Lead Product Designer - Design System & Product in London

Lead Product Designer - Design System & Product in London

London Full-Time 70000 - 90000 € / year (est.) No home office possible
ZOE

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead impactful product design and own ZOE's Design System across teams.
  • Company: Join ZOE's innovative Experience team focused on health and user joy.
  • Benefits: Remote-first culture, collaborative environment, and opportunities for personal growth.
  • Other info: Flexible roles available; we value potential and commitment above all.
  • Why this job: Make a real difference in people's health while working with top-notch professionals.
  • Qualifications: Proven design experience, strong visual craft, and leadership in design systems.

The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 € per year.

About the Team

You'll join ZOE's Experience team — a small multi‐disciplinary group of Product Designers, a Content Designer, a Motion Designer and UX Researchers. We care deeply about problem solving, craft, clarity, and impact. We challenge each other, learn together, and believe that great work can and should be joyful.

You'll partner closely with Brand, Product, Product Design, Engineering, and Content across squads — sometimes embedded in product teams, sometimes working horizontally across teams.

About the role

This role has two clear responsibilities: lead high‐impact product design across teams and own ZOE's Design System. You'll embed in product squads — leading hands‐on design work where your visual craft, influence and leadership are most needed. You'll move across teams, raise the quality bar, and lead through the work you produce.

You'll also own the direction and quality of our Design System. Over the past year we've invested heavily in it — it's now well‐established, powering our entire app experience with a full token layer, component library, motion and haptics guidelines. We're extending it to web surfaces with a shared token base and platform‐specific components. We need someone to own the system, working with designers across app and web to maintain, evolve, and scale it as our brand and product surfaces grow.

What you'll work on

  • Product Design Across Teams
    • Embed in product squads where your craft, systems thinking, or seniority adds the most value — this will shift over time depending on business priorities.
    • Contribute directly to end‐to‐end product design: from problem framing, exploration, and delivery.
    • Raise the UI quality bar across the team through direct contribution, critique, and pairing.
    • Partner with product, engineering and design leadership to contribute to product and design strategy — helping teams define what to build, not just how it looks.
  • Design System Ownership & Brand Integration
    • Partner with Design, Engineering and Product leadership to shape the DS roadmap — integrating with product strategy, brand evolution, and where the business is heading.
    • Drive DS adoption, workflows, governance, and documentation — making it easy for designers and engineers to use the system well.
    • Own Design System coherence across app and web, setting direction for how the system extends to new surfaces, and working with the designers building within it.
    • Ensure accessibility, consistency, and modularity are built into the system — not bolted on.
    • Partner closely with the Brand team to ensure the DS faithfully represents ZOE's brand — and evolves with it.
    • Be the bridge between Brand's creative ambition and Product's need for scalable, buildable components — translating brand direction into systematic, implementable patterns.

This role will be a great fit if you...

  • Experience & Craft
    • Have a portfolio demonstrating a track record of exceptional craft, end‐to‐end ownership, and measurable impact in a high‐growth and high‐scale environment.
    • Bring exceptional visual design and UI craft — layout, typography, colour, hierarchy, interaction detail.
    • Have played a leading role in a Design System — not just contributing components, but shaping direction and driving adoption.
    • Understand how brand identity translates into product design systems.
    • Understand token‐based design systems and how design decisions flow from Figma into code.
    • Have experience designing for both web and app surfaces.
  • Thinking & Mindset
    • Frame work around user and business problems, not just screens or components.
    • Design with outcomes in mind — not just experience quality, but what it drives.
    • Think in systems — how components, patterns, and decisions connect across surfaces and scale over time.
    • Are technically‐minded — interested in code and how design decisions are implemented, not just how they look in Figma.
    • Are comfortable with ambiguity and can shape clarity from it.
  • Ways of Working & Values
    • Are a maker first — you lead by producing excellent work, not just directing others.
    • Raise the craft and confidence of designers around you — through critique, pairing, and example.
    • Are collaborative, low‐ego, and direct.
    • Take ownership and follow through.
    • Care about improving people's health.

