Founding Design Engineer

HIKINEX; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

HIKINEX is seeking a Founding Design Engineer in San Francisco to define the user experience of an AI platform. This role involves owning both design and frontend implementation, focusing on creating intuitive B2B software and AI experiences.

The perfect candidate will have 1-5 years of experience, primarily with React and TypeScript, and thrive in fast-paced environments. Competitive compensation and equity opportunities are available.

Qualifications

• 1 - 5 years of experience in design and shipping frontend code.
• Experience at a venture‑backed early‑stage startup or fast‑paced high‑growth company.
• Has a self‑driven project with real users.

Responsibilities

• Own product design and frontend implementation from concept to production.
• Design and build production‑ready interfaces using React and TypeScript.
• Establish the company's design language, design system, and UX patterns.

Skills

React

TypeScript

Figma

Tailwind CSS

Next.js

Education

Design/Arts/CS degree

Job description

Founding Design Engineer

Location: San Francisco, CA (On-site, 5 days/week)

Compensation: $150,000–$250,000 Base + Equity (0.4–0.8%)

About the Opportunity

An early-stage, venture-backed AI startup is seeking a Founding Design Engineer to become its first design-focused engineering hire. This is a unique opportunity to own the end-to-end user experience for a highly technical AI platform, defining the product's design language while building production-ready frontend applications.

Working directly with the founding team, you'll help shape the future of an AI-native enterprise platform by combining exceptional product design with hands‑on frontend engineering.

What You'll Do

• Own product design and frontend implementation from concept to production.
• Design and build production‑ready interfaces using React and TypeScript.
• Establish the company's design language, design system, and UX patterns.
• Collaborate closely with founders to build intuitive experiences for complex technical workflows.
• Design for enterprise B2B software, platform products, and AI‑powered user experiences.

What We're Looking For

• 1 - 5 years of experience in design, recent experience shipping frontend code in React/TypeScript
• Experience at a venture‑backed early‑stage startup or fast‑paced high‑growth company
• Has a self‑driven project with real users (portfolio, side project, or startup)
• Experience at an early‑stage startup or other fast‑paced environment.
• Experience designing technical products such as developer tools, enterprise SaaS, infrastructure, platform software, or AI products.
• Self‑starter who thrives in an ownership‑driven environment with minimal direction.
• Design/Arts/CS degree

Skills

Tech stack
React, TypeScript, Figma, Tailwind CSS

PLUS

• Next.js
• Figma
• Experience with design systems and component libraries.
• Familiarity with AI, agentic workflows, or Human‑Computer Interaction (HCI) principles.

Visa Sponsorship

The company can support:

• H-1B transfers
• O-1 visas
• TN visas
• J-1 visas

Please note that new H-1B sponsorship is not available.

Why Join?

• Be the first Design Engineer and help define the product from the ground up.
• Own both design and implementation without traditional design handoffs.
• Work directly with an experienced founding team in a collaborative, high‑impact environment.
• Receive competitive compensation and meaningful equity while helping build a category‑defining AI product.