About the role

About The Meridiem

The Meridiem is a fast-growing technology media platform delivering timely, high-quality journalism across AI, startups, venture capital, cybersecurity, and enterprise tech. Our platform is built on Next.js 16 with a component architecture powered by shadcn/ui, Radix UI primitives, and Tailwind CSS v4 — deployed globally on Cloudflare Workers to serve technology leaders, founders, and engineers.

Role Overview

We are hiring a Design Systems Lead to build and maintain the foundational design system that powers The Meridiem's entire product experience. You will define component libraries, design tokens, documentation standards, and governance processes that ensure visual and functional consistency as our platform scales. This role requires a rare blend of design craft, systems thinking, and technical fluency — someone who can work in Figma and understand how those decisions translate into Tailwind utility classes and React components.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and maintain The Meridiem's design system spanning Figma component libraries, design tokens, and coded component documentation.
• Define and govern design tokens for color, typography, spacing, elevation, and motion that map directly to our Tailwind CSS v4 configuration.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers to ensure 1:1 parity between Figma components and their shadcn/ui + Radix UI implementations in code.
• Write and maintain comprehensive design system documentation — usage guidelines, do/don't examples, accessibility notes, and code snippets for every component.
• Establish contribution workflows and governance processes so designers and engineers can propose, review, and ship new components systematically.
• Audit existing UI for inconsistencies and drive adoption of the design system across all product surfaces, editorial pages, and marketing properties.
• Define responsive behavior specifications for every component, ensuring consistent experiences from mobile to ultrawide displays.
• Champion accessibility throughout the system — every component must meet WCAG 2.1 AA with proper ARIA patterns, keyboard navigation, and focus management.
• Partner with the UI/UX and brand design teams to align the system with evolving brand guidelines and editorial design needs.
• Build and maintain a component status dashboard tracking design completeness, code implementation, documentation coverage, and accessibility compliance.
• Lead design system rituals including regular syncs, office hours, and component review sessions with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Evaluate and integrate new patterns as the platform grows — dark mode, content density options, reader customization, and new editorial formats.

Requirements

• 6+ years of design experience with at least 3 years focused on design systems, component libraries, or platform design.
• Proven track record of building and shipping a design system used by multiple teams or products.
• Expert Figma skills including component variants, auto-layout, design tokens, and library management.
• Strong understanding of component-based frontend architecture, particularly React, Tailwind CSS, and utility-first design patterns.
• Familiarity with shadcn/ui, Radix UI, or similar headless component libraries and how they separate behavior from styling.
• Deep knowledge of accessibility standards and how to encode ARIA patterns, focus management, and keyboard navigation into a design system.
• Excellent documentation skills — the ability to write clear, actionable guidelines that designers and engineers actually use.
• Experience establishing governance models for design system contributions, versioning, and deprecation.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills to drive alignment across design, engineering, and product teams.

Nice-to-Have

• Experience with design token tooling such as Style Dictionary, Tokens Studio, or Figma Variables.
• Hands-on experience writing or reviewing React/TypeScript component code.
• Background in editorial, news, or content-heavy platform design systems.
• Familiarity with Tailwind CSS v4 configuration, including custom themes and plugin architecture.
• Experience with Storybook or similar component documentation and testing tools.
• Understanding of Cloudflare Workers or edge deployment considerations for frontend performance.
• Knowledge of CSS Container Queries and modern responsive design techniques.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary ($135,000 - $170,000) with meaningful equity in a Series A startup.
• Fully remote work environment with flexible hours and async-first culture.
• Annual learning and development budget of $3,000 for conferences, courses, and tools.
• Premium health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Generous PTO policy with company-wide recharge weeks.
• The chance to build a design system from the ground up for a platform shaping technology journalism.
• Access to Figma Enterprise, any design tooling you need, and a hardware setup of your choice.

How to Apply

Send your resume, portfolio (highlighting design system work, component libraries, or documentation you have built), and a brief note on your philosophy for building scalable design systems to support@themeridiem.com with the subject line "Design Systems Lead Application." We review applications on a rolling basis and aim to respond within one week.