Horizon: Design Engineer (Mid-level)

Department: Software

Location: United States / Remote

Employment Type: FullTime

We’re looking for a Mid-Level Design Engineer to help scale Spear AI’s growth and products. Ideally, you are someone who loves the front of the front-end and can hold their own when it comes to design and UX concepts.

Spear AI is a growing defense contracting company dedicated to delivering cutting-edge solutions that support our nation’s security. As we expand, we’re building a culture where innovation meets mission-critical work. We operate with a flat structure that empowers every team member to make an impact, collaborate directly with leadership, and contribute to projects that matter. The work is technical, the problem space is dense, and the stakes are real. We ship in months, not years, and the people using what we build are operators, analysts, and warfighters.

What youll do:

We’re a small team wearing many hats, and you’d have a wide variety of responsibilities that include:

• Product Building: Code production-ready prototypes, modular front-end components, and core user-facing features.

• Proactive Polish: Spot opportunities to redesign or refine key features and flows, aggressively hunting down visual paper cuts and UX friction.

• Collaborative Scoping: Participate in project kickoffs to understand the product and audience, actively proposing visual direction rather than waiting for a rigid specification sheet.

• Setting Standards: Champion application performance, accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA), and codebase maintainability as first-class architectural concerns.

Who you are:

• Proven Capability: We care more about depth and taste than years on a resume, but successful candidates typically have 4+ years of Frontend or Design Engineer experience.

• Future-Proof Mindset: You write clean, maintainable code that doesnt constrain future product ambition.

• Pragmatic Tooling: You use LLMs as a tool, not a crutch: you independently audit their output, question their assumptions, and override them whenever a more elegant, human-engineered solution is required.

• Proven Product Taste: You possess a strong portfolio of shipped interfaces where you handled both the design and the front-end build, and can clearly explain your decisions and trade-offs.

• Workflow Empathy: You have a deep understanding of design workflows and the technical or hardware constraints that surround them.

• Obsession with Detail: You sweat the small stuff: animation, loading states, typography rhythm, accessibility, responsiveness, and runtime performance.

• Principled Courage: You have the confidence to ask hard questions, experiment wildly, and advocate for what you feel is right for the user.

• Relentless Curiosity: You treat every engineering bottleneck as a chance to dig deeper, constantly expanding your technical toolkit because you genuinely love figuring out how things work.

• Ambiguity Tolerance: You thrive when things are moving fast. Mission-critical work in defense isnt always tidy, and priorities shift. You stay calm, adjust, and iterate.

• Team-First Alignment: You make the team better. On a team of three, every hire shapes how we work. You bring your own strengths but check your ego at the door, taking your teammates wins as your own.

• Clear Communication: You can explain a technical decision, a design rationale, or a complex trade-off in a clear way that lands perfectly with any audience.

Required skills:

• Modern Stack Fluency: Deep, professional experience with React, Next.js, and TypeScript.

• Advanced Styling: Highly fluent with Tailwind and modern CSS fundamentals (including container queries, cascade layers, specificity, OKLCH color spaces, view transitions, flexbox, and grid).

• Technical Auditing: A strong understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and core performance metrics (Core Web Vitals, Lighthouse).

Why work with us:

• Craft is a real value, not a slogan. You wont have to fight for time to get the details right.

• The work matters. Youll work on real-world projects that directly impact warfighter capabilities and mission success. The feedback loop is short and the impact is concrete.

• Youll have true ownership. Enjoy a flat structure, real autonomy, and direct access to company leadership.

• Were remote-first. Work from wherever you operate at your absolute best.

• Were profitable and growing responsibly. We have the resources to scale, but we choose to hire carefully — wed rather stay small and sharp than scale headcount for its own sake.

• We dont take ourselves too seriously. Our work makes the world safer. That doesnt mean we have to be self-important about it.

• The people are the best part. Were a group of chill, low-ego people who are genuinely kind, super smart, and exceptionally curious.

What We Offer

• Unlimited PTO — Take the time you need to recharge and maintain work-life balance.

• Dedicated sick time — Your health and well-being come first.

• Comprehensive health and benefits – Medical, dental, and vision coverage to keep you and your family protected.

• 11 Paid Holidays — Enjoy time off throughout the year to celebrate and spend time with loved ones.

• Professional development — Educational opportunities and resources to help you grow your skills and advance your career.

• Collaborative environment — Work directly with leadership in our flat organizational structure, where your ideas and contributions matter.

• Mission-driven work — Contribute to projects that directly support national security and make a real-world impact.

• Growth opportunities — Join us during an exciting expansion phase where you can help shape our future.

Clearance Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen.

• Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain or currently hold a Secret or Top Secret U.S. security clearance.

Additional Benefit Opportunities When You Choose Spear AI:

• 401(k) with company match.

• Referral bonuses.

• Performance bonuses.

• Life insurance and disability coverage.

• Technology home office setup stipend.

• Professional certification reimbursement (position dependent).

We offer competitive compensation tailored to your experience, location, and the impact you’ll make. We’re committed to equitable pay and will share a range aligned to your level and geography during the hiring process. In accordance with state law, candidates in jurisdictions such as CA, CO, WA, NY, and others, where applicable, will be provided a good-faith salary range upon request and throughout the hiring process. This is a full-time, exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Compensation for this position is provided on a salaried basis and is not subject to reduction based on hours worked. At Spear AI, you’ll find more than just a job; you’ll join a mission-driven team where your work directly contributes to national security. Our flat organizational structure means your voice matters, your ideas reach leadership, and your impact is visible. As we grow, we’re committed to building robust processes and infrastructure that support both our mission and our people. We value collaboration, continuous improvement, and the expertise each team member brings to the table. If you’re looking for a place to grow professionally while working on projects that truly matter, we’d love to hear from you.