Senior Manager, Design Systems & Foundations jobs in United States
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Instacart · 1 month ago

Senior Manager, Design Systems & Foundations

Instacart is transforming the grocery industry by making food accessible to everyone. They are seeking a Senior Manager, Design Systems & Foundations to lead the strategy and evolution of their design systems, collaborating with various teams to enhance user experiences at scale.

Delivery ServiceE-CommerceGroceryShopping
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H1B Sponsor Likelynote

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end strategy, roadmap, and vision for the Instacart Design System across web, iOS, and Android, ensuring a scalable, accessible, and brand-aligned experience everywhere
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 8 designers and design technologists, fostering a culture of craft, inclusion, learning, and operational excellence
Anticipate trends and proactively adapt IDS to meet emerging business, technology, and user needs while ensuring the system remains robust, engaging, and aligned with Instacart’s brand identity
Continuously improve established frameworks for governance, contribution, and adoption, ensuring they are robust, efficient, and aligned with the current and future needs of teams across Instacart
Build deep partnerships with Product, Engineering, and Brand teams to ensure IDS integrates seamlessly into workflows, tools, and design approaches across the company
Champion design excellence and ensure IDS is a foundation for accessible, cutting-edge, and user-first experiences that align with Instacart’s broader mission
Provide transparency and education to stakeholders and teams through office hours, release notes, and community engagements that encourage broad adoption and trust in IDS

Qualification

Digital product designDesign systems leadershipFigma expertiseAccessibility standardsMulti-platform systemsDesign tokensGovernance processesCommunity buildingMotion design principlesCollaboration skillsCommunication skills

Required

10+ years of experience in digital product design, with a track record of delivering user-first solutions, differentiated design language, and strong utility for engineering organizations
3+ years of experience leading teams, with demonstrated success managing both design systems designers and design technologists
A proven track record of evolving design systems at scale, ensuring adaptability to both user and organizational needs
Expertise in Figma, design tokens, multi-platform systems, and governance processes that facilitate reliable and scalable design operations
Strong understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and experience building inclusive systems by default
Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence across disciplines and clearly articulate the value of systems design within a larger organizational context
Ability to balance functional design with visionary thinking, inspiring teams to explore bold new approaches while driving measurable business value
Passion for fostering a community of practice and elevating design culture within an organization

Preferred

Deep curiosity and comfort identifying and pursuing opportunities to work with emerging tools, technologies, and workflows that advance design system capabilities
Experience defining and implementing motion design principles, with a track record of creating animations that enhance digital interfaces and align with system guidelines
Knowledge of how to integrate motion patterns into a design system while balancing brand identity, usability, and performance considerations

Benefits

Eligible for a new hire equity grant
Annual refresh grants

Company

Instacart

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Instacart is an online grocery platform that offers same-day delivery and pickup services for retailers and consumers.

H1B Sponsorship

Instacart has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (156)
2024 (173)
2023 (111)
2022 (159)
2021 (170)
2020 (59)

Funding

Current Stage
Public Company
Total Funding
$2.92B
Key Investors
T. Rowe PriceTiger Global ManagementD1 Capital Partners
2023-09-19IPO
2021-11-01Private Equity· $232M
2021-09-05Secondary Market

Leadership Team

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Chris Rogers
Chief Executive Officer
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Brandon Leonardo
Co-Founder
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Company data provided by crunchbase