Senior UX Engineer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Engineer Company: Vellum Location: New York City, New York, United States Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Product Development / Engineering (with a strong UX focus) Date Posted: 2025-07-28T00:00:00 Experience Level: Senior (5-10 years implied) Remote Status: Remote OK (On-site presence in New York City is likely preferred or required, but remote is an option)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role combines deep UX design principles with robust frontend engineering capabilities, focusing on creating intuitive user interfaces for AI development tools.
• You will be instrumental in establishing and scaling Vellum's design system and component library, ensuring product consistency and development velocity.
• The position requires end-to-end ownership of user journeys, from initial research and ideation through to design, prototyping, implementation, and iterative refinement.
• Success hinges on translating complex AI concepts into user-friendly experiences, making advanced technology accessible even to less technical users.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior UX Engineer," the responsibilities blend product design and front-end development. This is a hybrid role requiring proficiency in both areas, with a strong emphasis on building and maintaining a design system. The "Remote OK" status suggests flexibility, but on-site presence in New York City may be beneficial for the collaborative aspects of the role. The implied experience level of 5-10 years aligns with a "Senior" designation.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End UX Ownership: Lead the complete user experience lifecycle for complex workflows, encompassing user research, ideation, interaction design, prototyping, and production-ready UI implementation.
• Design System Leadership: Spearhead the creation, development, and maintenance of Vellum's design system and component library, ensuring scalability, consistency, and efficient product development across the platform.
• Production UI Development: Build and implement production-ready user interfaces using React and TypeScript, adhering to best practices for clean, reusable code and optimal web UX.
• Complex Concept Translation: Effectively translate intricate AI concepts and technical functionalities into intuitive, approachable, and user-friendly interfaces, catering to a diverse user base, including those with less technical backgrounds.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster deep collaboration with product managers, designers, and fellow engineers to rapidly validate ideas, gather feedback, and deliver impactful features at a high velocity.
• Pattern Definition for New Categories: Define and establish novel UX patterns and interaction models for emerging AI product categories where industry best practices are still evolving.
• Continuous Iteration and Improvement: Drive ongoing product enhancement through iterative development, incorporating user feedback, analyzing usage data, and applying strong product intuition to refine user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic design leadership (design system) and hands-on development, with a clear mandate for end-to-end ownership. The focus on translating "complex AI concepts" highlights the need for strong problem-solving and communication skills to bridge technical complexity with user needs.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Design, or a related field is often preferred for senior roles, providing a foundational understanding of both technical and design principles. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.

Experience:

• 5-10 years of professional experience in UX Engineering, Frontend Development with a strong UX focus, or a similar hybrid role.
• Proven track record of building exceptional user experiences, particularly within complex technical products, developer tools, data/infrastructure platforms, or AI tooling.
• Demonstrated experience in conceptualizing, creating, and leading the implementation of a comprehensive design system and component library for a dynamic product environment.

Required Skills:

• Advanced Frontend Development: Proficiency in modern JavaScript frameworks, specifically React and TypeScript, with a strong understanding of building performant and scalable UIs.
• UX Design & Interaction Design: Solid grasp of UX principles, user-centered design methodologies, interaction design, and information architecture.
• Design System Expertise: Proven ability to create, maintain, and evangelize design systems and component libraries, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and reusability.
• Prototyping Skills: Proficiency in prototyping tools (e.g., Figma) for rapid ideation, user flow mapping, and interactive design validation.
• Systems Thinking: Ability to approach design and development from a holistic, systems perspective, balancing granular details with scalable patterns and architectural considerations.
• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, provide and receive candid feedback, and build strong working relationships.
• Agile Development: Experience working in fast-paced, iterative development environments with a bias for shipping high-quality products.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI development tools or platforms.
• Familiarity with backend technologies such as Python, Django, Google Cloud Platform, or Kubernetes.
• Experience with user research methodologies and usability testing.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) and implementation.
• Familiarity with Next.js for frontend development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements lean heavily into a "full-stack designer" or "UX Engineer" profile, emphasizing the dual need for strong technical implementation skills (React, TypeScript) and strategic design leadership (design systems, UX for complex products). The "systems thinker's mindset" is a key differentiator for this role, indicating a need for someone who can see the bigger picture while executing on details.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End UX Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating your ownership of complex user journeys from problem identification through to shipped solution, highlighting your design process, technical implementation, and impact.
• Design System Contribution: Include specific examples or a dedicated section detailing your experience in creating or significantly contributing to a design system and component library, showcasing its structure, key components, and adoption within a product.
• Code Samples/Live Demos: Provide access to code repositories (e.g., GitHub) or live demos of projects where you implemented UI components or features, demonstrating your proficiency in React and TypeScript.
• Problem-Solving Demonstrations: Illustrate how you translated complex technical concepts (especially AI-related, if possible) into clear, usable interfaces, detailing the challenges and your solutions.
• Impact Metrics: Quantify the impact of your work where possible, using metrics related to user satisfaction, task completion time, development efficiency, or adoption rates of design system components.

