Staff Design Systems Engineer

<p style="min-height:1.5em">At ClickUp, we’re not just building software. We’re architecting the future of work! In a world overwhelmed by work sprawl, we saw a better way. That’s why we created the first truly converged AI workspace, unifying tasks, docs, chat, calendar, and enterprise search, all supercharged by context-driven AI, empowering millions of teams to break free from silos, reclaim their time, and unlock new levels of productivity. At ClickUp, you’ll have the opportunity to learn, use, and pioneer AI in ways that shape not only our product, but the future of work itself. Join us and be part of a bold, innovative team that’s redefining what’s possible! 🚀</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>About the Role</h2><p style="min-height:1.5em">We're hiring an AI-first design systems builder to embed in our Design & Research org and own the systems, workflows, and tooling that 10x how our teams operate. You'll be equal parts AI workflow builder and design systems owner: someone who sits in design and research sessions, deeply understands the workflows, and then goes and rebuilds them, turning what used to take days into tasks that run in the background.</p><div style="min-height:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"> </div><p style="min-height:1.5em">Building effective systems starts in an LLM to clarify the problem, moves into tools like Claude Code and Cursor to prototype agents, and ends in workflows that the team actually adopts.</p><div style="min-height:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"> </div><p style="min-height:1.5em">This role exists because our Design & Research org needs someone obsessed with removing every friction point. You'll partner closely with our Head of Design, research leads, and the broader Product Ops team to ensure design and research operations are running at a pace and quality that matches our ambition. We move fast, we care about details, and we don't settle.</p><h3>What You'll Do</h3><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Own and evolve design systems with AI-first workflows that 10x EPD efficiency.</strong> Go deep on how designers and researchers actually work: recruiting participants, synthesizing interviews, maintaining design systems, generating specs, tracking projects. Identify the highest-leverage friction points and rebuild those workflows from the ground up using AI. Ship agents, scripts, and integrations that compound team capacity.</p><div style="min-height:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"> </div><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Turn automate-able tasks into background processes.</strong> If a designer or researcher is doing something repetitive, that's your problem to solve. Build Super Agents for ops work, use AI coding assistants for integrations across Figma, research repos, and component libraries, and create systems that handle the work without anyone needing to think about it.</p><div style="min-height:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"> </div><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Contribute to strategic improvement of team quality and efficiency.</strong> This isn't just about saving time, it's about improving product outcomes efficiently. Surface where AI can improve research rigor, design system consistency, or cross-functional handoff quality. Bring a point of view on where the org should invest.</p><div style="min-height:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"> </div><h3>What You Bring</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">4+ years in design systems, design engineering, design operations, research operations, or technical program management at a fast-paced company</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Active use of LLMs such as Claude or ChatGPT in your actual workflow. You have AI projects you're excited to share!</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience with modern design and research tooling ecosystems (Figma, design tokens, component libraries, research repos, prototyping tools) and a strong point of view on where they're headed</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Strong technical fluency: APIs, automation platforms, and the ability to wire systems together</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">An eye for design and research quality. You don't have to be a designer or researcher, but you recognize great craft and care about the details that separate good from exceptional</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Ability to manage multiple high-urgency projects simultaneously across cross-functional teams</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Excellent communication with a strong bias toward action. Find the problem, diagnose it, propose the fix, and ideally just fix it</p></li></ul><h3>Nice to Have</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Engineering, Research, Design or Product Management background</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience planning or supporting customer interviews, usability tests, or research synthesis at scale</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Familiarity with design systems and extending shared components</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience in operations at a high-growth SaaS company shipping to millions of users</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Track record of building internal AI tools or agents that other teams actually adopted</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"><br>Unsure if you meet all the qualifications of this job description but are deeply excited about the role? We hire based on ambition, grit, and a passion for improving the way people work. If you think ClickUp is the company for you, we encourage you to apply!</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">At ClickUp, we assess every candidate based on the potential impact they can have. We hire the best people for the job and support each person’s journey to build their boldest career.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Equal Opportunity Employer </strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>ClickUp is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.</em></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Privacy Notice</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>ClickUp collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. You can find further details by viewing our </em><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://clickup.com/careers-terms/candidate-privacy-notice"><em>Global Candidate Privacy Notice.</em></a></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>If you are a Philippine Job Applicant, please also see our </em><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://t333.s.clickup-attachments-stg.com/t333/d9a53ce2-6d2c-48cd-84b1-ed4e525f9613/Philippine%20Data%20Privacy%20Notice_2024.pdf?view=open"><em>Philippine Data Privacy Notice</em></a><em> for further details.</em></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Visa Sponsorship</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>Please note we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for roles outside of engineering and product at this time. Sponsorship for engineering and product roles is not guaranteed, but is instead based on the business needs for that specific role at that time. Please reach out to the recruiter with any questions.</em></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Fraud Alert</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>ClickUp Talent Acquisition will only initiate contact via an <strong>@</strong></em><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://clickup.com"><em><strong>clickup.com</strong></em></a><em> email or through our official careers portal on </em><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://clickup.com"><em>clickup.com</em></a><em>. We will never request fees, payments, or sensitive personal information. Please disregard any offers received outside these channels and report them to support@clickup.com.</em></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>AI Processing Notice</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><em>ClickUp may use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to help review and screen candidates' employment applications against role-related criteria. These tools support, but do not replace, human decision‑making. If you have questions or need an accommodation in the recruitment process, please contact us at AskPeople@ClickUp.com.</em></p>

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Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...