UI Designer / Design System Architect (w/m/d) UI Designer / Design System Architect (w/m/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UI Designer / Design System Architect (w/m/d)

Company: HENSOLDT

Location: Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UI/UX Design & Design Systems

Date Posted: May 11, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the foundational development and architecture of a scalable design system from inception to ongoing evolution.

• Define and implement core design principles, component libraries, and design tokens to ensure UI consistency across applications.

• Drive the creation of reusable UI components, patterns, and templates, fostering a unified user experience.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, particularly frontend developers, to ensure seamless design implementation and system adoption.

• Establish and maintain robust governance processes for the design system's contribution, versioning, and evolution.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a foundational architect for a design system, implying significant strategic input and ownership from the outset. The focus on building "from scratch" suggests a need for a proactive, self-starting individual with a strong vision for scalable design solutions in a complex, technology-driven environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Architecture & Development:

  • Conceptualize, define, and build a comprehensive, scalable design system from the ground up.
  • Establish core design principles, architectural guidelines, and best practices for UI consistency.
  • Develop and meticulously document a robust component library, including states, responsiveness, and interaction behaviors.
  • Define and maintain a clear system for Design Tokens (colors, typography, spacing, icons, motion) and ensure their accurate implementation in development.
  • Create and manage a centralized component and template library, detailing variants, layouts, and styles for ease of use.

• UI Design & Implementation:

  • Design and refine user interfaces for key screens and user flows within projects, ensuring adherence to the established design system.
  • Conduct thorough UI and system reviews to guarantee consistency and compliance with design system standards.
  • Collaborate intensively with frontend developers on the implementation of components, including design hand-offs, state management, interactions, and technical constraint considerations.

• Governance & Evolution:

  • Develop and implement lean governance processes for contribution, versioning, and change management within the design system.

  • Drive the ongoing evolution and refinement of the design system beyond initial project requirements, ensuring its continued relevance and scalability.

  • Act as a key advocate and educator for the design system across development and product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on strategic architecture and hands-on design execution. Emphasis on "from scratch" and "governance processes" indicates a need for someone who can not only design but also structure and manage the long-term lifecycle of a design system within a corporate environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Several years of professional experience in UI design, specifically for complex web or desktop applications.

• Proven experience in building and managing design systems, including defining components, patterns, and guidelines.

Required Skills:

• UI Design Expertise: Deep understanding of UI design principles, user-centered design methodologies, and visual hierarchy.

• Design System Architecture: Proven ability to architect, build, and scale design systems from the ground up.

• Prototyping Tools: High proficiency in professional UI/prototyping tools such as Figma, Axure, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar.

• Component Library Development: Experience in creating, documenting, and maintaining comprehensive component libraries.

• Design Tokens: Strong understanding and practical experience with defining and implementing Design Tokens.

• Frontend Technical Understanding: Foundational knowledge of frontend technologies (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js) to facilitate effective collaboration with developers.

• Usability & Accessibility: Keen eye for detail regarding typography, layout, contrast, and overall usability, with a strong awareness of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).

• Systemic Thinking & Problem Solving: Ability to think systematically, identify dependencies, and solve complex design challenges.

• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly.

• Proactive & Ownership Mindset: Demonstrated ability to take initiative, build new systems, and assume responsibility.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with specific frontend frameworks relevant to HENSOLDT's technology stack.

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies.

• Experience in establishing and refining governance models for design systems.

• Understanding of version control systems (e.g., Git) in the context of design assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex, data- or process-heavy contexts" and "industrial" experience suggests that candidates with a background in enterprise software, defense, aerospace, or similarly intricate fields will be highly valued. The need for "systemic thinking" and "ownership" points towards a senior-level individual expected to shape the direction of design operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Study: A comprehensive case study showcasing the end-to-end process of building a design system from scratch. This should detail the initial research, defining principles, component creation, token strategy, documentation approach, and governance model.

• Component Library Examples: Clear examples of designed UI components, demonstrating states, variations, responsiveness, and interaction design.

• Design Token Implementation: Visual representation of how Design Tokens were defined and applied across various UI elements.

