Interim UX/UI Designer

UX/UI Designer (12 month contract)

Location: Remote, Canada
Department: Marketing
Employment Type: Full-time Contract (12 months)

Role Overview

You'll help restructure AlgaeCal's existing single-brand design system into a scalable multi-brand architecture. This involves separating shared platform foundations from brand-specific expression, building a net-new brand library, refactoring components, and supporting the prototype of a new e-commerce experience using the system you'll help create.

Key Responsibilities

• Rebuild and restructure existing design systems into multi-brand architecture
• Separate shared platform foundations from brand-specific expression
• Build net-new brand libraries
• Refactor components for scalability and maintainability
• Support prototyping of new e-commerce experiences
• Collaborate with UX, Design, Development, E-commerce, and brand stakeholders
• Create clear documentation and handoff specifications
• Audit existing component ecosystems and migrate work without inconsistencies

Required Qualifications

• Design Systems Expertise: Proven ability to build systems, not just screens. Portfolio demonstrating structured components, thoughtful patterns, scalable libraries, and design decisions that enable system scalability
• Advanced Figma Skills: Deep proficiency with components, variants, component properties, nested instances, auto-layout, variables, tokens, and responsive behavior
• Component Architecture: Strong understanding of component design across brands, states, edge cases, and real-world use. Knowledge of variants, properties, states, flexibility, and maintainability
• Token and Variable Experience: Built or worked deeply with token architecture using Figma variables. Understanding of primitive, semantic, and component-level tokens
• System Refactoring Experience: Ability to audit existing component ecosystems, classify assets, separate brand-specific from shared foundations, and migrate work cleanly
• Design Fundamentals: Mastery of typography, hierarchy, alignment, spacing, layout, and visual balance
• E-commerce Understanding: Knowledge of basic e-commerce building blocks: product pages, offers, promotions, bundles, pricing hierarchy, content modules, CTAs, comparison sections, and purchase paths
• Front-end Awareness: Comfortable with HTML and CSS. Ability to reason about component-based frameworks like React. Understanding of implementation feasibility and handoff details
• Documentation Skills: Clear component specs, practical usage guidelines, and organized files
• Collaboration: Strong communication, ability to work cross-functionally, receptive to feedback, and low-ego approach to problem-solving

Preferred Skills

• Experience with Storybook, Chromatic, or similar component/UI-kit environments
• Understanding of design governance and versioning

Required Qualities

• Humility—putting team and others' needs ahead of your own
• Hunger to learn more
• People skills—being a great teammate

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: Above-market pay for the right candidate (discussed after initial conversations)
• Healthcare: Generous healthcare package
• Team Activities: Monthly team events and activities
• Flexible Time Off: Flexible Stat Holidays with the option to bank days for later use
• Culture: Access to a high-performing team with strong company culture

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

1. Cover Letter addressing:

   • Why you're the best UX/UI Designer for this role with quantifiable examples
   • How you fit with AlgaeCal's values
   • The toughest challenge you've overcome and how you overcame it
   • The last three books you've read
   • What you do for fun

2. Current Employment Explanation:

   • If employed: explain why you're looking elsewhere
   • If not employed: explain why

3. Resume and Portfolio:

   • Submit cover letter and resume as one document
   • Include URL link to personal website/portfolio
   • Applications without a cover letter will not be reviewed

Note: This is a senior-level role requiring extensive design systems experience. This is not a junior position, landing page design role, or suitable for those who have only used design systems from the outside.