Sr. UX Engineer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. UX Engineer
Company: HavocAI
Location: Greater Boston, MA
Job Type: FULL_TIME
Category: UX Engineering / Frontend Development
Date Posted: 2026-01-16
Experience Level: 8+ Years Professional Experience
Remote Status: Hybrid (with travel required)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on building rich, interactive map-based web applications, blending UX design principles with robust frontend engineering.
• The Sr. UX Engineer will be instrumental in bringing complex datasets to life through elegant, high-performance, and accessible user interfaces.
• Key responsibilities include developing core features in React, leveraging WebGL and geospatial libraries for dynamic visualization experiences.
• This position requires close collaboration with designers, backend engineers, and product managers to translate user needs into intuitive, scalable UI components and workflows, with a strong emphasis on performance optimization for large datasets.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Sr. UX Engineer," the responsibilities and requirements lean heavily into frontend engineering with a strong UX focus, particularly for complex, data-intensive map applications. This is not a pure UX design role but requires a deep understanding of user-centered design principles within an engineering context. The "collaborative autonomy" phrasing in the company description suggests a fast-paced, self-directed team environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and implement performant, responsive, and accessible user interfaces specifically for map-based web applications.
• Engineer core functionalities using React and advanced visualization libraries such as Mapbox, Leaflet, or Deck.gl, ensuring seamless integration and optimal user experience.
• Partner closely with UX/UI designers to translate wireframes, mockups, and user stories into high-fidelity, functional UI components, ensuring user needs are accurately reflected.
• Integrate data from backend services, utilizing RESTful APIs or GraphQL, to power dynamic visualizations and interactive elements.
• Proactively identify and implement strategies to optimize rendering performance and frontend efficiency, especially when handling and displaying large or complex datasets.
• Contribute to the maintenance and expansion of the company's component library and design system, promoting consistency and reusability across applications.
• Write clean, well-documented, testable, and maintainable code, with a keen focus on scalability, reusability, and adherence to modern frontend best practices.
• Actively participate in UX reviews, usability testing sessions, and cross-functional design discussions to provide technical feasibility insights and contribute to product strategy.
• Ensure adherence to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) in all UI development, making applications usable for a diverse user base.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "map-based applications," "complex datasets," and "large datasets" suggests a need for expertise in handling performance-intensive data visualization and geospatial rendering, which is a specialized area within frontend development. The mention of "collaborative autonomy" implies a need for self-starters who can drive initiatives with minimal oversight.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is highly recommended for a role of this seniority and technical depth.

Experience: 8+ years of professional experience in frontend development, with a significant portion dedicated to UX-focused engineering roles and building interactive web applications.

Required Skills:

• Frontend Proficiency: Expert-level proficiency in React and JavaScript (or TypeScript), including deep understanding of component design, state management (e.g., Context API, Redux, Zustand), and modern React Hooks.
• Map & Visualization Libraries: Proven experience building interactive map-based user interfaces using libraries like Mapbox, Leaflet, or similar geospatial visualization tools.
• WebGL & 3D Graphics: Familiarity with WebGL or experience with related libraries such as Deck.gl, Three.js, or D3.js for advanced visualizations.
• API Integration: Experience working with RESTful APIs and handling asynchronous data flows; familiarity with GraphQL is a plus.
• Responsive & Accessible Design: Strong understanding of responsive design principles to ensure applications function across various devices and screen sizes, and a solid grasp of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA).
• Collaboration & Communication: Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment, communicating technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Performance Optimization: Ability to identify performance bottlenecks and implement optimizations for rendering and frontend execution, particularly with large datasets.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail in translating UI/UX designs into pixel-perfect, functional interfaces.
• U.S. Citizenship: Mandatory requirement due to project constraints.

Preferred Skills:

