Agentic Product Design Lead

ABOUT APPLY

APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the worlds most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail CPG Sports and Media with AI-native delivery capability designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands like Arcteryx NFL Lululemon and Kraft Heinz. For more information visit .

LOCATION: APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Canada working in hours that align to ET (Eastern Timezone) or PT (Pacific Timezone).

THE ROLE:

As an Agentic Product Design Lead you will be a hands-on senior design leader at the intersection of craft systems thinking and AI-native workflows. Reporting to the Head of Design you will lead complex client engagements end-to-end owning design quality across multi-product and multi-platform projects while actively designing alongside AI agents as a core part of how you work.

This is a role for a practitioner who leads by doing. You bring deep expertise in design systems from token architecture and component governance to CMS integration and developer handoff and you know how to operationalize that expertise within modern agentic workflows using tools like Claude for Design Figma MCP and BMAD. You are equally comfortable presenting design rationale to senior client stakeholders and rolling up your sleeves to build the systems and screens yourself.

You will mentor and guide designers at various levels champion design system standards across your engagements and contribute to evolving how Apply Digital designs and delivers in an AI-accelerated world.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Design Leadership & Quality:

• Set and uphold the bar for UI design quality across all client engagements ensuring deliverables reflect APPLYs standards and each clients brand vision from foundational token architecture and atomic component libraries through to polished production-ready screen design.
• Lead and actively contribute to the creation of high-quality screen designs prototypes and design systems across multi-product and multi-platform projects with deep hands-on expertise in foundations tokens and atomic design methodology.
• Define and govern design system standards including token naming conventions tier structures (global alias component) theming strategies and component documentation ensuring systems are scalable maintainable and developer-ready.
• Establish and champion design frameworks UX principles and visual consistency practices across the team embedding design system thinking at every stage of the project lifecycle.
• Drive design critique culture and create structured feedback loops that elevate the work with a sharp eye for system integrity component reuse and cross-platform consistency.
• Champion the integration of agentic design workflows and AI-powered tooling including Claude for design to accelerate design system production automate token management and unlock new levels of craft and efficiency across the team.

Client & Stakeholder Partnership:

• Act as a senior design voice in client relationships presenting concepts rationale and recommendations with confidence and clarity.
• Lead discovery alignment and design review sessions with senior client stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships with clients earning confidence as a strategic partner not just a delivery lead.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product engineering strategy and delivery teams to ensure design is integrated throughout the project lifecycle.

Practice & Strategic Growth:

• Define and evolve APPLYs UI and experience design practice including tooling process and standards.
• Contribute to business development efforts by supporting proposals pitches and capability demonstrations.
• Represent APPLYs design perspective externally through thought leadership community engagement and industry participation.
• Stay ahead of design trends emerging tools and shifts in the Canadian and global digital landscape.

REQUIREMENTS

Must Haves:

• 8 years of experience in UI/UX design with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Experience working in Claude Design and any Agentic Workflow e.g. BMAD.
• Proven track record leading UI Design and a team of UI designers on large Client Engagements.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating leadership across complex multi-product and multi-platform design engagements; Headless CMS Design Experience explicitly highlighted in the portfolio is preferred.
• Expert proficiency in Figma Figma Make and Claude Design as well as industry-standard design tools; deep knowledge of design systems creation governance and implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain senior client relationships with experience presenting to executive stakeholders.
• Excellent communication facilitation and storytelling skills.
• Experience working in cross-functional environments alongside product managers engineers and strategists.
• Comfort with ambiguity competing priorities and the pace of a growing consultancy.
• Eligibility to work in Canada; based in or willing to work in Canadian time zones.

Nice to Haves:

• Experience working with Canadian public sector financial services retail or healthcare clients.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards including WCAG 2.1/2.2 and AODA compliance.
• Background in graphic design product design or brand design.
• Knowledge of front-end technologies and how design decisions affect implementation.
• Active participation in Canadian design communities conferences or industry networks.
• Bilingual (English/French) is an asset.

$105000 - $150000 a year

LIFE AT APPLY

People are at the core of everything we do at APPLY. We provide you with modern tools systems and approaches value your time safety and health and strive to build a work community where you can thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer to support you:

Agentic Delivery: Our people work in a modern way to deliver client outcomes. Broaden your skills on a range of engagements with international brands that have a global impact.

An inclusive and safe environment: Were truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.

AI & Strategic Upskilling: Accelerate your professional growth with generous training budgets and mentorship with a specific focus on Agentic AI expertise and the critical human skills required for the future of work.

Generous vacation policy: Work-life balance is key to our teams success so we offer flexible personal time off (PTO); allowing ample time away from work to promote overall well-being.

Customizable benefits: Tailor your extended health and dental plan to your needs priorities and preferences.

Flexible work arrangements: We work in a variety of ways from remote to in-office to a blend of both.

APPLY is a safe respectful and inclusive community where differences are celebrated. We are committed to equal opportunity and fostering a workplace where everyone belongs. Learn more in our Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) section. For recruitment accommodations please email emailprotected .

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process such as reviewing applications analyzing resumes or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed please contact us.

Required Experience:

Senior IC