About the role
We’re hiring a Senior Design Engineer to own some of the most important surfaces in Citizen: notifications, core UX, and the live, real‑time safety loops that keep people coming back every day. This is an in‑person role in our New York office, at the intersection of product, design, and engineering: you think in systems, not screens; you prototype in code; and you use AI as a force multiplier across your entire workflow.
You’ll design and ship the end‑to‑end experience of “right alert, right person, right moment,” transforming Citizen’s real‑time safety graph into a notification and feed experience that feels personal, trustworthy, and indispensable. You’ll work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Product, Engineering, Data, and Operations in NYC, and you are the one who designs the system—from interaction patterns to ranking logic to internal tools—that makes the whole thing work.
This role is ideal for a hands‑on builder who can work conversationally with AI-assisted coding tools, cares deeply about UX and craft, and is excited to apply the a16z “design engineer” principles in a mission‑driven, high‑stakes, real‑time environment.
What you’ll do
Design and ship core notification experiences that drive retention and engagement, from UX flows and interaction patterns to the underlying rules that govern relevance, timing, and frequency.
Own the end‑to‑end system for “real‑time safety” UX across notifications, feeds, and key in‑app surfaces, ensuring users feel informed, not overwhelmed.
Prototype with code (web/mobile, whatever you’re fluent in) to explore interactions, flows, and ranking behaviors, and use those prototypes in‑person with the team to align Product, Engineering, Data, and Ops.
Use AI as a first‑class tool in your workflow: concept exploration, research synthesis, design variations, microcopy, sound and motion studies, component generation, and scaffolding for front‑end implementations.
Design persona‑ and segment‑aware experiences that flex by behavior, neighborhood, and intent, so different users get notification and feed patterns that feel tailored to them.
Collaborate with Product and Data to define retention and engagement hypotheses, design A/B tests, and turn insights into clear system changes, not just UI tweaks.
Partner with Operations and Trust & Safety to make sure workflows, tools, and UX support fast but responsible decisions about what gets alerted, when, and to whom.
Raise the bar on internal tools and pipelines, designing and building small utilities, dashboards, and AI workflows that make the whole NYC team faster and more creative.
Who you are
You’re a designer who codes (or an engineer with strong design sensibilities) and you’re comfortable shipping functional prototypes that behave like the real product.
You think in systems, not just screens: states, flows, edge cases, and feedback loops are as interesting to you as visual polish.
You are AI‑native: you use modern AI tools daily for ideation, research synthesis, prototyping, content/asset generation, and you push them as far as they can go.
You have strong product intuition and can articulate the “why” behind each decision, balancing user value, safety, and business outcomes.
You’re comfortable working on real‑time, safety‑sensitive products, and you understand the ethical and psychological tradeoffs between speed, virality, and user well‑being.
You thrive in an in‑person, fast‑moving environment in New York, and you prefer to show, not tell—shipping prototypes and experiments rather than long decks.
Qualifications
5+ years of experience in a role that blends product design and front‑end engineering (e.g., design engineer, product‑minded front‑end engineer, product designer who codes, or similar).
Strong portfolio of shipped work on consumer products, ideally with real‑time, feed, or notification‑heavy experiences.
Demonstrated experience using AI tools to accelerate design and/or engineering workflows (include concrete examples in your portfolio or application).
Fluency in modern design tools (e.g., Figma) and front‑end technologies (e.g., React/React Native, SwiftUI, or similar—framework isn’t dogmatic, shipping is).
Experience collaborating closely with PM, Engineering, and Data to define problems, run experiments, and measure outcomes.
Nice to have
Experience with notification or feed ranking systems, or products where relevance and timing are critical.
Prior work on safety, trust & safety, moderation, or operations‑heavy products.
Experience designing for live video, real‑time maps, or location‑based products.
Comfort writing light queries or working tightly with analytics to explore retention, reactivation, and habit loops.
How to apply
Send us:
A brief note about why this type of AI‑native design engineering role is your natural lane.
A portfolio that includes at least one system‑level project (not just a single feature or screen) and, ideally, one example where you don’t just use AI for speed—you use it to explore broader solution spaces, compress iteration cycles, and ship higher-quality product decisions.
Salary Range
This role offers a base salary of $155,000–$215,000 per year, plus equity.
Compensation & Benefits
We offer competitive salary, equity, and a full benefits package, including:
At least one fully employer-sponsored medical plan option
Dental and vision coverage, with a small employee contribution
Unlimited PTO
Up to 14 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents)
Monthly tech stipend
Free mental health support
Hybrid work environment + catered lunches (NYC HQ)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Citizen
Citizen is an equal opportunity employer. We’re building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve — across race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, and background.
We know that diverse teams make better decisions and build more effective products. If you don’t meet every listed qualification, we still encourage you to apply. Skills, potential, and lived experience matter.
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