UX Designer - Design systems at Canonical

UX Designer - Design systems

Location: Home based - EMEA (remote; candidate must be located in the EMEA region)

Role summary

Canonical is hiring a UX Designer to join the Design Systems team and lead the definition, evolution and adoption of a scalable, accessible design system across our products. You will translate user needs and brand principles into reusable components, patterns and documentation that enable cohesive product experiences for both community and enterprise users.

The role entails

• Build and evolve Canonical’s design system, ensuring measurable adoption, consistency, scalability and accessibility across products.
• Collaborate with designers, engineers and stakeholders to convert user research and brand goals into reusable components, design tokens and interaction patterns.
• Champion design system best practices, governance and onboarding across cross-functional teams.
• Design, document and maintain UI components, patterns and Storybook-driven documentation to support engineering delivery.
• Drive timely delivery of the design system roadmap and ensure alignment on usage, performance and accessibility.
• Advocate for accessibility, performance and scalability in design decisions and iterate using data and technological advances.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, balancing innovation with system coherence and maintainability.

What we are looking for in you

• Relevant experience in UX/product design with a strong focus on design systems in complex environments.
• A portfolio demonstrating component libraries, documentation and solutions for scaling design across products.
• Exceptional educational achievements in design or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Expertise in Figma, Storybook and design token workflows, and experience bridging design and code with engineering teams.
• Proven ability to apply design process, communicate decisions clearly and document patterns for cross-functional consumption.
• Excellent attention to detail and a systemic approach to solving complex design challenges.
• Commitment to transparent project delivery and ownership of team deadlines.
• Willingness to travel up to four times a year for internal events.

About Canonical & team

Canonical publishes Ubuntu, a leading open-source platform used across cloud, AI, IoT and enterprise initiatives. The company is founder-led, profitable and globally distributed with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries. The Design function ensures the experience of the software and infrastructure we build is true to our intentions and provides the tools our community and customers need.

This role sits in the Design Systems team and reports to Design Systems Management. Most teams are remote-first and meet periodically for in-person sprints.

What we offer colleagues

Canonical shapes compensation by geography, experience and performance. In addition to base pay, eligible colleagues may receive a performance-driven bonus or commission and a benefits package tailored to local requirements.

• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.
• Twice-yearly in-person team sprints and company retreats.
• Annual compensation review, recognition rewards and holiday leave.
• Maternity and paternity leave and employee assistance / wellness programmes.
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues and Priority Pass / travel upgrades for long-haul company events.

Inclusion & accessibility

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer. We foster a workplace free from discrimination and offer reasonable adjustments for candidates who require them during recruitment or travel.

Application notes

Please indicate your university grading result (or expected result) and the grading system used. For work history, focus on the last ten years since leaving undergraduate studies and follow the guidance provided in the application. Submission of diversity and equal opportunities data is voluntary and will not affect hiring decisions. Recruitment Privacy Notice and Privacy Policy apply.

Requisition ID: 787

How to apply

Apply via Canonical's careers site for this role: https://canonical.com/careers/7043028