Design Systems Lead

TrustedHousesitters is a fast growing, direct-to-consumer marketplace that is redefining pet care and travel.

Here at TrustedHousesitters, we're on a mission to make travel work better for pets, for their people, and for the global community of animal lovers who look after them. We've got big plans on becoming the world's most-loved travel solution for pet people. We've built something pretty special: a trusted place where pet owners and sitters connect to keep pets happy at home while their humans explore the world.

We've already grown into a global community with members in over 140 countries, a product people genuinely love, and a team of more than 100 brilliant humans powering it all.

But we're only just getting started. Our goal? To grow to 1 million members and make TrustedHousesitters the world's most-loved travel solution for pet people.

At the moment, a sit starts every two minutes somewhere on the planet. We want that to be every single minute and we know the only way we'll get there is with the right people in the right roles.

The right people in the right roles will shape our future. So, here's the big question: Could that be you?

Design Systems Lead

Reports to: Director of design

Alliance/squad: Platform and enablement alliance, front-end guild

People management: NA

Key skills: Scalable design systems, product design, product management, design system measures, component architecture, accessibility standards, cross-functional facilitation, design-dev collaboration, design system governance frameworks, stakeholder management, design ops, technical documentation, contribution models, roadmap planning, systems thinking, AI prototyping tools and tooling automation.

About the Role

We're seeking our first dedicated Design Systems Lead to evolve our design system practice. This is a unique hybrid role that combines strategic leadership with hands-on individual contributor work. You'll partner closely with designers and engineers to evaluate our current state, define the future vision, and actively contribute to building a scalable, cohesive design system that serves our entire product and marketing organisation.

What You'll Do

Leadership & Strategy:

Lead regular design systems ceremonies with Front-end Guild engineers and product designers to align on priorities, resolve blockers, and foster collaboration

Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our existing design system including Figma libraries, Storybook components, documentation, standards, processes, and governance models

Define and drive the strategy for our 2026 design system evolution, balancing technical debt, new capabilities, and organisational needs

Partner with other design, product and engineering leaders to shape AI-powered product development vision

Establish governance frameworks and contribution models that scale across squads

Build and maintain the design system roadmap in partnership with product and engineering leadership

Hands-On Execution:

Design and deliver high-quality UI components, patterns, and guidelines in Figma

Collaborate with engineers on component implementation, ensuring design-dev parity

Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for designers and developers

Contribute to design and code reviews and component API design decisions

Build practical examples and usage guidelines that accelerate product team adoption

Enablement & Advocacy:

Champion design system adoption across product teams through education, workshops, and office hours

Gather feedback from designers and engineers to continuously improve the system

Measure and communicate design system impact through metrics like adoption rates, efficiency gains, and consistency improvements

What We're Looking For

Required Experience:

7+ years in product design or product management with at least 4 years focused on design systems work

Proven track record of both designing and implementing design system components

Strong proficiency in Figma including variables, components, and library management

Working knowledge of front-end, HTML, CSS, and component-based frameworks

Experience with design tokens, accessibility standards, design principles

Technical Skills:

Expert-level Figma skills with deep understanding of auto-layout, variants, and design system architecture

Proficiency with Storybook, Zeroheight or similar component documentation tools

Understanding of version control (Git) and design-dev handoff workflows

Proficiency in project management tools such as Jira

Knowledge of design token implementation and tooling

Active usage of AI tools, such as Replit, Bolt, v0 and others

Strategic Skills:

Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution

Strong product management sensibilities including prioritization, stakeholder management, and roadmap planning

Experience establishing design system governance and contribution modelsTrack record of driving adoption and measuring impact

Collaboration & Communication:

Excellent facilitation skills for leading cross-functional ceremonies and workshops

Clear communicator who can translate between design and engineering contexts

Empathetic partner who builds trust across disciplines

Comfortable giving and receiving feedback in collaborative environments

What Success Looks Like

In 3 months, you've completed the design system audit, established regular ceremonies, built relationships with key stakeholders, and begun shipping improvements to high-priority components.

In 6 months, you've defined and socialized the 2026 strategy, improved design-dev workflow efficiency, increased system adoption across teams (reduced different teams rebuilding the same patterns), and established clear governance practices. The squads that use AI prototyping tools can utilise our design system without issues.

In 12 months, the design system is a thriving practice with measurable impact on consistency, strong cross-functional ownership, and a clear roadmap that supports business goals.

Why This Role Matters

As our first Design Systems Lead, you'll shape the foundation of how we build products at scale. You'll have the autonomy to define best design practices, the support to drive meaningful change, and the opportunity to work hands-on while establishing strategic direction. This role is perfect for someone who loves the craft of design systems and wants to build something impactful from the ground up.

If you're ready to join us on our mission to become the most loved pet travel solution, we'd love to hear from you

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example- she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

At the heart of our team are a mix of diverse backgrounds. Here at TrustedHousesitters, we're committed to the equal opportunities policy throughout the interview process and selection. Offers of employment into TrustedHousesitters are based solely on individual merit, qualifications, and the person's professional suitability.

Gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or beliefs, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, pregnancy or maternity status, or any other protected characteristics do not enter into our decision-making process.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.