At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and manage the design system, ensuring clarity and consistency across digital products.
- Company: Join Royal Mail, a historic brand transforming its services for millions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, healthcare, generous leave, and family-friendly support.
- Other info: Hybrid work model with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping design at scale in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in design systems, strong stakeholder management, and knowledge of HTML/CSS.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 66000 £ per year.
- Job reference
- Design System Specialist
Competitive salary plus car allowance, healthcare , 18% annual bonus potential, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising with service and a company pension scheme with highly competitive contribution rates
- Permanent, Full time
- Royal Mail Farringdon x3 days in office
Royal Mail is changing how we serve our customers, and the role of design has never been more important in shaping how we do that.
We are in the most significant period of transformation in our 500-year history, rebuilding the services that millions of people rely on every day.
To do that well, we need exceptional designers who can connect strategy with delivery, bring people along with evidence and clear thinking, and set standards that elevate the work of everyone around them.
We are looking for a Design System Specialist to own the design side of our design system: the token architecture, component design, governance and roadmap that our digital product teams build from.
You will be the connecting point between engineering, product management and design, balancing competing priorities to keep the system moving forward.
If you're energised by the chance to make design work at scale, we would love to hear from you.
As Design System Specialist, you will own the design system as the shared foundation product teams build and automate from: design language and principles, design tokens, the component library, the Figma-to-code contract, and the documentation and governance to ensure integrity and use at scale, keeping Royal Mail's brand identity consistent across every surface.
This individual contributor role sits at the intersection of design, engineering and product management.
You will plan and manage the design system roadmap, operate agents that monitor drift, generate documentation and support design QA, with your focus on architecture decisions, judgement calls and stakeholder alignment.
What You'll Be Doing
At its core, this role is about building the foundation that lets the rest of the design and engineering organisation move faster, with more consistency and less rework.
- Roadmap and stakeholder management
- Plan and manage the design system roadmap, prioritising and sequencing work across engineering, product management and design.
- Act as the connecting point between engineering, product management and design leadership, translating needs and constraints between the three.
- Manage competing stakeholder priorities and deliver to deadline under pressure, keeping the roadmap realistic and on track.
- Design system architecture
- Architect the design system for clarity at scale: token architecture, component rules and documented decision criteria that keep the system consistent as it grows.
- Own the propagation pipeline from Figma into engineering's codebase, partnering with engineering and frontend teams so tokens, components and patterns are consumable by code as well as by designers.
- Define and maintain conventions across Figma, including file structure, layer naming and handoff annotations, and keep them enforced as the team scales.
- AI-enabled practice
- Operate agents that monitor drift between Figma and production, flag issues and support design QA, reviewing outputs and triaging for where human judgement is needed.
- Build automation around the system, including plugins, scripts and Figma Make workflows, to remove repetitive work from designers and engineers alike.
- Governance and quality
- Establish and maintain documentation and governance for design system components, including versioning, naming conventions, contribution guidelines and change management for both human and agent use.
- Lead design system audits and accessibility reviews, ensuring components meet WCAG 2.2 AA by default.
- Adoption and enablement
- Run regular design system office hours and hands-on support for designers and engineers across teams, driving effective adoption in addition to component documentation.
- Define and track adoption KPIs that measure the design system's impact on delivery speed, consistency, and quality.
- Make the case for system investment to product and engineering leadership, building the stakeholder relationships that keep the system funded and prioritised.
- Embed design system adoption into platform modernisation and journey rebuild work, so new products default to system-based design from the outset.
About You
You will bring strong systems thinking, experience planning and managing a roadmap across multiple stakeholder groups, and the stakeholder skills to make the case for why the system matters.
Essential Experience And Skills
- A track record of leading design system or platform design capability within a product organisation, evidenced by a portfolio of system architecture, tokens and documented governance.
- Experience translating brand identity and visual language into a scalable design system, ensuring tokens and components stay true to the brand as it grows.
- Working knowledge of HTML, CSS and at least one component-based front-end framework, enough to communicate fluently with engineers and specify tokens that propagate cleanly.
- Demonstrated practice building or operating automation around design tools such as Figma plugins, scripts or Figma Make.
- Comfort writing structured prompts and iterating on rule sets that govern agent behaviour around the design system.
- Strong systems thinking, understanding the needs humans and agents as consumers of the system.
- Track record of stakeholder management, making the case for system investment with product and engineering leadership.
- Proven experience supporting WCAG 2.2 AA and inclusive design principles within design systems.
- Experience planning and managing a design system or platform roadmap, prioritising and sequencing work across engineering, product management and design.
- Proven ability to work as the connecting point between these groups, managing competing priorities and delivering to deadline under pressure.
- Personal Attributes
- Systems thinker, comfortable holding architecture-level detail and the bigger picture at once.
