Staff Design Engineer (Software)

San Francisco · In Person

About the Role

We are hiring a Staff Design Engineer to own the frontend architecture and interaction layer of an AI native product from first principles.

This is an engineering role. You will write production code every day. You will architect frontend systems, design interaction patterns in code, and ship polished, high performance experiences.

We are not looking for a Figma only product designer. We are looking for an engineer with exceptional taste.

You should have a track record of shipping technically sophisticated frontend systems and care deeply about performance, interaction quality, and craft.

This is a founding level role with significant influence over product direction, system architecture, and engineering standards. The role is in person in San Francisco.

What You'll Do

• Architect and implement the core frontend system in production using modern frameworks such as React or similar.

• Own complex UI state management, rendering performance, and browser level optimization.

• Design and build advanced interaction systems directly in code, including animations, dynamic layouts, and responsive behaviors.

• Establish scalable component architecture and frontend infrastructure from scratch.

• Translate abstract product ideas into production ready, technically rigorous implementations.

• Work closely with founders on product direction while maintaining engineering discipline.

• Ship quickly without sacrificing system quality or performance integrity.

Must Haves

• Significant experience as a Frontend Engineer or Design Engineer at a technically strong company.

• Demonstrated ownership of complex frontend systems in production.

• Deep understanding of the DOM, browser rendering pipeline, and performance bottlenecks.

• Strong experience with React, Next.js, or similar modern frontend frameworks.

• Proven ability to diagnose and fix performance issues in sophisticated web applications.

• Portfolio or shipped work that demonstrates both technical depth and interaction quality.

• In person in San Francisco.

Strong Signals

• Experience at companies known for frontend excellence or strong engineering culture.

• Meaningful open source contributions.

• Background in developer tools, creative tooling, or AI powered products.

• Experience operating at staff level with architectural ownership.

• History of building systems from zero to one in startup environments.

What This Role Is Not

• Not a Figma only product design role.

• Not a UX research role.

• Not a mockup handoff role.

You will design in code. You will build the system. You will own the quality.