Principal Designer (Digital Product)

Bluecadet•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

Bluecadet is an award winning, internationally recognized experience design agency focused on producing transformative digital products and environments. We work with story and experience-driven organizations and brands. Past clients include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nike, MoMA, Harvard, the MIT Museum, Princeton, The Smithsonian Institution, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Principal Designer for Digital Product, is a design leader responsible for shaping and elevating the creative craft across products at Bluecadet. This role combines hands-on execution with guiding multidisciplinary teams through discovery, design, and delivery to produce best-in-class digital experiences. You'll lead the development of cohesive design systems, mentor and grow design talent, and ensure creative excellence that aligns with client goals and technical realities. Partnering closely with design, development, and content teams, you'll set and uphold standards for responsive design, accessibility, and design innovation in digital experiences.

Requirements

Deep design expertise in UI/UX, design systems, and component-based thinking
Strong sense of design craft, including typography, layout, and content art direction
Fluency in Figma and prototyping tools; familiarity with front-end development and collaboration
Strong verbal and visual communication skills for presenting to both internal teams and clients
Deep knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG)
Near-expert knowledge of the design possibilities and FE limitations
Manage multiple projects across the design execution process
6-8+ years of digital design experience, with a strong portfolio of digital design and products
Experience leading creative teams and projects
Experience designing around complex interactions or content, such as apps and editorial products

Nice To Haves

Experience with mission-driven clients, cultural institutions, or nonprofit organizations is a plus

Responsibilities

Lead in design execution and strategy
Lead the design direction and execution for digital design projects from discovery through delivery
Leader in visual craft and elegant design solutions
Exceptional ability to solve complex UX problems and product strategy skills to deliver best-in-class designs
Deeply hands-on with UX/UI design, design systems, storytelling, and prototyping
Translate content strategy and client goals into user-centered, accessible design systems
Conceptualize and develop compelling visual design systems
Advocate for accessibility, mobile-first design, and usability in all aspects of digital work
Support the creative approach to new projects and consult on processes during the pitch and proposal process
Help evolve the studio's digital design discipline by contributing to frameworks, process improvements, and documentation
Keeper of best practices and design standards
Develop best practices for design, accessibility, and responsive behavior across projects
Create and maintain documentation and processes that improve design efficiency and consistency
Collaborate with developers and content strategists to ensure design integrity throughout production
Stay current on trends, tools, and evolving standards in design and user experience
Mentor and Guide Team Members
Mentor mid-level and junior designers, modeling strong craft and clear strategic rationale
Competency in directing and mentoring others in developing, communicating, and selling industry-leading designs to clients