• Geospatial Data Expertise: Experience working directly with geospatial data formats and concepts.
• TypeScript: Strong preference for candidates with experience in TypeScript for enhanced type safety and maintainability.
• Advanced Visualization: Exposure to WebAssembly for performance-critical tasks or advanced frontend performance profiling tools.
• Automated Testing: Familiarity with automated testing frameworks such as Jest, Cypress, React Testing Library, etc., for ensuring code quality and stability.
• Design Systems: Understanding of design systems, style guides, and the architecture of reusable component libraries.
• UI/UX Research: Interest or experience in UI/UX research methodologies, interaction design principles, or data visualization best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for U.S. citizenship is a critical filter for this role, likely due to government contracts or sensitive data handling. The explicit mention of specific libraries (Mapbox, Leaflet, Deck.gl, Three.js, D3) indicates a strong need for hands-on experience with these technologies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Interactive Map Demonstrations: Showcase projects that feature interactive map-based UIs, highlighting your ability to render complex geospatial data dynamically and efficiently.
• React Component Library Showcase: Include examples of reusable React components, ideally demonstrating a contribution to or creation of a component library or design system.
• Performance Optimization Case Studies: Present specific examples where you identified and resolved frontend performance issues, particularly those related to data loading, rendering, or large datasets. Quantify the improvements if possible.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Artifacts: If possible, demonstrate how you've translated design mockups or user requirements into functional interfaces, perhaps through links to live demos or well-documented case studies explaining the process.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss your process for approaching the development of new features, from understanding requirements to implementation and testing, with a focus on efficiency and user experience.
• Implementation & Automation Methods: Articulate your methods for writing testable, scalable, and maintainable code, and your approach to integrating with backend services and APIs.
• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Demonstrate how you measure the success of your work, particularly concerning frontend performance, user engagement, and adherence to design and accessibility standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Sr. UX Engineer role, a strong portfolio is paramount. It should not just list skills but demonstrate practical application, especially in complex data visualization and performance-critical frontend development. Focus on tangible outcomes and the processes used to achieve them.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $140,000 - $175,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: 100% Employer-paid Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance for employees and their families.
• Life Insurance: Employer-paid Life Insurance coverage.
• Retirement Savings: Opportunity to participate in the company's 401k program with employer matching.
• Flexible Time Off: Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) policy with a mandatory minimum of 2 weeks.
• Equity: A competitive Equity Package is included, offering ownership stake in the company's growth.
• Work Environment Support: Work/Home Office Stipend to enhance your remote or hybrid workspace.
• Global Entry Program: Benefit from expedited customs processing when traveling internationally.
• Generous Parental Leave: 16 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.
• Wellness Support: Monthly Health and Wellness Stipend to support employee well-being.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week, typical for a full-time role. Given the hybrid nature and the company's focus on "collaborative autonomy," there may be flexibility in daily scheduling, provided core collaboration and project milestones are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range aligns with senior-level frontend engineering roles in a high-cost-of-living area like Boston, especially for specialized skills like geospatial visualization. The benefits package is exceptionally comprehensive, with 100% employer-paid health insurance and generous parental leave being standout features. The "Unlimited PTO with enforced 2 week minimum" is a good balance of flexibility and ensuring employees take necessary time off.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advanced Technology / Defense Technology / Autonomous Systems. HavocAI operates at the cutting edge of autonomous surface vessels and collaborative autonomy, serving critical defense and commercial maritime missions. This industry demands innovation, precision, and a deep understanding of complex systems.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the description suggests a growing company that values rapid expansion and "self-tasking teams," implying a dynamic and potentially agile environment, likely in the startup to early-growth stage (perhaps 50-200 employees, based on typical growth trajectories for companies with such ambitions).

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company's focus on "setting the standard" and "leader in collaborative autonomy" suggests a mature yet ambitious entity, likely founded within the last 5-15 years to be at the forefront of AI and autonomous systems.

Team Structure:

• The UX Engineering team likely functions as a specialized unit within a broader engineering or product development department.
• Reporting structure would typically involve a lead UX Engineer or Engineering Manager, with close ties to UX Designers, Product Managers, and Backend/Full-Stack Engineers.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a cornerstone, with engineers working closely with design, product, and potentially domain experts in maritime operations.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Development: Expected to leverage data to inform design decisions, optimize performance, and validate solutions, particularly for complex datasets and visualizations.
• Agile & Iterative Processes: Given the fast-paced nature of technology and defense, agile methodologies are likely employed for rapid iteration, testing, and deployment.
• User-Centric Design: Emphasis on translating user needs and feedback into intuitive and effective interfaces, with a focus on usability and accessibility.
• Automation & Efficiency: A drive towards automating repetitive tasks and optimizing workflows to enhance team productivity and product quality.

Company Website: https://havocai.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to "prevent conflict and saving lives" and its focus on "collaborative autonomy" suggest a strong sense of purpose and a demanding, high-stakes work environment. This will likely attract individuals driven by mission impact and technological advancement. The "ownership of all tasks" value indicates a culture where all contributions are valued, from high-level strategy to detailed implementation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level role. A Sr. UX Engineer is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, mentor junior engineers, influence technical direction within their domain, and take ownership of significant features or systems. They are key contributors to the product's user experience and technical foundation.