- Pragmatic and focused on adoption and real-world usage.
- Confident making the case for system investment to senior stakeholders.
- Comfortable managing competing stakeholder priorities and delivering to deadline under pressure.
- Comfortable building capability from the ground up in a growing design function.
- Collaborative, used to working closely with both engineers and designers to achieve system-wide goals.
- Extra Benefits
- Family friendly support - enhanced maternity pay, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave
- Supportive and generous company sick pay
- Funded Dental - As a manager you are eligible to a level of employer funded dental insurance*
- Health Assessment - As a manager you are eligible to an employer funded health assessment every 2 years*
- Benefits Account - You will have access to your personal benefits account on our 'My Bundle+' platform.
There are more than 800 retail offers to help you save on things like groceries, days out, holidays and your household bills as well as employer provided and voluntary benefits to suit your lifestyle.
- Your Wellbeing - you and your family have 24/7 access to services and tools to help you get the most out of life.
From your physical and mental health to financial and social support and advice.
It's free, and it's for everyone.
Royal Mail Group is committed to inclusion and representing the diverse communities we serve.
We welcome applications from all individuals.
As a proud Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we especially encourage applications from the Armed Forces community, including cadet instructors and spouses/partners.
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process.
If you require any adjustments to support you during the hiring process, please discuss these with your recruiter when contacted.
We are Forces family friendly and a Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant.
We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.
For more information on Royal Mail Group and our values please click here:
Closing Date: . 10th November 2026 Please note, this advert may close early if the appropriate number of applications has been reached.
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Design System Specialist in London employer: Royal Mail
Royal Mail is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment at our Leeds Mail Centre, where you can be part of a significant technological transformation in the delivery services sector. With competitive salaries exceeding £55,000, generous leave entitlements, and a commitment to employee growth through continuous improvement projects, we foster a culture of collaboration and innovation. Join us to not only advance your career but also contribute to a company that values diversity and inclusion, ensuring every voice is heard and respected.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Design System Specialist in London
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
In the world of UX/UI design, your portfolio speaks volumes! Make sure it's packed with your best work and showcases your process, not just the final product. We want to see how you tackle design challenges, so consider adding case studies that reflect your thought process and user-centric approach.
✨Get Involved in Design Communities
Jump into local or online design meetups and workshops! Places like UXPA or local design events can be goldmines for networking and learning. Plus, mingling with fellow designers can introduce you to potential job openings that might not be listed elsewhere.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you find a role that excites you, like the one at Royal Mail for a Design System Specialist, make your application count! Highlight specific projects and skills that directly relate to the job description. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who fit into their specific team, so show them you’re the one!
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in finding a UX/UI design job! Follow design leaders on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, share your work, and engage in conversations. It’s a great way to get noticed by recruiters and even catch wind of openings at companies like Royal Mail before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Design System Specialist in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Design System Specialist at Royal Mail, make sure to include examples that clearly highlight your design process. We want to see not just the final product but also the journey that led you there—wireframes, user personas, and iterations demonstrate your thought process and user-centric approach!
Tailor Your Portfolio:A tailor-made portfolio is crucial for a full-time design role! Curate your best projects that align with the kind of work Royal Mail does. We suggest including 3-5 case studies that showcase a variety of skills such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to really make your application pop.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not just be a summary of your CV. Use it to express why you’re excited about UX/UI Design and what draws you specifically to Royal Mail. Mention any relevant experience, tools you’re proficient in (like Sketch or Figma), and how you can contribute to their projects.
Highlight Collaboration Skills:In the world of UX/UI Design, teamwork is crucial. Make sure to highlight any past experiences where you worked in cross-functional teams. Illustrate how you communicated design decisions and listened to feedback, as this will resonate well with the culture at Royal Mail.
How to prepare for a job interview at Royal Mail
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
When you're gunning for a full-time UX/UI design role, your portfolio is your best friend! Make sure you've got a solid selection of your work, showcasing not just the final designs, but the process behind them—think wireframes, user flows, and any user research you've conducted. During the interview with Royal Mail, be prepared to discuss your design decisions and how they solve specific user problems.
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Expect to face some practical design tasks during your interview. Royal Mail might ask you to tackle a quick design challenge or critique an existing interface. Brush up on your problem-solving skills and try to articulate your thought process as you work through these scenarios. Showing how you approach a design problem is just as important as the final output!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with the tools commonly used in the industry—figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch should be second nature to you. Be ready to discuss your preferred tools during the interview and how they've shaped your design process at previous positions. This knowledge could give you an edge at Royal Mail!
✨Show Passion for User Experience
In a full-time UX/UI design role, having a genuine passion for improving user interactions can set you apart. Be prepared to share instances when you went above and beyond to ensure a great user experience in your previous projects. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a designer, but a user advocate, which is exactly what Royal Mail is looking for.
