Staff Design Engineer (AI Product)

TL;DR

Staff Design Engineer (AI Product): Developing functional prototypes and production-ready user experiences for an open-source AI client with an accent on AI interaction patterns and enterprise usability. Focus on translating ambiguous product concepts into usable workflows and building scalable frontend architecture for AI-powered tools.

Location: Must reside in and have permanent work authorization for the US or Canada

Salary: $185,000 - $205,000 USD (US) / $155,000 - $175,000 CAD (Canada)

Company

hirify.global (Thunderbird) is a nonprofit-owned company building privacy-respecting open-source communication and productivity tools.

What you will do

• Build functional prototypes and product experiments directly in the Thunderbolt codebase.
• Translate ambiguous product ideas, user workflows, and enterprise needs into usable product experiences.
• Define interaction patterns for AI-powered chat, search, research, workflow automation, and knowledge retrieval.
• Partner with product, design, and engineering teams to explore and refine the product direction.
• Contribute production-quality frontend code and develop reusable components and design-system elements.
• Ensure the usability, accessibility, and security of AI experiences for enterprise-grade environments.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in design engineering, frontend engineering, or UX engineering.
• Strong proficiency in modern JavaScript, TypeScript, and component-based frameworks.
• Experience designing and building AI-enabled product experiences (e.g., chat, agents, automation).
• Deep knowledge of usability, accessibility, information architecture, and workflow design.
• Must reside in and have permanent work authorization for the US or Canada; no visa sponsorship provided.
• Proven ability to provide technical leadership through mentoring and cross-functional coordination.

Nice to have

• Experience with enterprise software, developer tools, or self-hosted software.
• Contributions to design systems or reusable frontend architecture.
• Familiarity with user research, usability testing, and rapid experimentation methods.
• Experience working in open-source or highly collaborative engineering environments.

Culture & Benefits

• Fully remote work with schedule flexibility and a monthly remote work stipend.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, plus disability and life insurance.
• 401(k) / RRSP contributions and an annual bonus program.
• Generous leave: 24 days PTO, birthday off, and year-end company shutdown.
• Annual professional development stipend and access to the Coursera learning platform.
• Quarterly wellbeing stipend for personal or family activities.