Lead vs Staff — how we think about levels

We're open to hiring at Lead or Staff level. Here's how we differentiate:

  • Lead — You're a strong senior IC stepping into broader influence. You own the DS and set the quality bar across the team. You embed in a few key squads and produce high‐quality work. You mentor through doing and through critique.
  • Staff — You bring deeper systems expertise and cross‐functional influence. You shape how design works at ZOE — not just what it produces. You're a trusted voice in strategic conversations with Brand, Product, and Engineering leadership. You've done this before at scale.

Levelling will be solely evidence based; we've spent time building a robust assessment framework we will use to inform this decision.

Why join ZOE?

  • Work on meaningful problems with real impact on people's health.
  • Operate at the intersection of science, product, and growth.
  • Shape critical revenue and member journeys at a pivotal stage of growth.
  • Collaborate with world‐class scientists, designers, and technologists.
  • Enjoy a remote‐first environment built on trust and support.

Together, we're building experiences that make better health feel possible, understandable, and joyful — while scaling a sustainable, high‐impact business.

Ready to thrive? We want to hear from you.

The experience, skills, and attributes we've outlined are what we believe will help someone truly thrive in this role. However, we understand that talent comes in many forms. If you are genuinely excited about ZOE's mission and this opportunity, please don't hesitate to apply — even if you don't meet every single requirement listed. We fundamentally value potential and commitment above all else. We are dedicated to fostering growth and providing opportunities for you to learn and develop alongside us.

Lead Product Designer - Design System & Product in London employer: ZOE

At ZOE, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture. Our remote-first environment encourages trust and support, allowing you to work on meaningful projects that have a real impact on people's health. With ample opportunities for professional growth and the chance to collaborate with world-class scientists and designers, joining our Experience team as a Lead Product Designer means becoming part of a mission-driven organisation dedicated to making better health accessible and enjoyable for all.

ZOE

Contact Detail:

ZOE Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Product Designer - Design System & Product in London

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, especially those at ZOE. A friendly chat can open doors that applications alone can't. Use LinkedIn or even Twitter to connect and show your interest.

Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! If you have a portfolio, make sure it’s up-to-date and highlights your best work. Tailor it to reflect the kind of design work ZOE is doing, especially around design systems and user experience.

Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by understanding ZOE's mission and values. Think about how your experience aligns with their goals. Be ready to discuss how you can contribute to their design system and product strategy.

Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of the ZOE team. Don’t hesitate, get your application in!

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Product Designer - Design System & Product in London

Product Design
Design System Ownership
Visual Design
UI Craft
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Systems Thinking
Token-Based Design Systems

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Craft:Make sure your portfolio is front and centre! We want to see your exceptional craft and how you've made an impact in previous roles. Highlight projects that showcase your end-to-end ownership and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application! Take the time to tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect how your experience aligns with our mission at ZOE. Show us how you can contribute to our Design System and product design across teams.

Be Authentic:We value genuine passion over ticking boxes. If you’re excited about our mission and the role, let that shine through in your application. Share your thoughts on how you can help improve people's health through design!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team!

How to prepare for a job interview at ZOE

Know Your Craft Inside Out

Make sure you can talk confidently about your portfolio and the projects you've worked on. Highlight your end-to-end ownership and measurable impact, especially in high-growth environments. Be ready to discuss how your design decisions have shaped user experiences.

Understand the Design System

Familiarise yourself with ZOE's Design System and be prepared to discuss how you would maintain and evolve it. Show that you understand token-based design systems and how they integrate with both app and web surfaces. This will demonstrate your readiness to own the system.

Collaborate and Communicate

Emphasise your collaborative mindset. Be ready to share examples of how you've partnered with cross-functional teams, including Product and Engineering. Highlight your ability to raise the craft and confidence of those around you through critique and mentorship.

Think in Systems

Show that you can frame work around user and business problems rather than just focusing on screens or components. Discuss how you approach design with outcomes in mind and how you ensure accessibility, consistency, and modularity in your designs.