Design Engineer

Role Overview

• Build and ship product
• Own front-end implementation for our most design-forward and technically nuanced features, particularly those involving AI-driven and agentic experiences.
• Partner with product designers and engineers to bring complex interaction models, system behaviors, and UI patterns to production with high craft and fidelity.
• Operate as the connective tissue between design and engineering — ensuring that what we envision is what users experience, with no fidelity lost in translation.
• Own the design system as code
• Build, maintain, and evolve Savvy's design system as a production-grade component library that engineering ships with.
• Ensure the system scales to support emerging patterns for agentic workflows, dynamic content, and AI-native interfaces.
• Identify where existing patterns break down under new product demands and design, build, and ship thoughtful solutions.
• Prototype the future
• Build high-fidelity, functional prototypes that bring ambitious design concepts to life, especially for AI-driven and agentic product experiences.
• Partner with product designers to rapidly explore and validate new interaction models, system behaviors, and UI patterns before they enter the development pipeline.
• Use prototypes as a decision-making tool, helping leadership and cross-functional partners align around complex product directions with clarity and confidence.
• Evolve the design system
• Work at the platform level to extend and innovate on Savvy's design system, ensuring it supports emerging patterns for agentic workflows, dynamic content, and AI-native interfaces.
• Bridge the gap between design intent and engineering feasibility, creating system-level components and patterns that are both visionary and buildable.
• Identify where existing patterns break down under new product demands and propose thoughtful solutions.
• Partner across disciplines
• Collaborate closely with engineering to ensure your work integrates cleanly into our codebase and architectural patterns.
• Work with product management and design to identify high-value opportunities where your skillset can de-risk decisions or unlock new directions.
• Contribute to research and discovery efforts by building interactive stimuli for user testing and stakeholder review.
• Embrace and evolve our culture
• Contribute to a culture of thoughtful critique, high standards, and low ego collaboration.
• Introduce and champion AI prototyping tools and workflows that help designers across the team move faster and explore more boldly.
• Run workshops, share frameworks, and pair with designers to build their confidence working with code and AI tools.
• Foster a culture where experimentation is low-cost and high-signal — making it easy for anyone on the team to test an idea before committing to it.
• Share learnings, tools, and AI-driven workflows that elevate the broader design and product team.
• Provide constructive feedback to peers and cross-functional partners, helping maintain a strong culture of ownership and accountability.
• Model curiosity, adaptability, and resilience in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Requirements

• 4–7 years of experience spanning design and front-end engineering, with a portfolio that demonstrates both strong visual craft and technical execution.
• Fluent in modern front-end technologies (React, TypeScript, or similar) and comfortable building functional prototypes from scratch.
• Deep appreciation for design systems and understand how to create flexible, scalable components that serve both designers and engineers.
• Passionate about AI and actively experimenting with how it can reshape product experiences and design workflows.
• Clear communicator who can articulate design rationale to engineers and technical tradeoffs to designers.
• Thrive in ambiguity and are energized by the challenge of defining new patterns rather than following established playbooks.
• Generous collaborator who finds satisfaction in making the people around you more capable.

Tech Stack

• React
• TypeScript

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity package
• Unlimited PTO + paid company holidays
• Access to holistic medical, dental, and vision plans
• Company 401(k), Commuter, and HSA/FSA plans
• NYC office in the heart of Manhattan
• Lunch and snacks provided in the office
• Access to virtual mental health care (Spring Health), vision related benefits (XP Health), and health concierge (Rightway) to help you find the right care
• Access to counseling for stress management, dependent care, nutrition, fitness, legal, and financial issues (Guardian WorkLifeMatters EAP)