Rocket Communications

Position Details

Role: Design Lead for Astro UX Design System, Staff UX Designer, Project Lead
Work Type: Full-time Employee
Team: Astro UX Design System Team, Aerospace & Defense Client Project Teams
Platforms: Web-Based Applications, Desktop Software, High-Density Data Interfaces
Tools: Figma, Sketch, Jira, Confluence, Mural, Miro, GitHub, HTML, CSS, VS Code, Design Tokens, Gemini, Claude Code, Custom Figma Plugins, Web Components, Angular, React
Timeline: 08/2019 - 11/2026

Working at Rocket Communications

Over seven years at Rocket Communications, I have grown from driving core visual and component architecture to leading cross-functional teams across design, engineering, product ownership, and client strategy. My leadership centers on Design Operations (DesignOps), Design System Strategy, and a People First approach — building scalable frameworks, standardizing compliance and quality assurance, establishing Figma and design token architectures, and mentoring multidisciplinary teams through evolving technical and contractual landscapes.

Core Competencies & Expertise

• Design System Management & Strategy
  End-to-end design system lifecycle management (Astro 4.0 through Astro 7.0, followed by the release of Astro Nova). Architectural and design oversight across Figma component libraries, multi-tier Design Tokens, web component libraries (Lit, Stencil), and framework-native implementations (React, Angular).
• Design Operations (DesignOps) & Process Engineering
  Established Jira task and Confluence documentation infrastructures, component and community contribution intake models, version control, design system audit workflows, and cross-functional RACI matrices for teams. Streamlined designer-developer handoffs, repository management, and Design System Ops. Mentored multidisciplinary teams on best practices and process adherence.
• Enterprise & Complex Domain UX
  Expert in high-density data and form design, enterprise software, complex workflows, classification/compliance handling, and mission-critical space applications.
• Leadership & Cross-Functional Facilitation
  Served simultaneously as Lead UX Designer, Product Owner, Quality Assurance Tester, and Project Manager when needed. Championed "Leadership as a Service" — fostering psychological safety, open communication, and cross-team alignment.
• Emerging Technologies & Tooling
  Custom Figma plugin development, automated design-token workflows, and pioneering AI-driven design system maintenance and integration.

Notable Projects & Contributions

• Astro UX Design System Architecture & Evolution
  Led the design system UX team and UX architectural roadmap across major system iterations (Astro 4.0 through Astro 7.0, Astro Pro products, and into the Astro Nova release). Managed the migration of legacy design systems into modern token-driven structures and framework-native component suites. Developed comprehensive documentation and guidelines to ensure consistent implementation and adoption across teams. Drove adoption of the design system across multiple projects and teams, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and design standards.
• Cross-Project UX Consultations
  Served as an internal and external Subject Matter Expert/consultant for teams implementing Astro, guiding prime contractors and internal product teams on applying space domain patterns and accessibility standards to enterprise software.
• Commercial Satellite Data Request & Integration Application
  Orchestrated a multidisciplinary UX strategy fitting within tight technical constraints and strict timelines. Managed end-to-end delivery of design deliverables including task flows, application flows for prior and future states, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes. Established Agile methodology, integrated tightly with existing client teams, built client trust during high-uncertainty phases, and ensured 100% adherence to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) containment laws. Produced comprehensive guidance for future application development and design efforts for the client team to ensure consistency and adherence to the UX standards we established for the application.
• Modern Satellite Ground System Command & Control Web Application
  Worked with cross-functional teams to modernize user interfaces based on legacy software and improve operational efficiency for satellite ground system operators and associated leadership and administrative personnel. Designed features, created new design system components needed to support the project, and audited the application for compliance against various military, commercial, and accessibility standards.
• Redesign of Space Domain Awareness Command & Control Application
  Worked with multi-person design and engineering teams to redesign a legacy application into a scalable, modular, resilient, and flexible system designed to enhance situational awareness within contested space domains and improve decision-making capabilities for the U.S. Space Force. Created new design system components and documentation regarding classification markings in electronic media where information was missing from the public domain which have increased traffic to the Astro UXDS website and driven new customers to Rocket Communications.

Due to confidentiality concerns and classification levels, I can only share general information about individual client projects separate from my design system work. If you have further questions, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss more with you as I can.