, hands-on execution, and change management. The emphasis on "selling it repeatedly" and "migration work yourself" suggests that adoption is a critical success factor, requiring strong interpersonal and influencing skills beyond pure design execution. The explicit mention of AI tools indicates an expectation for innovation in design operations processes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and mastery of design system principles is paramount.

Experience: Minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant focus on building and scaling design systems within complex professional software environments.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in taking a design system from 0-to-1, including establishing foundational elements, token architecture, and component libraries.

• Deep expertise in Figma for creating and managing design libraries, component states, and complex layouts.

• Fluency in reading and understanding React and CSS to effectively collaborate with frontend engineers and design buildable components.

• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders (Product Managers, Engineers, Leadership) without direct authority.

• Exceptional craft in visual design, including mastery of layout systems, typography, color theory, and visual hierarchy for dense, professional interfaces.

• Practical experience and a clear point of view on leveraging AI tools for design system tasks (e.g., documentation, variant generation, token maintenance).

• Experience owning end-to-end UX for complex professional products, showcasing systems thinking in a portfolio.

• Strong understanding of accessibility standards and best practices.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to articulate design rationale and drive adoption. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with theming, dark mode implementation, or multi-brand system management.

• Familiarity with data-dense, map-heavy, or real-time interfaces.

• Public writing or open-source contributions related to design systems.

• Experience working in high-stakes or regulated industries where errors have significant consequences.

• Familiarity with data analysis and metrics to measure design system impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Must haves" clearly indicate a need for practical, hands-on experience in building systems from scratch in challenging environments. The emphasis on "fluent enough in code to be useful" is a critical differentiator, suggesting that candidates who can actively participate in technical discussions and code contributions will be highly valued. The "point of view on AI" is a forward-looking requirement.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate at least one significant project where you led the creation of a design system from its initial stages ("0-to-1").

• Showcase the evolution of design systems, including the development of token architecture, component libraries, and associated documentation.

• Provide case studies that illustrate your ability to collaborate with frontend engineers, including examples of technical discussions, PR reviews, or code contributions.

• Highlight instances where you successfully influenced adoption of design system principles and components across teams with competing priorities.

• Present examples of complex professional interfaces where you applied deep craft in visual design, systems thinking, and attention to detail.

• Include examples of how you've utilized or considered AI tools to enhance design system efficiency or output.

• Document your end-to-end UX ownership for complex products, emphasizing systems thinking and iterative improvements. Process Documentation:

• Detail the methodologies used for establishing design system foundations, including Figma library structure, token naming conventions, and component definition.

• Explain your approach to creating design playbooks and written guidance that effectively settle design arguments and provide clear direction.

• Describe processes for co-designing with engineers, including methods for technical specification, API design, and code implementation collaboration.

• Outline strategies for measuring design system adoption, consistency, and impact on shipped UI quality and development velocity.

• Illustrate how you've managed the lifecycle of design system elements, from initial design to maintenance and evolution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily weighted towards demonstrating the practical, hands-on experience of building and implementing a design system in a challenging, "messy" environment, with a strong emphasis on technical collaboration and driving adoption. The "0-to-1" experience is explicitly called out as a critical component.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Staff/Lead Product Designers with 5-10 years of experience in a hybrid tech environment in Finland, the estimated annual base salary range is €70,000 - €95,000. This range accounts for the specialized nature of design systems, the seniority of the role, and the hybrid work model in a high-cost-of-living region.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary, negotiated individually based on experience and qualifications.

• Comprehensive health and wellbeing support.

• Opportunities for continuous professional development and training.

• Access to cutting-edge technology and tools.

• Hybrid work model offering flexibility with 3 days in the office.

• Potential for stock options or other equity incentives (confirmation during offer stage).

• Support for relocation and visa sponsorship if applicable (to be confirmed during the recruitment process).

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility managed within the hybrid work arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on typical compensation for senior/lead design roles in Finland's tech sector, particularly those involving specialized skills like design systems and hybrid work. The benefits listed are derived from the general description of ICEYE's offerings and common tech industry standards in the region.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: ICEYE operates in the high-tech, defense, and intelligence sectors, specifically as a leader in sovereign intelligence from space through its Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite constellation. This context implies a demanding, fast-paced environment with a focus on precision, reliability, and security.

