Design Systems Lead

Design Systems Lead

Taco Bell was born and raised in California and has been around since 1962. We went from selling everyone's favorite Crunchy Tacos on the West Coast to a global brand with 8,500+ restaurants, 350 franchise organizations, that serve 42+ million fans each week around the globe. We're not only the largest Mexican-inspired quick service brand (QSR) in the world, we're also part of the biggest restaurant group in the world: Yum! Brands. Much of our fan love and authentic connection with our communities are rooted in being rebels with a cause. From ensuring we use high quality, sustainable ingredients to elevating restaurant technology in ways that hasn't been done before... we will continue to be inclusive, bold, challenge the status quo and push industry boundaries. We're a company that celebrates and advocates for different, has bold self-expression, strives for a better future, and brings the fun while we're at it. We fuel our culture with real people who bring unique experiences. We inspire and enable our teams and the world to Live Más. At Taco Bell, we're Cultural Rebels. Want to join in on the passion-fueled fun? Learn more about the career below.

About the Job:

The Design Systems Lead is responsible for building, scaling, and governing Taco Bell's design system as a core product ecosystem, not just a UI toolkit, and drives impact across the business through consistency, scalability, and cross-platform cohesion. With this role, the opportunities are endless: shaping a living enterprise design platform that powers mobile apps, web platforms, kiosk experiences, internal tools, and future digital products. The Design Systems Lead will report to the Senior UX Manager / Creative Director and lead the strategic evolution and operational execution of Taco Bell's design system platform.

The Day-to-Day:

• Lead the architecture, evolution, and governance of Taco Bell's design system across foundations, tokens, components, patterns, modules, and documentation • Manage cross-functional relationships with Engineering, Product, Merchandising, Marketing, Brand, and Platform teams • Drive system consistency across mobile, web, kiosk, internal tools, and future platforms • Partner closely with engineering teams to align design intent with technical implementation • Define contribution models, lifecycle management, versioning, and system scalability standards • Lead enablement, adoption, education, and system rollout across the organization

Is This You?

• 8+ years of experience in design, with deep specialization in design systems • Proven experience building and scaling enterprise design systems • Expert proficiency in Figma, design tokens, component libraries, and system architecture • Deep understanding of multi-surface platforms (mobile, web, kiosk, internal tools) • Strong experience partnering directly with engineering teams on system implementation • Ability to operate at both strategic and execution levels within complex organizations.

Work-Hard, Play-Hard:

• Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectations Tues, Wed, Thurs) and year-round flex day Friday • Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons • Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building) • Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, carwash • Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions • Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering • Tuition reimbursement and education benefits • Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program • 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting • Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care • Discounts, free food, swag and... honestly, too many good benefits to name Salary Range: $121,600 to $150,045 annually + bonus eligibility + benefits The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.