Hiring for Figma Skills: The Complete Guide

Understanding Figma in Engineering Context

Before adding "Figma skills" to your job description, understand what it actually means for different engineering roles. Figma proficiency is a spectrum, and most developers fall on the "consumer" end—which requires no special training.

The Figma Proficiency Spectrum

Level 1: Design Consumer (All Frontend Developers)
This is where 90% of developers operate. They:

• Open Figma links shared by designers
• Extract spacing, colors, and typography values
• Download assets (icons, images)
• Use Dev Mode to inspect CSS properties

This is not a skill. Any developer with 30 minutes of orientation can do this. Requiring "Figma experience" for this level is like requiring "email experience."

Level 2: Design System Collaborator (Senior Frontend/Design Systems Engineers)
These developers work closely with design teams to:

• Maintain parity between Figma components and code components
• Establish design token workflows (colors, spacing, typography scales)
• Review design specs for technical feasibility
• Contribute to Figma organization and naming conventions

This requires understanding of design systems thinking, not just tool proficiency.

Level 3: Figma Creator (Design Engineers)
Design Engineers genuinely create within Figma:

• Build and maintain component libraries
• Prototype interactions and animations
• Create design specifications and documentation
• Sometimes design entire features from scratch

Level 4: Figma Developer (Plugin Engineers)
A small but growing specialty. These engineers:

• Build custom Figma plugins using the Figma Plugin API
• Create integrations between Figma and development tools
• Automate design-to-code workflows
• Develop design system tooling

Real Examples: How Companies Use Figma Engineering

Uber Design Platform

Uber's Design Platform team maintains their Base Design System across Figma and code. Their engineering work includes:

• Automated sync between Figma components and React components
• Custom Figma plugins for design token management
• Quality assurance tools that validate design specs against production code
• Cross-platform consistency (iOS, Android, Web)

Skills required: React, TypeScript, Figma Plugin API, design systems architecture

Shopify Polaris

Shopify's Polaris design system serves thousands of merchant-facing apps. Their Design Systems Engineers:

• Maintain 1:1 parity between Figma and React component libraries
• Build tools that generate code from Figma designs
• Create documentation that bridges design and development
• Develop Figma plugins for Shopify-specific workflows

Skills required: React, CSS architecture, design tokens, component API design

Airbnb DLS (Design Language System)

Airbnb pioneered the "design engineer" concept. Their team:

• Prototypes in Figma before engineering sprints
• Builds interactive prototypes that feel production-ready
• Creates motion design specifications using Figma's prototyping
• Develops internal tools that accelerate design-to-code handoffs

Skills required: React, animation libraries (Framer Motion), prototyping, design thinking

Stripe

Stripe's design systems team focuses on maintaining their component library:

• Ensuring Figma components match production React components
• Building accessibility into both design and code
• Creating design tokens that work across web and mobile
• Developing quality assurance processes for design consistency

Skills required: React, accessibility (WCAG), design tokens, cross-platform development

When Figma Skills Actually Matter

Hiring for Design Engineer Roles

Design Engineers are a hybrid role that genuinely requires Figma proficiency. They typically:

• Report to design or product teams (not just engineering)
• Spend 30-50% of their time in Figma
• Prototype before they code
• Care deeply about interaction details and polish

For these roles, Figma skills are legitimately required. Look for:

• Portfolio showing both design and code work
• Experience building component libraries (in Figma AND code)
• Understanding of design systems principles
• Ability to translate motion designs into production animations

Hiring for Design Systems Engineers

Design Systems Engineers focus on component libraries and tooling. They need:

• Deep understanding of design tokens and their implementation
• Experience maintaining Figma libraries at scale
• Knowledge of how to sync design and code components
• Often: Figma Plugin API experience for custom tooling

Hiring for Figma Plugin Developers

This is niche but growing. Companies like Anima, Zeroheight, and Lottie hire specifically for:

• Figma Plugin API expertise
• React/TypeScript (Figma plugins use React)
• Understanding of design workflows
• Experience with code generation or design automation

What Not to Require: Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Requiring Figma for Standard Frontend Roles

❌ "Required: 3+ years Figma experience"

This signals you don't understand what developers do. Any frontend developer can read Figma designs—it takes 15 minutes to learn Dev Mode. By adding this requirement, you:

