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

Title: Principal Design System Lead (UI/UX & 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 ESTThe Planet Group is seeking an experienced Principal Design System Lead with a strong balance of modern UI craftsmanship and strategic UX thinking. 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: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.#LI-AW2 #CDM