Founding Design Engineer

happyrobot.ai; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

equity in startup

Job summary

HappyRobot is seeking a Design Engineer to own end-to-end design for major product surfaces. You will bridge design and engineering, turning ideas into polished implementations with strong FE knowledge.

You will influence strategy, improve user experience, and build delightful interfaces used by teams worldwide. The role emphasizes ownership and collaboration in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of product design experience for SaaS or digital products.
• Strong portfolio with UX depth, UI quality, and shipped work.
• Solid understanding of modern frontend technologies (React, TS, CSS/Tailwind).
• Ability to prototype interactions using Figma, Framer, or code.
• High ownership mindset and fast-paced collaboration.
• Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design for major product surfaces.
• Create UX flows, wireframes, interaction specs, and high-quality UI.
• Conduct user research and validate design solutions.
• Collaborate with FE engineers for feasibility and accessibility.
• Produce clean design specs and prototype interactions.
• Provide design QA during implementation.
• Partner with PMs to shape product strategy and scope.
• Advocate for user needs and apply design thinking to challenges.

Skills

Product design

SaaS experience

Frontend fundamentals

Prototyping tools

Ownership mindset

Communication

Tools

React

TypeScript

CSS/Tailwind

Job description

About HappyRobot

HappyRobot is the infrastructure for enterprises to build and orchestrate AI workforces. Our AI workers don't just communicate through voice and email - they make decisions, take action, and run operations autonomously across entire enterprise systems. Born in Y Combinator (S23) and backed by a16z, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo with over $150M raised, we power critical operations for global enterprises worldwide.

Our platform is battle-tested in the most demanding environments, where AI has real consequences. We started in logistics, built our own voice stack, models, and orchestration layer from the ground up, and are now bringing that infrastructure to every enterprise that runs the real economy. Learn more about our vision in our manifesto.

About the Role

As a Design Engineer at HappyRobot, you will own the end-to-end design process for major product surfaces, working closely with PMs, engineers, AI researchers, and leadership. You’ll take ideas from early concept to polished implementation— and because you have strong FE knowledge, you’ll bridge the gap between design and engineering, ensuring your work ships with accuracy, quality, and care.

This is a highly collaborative, high-impact role where you’ll influence strategy, improve user experience, and build delightful interfaces used by teams worldwide.

What You’ll Do

• Lead end-to-end design, turning complex workflows into simple, intuitive experiences.
• Create UX flows, wireframes, interaction specs, and high-quality UI.
• Conduct user research, synthesize insights, and validate solutions.
• Collaborate closely with FE engineers to ensure feasibility, scalability, and accessibility.
• Produce clean, modular design specs and prototype interactions using modern FE tools.
• Provide design QA and guidance during implementation.
• Partner with PMs to shape product strategy and scope.
• Advocate for user needs and apply design thinking to technical challenges.

Must Have

• 3+ years experience in product design for SaaS or digital products.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating UX depth, high-quality UI, and shipped product work.
• Solid understanding of modern front-end technologies (React, TypeScript, CSS/Tailwind).
• Ability to prototype interactions using tools like Figma, Framer, or code.
• High ownership mindset; thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI/ML products or complex systems.
• Familiarity with design systems at scale.
• Ability to write production-ready FE code (optional but highly valued).
• Experience in early-stage startups.

Why join us?

• Join a world-class team of engineers and builders.
• Backed by top investors including a16z, Y Combinator, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo.
• Have ownership and autonomy of projects and are encouraged to ship.
• Comprehensive Benefits including healthcare, dental, vision coverage.
• Competitive salary + equity in a high-growth startup.

Our Operating Principles

Extreme Ownership

We take full responsibility for our work, outcomes, and team success. No excuses, no blame-shifting — if something needs fixing, we own it and make it better. This means stepping up, even when it’s not “your job.” If a ball is dropped, we pick it up. If a customer is unhappy, we fix it. If a process is broken, we redesign it. We don’t wait for someone else to solve it — we lead with accountability and expect the same from those around us.

Craftsmanship

Putting care and intention into every task, striving for excellence, and taking deep ownership of the quality and outcome of your work. Craftsmanship means never settling for “just fine.” We sweat the details because details compound. Whether it’s a product feature, an internal doc, or a sales call — we treat it as a reflection of our standards. We aim to deliver jaw‑dropping customer experiences by being curious, meticulous, and proud of what we build — even when nobody’s watching.

We are “majos”

Be friendly & have fun with your coworkers. Always be genuine & honest, but kind. “Majo” is our way of saying: be a good human. Be approachable, helpful, and warm. We’re building something ambitious, and it’s easier (and more fun) when we enjoy the ride together. We give feedback with kindness, challenge each other with respect, and celebrate wins together without ego.

Urgency with Focus

Create the highest impact in the shortest amount of time. Move fast, but in the right direction. We operate with speed because time is our most limited resource. But speed without focus is chaos. We prioritize ruthlessly, act decisively, and stay aligned. We aim for high leverage: the biggest results from the simplest, smartest actions. We’re running a high-speed marathon — not a sprint with no strategy.

Talent Density and Meritocracy

Hire only people who can raise the average; ‘exceptional performance is the passing grade.’ Ability trumps seniority. We believe the best teams are built on talent density — every hire should raise the bar. We reward contribution, not titles or tenure. We give ownership to those who earn it, and we all hold each other to a high standard. A-players want to work with other A-players — that’s how we win.

First-Principles Thinking

Strip a problem to physics-level facts, ignore industry dogma, rebuild the solution from scratch. We don’t copy-paste solutions. We go back to basics, ask why things are the way they are, and rebuild from the ground up if needed. This mindset pushes us to innovate, challenge stale assumptions, and move faster than incumbents. It’s how we build what others think is impossible.

The personal data provided in your application and during the selection process will be processed by Happyrobot, Inc., acting as Data Controller.

By sending us your CV, you consent to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of evaluating and selecting you as a candidate for the position. Your personal data will be treated confidentially and will only be used for the recruitment process of the selected job offer.

In relation to the period of conservation of your personal data, these will be eliminated after three months of inactivity in compliance with the GDPR and legislation on the protection of personal data.

If you wish to exercise your rights of access, rectification, deletion, portability or opposition in relation to your personal data, you can do so through [e-mail] subject to the GDPR.

For more information, visit https://www.happyrobot.ai/privacy-policy

By submitting your request, you confirm that you have read and understood this clause and that you agree to the processing of your personal data as described.