Company Size: Over 1000 employees globally, positioning ICEYE as a significant scale-up. This size suggests a dynamic environment with opportunities for impact, but also the need for well-defined processes and systems to maintain efficiency and consistency.

Founded: ICEYE was founded and headquartered in Finland. The company's history is characterized by rapid growth and expansion, building the world's largest SAR satellite constellation.

Team Structure:

• The role reports to the Director of Product Design, indicating a clear reporting line within the design organization.

• The design system team will likely be small initially, requiring the Staff/Lead Designer to be a primary driver, potentially growing as the system matures.

• Close collaboration is expected with product management, frontend engineering, and potentially other design domains across the organization. Methodology:

• The company emphasizes a "build fast" culture, which has led to current inconsistencies, thus the need for a design system.

• The design system development will be an iterative process, starting with foundational elements and scaling up.

• A strong emphasis on "co-design with frontend, in the code" suggests an agile, integrated workflow between design and engineering.

• The company values outcome-driven thinking, prioritizing shipped product quality and efficiency over perfect artifacts.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's industry and mission ("Make the impossible possible," "Sovereign intelligence from space") suggest a culture that values innovation, technical excellence, and a strong sense of purpose. The "build fast" past necessitates a structured approach to systems thinking now.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Staff/Lead Product Designer role, signifying a senior individual contributor position. It requires a high level of autonomy, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead significant initiatives, particularly in building a new design system. The role demands not just design execution but also the ability to influence product strategy and development processes.

Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the Director of Product Design. This suggests opportunities for mentorship from a senior leader and visibility into higher-level design strategy within ICEYE. The designer will be expected to operate with a significant degree of independence but within the broader design department's vision.

Operations Impact: The primary impact of this role will be on improving development efficiency, ensuring UI consistency and quality across ICEYE's product suite, and ultimately enhancing the user experience for complex professional interfaces. By establishing a robust design system, this role will directly contribute to faster product iteration cycles, reduced engineering debt, and a more cohesive brand identity, all of which support the company's mission and commercial success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Potential to grow into a Design System Manager or Head of Design Systems role as the function matures and scales within ICEYE.

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in frontend engineering collaboration, component architecture, and potentially contribute to the evolution of the tech stack supporting the design system.

• Cross-functional Influence: Develop advanced skills in stakeholder management, change management, and strategic product influence across a large, global organization.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and engineers involved in design system adoption and contribution.

• Industry Recognition: Potential to contribute to open-source projects or public speaking on design systems, building personal and company brand.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff/Lead" title and the "0-to-1" nature of the design system build imply significant growth potential, moving from foundational implementation to strategic leadership and team building within the design operations domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: ICEYE operates a hybrid workplace model, requiring 3 days per week in the office. This indicates a blend of in-person collaboration and remote flexibility. The office environment is likely modern and equipped to support collaborative work, given the company's global presence and tech-focused industry.

Office Location(s): The primary location for this role is Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland. ICEYE has multiple global offices, but this role is tied to the Finnish headquarters for its hybrid component. Espoo is a major hub for technology and innovation in Finland, offering a vibrant professional ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model encourages face-to-face interaction for key design system discussions, workshops, and collaborative sessions with engineers and product managers.

• The office space is expected to facilitate teamwork, brainstorming, and knowledge sharing, crucial for building a shared understanding of the design system.

• Access to necessary design tools (Figma) and potentially development environments will be provided to support hands-on work.

• The environment is likely fast-paced and intellectually stimulating, aligning with ICEYE's mission and industry.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule of approximately 40 hours per week is expected. The hybrid model allows for some flexibility in how days are structured, balancing in-office collaboration with remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work model is a key aspect, suggesting the company values both focused, individual work and collaborative, in-person team dynamics essential for building consensus around a design system.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Recruiter Screen: Initial conversation to assess basic qualifications, role understanding, and cultural fit. Prepare to articulate your motivation for a 0-to-1 design system role at ICEYE.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into your experience, design philosophy, and leadership potential. Be ready to discuss your approach to building systems, handling technical constraints, and influencing teams.

