Staff UX/UI Designer

Company Overview Robots & Pencils is an applied AI engineering firm building the next frontier of business architecture. We design and ship AI co-workers that integrate into enterprise operations and deliver measurable results for our clients. We're all in on AWS, combining deep UX capability with senior engineering talent to get AI into production fast and keep it there. We’ve earned the trust of leaders across Consumer Products and Retail, Education, Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Manufacturing and more, and earned a reputation as the nimble alternative to traditional global systems integrators. Founded in 2009, with delivery centers in Canada, the United States, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, we are smaller, faster, and more senior by design. Our teams average 15+ years of experience. We move fast, sweat the details, and build things that actually ship. Position Overview We’re looking for a Staff UX/UI Designer to define design strategy and lead quality across major client engagements. This role is ideal for an experienced designer who can own end-to-end design for complex, multi-platform products, lead UX research strategy, and partner with leadership and clients to shape product direction. In this role, you will work as a key design leader on a cross-functional team, owning design system architecture, driving research strategy, and mentoring designers at multiple levels. You’ll champion AI-powered design workflows, contribute to design operations, and help shape how the Experience team grows and works. Why This Role Matters At Robots & Pencils, we design AI systems for a human world. Our name says it all. Robots and pencils means engineering paired with creativity, because every agent we ship has to work for real people in real workflows. That balance is baked into how we operate. Every role here contributes directly to that mission. Here, you shape how AI systems integrate into enterprise operations, how teams move at real velocity, and how products create measurable impact for clients and the people they serve. We ship production-ready AI in 30 to 45 days. That pace demands people who take ownership, lead with craft, and care deeply about what they put their name on. What You’ll Do Craft & Delivery Define design strategy and direction for major engagements, leading end-to-end design across complex, multi-platform products Own design system architecture and governance, ensuring consistency, scalability, and flexibility across products and teams Lead UX research strategy — selecting methodologies, embedding research into the delivery process, and ensuring insights influence product direction Champion AI-powered design workflows and lead their adoption on engagements, driving efficiency and creative quality (e.g., Figma AI, Claude) Drive design operations and process improvements that improve how the Experience team delivers and collaborates Lead internal initiatives including marketing, business development, and the evolution of the design practice Collaboration & Communication Partner with leadership and clients on design direction, serving as a senior design voice at the engagement level Collaborate closely with engineers, strategists, and delivery leads to align design decisions with technical and business realities Lead workshops, design sprints, and collaborative sessions with clients and cross-functional teams Leadership & Influence Mentor junior and mid-level designers, helping them grow their craft, confidence, and professional practice Establish design quality standards and critique culture that lift the team’s collective craft Make design decisions with thoughtful consideration of tradeoffs across usability, business goals, and technical constraints What You’ll Bring 6+ years of professional UX/UI design experience with a strong product background Expert Figma proficiency with design system architecture experience Deep experience leading design systems at scale, including architecture, governan…