Product Design Manager, Design System

WHO WE ARE Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to a fair and just marketplace for all. CR is known for our rigorous testing and trusted ratings on thousands of products and services. We report extensively on consumer trends and challenges, and survey millions of people in the U.S. each year. We leverage our evidence-based approach to advocate for consumer rights, working with policymakers and companies to find solutions for safer products and fair practices. Our mission starts with you. We offer medical benefits that start on your first day as a CR employee that include behavioral health coverage, family planning and a generous 401K match. Learn more about how CR advocates on behalf of our employees. OVERVIEW CR’s Design System team builds the core components, patterns, and infrastructure that enable better product experience for our members. We are seeking a Product Design Manager to own the design, evolution, and day-to-day advancement of our design system. Reporting to the Director, Product Design, this hands-on leader is responsible for designing scalable, high-quality components and patterns while establishing the processes that enable product teams to contribute while maintaining consistency, quality, and coherence. While the primary focus is owning and advancing our design system, this role will also contribute directly to product design initiatives as needed, partnering with cross-functional teams to ensure system integrity, consistency, and thoughtful user experience execution. If you are a design leader who enjoys shaping the underlying architecture of great digital products while staying close to the work itself. We are looking forward to reviewing your application and portfolio. This is a remote position. This role is not eligible for relocation assistance or sponsorship. How You'll Make An Impact This role is accountable for driving the quality, consistency, and scalability of the system while enabling teams to effectively adopt and contribute to it. It sits at the intersection of craft, systems thinking, execution, and enablement. In this position, you will: Design and deliver high-quality, reusable components, patterns, and interaction models that are scalable, accessible, and aligned with engineering constraints. Define and evolve contribution guidelines and workflows to establish and manage a federated contribution model that enables teams to effectively contribute and scale the design system. Set and uphold contribution standards and quality expectations for the design system, including reviewing and approving contributions from product teams. Contribute to system architecture decisions in partnership with engineering. Own prioritization decisions for the design system backlog and roadmap based on product needs, system gaps, and adoption goals. Partner with project management to support intake, planning, and delivery of design system work. Partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Design to ensure system alignment with product needs, including alignment between design assets and coded components and informing component architecture, tokens, and implementation patterns. Track adoption and identify gaps in system usage and coverage across product teams. Contribute to product design initiatives as needed, applying and extending system components in real-world contexts. Balance system integrity with pragmatic product delivery needs. ABOUT YOU You’ll Be Highly Rated If: You have 5–8+ years of experience in product design , including hands-on experience building, launching and maintaining a design system. Your portfolio demonstrates systems thinking and component-based design. You’ve worked in lean or early-stage design system environments. Your experience includes contributing to or establishing a federated or contribution-based system model. You have a solid understanding of scalable design patterns , modular frameworks, and accessibility standards. You can strike a balance between strategic system evolution and tactical product needs. You'll Be One of Our Top Picks If: You have collaborated with engineering teams and have a familiarity with front-end implementation constraints. You enjoy strong communication skills and are comfortable working in cross-functional environments. FAIR PAY AND A JUST WORKPLACE At Consumer Reports, we are committed to fair, transparent pay and we strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation.The target salary range for this position is $155K- $175K . It is anticipated that most qualified candidates will fall near the middle of this range. Compensation for the successful candidate will be informed by the candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience. We have three locations: Yonkers, NY, Washington, DC and Colchester, CT. We are registered to do business in and can only hire from the following states and federal district: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, DC. Consumer Reports is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions or lactation), gender identity and expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service or veteran status, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, disability, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Consumer Reports will provide you with any reasonable assistance or accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.