Lead UX/UI Systems Designer
Location: Washington, DC, Onsite
Contract role
Must be local to the Northeast Corridor (D.C., Wilmington, Philadelphia, or NYC)
Job Description
Randstad is seeking a high-impact Lead UX/UI Systems Designer to join a fast-paced agile team supporting critical operations for a premier rail client in the Northeast Corridor (DC/MD/DE/PA/NY). This is a unique, mission-critical role where you will bridge the gap between high-level design strategy and technical implementation, creating intuitive custom applications that keep trains running smoothly and on time. Beyond standard remote work, you will engage in "on-track" research—traveling the corridor to conduct workshops and usability testing directly with operations staff on-site and on moving trains. As a champion for design excellence, you will lead the evolution of scalable design systems, manage design workflows within Jira, and advocate for user-centered processes to senior stakeholders and cross-functional engineering teams.
Key Responsibilities
Systems Architecture: Drive the creation, maintenance, and scaling of robust design systems and component libraries to ensure visual and functional consistency across all digital products.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead an agile design team, streamlining communication between Product Owners, Researchers, and Engineers while managing tasks and scoping within Jira.
High-Fidelity Design: Execute advanced front-end UI designs and high-fidelity prototypes, ensuring all work accounts for technical implementation constraints and accessibility standards.
Field Research & Testing: Conduct hands-on user research and usability testing (using tools like Maze or dScout) with frontline employees to synthesize insights into actionable application improvements.
Design Advocacy: Serve as a confident voice for the design process, educating stakeholders on the "why" behind design decisions and defending the user experience in complex enterprise environments.
Agile Integration: Actively participate in all agile ceremonies, including daily standups and quarterly in-person PI Planning sessions to ensure alignment and continuous delivery.
Qualifications & Requirements
Experience: 6+ years of professional UX/UI design experience, specifically showcasing complex enterprise applications and design system management.
Technical Proficiency: Mastery of Figma, Figjam, Jira, and Confluence; advanced understanding of front-end UI best practices and implementation logic.
Location & Travel: Must be local to the Northeast Corridor (D.C., Wilmington, Philadelphia, or NYC) with a willingness to travel (25%) via train for workshops and field research.
Communication: Exceptional ability to articulate design rationale and influence stakeholders; a "solutions-oriented" mindset capable of balancing structure with flexibility.
Agile Expertise: Proven track record working within mature agile frameworks and managing the handoff between design and engineering.
Education/Portfolio: A strong portfolio demonstrating user-centered design thinking, high-fidelity UI execution, and successful design system scalability.
Preferred: Prior experience in the rail industry, complex logistics, or designing internal-facing tools for large-scale enterprise organizations.