• Discourage qualified candidates who haven't used Figma specifically
• Signal that your team may not understand engineering work
• Add friction without any screening value

✅ Instead: "Comfortable working with design tools and extracting specs from mockups"

Mistake 2: Conflating Figma with Design Skills

Knowing Figma doesn't make someone a designer, just like knowing Microsoft Word doesn't make someone a writer. If you need design capabilities:

❌ "Must be proficient in Figma"
✅ "Experience designing user interfaces and building design systems"

Mistake 3: Listing Figma Alongside Programming Languages

❌ "Tech stack: React, TypeScript, Node.js, Figma"

Figma is not a programming technology. This listing suggests confusion about what engineers actually use. Figma is a collaboration tool, not a development framework.

✅ "Tech stack: React, TypeScript, Node.js. We use Figma for design collaboration."

Figma Plugin Development: A Growing Niche

If you're specifically hiring for Figma plugin development, here's what you need to know:

Technical Requirements

Figma plugins are built with:

• JavaScript/TypeScript for plugin logic
• React for plugin UI (optional but common)
• Figma Plugin API for interacting with designs
• HTML/CSS for plugin interfaces

What Plugin Developers Build

Design System Tools

• Token extraction and sync tools
• Component documentation generators
• Design linting and validation
• Naming convention enforcers

Workflow Automation

• Asset export automation
• Design handoff helpers
• Content population from databases
• Localization tools

Code Generation

• CSS code generation
• React component scaffolding
• Design token export (JSON, CSS variables)
• Platform-specific code output

Skills to Look For

• Strong JavaScript/TypeScript fundamentals
• Experience with React (most plugin UIs use it)
• Understanding of design systems concepts
• Problem-solving for design workflow challenges
• Bonus: Experience with AST manipulation or code generation

Design Tokens: The Bridge Between Figma and Code

Design tokens are the translation layer between design and engineering. Understanding this workflow matters more than "Figma skills."

What Design Tokens Are

Design tokens are the atomic values of a design system:

• Colors: --color-primary: #6366F1
• Spacing: --space-4: 16px
• Typography: --font-heading: 'Inter', sans-serif
• Shadows, borders, animations, etc.

The Token Workflow

1. Design defines tokens in Figma using variables or plugin tools
2. Tokens are exported to JSON or other formats
3. Build tools transform tokens into CSS, JS, or platform-specific code
4. Developers consume tokens in their components
5. Changes in Figma propagate through the pipeline

Tools in This Space

• Tokens Studio (Figma plugin for token management)
• Style Dictionary (Amazon's token transformation tool)
• Figma Variables (native Figma feature for tokens)
• Specify (design data platform)

What This Means for Hiring

If your team uses design tokens, look for:

• Understanding of CSS custom properties
• Experience with design system architecture
• Familiarity with build tools and pipelines
• Bonus: Experience with specific token tools

The Design Engineer Role: When Figma Really Matters

Design Engineers are a specific role that bridges design and engineering. They're not "frontend developers who know Figma"—they're hybrids who think in both domains.

Day in the Life

A Design Engineer at a company like Vercel or Linear might:

• Morning: Review design explorations in Figma, provide technical feedback
• Late morning: Prototype a new interaction in Figma to explore options
• Afternoon: Implement the approved design in React with pixel-perfect attention
• End of day: Document the component in Storybook with design specifications

Characteristics of Strong Design Engineers

• Design eye: They notice 1-pixel misalignments and care about spacing
• Technical depth: They can architect component APIs and manage state
• Cross-functional: They communicate effectively with both designers and engineers
• Prototyping speed: They can explore ideas quickly in Figma before coding
• Animation expertise: They implement smooth, intentional motion design

Interview Signals

Good signs:

• Portfolio shows both design mockups AND shipped code
• Can articulate why design decisions were made (not just what)
• Talks about design system principles (consistency, composability)
• References specific design tools AND engineering frameworks
• Excited about the intersection of design and code

Red flags:

• Only shows designs with no code (may be a designer)
• Only shows code with no design thinking (may be a developer)
• Can't explain the reasoning behind design choices
• No familiarity with modern frontend tools

Summary: Decision Framework

Key takeaway: For 90% of developer roles, "Figma skills" is a meaningless requirement. For the 10% where it matters—Design Engineers, Design Systems Engineers, and Plugin Developers—be specific about what Figma work they'll actually do.