Product Designer - Design Systems
About Contrast UX
Contrast UX is a design agency focused on creating exceptional digital products that are clear, effective, and grounded in real user and business needs. We blend strong design fundamentals with strategic thinking to deliver experiences that resonate with users and drive measurable impact.
We partner with a wide range of clients, from ambitious startups to established enterprises, working closely with product and engineering teams to turn complex ideas into scalable, well crafted products. Collaboration is central to how we work. We operate as true partners, not vendors, embedding ourselves in teams to deeply understand context, constraints, and goals.
We actively push our practice forward by integrating AI into both how we design and what we design. For us, innovation is not about novelty. It is about using the right tools to think more clearly, move faster, and create smarter, more human centered digital experiences that exceed expectations.
The Role
We are looking for a freelance Product Designer who specializes in design systems. This role is for one of our major clients, where you will work as an embedded designer within the client’s product organization, with ongoing support and guidance from Contrast UX.
You will take ownership of the client’s design system as a living product. This includes shaping, maintaining, and scaling the system while staying closely connected to real product delivery. The role sits at the intersection of product design, design systems, design ops, and AI enabled workflows.
This is a hands on, delivery focused role. You are expected to make the system work in practice, not just define it in theory.
What You Will Do
Own and evolve the client’s design system including components, patterns, variables, tokens, and documentation
Translate product requirements into scalable system solutions rather than one off designs
Apply, extend, and refine the design system across active product areas
Support and collaborate with product designers to ensure correct and consistent system usage
Collaborate daily with product designers, product managers, and engineers to ensure system components are feasible, maintainable, and aligned with development constraints
Define and maintain contribution workflows, governance, and change management for the design system
Audit product surfaces to identify inconsistencies, gaps, and design debt
Use AI tools to support system creation, maintenance, documentation, and QA where it meaningfully improves speed and quality
Ensure accessibility, responsiveness, and platform consistency are built into the system by default
What We Are Looking For
3 to 5 years of experience as a product designer working on complex digital products
Proven experience owning or significantly contributing to a design system in production
Strong understanding of component based design and system thinking
Hands on experience working closely with engineers on shared components and constraints
High proficiency in building, structuring, and maintaining scalable design systems in Figma
Experience creating documentation that designers and developers actually use
Hands on experience using AI tools to support design system work, research synthesis, or quality control
Strong UX judgment and the ability to use AI without weakening clarity, usability, or trust
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills
Ability to manage your own time and deliver consistently in a freelance, remote setup
What We Offer
A flexible freelance role embedded within a major client product team
Meaningful ownership over a core design system used across real products
Close collaboration with experienced product designers, product managers, and engineers
Support and guidance from Contrast UX while working day to day with the client
The opportunity to shape scalable systems that directly impact product quality and delivery speed
To apply, please send your CV and portfolio. Applications without clear experience in design systems will not be considered.