• Process Documentation: Examples of how design processes were documented, including style guides, pattern libraries, and contribution guidelines.

• Collaboration Artifacts: Evidence of close collaboration with development teams, such as design hand-off documentation, annotated mockups, or examples of iterative feedback loops.

• Problem-Solving Examples: Showcase instances where complex UI challenges were overcome through systematic design thinking and the application of design system principles.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in documenting design workflows, component usage guidelines, and system updates.

• Highlight the ability to create clear, concise, and accessible documentation for both designers and developers.

• Show an understanding of how to maintain and evolve documentation alongside the design system itself.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, the portfolio is critical for demonstrating not just design talent but also the strategic capacity to build and manage a complex, scalable design system. Candidates should focus on showcasing the process and impact of their design system work, not just the visual output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Standard German health insurance coverage.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Company contributions to a pension scheme.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Ample vacation days, typically exceeding statutory minimums.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for training, workshops, and conferences relevant to design systems and UI/UX.

• Work-Life Balance Initiatives: Policies and culture that support a healthy balance between professional and personal life.

• Modern Workplace: Access to state-of-the-art tools and technology.

• Company Events & Team Building: Opportunities to connect with colleagues and foster a strong team spirit.

• Potential for Bonuses: Performance-based bonuses may be offered.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are typically around 40 hours per week, with flexibility often available. The role is on-site in Ulm, requiring regular presence at the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary figures are estimates for the Ulm region and may vary. Benefits are typical for a company of HENSOLDT's size and industry in Germany. The "w/m/d" designation in the job title signifies "weiblich/männlich/divers" (female/male/diverse), reflecting a commitment to inclusivity in Germany.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Defense Technology, Aerospace, Security Solutions. HENSOLDT is a leading provider of sensor technologies and advanced electronic solutions for defense and security applications. This industry context implies a need for robust, reliable, and secure design solutions that can operate in demanding environments.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (likely 10,000+ employees globally, based on typical HENSOLDT profiles). This scale suggests a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for significant impact within specialized teams.

Founded: 1889 (as Carl Zeiss’s optical instrument workshop, with HENSOLDT evolving from this heritage). This long history signifies stability, deep technical expertise, and a culture rooted in innovation and precision.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the Air SIGINT Software Engineering department. This suggests a team focused on software for airborne electronic warfare systems, likely comprising software engineers, system architects, project managers, and quality assurance specialists.

• The UI Designer / Design System Architect will likely report to a Head of Software Engineering or a Lead Architect within this department.

Methodology:

• The department utilizes "efficient and innovative technologies, processes, and tools" in its software development for flying electronic warfare systems. This implies an adoption of modern software engineering practices, potentially including Agile methodologies, CI/CD pipelines, and a focus on robust, maintainable code.

• The design system approach itself is a methodology to standardize and optimize the UI development process, ensuring efficiency and consistency.

Company Website: https://www.hensoldt.net/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on defense and security implies a need for designs that are not only user-friendly but also secure, reliable, and potentially operate under harsh conditions or with high levels of data complexity. The long company history suggests a culture of engineering excellence and long-term product vision.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Individual Contributor or Lead within the design domain. It's a strategic architect role, not a management position, focused on building a foundational design system. The "from scratch" aspect indicates a significant opportunity to shape a critical part of the company's design infrastructure.

Reporting Structure: The role is within the Air SIGINT Software Engineering department. The designer will report to a lead within this department, likely a software engineering manager or lead architect, and will collaborate closely with frontend development teams.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant:

• Efficiency: A well-defined design system dramatically speeds up UI development cycles by providing pre-built, tested components.

• Consistency: Ensures a unified and professional user experience across all HENSOLDT software applications, crucial for complex systems where clarity is paramount.

• Scalability: Enables the company to scale its software development efforts more effectively by providing a standardized framework.

• Quality: Improves the overall quality and maintainability of the user interface.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Potential to evolve into a lead design system architect or manager, overseeing multiple design systems or a broader design operations function.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like design token implementation, accessibility standards, or frontend integration patterns.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across different HENSOLDT product lines or business units, promoting design system adoption and best practices.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Opportunities to gain deeper technical understanding of frontend development stacks and their implications for design.

