Design System Engineer - World Wide Technology : Job Details

Role: Design System Engineer

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Top skills that candidates must be able to speak to previous experience in:

• Gap coming up really quick - design system engineer - Flutter skillset a must, Figma nice to have.
• Experienced front end dev that knows the handoff to/from designers.
• Need a person that can go to bat for building our front ends in flutter correctly.
• Someone that can critique specs that come from designers and compare against standards.
• Local to PHX preferred, then west coast time zone, but then open beyond that - if it's the right person and they can work west coast.

Key takeaways:

• A Design System Engineer is the crucial link between designers and developers, standardizing UI components and design guidelines.

• Beyond code and design, DSEs play an active role in quality assurance, documentation, and cross-team collaboration.

• Mastery of front-end development languages like Dart/Flutter as well as design tools Figma.

• DSEs are instrumental throughout the product development cycle, ensuring design systems are consistently implemented and updated.

• Familiarity with version control systems like Git and frameworks like Flutter enhances a DSE's ability to manage and scale design systems effectively.

• Bridge the gap to serve designers and engineers more efficiently with our Design System (MDS) and Flutter technology.

Who is a Design System Engineer?

A Design System Engineer ensures a seamless transition from visual concept to functional code.

DSEs curate and maintain the MDS design system, a centralized repository standardizing UI components and design guidelines. They share the responsibility of code with developers and user experience and design principles with the Design Ops team.

DSEs have a broad skill set from design tools and design thinking to writing code (HTML, CSS, and Javascript) and using front-end technologies (Flutter/Dart, React, Vue, Angular, etc.). DSEs are the go-to experts for design system's consistency, component's structure, and cross-team collaboration within a design system team. They keep the design and development workflows cohesive and streamlined.

What Skills Does a Design System Engineer Need?

While the design system engineer is a specialist role, their skill set must be broad to meet the position's multifaceted demands. Here are the hard and soft skills you'll need:

Hard Skills

- Front-End Development: Flutter, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

- Frameworks and Libraries: Familiarity with Dart/Flutter

- Version Control: Proficiency in Git is another non-negotiable for tracking and managing design system changes.

- Design Tools: Competency in Figma facilitates collaborating with design teams to create and modify UI components.

- Automated Testing: Skills in Jest, Mocha, or similar testing frameworks guarantee the design system's quality and reliability.

Soft Skills

- Communication skills: Clear articulation of complex technical ideas to designers, developers, and stakeholders makes everyone's life easier.

- Attention to Detail: Minor visual or functional inconsistencies can derail a project. Accuracy is key.

- Problem-Solving: Design systems are complex, requiring an ability to troubleshoot issues swiftly and effectively.

- Collaboration: The role sits at the intersection of design and development; teamwork skills are crucial.

- Time Management: Juggling design, development, and stakeholder meetings means strong organizational skills are essential.