Process Documentation:

• Design Process Documentation: Detail your approach to user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing within your case studies.
• Component Library Strategy: Explain the strategy behind your design system, including component categorization, theming, accessibility considerations, and contribution guidelines.
• Code Quality & Best Practices: Briefly describe your approach to writing clean, maintainable, and reusable code, including testing strategies and adherence to frontend best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Engineer role, a portfolio is critical. It should not only showcase visual design and interaction but also demonstrate the candidate's ability to build these experiences and manage the underlying design system. Highlighting contributions to a design system and providing code examples are key differentiators.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $140,000 - $200,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Covering medical needs for employees and their families.
• Stock Options/Equity: Opportunity to own a part of Vellum's growth, aligning personal success with company success.
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO): Including vacation days, sick leave, and holidays, promoting work-life balance.
• Professional Development Budget: Funds allocated for conferences, training, online courses, and other learning opportunities relevant to UX and engineering.
• Remote Work Stipend/Home Office Setup: Support for creating an effective and comfortable remote work environment.
• 401(k) Plan: Retirement savings plan with potential company matching.
• Team Events & Offsites: Opportunities for team building and social connection, even in a remote or hybrid setting.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week.
• Vellum promotes a fast-paced, results-oriented environment, which may involve occasional flexibility to meet project deadlines, but the "Remote OK" status suggests a degree of flexibility in daily scheduling within reasonable working hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Senior UX Engineer in New York City. The benefits listed are typical for a tech startup and emphasize employee well-being, professional growth, and long-term commitment through equity.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software / Developer Tools / Infrastructure Company Size: Vellum is likely a growing startup or early-stage company, implying a dynamic, agile, and potentially fast-paced work environment. Startup culture often emphasizes high ownership, rapid iteration, and a close-knit team. Founded: 2022 (based on typical startup lifecycles and the nature of the product – AI infrastructure is a recent and rapidly evolving field).

Team Structure:

• The UX Engineer will likely report to a Head of Product, Lead Designer, or Head of Engineering, depending on Vellum's organizational structure.
• They will be part of a cross-functional product team, working closely with Product Managers, UX/UI Designers, and Software Engineers.
• Collaboration is expected to be high, with direct interaction across disciplines to define and build features.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisions: While not explicitly stated, a modern tech company, especially in AI, will likely leverage data analytics to inform product decisions, user experience improvements, and feature prioritization.
• Agile & Iterative Development: The emphasis on "moving fast," "fast iteration," and "shipping" strongly suggests an agile development methodology, likely Scrum or Kanban, with short development cycles and continuous feedback loops.
• Lean Principles: The desire to "cut the right corners" and "ship experiences that make AI development feel intuitive" points towards a lean approach, focusing on delivering value efficiently and learning through iteration.

Company Website: https://vellum.ai

📝 Enhancement Note: Vellum is positioning itself at the forefront of AI development tooling. This implies a culture that values innovation, technical depth, and a forward-thinking approach to product development. The "Senior UX Engineer" title suggests a need for individuals who can not only execute but also influence and shape the product's direction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor. This role is positioned as a key individual contributor responsible for significant impact on the product's user experience and design system.

Reporting Structure: Likely reports to a Product Lead, Design Lead, or Engineering Lead. The role involves close collaboration with product management and engineering teams, contributing to strategic product discussions.