• Mentorship: Guide and mentor junior designers or developers involved in UI implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique opportunity for a designer to build a critical piece of infrastructure that will have a lasting impact on HENSOLDT's software products. The growth path is focused on deepening expertise and expanding influence within the design and development ecosystem.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site at HENSOLDT's facility in Ulm, Germany. This indicates a professional office environment conducive to collaboration and focused work.

Office Location(s): Ulm, Germany. This location is a hub for technology and engineering in the Baden-Württemberg region.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires close collaboration with frontend developers and other engineering stakeholders, suggesting an open or semi-open office layout that facilitates communication.

• Tools & Technology: Access to professional design and prototyping tools (Figma, Axure, etc.) will be provided. The company likely has robust IT infrastructure to support software development and design work.

• Team Interaction: Regular team meetings, design reviews, and cross-functional workshops are expected. The opportunity to build something "from scratch" implies a dynamic and potentially iterative work process.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time schedule (approx. 40 hours/week). While on-site, there might be some flexibility in daily start/end times, common in German work culture, but adherence to core business hours for collaboration is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Ulm suggests that candidates should be willing and able to relocate or commute to the area. The collaborative nature of building a design system from scratch implies a fast-paced yet structured environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or a recruiter will likely conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: A key stage will involve presenting your portfolio, specifically focusing on design system experience. You'll discuss your process, methodologies, and the impact of your work. Expect in-depth questions about your approach to building a design system from scratch, component architecture, token strategy, and collaboration with developers.

• Case Study/Design Challenge: You may be given a take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual challenge to design a component or flow based on hypothetical requirements, or to critique an existing UI and propose improvements using design system principles.

• Team/Manager Interviews: Meetings with potential team members and the hiring manager to assess technical depth, problem-solving skills, and alignment with the team's working style.

• Final Round: Potentially a discussion with senior leadership regarding strategic vision and long-term impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Expertise: Dedicate a significant portion of your portfolio to showcasing your experience building, architecting, or contributing to design systems.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use detailed case studies that walk through your process, from initial research and problem definition to solution design and implementation considerations.

• Focus on "From Scratch": Emphasize projects where you were instrumental in initiating or building a design system, detailing the challenges and your solutions.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Include examples of how you worked with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders. Show design hand-off processes and how you ensured successful implementation.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the benefits of your design system work (e.g., reduced development time, increased UI consistency, improved user satisfaction).

• Structure for Clarity: Organize your portfolio logically, making it easy for reviewers to navigate and find relevant information. Use clear headings and concise descriptions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Design System Principles: Be ready to articulate the core tenets of design systems, including atomic design, design tokens, component states, and governance.

• Frontend Awareness: Brush up on basic frontend concepts (HTML, CSS, common frameworks) to discuss implementation feasibility with developers.

• Problem-Solving: Practice breaking down complex UI problems and proposing systematic solutions rooted in design system thinking.

• Communication: Prepare to clearly articulate your design decisions, rationale, and the trade-offs involved.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "from scratch" and "governance" means interviewers will be looking for strategic thinking, leadership potential, and a robust understanding of the entire design system lifecycle, not just visual design skills.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UI/Prototyping Tools: Proficiency is required in at least one professional tool such as Figma, Axure, Sketch, or Adobe XD. The company will collaborate with the candidate to finalize the specific tool choice.

• Design System Management Platforms: Familiarity with tools or methodologies for managing component libraries and design tokens (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or custom solutions).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this role, but understanding how UI components integrate into larger software applications is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention that "the concrete tool choice you will make with us" indicates a significant opportunity for the chosen candidate to influence the tooling stack for design systems at HENSOLDT. Figma is a very common choice for modern design systems.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Engineering Excellence: A core value at HENSOLDT, emphasizing precision, reliability, and high-quality output in all engineering endeavors, including design.

• Innovation: A drive to develop cutting-edge solutions and adopt new technologies and processes.

• Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork and cross-functional cooperation to achieve complex project goals.

• Responsibility & Ownership: Encouraging individuals to take ownership of their work and contribute proactively to the team's success.

