Staff Design Engineer

Mixpanel; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 236,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Vision, and Dental

Mental Wellness Benefit

Vacation & Holidays

Parental Leave

Volunteer Time Off

401(k) plan

Job summary

Mixpanel is seeking a Staff Design Engineer to lead the transformation of our design system into the AI-native infrastructure that powers how we design, build, and ship. You will encode craft and standards into token systems, component libraries, and tooling that AI agents and prototyping workflows can rely on.

You will sit with the design organization and collaborate closely with product design and engineering to reimagine Mixpanel for an AI-first world, while owning the bridge between design

Qualifications

• Proficiency in modern front-end frameworks: React, TypeScript, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Next.js.
• Experience with design systems; ideally you’ve built or overhauled one at scale.
• Strong design sensibility: craft, consistency, interaction quality, and taste.
• Fluency in AI-assisted workflows: canvas-to-code, code-to-canvas, AI prototyping tools, MCP integrations, and emerging technologies.
• Experience with tools like Figma, Storybook, VSCode, Chromatic, and GitHub.
• A track record of working across design and engineering, collaborating across both disciplines.
• Comfortable operating with high autonomy: defining direction, influencing standards, and managing complex projects independently.
• 8+ years in design engineering, UX engineering, design technology, or a related hybrid role.

Responsibilities

• Build the infrastructure for an AI‑native design practice.
• Shape how Mixpanel looks and behaves in an AI‑native world.
• Own the bridge between design and code.
• Stand up prototyping and AI tooling infrastructure.
• Set and model the craft bar.

Skills

React

TypeScript

JavaScript

CSS

HTML

Next.js

Design systems

Cross-functional

AI workflows

Tools

Figma

Storybook

VSCode

Chromatic

GitHub

Job description

About Mixpanel

Mixpanel turns data clarity into innovation. Trusted by more than 29,000 companies, including Workday, Pinterest, LG, and Rakuten Viber, Mixpanel’s AI-first digital analytics help teams accelerate adoption, improve retention, and ship with confidence. Powering this is an industry-leading platform that combines product and web analytics, session replay, experimentation, feature flags, and metric trees. Mixpanel delivers insights that customers trust.

About The Role

At Mixpanel, we believe design excellence is a competitive moat. In a world where AI makes it easier than ever to ship, we believe the quality of the experience—how it feels, builds trust, and handles complexity with grace—separates good products from great ones.

As a Staff Design Engineer at Mixpanel, you will sit within the design organization and lead the transformation of our design system from a component library into the infrastructure that powers how we design, build, and ship in an AI‑native world. You will encode our craft, standards, and vision directly into the systems, tools, and workflows that every designer, engineer, and AI agent in our org builds on. This role is not about maintenance but about building a living foundation that allows AI to assist and accelerate our design practices.

What you’ll do

• Build the infrastructure for an AI‑native design practice. Translate Mixpanel's design standards, principles, and taste into systems that live in the code. Build a token system, component library, documentation, and guidelines that AI agents, AI coding tools, and AI prototyping workflows can reliably build on.
• Shape how Mixpanel looks and behaves in an AI‑native world. Sit within the product design team and collaborate on reimagining Mixpanel for a world where interfaces are conversational, agentic, and adaptive.
• Own the bridge between design and code. Build systems that connect design to code and keep the two in sync. Define what "shippable" looks like as AI writes more of the code. Ship PRs that improve the product.
• Stand up prototyping and AI tooling infrastructure. Build workflows, tools, and infrastructure that let designers and PMs prototype at high fidelity with working code, real components, and interactive states without waiting on engineering.
• Set and model the craft bar. Establish what great looks like through the quality of the work you ship, not just documentation. Enable designers to work more code‑adjacent and help engineers build with better components.

What success looks like

• The design system is a reliable foundation that AI tools and agents build on, not an obstacle they work around.
• Design and code are in sync; the gap between what’s designed and what ships is closed.
• Designers can prototype at high fidelity without waiting on engineering.
• Engineers spend less time on UI polish and rework, and more time on features.
• The Mixpanel product feels unmistakably itself—cohesive, expressive, and craft‑forward—proving its evolution into an AI‑native experience.
• The org is enabled on the latest AI‑assisted design and development workflows.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in modern front‑end frameworks: React, TypeScript, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Next.js.
• Experience with design systems; ideally you’ve built or overhauled one at scale.
• Strong design sensibility: commitment to craft, consistency, interaction quality, and taste.
• Fluency in AI‑assisted workflows: canvas‑to‑code, code‑to‑canvas, AI prototyping tools, MCP integrations, and emerging technologies.
• Experience with tools like Figma, Storybook, VSCode, Chromatic, and GitHub.
• A track record of working across design and engineering, collaborating across both disciplines.
• Comfortable operating with high autonomy: defining direction, influencing standards, and managing complex projects independently.
• 8+ years in design engineering, UX engineering, design technology, or a related hybrid role.

Bonus points

• Experience designing or building data visualizations.
• Background in brand and/or product design.
• Experience with accessibility: WCAG 2.2, ARIA patterns, semantic HTML, APCA, accessible data viz.
• Experience working in a product analytics or developer‑focused product environment.

Compensation

The amount listed below is the total target cash compensation (TTCC) and includes base compensation and variable compensation in the form of either a company bonus or commissions. Variable compensation type is determined by your role and level. In addition to the cash compensation provided, this position is also eligible for equity consideration and other benefits including medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage.

Mixpanel Compensation Range: $236,000 - $300,000 USD

Benefits And Perks

• Comprehensive Medical, Vision, and Dental Care
• Mental Wellness Benefit
• Generous Vacation Policy & Additional Company Holidays
• Enhanced Parental Leave
• Volunteer Time Off
• Additional US Benefits: Pre‑Tax Benefits including 401(K), Wellness Benefit, Holiday Break

Culture Values

• Make Bold Bets: We choose courageous action over comfortable progress.
• Innovate with Insight: We tackle decisions with rigor and judgment—combining data, experience, and collective wisdom.
• One Team: We collaborate across boundaries to achieve far greater impact than any of us could accomplish alone.
• Candor with Connection: We build meaningful relationships that enable honest feedback and direct conversations.
• Champion the Customer: We seek to deeply understand our customers’ needs, ensuring their success is our north star.
• Powerful Simplicity: We find elegant solutions to complex problems, making sophisticated things accessible.

Equal Opportunity Employment Statement

Mixpanel is an equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity. We actively encourage women, people with disabilities, veterans, underrepresented minorities, and LGBTQ+ people to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance or other similar laws that may be applicable, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.