Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the engineering direction of our design system and enhance product delivery.
- Company: Join Pleo, a progressive tech company transforming spend management.
- Benefits: Enjoy catered lunches, comprehensive healthcare, and flexible working options.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on thousands of businesses with innovative design solutions.
- Qualifications: Experience in frontend engineering and building component libraries is essential.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to growth and collaboration.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Messy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose‑lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we’re changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike—with a vision to help all businesses ‘go beyond’. The word ‘Pleo’ actually means ‘more than you’d expect’, and living by that mantra has been the secret to our success over the last 10 years. Now, we’re at a pivotal moment in our journey; every move we make has a direct impact on our 40,000+ customers, our business, and our collective success.
We need people who take pride in uncovering customer needs, who turn complex problems into simple solutions, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. With great ambitions driving us forward, we can’t say we’ve got this whole thing figured out. And frankly, that’s half the fun! What we can say is that we’re a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind bunch of 850+ people from over 100 nationalities, all committed to delivering the future of business spending, together.
We at Pleo are on a mission to make spend management surprisingly effective and empowering. We build a product used by thousands of companies across Europe, and our design system is a core part of delivering a consistent, accessible, high‑quality experience. We’re hiring a Staff Engineer to join the Design Systems team. This will help lead the engineering direction and execution of our design system across web and mobile.
What Design Systems does- Own and evolve Telescope, Pleo’s design system (components, patterns, guidelines, and tooling)
- Enable product teams to ship faster with consistent UI, accessibility, and quality
- Partner with Design and Engineering across the company to drive adoption and improve the contribution experience
- Steward shared foundations (tokens, components, documentation, and best practices)
As a Staff Tech Lead Engineer in Design Systems, you will be a force multiplier for product delivery and UI quality across Pleo.
- Set technical direction for key parts of Telescope (architecture, component standards, release practices, and quality bars)
- Drive and evolve our contribution model and how teams interact with Design Systems
- Own and improve how requests flow into the team (triage, prioritisation, and expectations)
- Improve the developer and contributor experience through tooling and automation, including:
- Design system visual testing and workflows
- Supporting internal operational needs where relevant
- Improving how we measure and communicate adoption and system health
- Evolving our docs publishing workflow
- Building and maintaining component libraries or platform‑like products that serve multiple teams
- TypeScript and modern frontend engineering (React experience is a plus)
- Designing maintainable systems with clear boundaries, versioning, and backwards compatibility
- Testing practices and tooling (unit, integration, end‑to‑end) and a strong quality mindset
- Accessibility and performance best practices for UI systems
- Collaboration with designers and product engineers, and navigating tradeoffs across stakeholders
- Lead by example and raise the bar with pragmatism and care
- Communicate clearly, listen well, and bring people along in decisions
- Enjoy breaking down complex problems, gathering input, and driving to a solution
- Coach others and create space for people to grow
- Prefer progress over perfection, while still caring deeply about quality
- Your own Pleo card (no more out‑of‑pocket spending!)
- Lunch is on us for your work days - enjoy catered meals or receive a lunch allowance based on your local office
- Comprehensive private healthcare - depending on your location, coverage options include Vitality, Alan or Médis
- We offer 25 days of holiday + your public holidays
- For our Team, we offer both hybrid and fully remote working options
- Option to purchase 5 additional days of holiday through a salary sacrifice
- We use MyndUp to give our employees access to free mental health and well‑being support with great success so far
- Paid parental leave - we want to make sure that we’re supportive of families and help you feel that you don’t have to compromise your family due to work
Please submit your application in English; it’s our company language so you’ll be speaking lots of it if you join. We treat all candidates equally: If you are interested please apply through our application system - any correspondence should come from there! Our lovely support team isn’t able to pass on any calls/ emails our way - and this makes sure that the candidate experience is smooth and fair to everyone. We can only achieve our goals if our team reflects the diversity of the world around us - and that starts with you, hitting apply, even if you are worried you might not tick all the boxes. We embrace and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply - regardless of race/ethnicity, colour, religion, nationality, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, neurodiversity, socio‑economic status, culture or beliefs.
Staff Engineer (Design Systems) employer: Pleo
Contact Detail:
Pleo Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Engineer (Design Systems)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can open doors that a CV just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio or side projects, make sure to share them. It’s a great way to demonstrate what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to design systems. The more you rehearse, the more confident you'll feel when it’s showtime!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step.
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Engineer (Design Systems)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Be Yourself: When you're writing your application, let your personality shine through! We want to get to know the real you, so don’t be afraid to show your passion for design systems and how you can contribute to our mission at Pleo.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight your experience with component libraries and frontend engineering. Show us how your skills align with what we’re looking for in a Staff Engineer, especially in areas like TypeScript and React.
Show Your Problem-Solving Skills: We love candidates who can break down complex problems. In your application, share examples of how you've tackled challenges in the past, particularly in design systems or UI quality. This will help us see your thought process!
Apply Through Our Website: Remember, the best way to apply is through our application system on the website. It keeps everything organised and ensures a smooth experience for everyone involved. So, hit that apply button and let’s get started!
How to prepare for a job interview at Pleo
✨Know Your Design Systems
Before the interview, dive deep into Pleo's design system, Telescope. Familiarise yourself with its components, patterns, and guidelines. Being able to discuss how you can contribute to evolving this system will show your genuine interest and understanding of the role.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare examples of how you've tackled complex problems in previous roles. Highlight your experience in building maintainable systems and how you've navigated trade-offs between design and engineering. This will demonstrate your ability to lead and innovate.
✨Communicate Clearly and Collaboratively
Practice articulating your thoughts clearly. Since collaboration is key at Pleo, be ready to discuss how you've worked with designers and engineers in the past. Show that you can listen well and bring people along in decision-making processes.
✨Emphasise Quality and Accessibility
Be prepared to talk about your approach to testing practices and ensuring accessibility in UI systems. Discuss any tools or methodologies you've used to maintain high-quality standards, as this aligns perfectly with Pleo's commitment to delivering effective solutions.
