Product Designer / Design Engineer

Nominal, Inc; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is looking for a Product Designer / Design Engineer to shape the future of aerospace and defense technology. In this role, you will create intuitive designs and collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop user-centric solutions. Candidates should have significant experience in design engineering and a strong proficiency in tools like Figma and React.

Benefits

100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance

Unlimited PTO and sick leave

Free lunch, snacks, and coffee

Professional Development Stipend

Annual company retreat

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in a design engineering role or similar.
• Proficiency in Figma and frontend technologies.
• Experience with APIs (RESTful and/or tRPC).

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mission-critical features and workflows.
• Implement responsive and accessible UI components.
• Collaborate with customers to gather feedback.

Skills

Design engineering

Prototyping

Testing

Problem-solving

Technical constraint navigation

Data visualization

Tools

Figma

React

TypeScript

Tailwind CSS

Radix UI

Job description

About Nominal

Nominal is a venture-backed company with offices in Los Angeles, Austin, and New York City. We’re focused on building software and data solutions for organizations that test and validate complex systems—think drones, rocket engines, satellites, and nuclear reactors. Supported by leading investors like General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and more, we’re gaining strong traction in the commercial and government aerospace and defense industrial base, including working directly with the Department of Defense.

Our team includes engineers and operators from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, and NASA, all working toward a common goal: making it faster and easier for hardware engineers to push the boundaries of advanced technology safely and efficiently. Our platform helps engineering teams accelerate test data review and analysis, scaling testing campaigns to save time and cut costs.

As a Product Designer / Design Engineer at Nominal, you will operate at the intersection of design and engineering, transforming complex data and workflows into intuitive, high-performance user experiences. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to prototype, build, and refine features that enhance our platform's usability and functionality.

About the role

• Design and develop mission-critical features and end-to-end workflows that handle complex data visualization and interaction.
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, and engineers to translate user needs into functional designs.
• Implement responsive and accessible UI components using modern frontend technologies.
• Collaborate closely with our customers to synthesize feedback and drive high-quality, impactful design solutions.
• Contribute strategically to the product and design direction, making pivotal decisions that influence the future of Nominal's platform.
• Understand and bring clarity to technical topics using concrete design outputs (e.g. diagrams, data visualizations, layout, typography).

We’re looking for someone with

• 3+ years of experience in a design engineering role or similar, with a strong portfolio showcasing design and development projects.
• Proficiency in Figma and frontend technologies (e.g., React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS), with a strong foundation in prototyping, testing, and implementation
• Familiarity with Tailwind CSS or similar utility-first CSS frameworks, and Radix UI for building reusable UI components.
• Experience with APIs (RESTful and/or tRPC) and integrating them into frontend applications seamlessly.
• A keen ability to articulate the rationale, process, and impact behind your design decisions and adapt to technical constraints in creative ways using your knowledge of web technologies
• A versatile skill set that does not require prior hardware experience but is capable of navigating highly technical environments including aerospace, defense, and advanced energy applications
• An enthusiastic approach to problem-solving in complex scenarios, with a willingness to engage in customer immersion activities and on-site visits

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the aerospace, defense, or related industries.
• Knowledge of performance-focused tools and techniques for rendering large datasets and building responsive, smooth interfaces.
• Background in human-computer interaction or related fields.
• [Bonus!] Familiarity with WebGL or other advanced graphics technologies.

Benefits/Perks

• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
• ️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
• ️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
• Professional Development Stipend
• ️ Annual company retreat

$120,000 - $180,000 a year

This job description is written to capture a range of experience levels from 2 years to 15+ years, which is why you’ll see a wide band listed. Your actual base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on a range of considerations, including job-related knowledge and skills, education, prior experience, and other business needs. The listed salary range represents an estimate for base compensation only. Base salary is just one part of the total rewards package. Eligible employees may also receive highly competitive equity grants in the form of stock options, allowing you to share in the company’s long-term success.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.