Principal Design System Lead (UI Craft & AI-Integrated Workflows)

Principal Design System Lead (UI Craft & AI-Integrated Workflows)

Location: Remote (U.S. Only)

Work Authorization: Candidates must be U.S. citizens and must be physically located within the United States for the duration of the project. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Rate: $80-$90/hr depending on experience

Duration: Approximately 6 months (based on project needs)

Hours: 9am-5pm EST

The Planet Group is seeking an experienced Principal Design System Lead with a mastery of modern UI craftsmanship, Figma component architecture, and production-grade execution. In this role, you will evaluate, refine, and future-proof our client's design system (Ingredients in Figma paired with our component library, Tapas), serving as a strategic peer to in-house design leadership.

Following a complete legacy migration and company-wide rebrand, our next phase focuses on bridging human design-to-engineering handoffs with AI-assisted workflows (such as Claude Design, Claude Code, and Model Context Protocol/Code Connect). The ideal Design System Lead will establish reference files, structural guidelines, and multi-platform standards across 9 product surfaces (Desktop, Mobile, iOS, and Android), ensuring our design system serves as a single source of truth for both human teams and AI tooling.

Design System Lead Responsibilities:

• Elevate component UI with modern aesthetics, precise visual spacing, tight spatial grids, and polished layout patterns across all product surfaces.

• Conduct a comprehensive audit of Ingredients and Tapas across all 9 product surfaces to establish architectural frameworks, AI reference file structures, and legibility guidelines.

• Build structural frameworks, prompt context files, and guides that enable AI tools (Claude Code, Claude Design) to reference the design system accurately and output production-ready, shippable code.

• Design and standardize direct integration workflows (e.g., Code Connect, MCP) linking Figma components directly to front-end implementation code across Web and Native platforms.

• Ensure consistent component architecture across Desktop, Mobile Web, and Native (iOS/Android) environments for Marketplace, Restaurant Partner, Delivery, and Corporate surfaces.

• Partner closely with Design, Product, and Engineering Leads to establish validation checkpoints, test Phase 1 proof-of-concept outputs, and guide internal teams through execution phases.

Design System Lead Qualifications:

• Portfolio Requirement: Must showcase close-up visual artifacts of raw working Figma files, including component variant matrices, Auto Layout 3.0 setups, design token variables, and real, populated SaaS product screens.

• Proven track record building, scaling, and maintaining production-grade component libraries and multi-brand/multi-platform design systems in Figma and code.

• Hands-on experience integrating LLM/AI tools (Claude Design, Claude Code, Cursor, MCP, or Code Connect) into practical design and front-end development workflows.

• Deep familiarity with modern front-end web frameworks and native mobile development (iOS/Android) design patterns.

• Demonstrated ability to create clear system documentation, AI context guides, and operational handoff processes for hybrid design and engineering teams.

EEO Statement

The staffing industry has seen an increase in people falsely representing themselves as recruiters to gather personal information from job seekers. For your safety, do not provide sensitive data to anyone you have not spoken with thoroughly, never provide banking information during the application process, and always double check the email address of the Recruiter to ensure it’s from an official Planet domain and not a domain with an alternative extension like .net, .org, or .jobs.

The Planet Group and our companies are equal opportunity employers. It is our practice not to discriminate against any employee or applicant based on any criteria, condition or basis protected by laws or regulations in the locations where we do business. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect. If you have a disability or handicap and would like us to accommodate you in any reasonable way, please inform your recruiter, or contact us, so that we can discuss the appropriate alternatives available.

About The Planet Group

The Planet Group is a global professional services firm delivering strategic staffing and advisory solutions. We operate at the intersection of talent and transformation – connecting the right people with the right opportunities in the areas of technology, engineering, accounting & finance, digital marketing, and manufacturing.

As one of the largest staffing companies in the US, we operate with a global reach and a performance-first mindset. We partner with clients to move fast, stay agile, and drive measurable results – building high-impact teams that fuel transformation and growth.