Design Systems Lead

About the role

The Design Systems Lead is responsible for building, scaling, and governing Taco Bell's design system as a core product ecosystem, not just a UI toolkit, and drives impact across the business through consistency, scalability, and cross-platform cohesion.

Responsibilities

• Architecture, evolution, and governance of Taco Bell's design system across foundations, tokens, components, patterns, modules, and documentation
• Drive system consistency across mobile, web, kiosk, internal tools, and future platforms
• Partner closely with engineering teams to align design intent with technical implementation
• Define contribution models, lifecycle management, versioning, and system scalability standards
• Lead enablement, adoption, education, and system rollout across the organization

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in design, with deep specialization in design systems
• Proven experience building and scaling enterprise design systems
• Expert proficiency in Figma, design tokens, component libraries, and system architecture
• Deep understanding of multi-surface platforms (mobile, web, kiosk, internal tools)
• Strong experience partnering directly with engineering teams on system implementation
• Able to operate at both strategic and execution levels within complex organizations

Qualifications

• Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectations Tues, Wed, Thurs)
• Year-round flex day Friday
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
• Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
• Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, carwash
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
• Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
• Tuition reimbursement and education benefits
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
• Salary Range: $121,600 to $150,045 annually + bonus eligibility + benefits

Skills

• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience with design systems and toolkits
• Understanding of user-centered design principles
• Experience with Figma and similar design tools

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care
• Discounts, free food, swag
• Tuition reimbursement and education benefits
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting