Design System Lead

Design System Lead

At BNY, our culture allows us to run our company better and enables employees’ growth and success.As a leading global financial services company at the heart of the global financial system, we influence nearly 20% of the world’s investible assets. Every day, our teams harness cutting-edge AI and breakthrough technologies to collaborate with clients, driving transformative solutions that redefine industries and uplift communities worldwide.

Recognized as a top destination for innovators and champions of inclusion, BNY is where bold ideas meet advanced technology and exceptional talent. Together, we power the future of finance – and this is what #LifeAtBNY is all about. Join us and be part of something extraordinary..

We’re seeking a future team member for the role of Design Systems Lead to join our Global Payments & Trade Digital Channelsteam .This role is located in New York, NY

Overview

We’re seeking a Design System Lead to own and evolve the design system that powers all Global Payments & Trade digital products, from Online Banking to Payments, Banking as a Service, and beyond. This role requires a visionary systems thinker with deep expertise in UI / UX design , is passionate about creating elegant, accessible, and consistent interaction models and design patterns across complex ecosystems. The ideal candidate has experience developing and managing a platform-level design system that integrates within a broader, enterprise-wide system using a federated model. This role involves building and maintaining our platform’s unique theme and component variations while ensuring alignment and contribution back to the global design system. Key Responsibilities include :

Lead the Global Payments & Trade Design System : Define and evolve the visual language, interaction patterns, and accessibility standards that unify our digital experiences across channels and platforms.

Drive Scalable UI Architecture : Partner with product, engineering, and accessibility teams to ensure design tokens, components, and guidelines support performance, usability, and brand integrity across global products.

Establish Governance and Adoption Models : Develop contribution and review processes to ensure the design system is scalable, well-documented, and consistently implemented by product teams.

Collaborate Across Platforms : Work closely with cross-functional leads in Payments, Channels, and Client Experience to align product roadmaps with the design system roadmap.

Champion Craft and Consistency : Elevate the quality of our interfaces and ensure best-in-class interaction and visual design standards are applied to all new features.

Mentor and Guide Designers : Provide design direction and coaching to other designers leveraging the system, nurturing a culture of craft, inclusion, and accountability.

Measure Impact : Define and track metrics for adoption, consistency, and client experience improvement driven by the design system.

Qualifications

10+ years of UI / UX design experience , with at least 4 years focused on building or managing design systems at large enterprises or global-scale platforms.

Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver system-wide design frameworks in collaboration with engineering and product management.

Expertise in Figma, component-based design, and front-end collaboration tools (Storybook, ZeroHeight, etc.).

Deep understanding of responsive and accessible design principles (WCAG, ADA compliance).

Strong visual and interaction design sensibility, able to elevate both craft and usability.

Experience with complex data and transaction-heavy interfaces (e.g., payments, banking, B2B platforms) strongly preferred.

Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.

A portfolio is required to be considered for this position

This portfolio should demonstrate some or most of the expertise described above and should be enough of a visual indicator that you’re qualified for the role. A portfolio could include a Figma link that’s open to view access.

Typically a candidate at this level has 10-12 years of experience and previous experience in regulated spaces like finance, health or insurance.

At BNY, our culture speaks for itself, check out the latest BNY news at :

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Here’s a few of our recent awards :

America’s Most Innovative Companies, Fortune, 2025

World’s Most Admired Companies, Fortune 2025

“Most Just Companies”, Just Capital and CNBC, 2025

Our Benefits and Rewards :

BNY offers highly competitive compensation, benefits, and wellbeing programs rooted in a strong culture of excellence and our pay-for-performance philosophy. We provide access to flexible global resources and tools for your life’s journey. Focus on your health, foster your personal resilience, and reach your financial goals as a valued member of our team, along with generous paid leaves, including paid volunteer time, that can support you and your family through moments that matter.

BNY is an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer - Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups / Females / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans.

BNY assesses market data to ensure a competitive compensation package for our employees. The base salary for this position is expected to be between $102,000 and $246,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base salary if hired will be determined on an individualized basis, including as to experience and market location, and is only part of the BNY total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, discretionary bonuses, short and long-term incentive packages, and Company-sponsored benefit programs.

This position is at-will and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, change in geographic location, Company or individual department / team performance, and market factors.