Principal Product Designer (Design Systems)

Yahoo

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Yahoo Sports is one of the internet’s leading destinations for comprehensive sports news and innovative fantasy games. We produce insightful content across multiple platforms and curate quality coverage from around the web to inform and entertain fans. We're an original fantasy sports pioneer, with a legacy of innovation that helps us continue to be a fantasy leader. And as one of the most-visited sports platforms on the internet, we're one of the best places for brands to reach fans. We are looking for a Principal Product Designer to serve as the architect of our foundational design system. This is a high-leverage role focused on the intersection of systems thinking and the future of automated development. As a Principal, you will not only be the steward of our visual language but also the architect of our AI-driven production engine. You will define the strategy for direct design-to-code and prompt-to-code paths, transforming our design system from a static library into a machine-readable ecosystem. Your work will enable our product teams to ship high-fidelity, data-dense experiences with a level of velocity and precision that defines the industry standard.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the long-term roadmap for an "AI-ready" design system, architecting a framework where components and logic are structured for seamless LLM and automated engine consumption.
Drive the implementation of advanced Design-to-Code pipelines, ensuring that our design tokens, variables, and logic serve as the universal source of truth for Web, iOS, and Android.
Architect the "intelligent" layer of our system, enabling AI-assisted assembly of layouts and features while maintaining absolute brand integrity.
Lead the design of complex, data-rich patterns for live sports, and analytics, ensuring the system remains performant and scalable across diverse platforms.
Conceptualize and implement AI workflows to automate the "maintenance layer"—from self-generating documentation and asset management to proactive system-wide audits.
Define the "Ways of Working" that integrate AI into the entire product lifecycle, shifting the team’s focus from manual execution to high-level orchestration and craft.
Collaborate with Engineering and Product leadership to align the Design System strategy with core business objectives and technical infrastructure.
Direct the prioritization of the design system backlog, balancing urgent product needs with long-term architectural health and scalability.
Set the standard for visual polish and micro-interaction. Ensure that even as we automate, the "spirit" of the product—its motion, delight, and precision—remains a priority.
Elevate the collective skill set of the design team, fostering a culture of systems thinking and AI fluency.
Adhering to Yahoo policies; exercising sound judgment; working effectively, safely and inclusively with others; exhibiting trustworthiness and meeting expectations; and safeguarding business operations and brand integrity.