Reporting Structure: The Sr. UX Engineer will likely report to a Lead UX Engineer, Engineering Manager, or Head of Product/Engineering. They will work closely with Product Managers, UX Designers, and other Frontend/Backend Engineers.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on the usability, performance, and effectiveness of HavocAI's map-based applications. By translating complex data into intuitive visualizations, the Sr. UX Engineer enables critical decision-making for defense and commercial maritime operations, directly contributing to the company's mission of protecting lives and preventing conflict. Strong UX engineering is vital for user adoption, operational efficiency, and the overall success of the autonomous systems.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in geospatial visualization, WebGL, performance optimization, or advanced frontend architectures.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Grow into a technical lead role, mentoring junior engineers, guiding architectural decisions, and potentially managing a small team.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence to broader product strategy, contributing to roadmap planning and user research initiatives.
• Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in defense technology, autonomous systems, and maritime operations, becoming a subject matter expert.
• Contribution to Design Systems: Take a lead role in evolving and maintaining the company's design system and component library.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Sr." title, combined with the 8+ years of experience requirement and the expectation of independent feature development, positions this as a senior individual contributor role with potential for technical leadership. The company's mission-driven nature offers unique growth opportunities tied to impactful technology.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a Hybrid position. Employees are expected to work from an office located in one of the specified hub cities (Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Providence, RI; San Diego, CA; or Washington D.C.) for a portion of their work week, with the ability to work remotely for the remainder. Some travel is also required.

Office Location(s): The role specifies proximity to:

• Austin, TX
• Boston, MA
• Providence, RI
• San Diego, CA
• Washington D.C. Candidates must reside within commuting distance of one of these locations.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: The hybrid model suggests office spaces designed to facilitate collaboration, team meetings, and brainstorming sessions, likely equipped with modern AV technology for hybrid interactions.
• Technology Stack: Access to high-performance development workstations and necessary software licenses for design, development, and visualization tools.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for in-person interaction with designers, engineers, and product managers for design reviews, problem-solving, and team building, balanced with remote flexibility.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected. The hybrid arrangement allows for flexibility in balancing in-office days with remote work, supporting focused development and collaboration as needed. The "collaborative autonomy" value suggests a culture that trusts employees to manage their schedules effectively to meet project goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and specific location requirements indicate a deliberate effort to foster in-person collaboration while offering flexibility. The need for some travel suggests client interactions, team offsites, or site-specific work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A call with a recruiter to assess overall fit, experience, and salary expectations.
• Technical Screen: A coding exercise or technical interview focused on JavaScript/React fundamentals, potentially involving a small take-home challenge or live coding session.
• Portfolio Review & Technical Deep Dive: A session with engineering leadership and/or senior engineers to thoroughly review your portfolio, discuss past projects, and delve into technical challenges, architectural decisions, and your approach to UX engineering for complex applications.
• Cross-Functional Interview: An interview with a UX Designer and/or Product Manager to assess collaboration skills, understanding of user needs, and ability to translate designs into functional UIs.
• Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Engineering) to evaluate strategic thinking, cultural fit, and alignment with company values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Map/Visualization Projects: Prioritize projects that showcase your expertise in interactive maps, geospatial data, and complex data visualization using libraries like Mapbox, Deck.gl, or D3.js.
• Demonstrate React Expertise: Clearly articulate your role in React projects, focusing on component design, state management, performance optimizations, and any contributions to component libraries or design systems.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your work – e.g., performance improvements (load times, frame rates), user engagement increases, or efficiency gains achieved through an interface.
• Showcase Problem-Solving: For each project, explain the challenges you faced, the solutions you implemented, and the reasoning behind your technical choices.
• Accessibility & Responsiveness: Ensure your examples demonstrate a strong understanding and application of responsive design principles and accessibility standards.

Challenge Preparation:

• Live Coding/Take-Home Task: Be prepared for a practical coding challenge that might involve building a small interactive component, optimizing a given piece of code, or implementing a feature related to data visualization or map interaction.
• System Design Discussion: Expect to discuss how you would approach building certain features or systems, focusing on scalability, performance, maintainability, and user experience.
• UX/Design Translation: Practice explaining how you would take a design mockup and translate it into a functional, performant, and accessible UI, articulating trade-offs and potential challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess both technical depth and collaborative capability. A strong portfolio that directly addresses the "map-based web applications" and "complex datasets" requirement will be crucial for success. Be ready to articulate your design thinking and problem-solving process.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Frontend Framework: React (with Hooks, Context API/Redux/Zustand)
• Core Language: JavaScript / TypeScript
• Mapping & Geospatial Libraries: Mapbox, Leaflet, Deck.gl (essential)
• 3D/Data Visualization Libraries: Three.js, D3.js (highly valued)
• Styling: CSS-in-JS (e.g., Styled Components, Emotion), Tailwind CSS, or standard CSS/Sass.
• Build Tools: Webpack, Vite, or similar module bundlers.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Performance Monitoring: Tools for frontend performance profiling (e.g., browser developer tools, Lighthouse, specific libraries).
• Analytics Integration: Experience integrating with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude) to track user behavior within the application.

CRM & Automation:

• Version Control: Git (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) is standard.
• API Interaction: Experience with browser fetch API, Axios, or similar libraries for RESTful communication. GraphQL clients (e.g., Apollo Client) if applicable.
• Testing Frameworks: Jest, Cypress, React Testing Library, Playwright (preferred).