Operations Impact: The UX Engineer will have a direct and substantial impact on Vellum's success by:

• Improving User Adoption & Retention: Crafting intuitive interfaces that make complex AI tools accessible and efficient, driving user engagement and loyalty.
• Accelerating Development Velocity: Establishing a robust design system that empowers the entire engineering team to build features faster and with higher quality.
• Defining Category Standards: Influencing the user experience patterns for a nascent AI development category, positioning Vellum as a leader.
• Enhancing Product Cohesion: Ensuring a consistent and delightful user experience across the entire Vellum platform.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in frontend frameworks, AI UX patterns, and design system architecture.
• Leadership in Design Systems: Grow into a lead role for the design system, potentially managing its evolution and adoption across the company.
• Product Strategy Influence: Contribute significantly to product strategy and roadmap decisions through UX insights and technical feasibility assessments.
• Mentorship: Mentor junior engineers and designers, sharing expertise in UX and frontend development.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Take on project leadership roles that span design, product, and engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: This is a "founding team" type of role for UX/frontend at Vellum. The opportunity for significant impact and growth, particularly in shaping the product and its design system from early stages, is a major draw. The role offers a clear path to becoming a technical leader within the organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The "Remote OK" status suggests a flexible work environment. Vellum may have a physical office in New York City for those who prefer or if hybrid arrangements are favored for specific collaboration needs, but remote work is a viable option.

Office Location(s): New York City, New York, United States. This location is known for its vibrant tech scene and access to talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: If an office exists, it likely serves as a hub for brainstorming, design reviews, and team syncs, fostering a culture of open communication and rapid feedback.
• Tooling: Expect access to modern design and development tools, including Figma for design and a robust IDE setup for frontend development.
• Team Interaction: Even in a remote setup, expect regular virtual interactions through tools like Slack, Zoom, or similar platforms, with a focus on transparent communication and knowledge sharing.

Work Schedule:

