The RoleWe are hiring our first design engineer. Enterprise software is a graveyard of bad interfaces, and we have a rare opportunity to build the product that proves enterprise tools can feel as good as the consumer software people actually love.
You will own how Centralize looks, feels, and moves. The hover states, the transitions, the moments where the interface anticipates the user. The polish that makes a Salesforce rep say "wait, this is the tool I have to use for work?" You'll work directly with the founders and product engineers, skip the traditional Figma-to-engineering handoff, and ship from idea to production yourself.
This role is well-suited to engineers who blend taste with technical depth, who think in motion and micro-interactions, and who want to set the visual and interaction standard for an entire product category.
What You Will Do- Own the look, feel, and motion of Centralize across every product surface. The components, the interaction patterns, the system that ties it all together.
- Skip the handoff. You'll prototype, design, and ship in code. Figma is one tool among many, not a wall between disciplines.
- Build the polish that makes the product feel alive: transitions, micro-interactions, empty states, loading states, the small moments most teams skip.
- Establish and evolve our design system as the product surface grows. Make it scalable enough that the next ten engineers can ship fast without breaking the visual bar.
- Talk to customers. Sit on sales calls, watch users navigate the product, and translate what you see into design and interaction decisions.
- Set the standard for visual and interaction quality at Centralize, and raise it every quarter.
What Success Looks Like- Week 1: First polished component shipped to production.
- Day 30: Owning the visual and interaction quality of a major product surface end to end.
- Day 90: Our design system is yours, our product feels noticeably better than it did when you joined, and customers are commenting on the craft.
What We Are Looking For- A portfolio that makes the case for itself. We care about the work, not the resume. Show us the product surfaces, the interactions, and the details you've shipped.
- Strong fluency in React, Next.js, TypeScript, and modern CSS. You can build any UI you can imagine, and you can imagine a lot.
- Real expertise in motion and interaction. You know when an animation earns its place and when it doesn't, and you can implement either with confidence.
- Sharp visual taste. You can look at a screen and see what's wrong, and you can look at a blank screen and know what should go there.
- Excellent written and verbal English communication. You can explain a design decision in a doc, defend it in a meeting, and demo it to a customer.
- Demonstrated ability to operate independently. We give you the goal, not the steps.
This Role Is Not For You If- You think of yourself as a designer who happens to code, or as an engineer who happens to care about design. We need someone who is excellent at both.
- You want a team of designers around you to bounce ideas off. You will be our first design engineer, and the bar is set by you.
- You optimize for the perfect design at the expense of shipping. We grade on what's in production, not what's in Figma.
- You want a slower pace. We work hard and move quickly. Please only apply if that excites you.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience as the first design engineer or design-leaning founding engineer at a fast-growing startup.
- Background shipping consumer-grade UI in a B2B product. Bonus if you've worked in CRM, sales tools, or other enterprise software categories.
- Open-source contributions, side projects, or a personal site that shows your craft outside of work.
- Experience building and maintaining a design system at scale.
The Team You'll JoinYou'll work directly with Rachit and Will, alongside former founders and engineers from Coinbase, Gusto, Modern Treasury, and C3 AI.
Compensation and Logistics- Location: This role is open to remote candidates in the US, with a strong preference for candidates based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco or New York City.
- Work Authorization: We are unable to sponsor visas. Candidates must have existing US work authorization.
- Compensation: $190,000 to $260,000 base salary depending on level, plus 0.20% to 0.40% equity. Final offer calibrated to seniority and experience.
Benefits- Fully covered medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k)
- Parental leave
- Unlimited PTO plus company holidays
- Quarterly offsite
- Equipment stipend