• Portfolio Review: This is a critical stage. Prepare a concise presentation of your most relevant projects, specifically highlighting your 0-to-1 design system experience, technical collaboration, and adoption strategies. Focus on demonstrating systems thinking and impact.

• Task: Expect a design challenge or case study, likely focused on a design system problem. This could involve evaluating existing UI, proposing component solutions, or outlining a system adoption strategy. Prepare to articulate your thought process and rationale clearly.

• Final Interview: Often with senior leadership (e.g., Director of Product Design, potentially VP of Product/Engineering). This interview will assess strategic alignment, cultural fit, and your vision for the role and the design system's future at ICEYE.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Systems Thinking: Emphasize how you approach problems holistically, considering the long-term impact and scalability of design decisions.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use clear visuals, mockups, and live examples to demonstrate your design work. For design systems, show the components, tokens, and documentation.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics on adoption rates, efficiency gains, reduction in UI inconsistencies, or user satisfaction improvements.

• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase how you worked with engineers, PMs, and other stakeholders. Detail your role in technical discussions and problem-solving.

• Address the "Messy" Aspect: Be prepared to discuss challenges you faced in previous "0-to-1" projects and how you navigated them, demonstrating pragmatism and resilience.

• Prepare for Technical Depth: Anticipate questions about component architecture, prop definitions, state management, and CSS strategies.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand ICEYE's Product: Research ICEYE's offerings (SAR satellites, sovereign intelligence) and try to infer the nature of their professional interfaces.

• Design System Fundamentals: Brush up on best practices for tokenization, component states, accessibility, and documentation.

• Technical Collaboration: Consider how you would approach integrating a design system with a React/CSS codebase. Think about common challenges like performance, theming, and migration.

• Communication Clarity: Practice articulating your design decisions and strategic rationale concisely and persuasively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to thoroughly assess both design craft and practical implementation capabilities, with a strong emphasis on the unique challenges of building a design system from scratch and driving its adoption. The portfolio review and task are critical for demonstrating hands-on experience and strategic thinking.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for design, library creation, prototyping, and collaboration. Expertise in advanced Figma features like component variants, auto layout, and design tokens is expected.

• Design System Tools: Familiarity with tools for managing design tokens (e.g., Specify, Style Dictionary, or custom solutions) and component libraries.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, other prototyping tools might be used for specific fidelity needs.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed for the designer, understanding how design system usage and impact are tracked (e.g., through analytics platforms, code audits) is beneficial. This might involve tools used by engineering or product analytics teams. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to this design role, but understanding how design system components might integrate into broader product development workflows and potentially impact customer-facing features is important.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and the need to "design components in code" strongly suggest that proficiency in Figma and a deep understanding of how designs translate to React and CSS are non-negotiable. The role implies working closely with engineering tools and workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Make the Impossible Possible: This core value aligns with the ambitious nature of building a design system from scratch and contributing to ICEYE's mission. It requires grit, optimism, and a problem-solving mindset.

• Be Curious: Encourages deep dives into user needs, technical possibilities, and design system best practices. This is crucial for innovation and effective system design.

• See the Big Picture: Essential for a design system role, requiring an understanding of how the system impacts various products, teams, and users across the organization.

• Drive Effective Teamwork: Emphasizes creating psychological safety and inclusivity, vital for fostering collaboration between designers and engineers on the design system.

• Act as One Team: Promotes agility and shared ownership, meaning the designer must be adaptable and willing to collaborate across different domains and priorities.

• Have Fun: Fosters a positive and engaging work environment, recognizing the importance of enjoying the challenging work of building impactful systems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role demands close, continuous collaboration with frontend engineers, product managers, and other designers. The emphasis on "co-designing in the code" highlights a highly integrated approach.

• Open Communication: A culture that encourages asking questions and providing feedback is essential for building a design system that is truly adopted and useful.