• While standard full-time hours are expected, the emphasis on "moving fast" and "doing whatever it takes" suggests a culture that values output and impact over strict adherence to hours. Flexibility in daily scheduling is likely, provided work is completed efficiently and collaboratively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote OK" status is a significant aspect. For candidates in or willing to relocate to NYC, it offers the benefit of in-person collaboration. For remote candidates, it signifies trust and autonomy, with the understanding that effective communication and asynchronous workflows are key.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role.
• Portfolio Review & Technical Deep Dive: A dedicated session where you present your portfolio, walking through key case studies. Expect in-depth questions about your design process, technical implementation decisions, challenges faced, and solutions. This is where your design system experience will be heavily scrutinized.
• Cross-Functional Interview: A conversation with a Product Manager and/or a Senior Engineer to evaluate collaboration skills, understanding of product strategy, and ability to translate complex requirements into user-friendly features.
• Take-Home Challenge (Potential): Vellum might assign a small, focused task to assess your design and coding skills in a real-world context, simulating a specific workflow or component.
• Final Interview: Often with a founder or senior leadership, focusing on vision, cultural alignment, long-term potential, and overall fit for the company's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the solutions you implemented (both design and code), and the outcomes.
• Highlight Impact: Quantify your contributions whenever possible. Use metrics to demonstrate the value you delivered.
• Showcase Design System Work: Dedicate a section to your design system experience. Explain your approach to component design, interaction, accessibility, and scalability.
• Code Quality Matters: Ensure any code samples provided are clean, well-organized, and demonstrate strong React/TypeScript practices.
• Be Prepared for "Why": Expect to justify every design and technical decision you made. Understand the trade-offs involved.
• AI Context: If you have AI-specific UX experience, make sure to highlight it. If not, demonstrate how your problem-solving skills can be applied to this domain.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product: Thoroughly research Vellum and its offerings. Understand the AI development landscape and the problems Vellum aims to solve.
• Practice Design System Thinking: Be ready to discuss how you'd approach building or extending a design system for a complex, evolving product.
• Technical Fluency: Brush up on React, TypeScript, and modern frontend best practices. Be ready to discuss component architecture, state management, and performance optimization.
• Communicate Your Process: For any hypothetical challenge, clearly articulate your thought process, assumptions, and how you would approach solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely rigorous, focusing heavily on the candidate's ability to bridge design and engineering, particularly in the context of building and maintaining a design system for a complex technical product. Demonstrating a systems-thinking approach and strong collaboration skills will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Frontend Framework: React (primary), Next.js (likely used for the frontend framework)
• Language: TypeScript (primary for frontend development)
• Design & Prototyping: Figma (explicitly mentioned)
• Version Control: Git (standard for all development)
• Collaboration/Communication: Slack, Zoom, potentially Jira or similar for project management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, expect tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or internal logging systems for user behavior analysis and product performance tracking.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the UX Engineer's primary responsibilities but Vellum likely uses a CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) for sales and marketing, and potentially automation tools for internal processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in React and TypeScript is non-negotiable. Figma is the specified design tool. Familiarity with the broader stack (Python, GCP, k8s) is a bonus that can indicate a candidate's broader understanding of the product ecosystem.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Embrace the Future: Proactive adoption of new technologies and trends, especially in the rapidly evolving AI space.
• Direct & Honest Communication: A culture of candor, transparency, and constructive feedback, both internally and with customers.
• Drive for Victory: A strong bias for action, a competitive spirit, and a commitment to achieving ambitious goals through speed, sacrifice, and excellence.
• Craft & Pragmatism: Valuing high-quality, well-crafted user experiences while remaining pragmatic about shipping and iterative improvement.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Deeply integrated with Product and Engineering teams, fostering shared ownership of features and user experiences.
• Feedback-Oriented: An environment where giving and receiving direct feedback is encouraged and seen as essential for growth and product improvement.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing insights, best practices, and learnings across the team to accelerate collective progress.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Vellum Way" values highlight a culture that is forward-thinking, direct, and highly driven. Candidates should be comfortable with ambiguity, fast-paced environments, and a strong emphasis on achieving results.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining New UX Patterns: The primary challenge is to invent and establish effective UX patterns for a nascent category (AI development tools), requiring creativity, strong user empathy, and a willingness to experiment.
• Balancing Complexity and Usability: Translating the intricacies of AI development into interfaces that are intuitive for both expert and less technical users presents a significant design and engineering hurdle.
• Rapid Iteration in a Dynamic Market: The AI landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. The UX Engineer must be adaptable and able to iterate quickly to keep Vellum's product competitive.
• Building at Scale: Establishing a design system that supports rapid growth and ensures consistency across an expanding product suite requires careful planning and execution.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep AI Domain Expertise: Gain in-depth knowledge of the AI development lifecycle and the specific challenges faced by teams building AI products.
• Category Leadership: Play a pivotal role in defining UX best practices for a groundbreaking category of software.
• Design System Architecture: Develop advanced skills in architecting and scaling design systems for complex applications.
• Mentorship & Technical Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a technical leadership role, guiding product development and mentoring team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but offer immense growth potential. Candidates who thrive on ambiguity, enjoy defining new paradigms, and are passionate about the AI space will find this role particularly rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Operations Strategy: "How would you approach defining the initial UX strategy for a new AI developer tool, considering Vellum's mission?" Focus on user research, iterative design, and how to balance power-user needs with broader accessibility.
• Collaboration: "Describe a time you had a disagreement with a Product Manager or Engineer about a UX/UI decision. How did you resolve it, and what was the outcome?" Prepare to discuss your communication style, conflict resolution, and ability to build consensus.
• Problem-Solving: "Imagine our users are struggling to debug complex AI models through our interface. What steps would you take to diagnose the issue and propose a UX solution?" Think about breaking down complex problems, user empathy, and proposing concrete UI/UX improvements.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Company Operations: "What excites you most about Vellum's mission to accelerate AI product development? How do you see your role contributing to that mission?" Research Vellum's recent news, funding, and product vision.
• Team Dynamics: "How do you prefer to give and receive feedback? What makes for a high-trust team environment in your opinion?" Relate your answers to Vellum's stated values of candor and trust.
• Impact Measurement: "How would you measure the success of your contributions to Vellum's user experience and design system?" Be ready to discuss metrics related to usability, adoption, and development efficiency.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your process, your specific contributions (design and code), and the results.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (mockups, prototypes, code snippets) to illustrate your points. For design systems, show component examples and how they are used.
• Quantify Impact: Present metrics clearly to demonstrate the value of your work.
• Highlight Design System Leadership: Dedicate specific time to showcase your experience building or contributing to a design system, explaining your rationale for its structure and components.
• Be Ready for Technical Questions: Anticipate questions about your code, architectural choices, and how you ensure scalability and maintainability.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating a strong understanding of the intersection between UX design and frontend engineering, especially in the context of building scalable design systems for complex technical products. Articulating your thought process and quantifying impact are key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Engineer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating end-to-end UX ownership, significant contributions to design systems, and strong React/TypeScript implementation skills. Prioritize case studies that show how you translated complex technical concepts into user-friendly interfaces.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience in UX engineering, design systems, and frontend development. Quantify achievements and use keywords from the job description (e.g., React, TypeScript, Design Systems, AI UX, Prototyping, Collaboration).
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on clear storytelling, demonstrating your process, and quantifying your impact. Be ready to discuss your approach to building design systems and translating complex AI concepts into intuitive UIs.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Vellum, its product, its mission, and its stated values. Understand the competitive landscape for AI developer tools. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.