Manager, Design Systems

Allegion • Golden, CO

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Allegion is seeking a Manager, Design Systems to own the technical operation of its design system and lead the people who build and maintain it. The role is part of the Global Software Solutions User Experience team and partners with product managers, software developers, designers, and researchers to provide a dependable design-system foundation for mobile and web software. This is a people-management role with one to three direct reports, who may be designers and/or engineers depending on team needs. The manager operationalizes and governs the system rather than building every component personally: product designers contribute components under established governance, while engineering partners review and approve code.

The role focuses on maintaining coded components, clear standards, a reliable defect process, and AI-assisted workflows that help designers and engineers work efficiently and consistently. The manager owns the shared repository and component release practices, keeps the Figma library aligned with coded components, and establishes governance for contributions, versioning, deprecation, accessibility, and AI-generated code. The position also develops documentation, onboarding, and training; measures system health and adoption; and aligns design-system priorities with product roadmaps.

The position is hybrid in Golden, Colorado. Specific hybrid arrangements vary based on individual, team, and business needs and will be provided by the talent acquisition partner. Allegion reserves the right to change the hybrid schedule at its discretion. Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States; the company does not intend to sponsor employment visas for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 8 years of experience in design systems, design engineering, UX, or front-end development, including at least 2 years leading people or teams.
• Experience working in a shared GitHub code repository, including branching, pull requests, code review, and releases.
• Proficiency with Figma components, variables, and auto layout; advanced component creation is not required.
• Experience with design-token tooling and native mobile guidelines, including Apple Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design.
• Front-end proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript, and a component framework such as React, sufficient to build components and review others’ code.
• Technical proficiency in component-based UI development across web and/or native mobile platforms, including the ability to collaborate with engineers, evaluate implementation quality, and guide reusable component architecture.
• Experience defining design-system governance for contribution, versioning, defect handling, and deprecation.
• Working fluency with Jira.
• Working knowledge of accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.2 AA.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-collaboration skills, including the ability to influence engineering and product partners without direct authority.
• Legal authorization to be employed in the United States; Allegion does not intend to provide employment visa sponsorship for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Experience implementing AI coding agents, reusable agent skills, or automated design-to-code workflows.
• Experience managing contractors or vendors.
• Experience in connected-device, security, or access-control software.

Responsibilities

• Own the shared design system repository, including GitHub workflows, pull requests, reviews, and component releases.
• Coordinate with engineering on building, reviewing, and releasing coded components, and set expectations for contributors.
• Keep the Figma library and coded components in sync.
• Define and maintain contribution standards, versioning, and deprecation practices.
• Manage the defect-resolution process, including reporting, triage, fixes, review, release, and assignment of owners.
• Build accessibility requirements, including WCAG 2.2 AA, into component standards and reviews.
• Build and maintain reusable agent skills, such as those used in Claude Code, to generate, check, and document components according to standards.
• Establish code-review practices and guardrails for AI-generated code.
• Train designers and engineers to use established workflows and review AI output.
• Create documentation, onboarding materials, and demos, and advocate for the design system across products.
• Define and report system-health metrics, including adoption, reuse, and duplicated work.
• Manage and coach one to three direct reports and manage external contractors when used.
• Partner with UX leadership, product, and engineering to align design-system priorities with product roadmaps.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Unlimited paid time off.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% company match and no vesting period.
• Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and/or dependent daycare expenses.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance paid for by Allegion.
• Term life insurance, with the option to purchase supplemental coverage.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Voluntary wellness program with monetary rewards for completing wellness activities.
• Employee discounts through Perks at Work.
• Community involvement and opportunities to give back.
• CliftonStrengths assessment and coaching opportunities.
• Bonus eligible.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager