Founding Designer

Role overview

Humankind is working with an early-stage AI startup focused on reinventing software testing and code review. The company is building AI-first tools that help engineering teams release faster, improve confidence, and reduce defects by rethinking quality assurance from the ground up.

Supported by Accel and a strong group of technical founders, the startup is creating deeply technical products for modern development teams. This is not a traditional QA product with AI added later; instead, it is being designed as a new model for how software gets reviewed, validated, and trusted.

They are looking for a Founding Product Designer to take ownership of the product design from the start. In this role, you will work closely with the founders to turn highly complex, probabilistic systems into experiences that are understandable, useful, and reliable for engineers. The emphasis is on clarity, systems thinking, and product impact rather than visual polish alone.

This is a rare opportunity to shape how developers interact with AI at a critical stage of the software lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Lead product design end to end for a developer platform, starting with early ideas and continuing through launch.
• Create interfaces and workflows that help engineers interpret, trust, and respond to AI-driven insights.
• Work side by side with the founders and engineering team to influence product direction and delivery.
• Convert complex technical concepts into simple, intuitive, and people-friendly product experiences.
• Plan and run user research sessions with engineers and early customers to guide product choices.
• Develop and refine the core design system as the company grows.
• Partner with an external design agency to expand the visual identity across the product and website.

Requirements

• Senior-level product design experience with ownership of complex products from start to finish.
• A strong portfolio that shows thoughtful user experience work on technical, data-rich, or B2B products, with developer tools being a plus.
• A strong eye for clarity, usability, and systems thinking, with the ability to reduce complexity without oversimplifying it.
• Comfort working in uncertain environments with limited process and a high level of ownership.
• Excellent communication skills and enthusiasm for collaborating directly with founders and engineers.
• Willingness to work onsite with a small, highly technical team.

Nice to have

• Previous experience in an early-stage startup or in a founding designer role.
• Exposure to developer tools, infrastructure products, or ML-adjacent products.
• Familiarity with fast prototyping tools such as v0 or Lovable.
• Interest in brand systems and product storytelling, not only interface design.

About the team

You will join a compact, disciplined, and intellectually curious group of engineers and researchers who value craft, correctness, and first-principles thinking. The environment is low-ego, high-standard, and highly collaborative, with a strong belief that excellent tools can change how software is built.

Location

This role is onsite in San Francisco, California.

Additional information

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.