The RoleThis is a rare opportunity to define what consumer-grade AI coaching experiences look like at enterprise scale. You'll join as a senior design leader on a small, high-velocity product-design-engineering team, where your work will directly shape how millions of users interact with AI coaching every day. This role is exciting because:
- Redefine the paradigm: Conversational and LLM-driven interfaces are still early. You'll challenge existing patterns and establish new standards for AI-native product experiences.
- Design as a strategic unlock: At Valence, design isn't decoration - it's central to trust, engagement, and adoption. Your work will directly accelerate our product and company.
- True partnership: You'll work alongside product and engineering leaders who deeply value design and involve it in every major decision.
- AI-native from day one: We're building from first principles, not layering AI onto legacy systems.
- High performing PDE culture: We operate as a tight, collaborative team with intentional practices that make distributed work effective and energizing.
What You'll Do- Design features that evolve Nadia from 1:1 coaching into a multiplayer collaboration platform, including context-sharing, team dynamics, and manager tooling
- Establish and evolve our design system to maintain craft and consistency as we scale
- Work embedded with product and engineering to ship high-quality experiences weekly, not quarterly
- Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution - designing flows, refining interactions, and writing product copy yourself
- Collaborate intensively through working sessions, critiques, and paired design work
- Bring curiosity and experimentation to integrating AI into the user experience, exploring innovative UI and adaptive workflows.
What We're Looking For- 8+ years of product design experience with a strong portfolio demonstrating consumer-grade craft
- Proven experience building and maintaining design systems that enable team velocity
- A track record of shipping quickly on small, scrappy design teams (not large orgs with specialized roles)
- Experience at a high-growth startup, helping scale from early stage to meaningful traction
- Shipped products used by millions of users, with measurable impact on engagement or retention
- Bonus if you have experience designing conversational interfaces, chat products, or LLM-powered experiences
You Thrive When You're:- Collaborating intensively - thinking out loud, riffing in Figma, and building on others' ideas
- Making fast decisions with incomplete information, then iterating based on what you learn
- Balancing craft with pragmatism - knowing when to polish and when to ship and learn
- Working across the full stack of design, from product strategy to interaction details to content design
This Isn't the Right Fit If You- Need to personally review and approve everything before it ships
- Prefer long stretches of solo, heads-down work
- Want clearly defined swim lanes and minimal ambiguity
- Need large teams or heavy processes to feel productive
Interview ProcessWe believe in evaluating real work, not hypotheticals. The process includes steps like:
- Portfolio Review - Deep dive into 2-3 projects, focusing on process, decisions, and impact
- Design Exercise - A realistic, paid take-home challenge that mirrors actual work you'd do here after signing an NDA.
- Collaboration Session - Work through a design problem with members of our PDE team
- Leadership Conversations - Discuss your approach to design leadership, feedback, and collaboration
Why Valence- Ownership & Rapid Growth
- Outsized missions from day one, with direct responsibility for company-defining projects
- Work alongside the executive team with transparency into strategy and decision-making
- Influence on direction through real-time customer feedback and market insights
- AI-First Operator
- Work directly with cutting-edge AI models and next-generation platforms
- Build expertise in enterprise AI implementation across Fortune 500 companies and multiple industries
- Establish yourself as a recognized leader among peers in shaping how AI transforms work at a global scale
- Compensation
- Competitive salary including base + bonuses
- Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision) from day one
- Generous PTO, company-wide R&R shutdowns, and paid parental leave
- Retirement plan support for US and global employees
- Equity
- Meaningful ownership in a venture-backed company at a growth inflection point
- Financial upside that comes from scaling fast
- Top-up grants as we scale and you deliver exceptional performance - your compensation grows alongside your impact
- Top-Performing Culture
- A culture built for top talent: intensity to win, growth without limits, and a team that solves hard problems and celebrates big wins together
Learn more about us and meet our team hereLocation and Work EnvironmentThis can be a remote or hybrid role. NYC based candidates will be 3 days a week in office in Union Square. Candidates must be comfortable balancing colleagues in global timezones, as needed. Candidates must have valid ID/passport and must not have any restrictions on their travel abilities due to work authorization or permits.
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