Principal Design Engineer

Product taste is the rarest skill in software. Most people can build. Few can build the right thing in the right way and notice the difference. We're hiring one of those few.

We're building Ark, an AI Native School OS. We're hiring one person to own its craft end-to-end.

The role

You'll design and build the entire user experience of Ark. Every screen. Every flow. Every detail. You'll prototype in code, ship to production, and have the final say on how the product looks, moves, and feels.

You report directly to the founder. The cut is yours.

What we look for

• Product taste, first and last. You can look at any product and instantly know what's right and what's off. You know why some software feels good to use and most doesn't. You build for that difference.
• Strong execution. You ship. You don't hand off mocks and wait for someone else. You design and build in the same session.
• Opinions. You can articulate what makes a great product great. You'll push back on us. We want that.
• A body of shipped work. Real products real people use. Not concept reels.

How we hire

One conversation with the founder. One paid work trial. One final conversation. Decision in two weeks.

Apply

Portfolio + one product you've shipped + one paragraph on a piece of software you love and why → [email protected]

No cover letters. No résumé tricks. Show us your work.