# James Sauceda

> Thought partner | Design Systems | Design Ops

Location: Temecula, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/jamessauceda

I have a passion for creating beautiful products, that are engaging and easy to use. I have over 10 years of experience shipping products. My background in Project Management and Software Development gives me a well-rounded foundation. From branding to SaaS product development, the users are at the center of everything we do.

## Work Experience
### Senior Product Designer, Design Systems @ Upstart
Jan 2023 – Present

### Principal Product Designer @ Brightside
Jan 2022 – Jan 2023
As a Team Lead and Mentor for Brightside's Design Team, I revamped the Design System using Design Tokens, collaborated closely with Product and Engineering teams in an agile environment, and influenced design decisions as an advocate for the User.

### UX Design Manager @ BLAZE
Jan 2020 – Jan 2022
I led the team for growth and scalability, overseeing daily and weekly check-ins, goal setting, training, performance evaluations, career development, and hiring. I fostered strong relationships with stakeholders, effectively communicated complex ideas, and created comprehensive roadmaps for planning and execution.

### Frontend Engineer @ Weedmaps
Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | Portland, Oregon Area
Worked across many Agile teams, helped to build weedmaps design system SDK - using react, Next.js, Mobx, styled-components.

### Sr. Product Designer @ Weedmaps
Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 | Irvine
Worked closely with product and engineering during the early stages defining design-culture and team growth.

### VP of Creative Operations @ SearchCore Inc
Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | Lake Forest, CA
Managed team of creatives, worked with clients and stakeholders. Pushed team to learn bleeding-edge technology at the time - nodejs and invision.

### Frontend Engineer | UX/UI Design @ Cal Spas
Jan 2012 – Jan 2012 | Pomona, CA
Develop and implement design elements for many of cal spas web sites. Completed wire frames and comps with strict timelines.

### Project Manager @ Spinx, Inc.
Jan 2011 – Jan 2012
Responsible for accomplishing the project objectives for website work at SPINX Agency. Key project management responsibilities include creating clear attainable objectives and building the project requirements using waterfall methodology.


## Education
### Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration, Management and Operations
University of Phoenix


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-sauceda
- Portfolio: http://www.jamessauceda.com

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Source: https://flows.cv/jamessauceda
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/jamessauceda/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-31