Software Engineer - Frontend UI

The Rundown AI, Inc.; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Software Engineer (Frontend/Design Engineer) in Palo Alto to create innovative UI primitives for AI-native experiences. The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of frontend development experience and a passion for blending technical excellence with design. This role involves collaborating with designers and pushing the boundaries of web interfaces for millions of users.

Qualifications

• Roughly 7+ years of experience building and shipping frontend products.
• Expert in JavaScript/TypeScript, CSS, and React.
• Proven track record of shipping products users love.

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with a designer to prototype a new interaction.
• Crafting animations for complex AI operations.
• Solving performance bottlenecks in rendering pipeline.

Skills

JavaScript

TypeScript

CSS

React

Job description

We're looking for a Software Engineer (Frontend/Design Engineer) to join our small team building the Dream Machine web application. This isn't just another frontend role—you'll be inventing new UI primitives for AI-native experiences, pushing the boundaries of what web interfaces can do. You'll work directly with our world-class design team to bring these visions to life for millions of users. This is where exceptional technical skills meet impeccable design taste.

What a Typical Week Might Look Like

• Collaborating with a designer to prototype a new way for users to interact with generated videos

• Crafting a buttery-smooth animation that makes complex AI operations feel magical

• Solving a tricky performance bottleneck in our rendering pipeline

• Meeting with the product team to brainstorm innovative UI patterns for upcoming features

• Building a reusable component that becomes a cornerstone of our design system

• Squashing bugs while making the fix even better than the original implementation

• Reviewing PRs from teammates with thoughtful, constructive feedback

Your Background Looks Something Like

• You've got roughly 7+ years of experience building and shipping frontend products

• You're an expert in JavaScript/TypeScript, CSS, and React

• You have a proven track record of shipping products that users love

• You've mastered the art of translating designs into flawless implementations

• You write clean, maintainable code that stands the test of time

• You have an exceptional eye for design details and visual polish

• And yes, you definitely know how to center a div

You Might Really Thrive Here If...

• You obsess over animation timings and interaction details

• You're excited about inventing new UI paradigms for emerging technologies

• You've built products where technical excellence meets design excellence

• You instinctively notice when something is 1px off

• The idea of collaborating directly with designers energizes you

• You believe great code and great design are inseparable

• You've ever redesigned an app in your spare time just because you thought it could be better

Some of the Cool Things We're Working On

• Creating intuitive interfaces for complex AI video generation

• Building real-time, responsive UIs that make generative processes feel instantaneous

• Developing component systems that gracefully handle the unpredictability of AI outputs

• Prototyping novel interaction patterns that don't exist anywhere else

• Scaling our web experience to millions of creators worldwide

• Reimagining creative workflows for the AI era

This is an on-site role in Palo Alto, California. Our hybrid work schedule balances in-person collaboration with focused solo work time—the best of both worlds for building breakthrough products together.

About Luma

At Luma, we're building multimodal AI to expand human imagination and capabilities. We believe the next leap in AI won't come from language alone—but from models that can see, understand, create, and interact with the world visually.

Dream Machine is just the beginning. We're creating an intelligent creative partner—one that helps people express what's in their mind's eye, without needing the perfect words. Think: generative AI that's not just helpful, but beautifully intuitive and deeply visual.

We're product-focused, fast-moving, and shipping like crazy. Our team is small, sharp, and obsessed with building things that feel magical. If that resonates, keep reading.