• Integrity & Trust: Upholding high ethical standards and fostering a trustworthy environment, particularly critical in the defense sector.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect close working relationships with software engineers, system architects, and project managers. Communication will likely be direct and focused on technical and design alignment.

• Process-Oriented: A structured approach to design and development, driven by the need for consistency and reliability in complex systems. The design system itself is a framework for structured collaboration.

• Feedback Exchange: An environment where constructive feedback is valued to ensure the design system and its implementations meet high standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's industry (defense) strongly influences its culture, prioritizing reliability, security, and meticulous engineering. The role of a design system architect is crucial in embedding these values into the user interface layer of HENSOLDT's complex software solutions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building from Scratch: Establishing a design system in a large organization requires significant effort in defining standards, gaining buy-in, and driving adoption across diverse teams.

• Technical Constraints: Balancing ideal design principles with the technical realities and constraints of complex software development environments.

• Cross-Team Alignment: Ensuring consistent application of the design system across multiple projects and development teams, each with potentially different priorities and workflows.

• Evolving Technology Landscape: Keeping the design system relevant and updated with new technologies, design trends, and evolving user needs.

• Legacy Systems: Potentially integrating the new design system with existing applications or systems that may not have been built with a standardized approach.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Design Systems: Unparalleled opportunity to become an expert in design system architecture, strategy, and governance.

• Industry Exposure: Gain insight into the unique design challenges and requirements of the defense and aerospace industry.

• Technical Skill Expansion: Enhance understanding of frontend development, component frameworks, and how design integrates with code.

• Strategic Influence: Develop skills in influencing product strategy and driving organizational change through design.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from experienced engineers and architects within HENSOLDT.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to building a foundational system in a large, established company. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a chance to become a key figure in HENSOLDT's design and development strategy.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a design system from scratch for an organization like HENSOLDT, considering our focus on complex defense applications?" (Focus on phased approach, stakeholder engagement, core principles, initial components, and token strategy.)

• "Describe your process for defining and documenting Design Tokens. How do you ensure they are accurately translated into code?" (Detail your methodology for naming, organizing, and managing tokens and your collaboration with developers.)

• "Imagine a scenario where a development team resists adopting the new design system. How would you address this challenge and encourage adoption?" (Focus on communication, demonstrating value, providing support, and iterative implementation.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about HENSOLDT and our industry? How do you see design contributing to our mission?" (Research HENSOLDT's products, values, and recent news. Connect design system benefits to reliability, security, and efficiency in defense.)

• "How do you balance the need for design consistency with the need for flexibility and innovation in development teams?" (Discuss governance, contribution models, and establishing clear guidelines while allowing for necessary customization.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process, the solution you designed (especially the design system aspects), and the outcomes/impact.

• Focus on Design System: If you have direct design system experience, make it the centerpiece. If not, extract principles from other projects (e.g., design consistency, reusable pattern creation) and frame them within the context of building a system.

• Showcase Documentation: Include examples of your documentation style – style guides, component specs, token definitions.

• Highlight Collaboration: Use visuals or descriptions to show how you collaborated with engineers.

• Be Prepared for Technical Questions: Anticipate questions about implementation feasibility, CSS, and common frontend frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your strategic thinking, your ability to build and evangelize a design system, and your understanding of complex technical environments. Be ready to discuss "why" behind your design decisions and how they align with business and engineering goals.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UI Designer / Design System Architect position:

• Submit your application exclusively online via the HENSOLDT career portal using the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to prominently feature your experience in building design systems from scratch, architectural contributions, component libraries, and design tokens. Highlight any experience in complex, data-intensive application design.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your years of experience in UI design, your proficiency with relevant tools (Figma, Axure), and any experience in industrial or defense technology sectors. Use keywords from the job description like "Design System Architect," "UI Components," "Design Tokens," and "Governance."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, your approach to building scalable systems, and how you collaborate with development teams. Prepare specific examples from your portfolio that demonstrate these skills.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research HENSOLDT, its products, its industry, and its mission. Understand the implications of working in defense technology and how a robust design system supports these needs.

⚠️ 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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