Design Systems Designer (Contract)

Department: Research & Development

Location: San Francisco

Compensation: $130 – $160 per hour

Employment Type: FullTime

Design Systems Designer (Contract)

About Cambly: Our mission is to bring high quality English education to every English learner in the world by building a learning platform that optimally combines human tutors and artificial intelligence. By accomplishing our mission, we strive to become the world's largest English language learning marketplace.

We're looking for a talented, hands-on design systems designer who is passionate about building the infrastructure great products are made of and wants to change the way people learn languages. You will design and build Cambly's design system as a project: a structured, variable-based token architecture (color, spacing, type, and more) and a documented component library that builds on top of it, with structural support for theming. You'll modernize our existing design system into one that includes clear rules for when and how to use each component, and write specs and documentation precise enough that our designers, our engineers, and our AI coding agents can all implement correctly with minimal ambiguity. You will also be part of a small, fast-moving design team where your work frees up our product designers to focus on the high-craft areas of Lexicon that need it most.

Come join us in building the best place to learn and teach English!

Job Requirements

• Mid-to-senior-level, hands-on design systems expert, with a track record of building and maintaining design systems with tokens, theming, and component libraries in Figma using a variable-based token architecture and provide continuous recommendations that enhance overall velocity and quality

• A systems and codification mindset: able to translate design intent into precise, unambiguous rules and documentation that designers, engineers, and AI coding agents can all use.

• A strong, well-rounded digital product designer at core — someone whose anchor is design systems work, but who is also a qualified product designer able to contribute beyond systems alone.

• Experience (and deep curiosity) working with AI as part of the core development flow.

• Self-directed and comfortable operating without a fully perfected process or handoff; this is a fast-moving, still-forming team.

• Proven ability to communicate clearly and collaborate with both design and engineering stakeholders.

Preferred

• iOS design experience.

• Genuine interest in Cambly's team and mission — there's a real possibility of this expanding into a bigger or longer-term role.

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Engagement Details

• Type: Contract-to-hire. We're hiring for the design system project first; if the contractor proves capable of more than design-system work and is a strong team fit, we'd consider a longer-term or full-time role (not a promise going in).

• Length: Roughly 3–5 months, full-time (approximately 40 hrs/week).

• Rate: $130–160/hr, depending on experience.