• Process Iteration: Expect a collaborative environment where processes for design system development, contribution, and adoption are continuously refined based on feedback and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a proactive, collaborative, and outcome-oriented culture, which is critical for the success of a foundational design system initiative. The designer will need to embody these values to effectively lead and influence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building from Scratch: The primary challenge is establishing a robust design system in an environment with existing inconsistencies and potentially resistance to new processes. This requires strong leadership and persuasive skills.

• Adoption & Migration: Ensuring that teams actually adopt and consistently use the design system, and managing the migration of existing products, will be an ongoing challenge.

• Balancing Consistency & Flexibility: Defining the right balance between strict adherence to the system and allowing teams the flexibility they need to innovate and meet specific product requirements.

• Technical Integration: Navigating the complexities of integrating a design system with a live, evolving codebase (React/CSS) and ensuring performance and maintainability.

• Scope Creep: Managing the scope of the design system and prioritizing features and components effectively in a dynamic environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepening Design Systems Expertise: Opportunity to become a leading expert in design systems, from strategy and architecture to implementation and governance.

• Frontend Development Skills: Gaining practical experience and a deeper understanding of React and CSS through daily collaboration with engineers.

• Change Management & Influence: Developing advanced skills in influencing stakeholders and driving organizational change.

• AI in Design Workflow: Experimenting with and integrating AI tools to optimize design system workflows and documentation.

• Leadership Development: Potential to mentor and lead future design system initiatives and team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the "0-to-1" nature of the role, presenting significant opportunities for professional growth in areas critical to modern product development and design operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your experience building a design system from 0-to-1. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on process, technicals, and adoption.)

• "How would you define the core principles and architecture for ICEYE's design system, considering our current state described in the job posting?" (Showcase your strategic thinking and ability to adapt to context.)

• "Imagine a product team is resistant to adopting the new design system due to tight deadlines. How would you approach this situation to gain their buy-in and support?" (Demonstrate your influencing and negotiation skills.)

• "What is your approach to collaborating with frontend engineers on component design and implementation? Can you share an example where you contributed to code or PR reviews?" (Highlight your technical fluency and collaborative style.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do ICEYE's values, particularly 'Make the impossible possible' and 'Be curious,' align with your approach to building and evolving a design system?" (Connect your work to company mission and values.)

• "Given ICEYE's focus on sovereign intelligence and SAR satellites, what unique considerations do you think are important for its design system, especially for professional interfaces?" (Show your understanding of the company's domain and user needs.)

• "How do you see AI tools impacting the future of design systems, and what practical applications have you explored or envision for ICEYE?" (Demonstrate forward-thinking and practical application of AI.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, the process, the solution (design system elements), and the outcome/impact.

• Highlight "0-to-1" Successes: Dedicate significant time to showcasing your experience in building systems from scratch, detailing the initial setup, decision-making, and early adoption phases.

• Showcase Technical Collaboration: Include examples of your interaction with code, such as design specifications for engineers, participation in technical discussions, or even examples of code you've contributed or reviewed.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics whenever possible (e.g., reduction in design debt, increase in development speed, consistency scores). If exact numbers aren't available, provide reasoned estimations and qualitative impact.

• Demonstrate Craftsmanship: Ensure your visual examples are polished and clearly illustrate your command of layout, typography, and visual hierarchy in complex interfaces.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, technical constraints, and how you handled trade-offs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on demonstrating practical experience, strategic thinking, technical collaboration, and the ability to influence – all critical for a lead role building a design system in a complex, fast-moving organization.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff/Lead Product Designer, Design System position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and experiences directly related to design systems, 0-to-1 initiatives, Figma expertise, React/CSS collaboration, and influencing cross-functional teams. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most relevant projects, with a strong emphasis on design system builds. Prepare a clear, concise presentation that demonstrates your strategic approach, technical collaboration, and impact. Be ready to walk through your thought process for each case study.

• Prepare for Technical Discussions: Brush up on React component architecture, CSS methodologies, and how design tokens are implemented. Be ready to discuss your experience in contributing to or reviewing code.

• Research ICEYE: Understand their mission, products (SAR satellites, sovereign intelligence), and the challenges of building a design system in their context. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers.

• Practice Your Story: Rehearse your answers to common design leadership and design system questions, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and demonstrating your unique value proposition.

⚠️ 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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