Design Engineer

About Unto Labs

Unto Labs is a team of systems-level builders pushing distributed computing to the physical limits of modern hardware. We’re reimagining Layer 1 blockchain technology—and crafting the consumer experiences that will bring it to millions.

About the Role

We’re hiring a Design Engineer to own the visual language of our products and turn sketches into polished, interactive prototypes. You’ll spend most of your time in Figma, motion tools, and design-system code, shipping pixel-perfect interfaces that showcase the raw speed of our chain. You can write enough TypeScript/HTML/CSS to prove ideas in the browser, but your super-power is taste, not frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design system stewardship – Define components, and interaction patterns that scale across mobile, web, and desktop.

• Rapid prototyping – Build interactive proofs of concept in code (React/Vanilla JS) to validate motion, layout, and token/data-streaming ideas.

• Visual & motion design – Craft animations, micro-interactions, and delightful details that make crypto feel simple and human.

• Collaboration – Pair with Product Engineers, Protocol Engineers, and Marketing to translate complex concepts (consensus, cryptography, DeFi flows) into intuitive UIs.

• Accessibility & performance – Ensure designs load fast, remain responsive on low-bandwidth devices, and meet accessibility standards.

• User insight – Instrument prototypes, run usability tests, and iterate based on real-world data.

Qualifications

Must-Haves

• 4+ years designing web or mobile products with an emphasis on interaction and visual polish.

• Mastery of Figma (auto-layout, variants, design tokens) and motion tools (Framer, After Effects, or equivalent).

• Ability to translate designs into functional prototypes with modern HTML, CSS, and basic TypeScript/React when needed.

• Proven record shipping or maintaining a design system or UI kit.

• Strong understanding of responsiveness, performance budgeting, and accessible design.

• Excellent communication skills and a bias for rapid iteration and ownership.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience designing for crypto, DeFi, or fintech applications.

• Familiarity with animation libraries (Rive, Lottie, React) and/or WebGL.

• Knowledge of UX research methods and analytics tooling.

• Comfort working alongside low-level engineers and speaking the language of systems engineering and tough performance constraints.

Why Join Us

• Define crypto UX – Shape the interfaces that onboard the next billion users to decentralized finance.

• Studio velocity – Ideate, prototype, and launch in days and weeks, not quarters.

• World-class peers – Work with engineers from high-frequency trading, gaming & computer graphics, and operating systems R&D.

• Cutting-edge resources – Access device labs, motion capture, and user-testing budgets.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary with meaningful equity upside

• Flexible work environment & unlimited vacation (this role is exclusive to in-person in our SF office)

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage

• Top-tier hardware & design tool stipend

• Annual learning, conference, and hardware budget