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Mapbox, Leaflet, Deck.gl, and WebGL points to a specialized stack. Proficiency in these, alongside React and TypeScript, is non-negotiable. Familiarity with performance profiling and testing frameworks is also highly desirable.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation: A culture that encourages pushing boundaries and developing cutting-edge solutions, particularly in AI and autonomous systems. Be ready to contribute novel ideas.
• Integrity: High ethical standards, transparency, and accountability are paramount, especially in the defense sector.
• Mission-Driven: A strong focus on the company's core mission of protecting lives and preventing conflict through technology. Employees are expected to be motivated by this purpose.
• Forward-Leaning: Embracing new technologies and anticipating future challenges. Continuous learning and adaptability are key.
• Ownership of All Tasks: A commitment to seeing tasks through from inception to completion, regardless of complexity, demonstrating dedication and thoroughness.
• Servant Leadership: A collaborative environment where team members support each other, empowering colleagues to achieve success and fostering a positive, growth-oriented atmosphere.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect close collaboration between engineering, design, and product teams. Open communication and shared ownership are vital.
• Feedback & Iteration: A culture that values constructive feedback and iterative development to continuously improve products and processes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing technical knowledge, best practices, and learnings across the team to foster collective growth and problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: HavocAI emphasizes a blend of high-impact mission focus with a commitment to strong ethical practices and employee empowerment. The "Ownership of All Tasks" value suggests a proactive, hands-on approach is highly valued.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complex Data Visualization: Effectively rendering and interacting with large, complex geospatial datasets in a performant and intuitive manner.
• Balancing UX and Performance: Achieving elegant, user-friendly interfaces without compromising critical performance metrics, especially under heavy data loads.
• Hybrid Work Coordination: Ensuring seamless collaboration and productivity across a hybrid team, coordinating in-office and remote work effectively.
• Rapid Technological Evolution: Staying abreast of advancements in frontend technologies, visualization techniques, and AI/autonomous systems to maintain a competitive edge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Visualization Techniques: Opportunities to explore and implement state-of-the-art 2D and 3D visualization techniques for geospatial data.
• Performance Engineering: Deepen expertise in frontend performance optimization, including WebGL, WebAssembly, and advanced profiling.
• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain exposure to UX research, interaction design, and backend systems through close collaboration.
• Industry Conferences & Training: Potential for attending relevant industry conferences (e.g., SIGGRAPH, FOSS4G) or pursuing specialized training in geospatial technologies or advanced frontend development.
• Mentorship: Opportunities to be mentored by senior engineers and to mentor junior team members, fostering leadership skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents challenges that are common in cutting-edge tech companies dealing with complex data. The growth opportunities are directly tied to deepening expertise in a highly specialized and in-demand field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex data visualization project you worked on. What were the primary challenges, and how did you address them technically and from a UX perspective? What was the outcome?"
  • Preparation: Be ready to walk through your portfolio, detailing specific technical choices, challenges in data handling, rendering, and user interaction, and quantifying any performance improvements or usability enhancements.
• "How do you approach translating a detailed UI/UX design into a high-performance, scalable React component? Walk me through your process."
  • Preparation: Detail your workflow from receiving designs, considering accessibility and responsiveness, choosing appropriate React patterns, integrating APIs, and implementing performance optimizations.
• "Imagine you need to display real-time geospatial data for hundreds of thousands of vessels on a map. What are the key technical considerations and potential pitfalls you'd anticipate, and how would you mitigate them?"
  • Preparation: Focus on data streaming, rendering strategies (e.g., clustering, tile-based rendering), performance optimization techniques (e.g., WebGL, efficient data structures), and front-end architecture.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "HavocAI values 'Ownership of All Tasks.' How does this value resonate with your work style, and can you provide an example where you took ownership of a task outside your immediate scope?"
  • Preparation: Reflect on instances where you went above and beyond, tackled challenging or less glamorous tasks, or proactively identified and solved problems.
• "Our mission is to prevent conflict and save lives through autonomous systems. How do you see your role as a Sr. UX Engineer contributing to this mission?"
  • Preparation: Connect your technical skills to the company's impact. Frame how intuitive and performant interfaces for autonomous systems directly support mission success.
• "Describe your experience collaborating with UX Designers and Product Managers. How do you ensure effective communication and alignment on project goals?"
  • Preparation: Share examples of successful cross-functional collaboration, highlighting your communication strategies and how you bridge the gap between design vision and technical execution.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each project, don't just list features; explain the problem, your solution, your specific contributions, and the impact.
• Showcase Technical Depth: Be prepared to dive deep into the technical architecture, libraries used, and specific coding challenges you overcame, especially concerning performance and data handling.
• Highlight UX/Design Translation: Clearly demonstrate how you translated design requirements into functional, user-friendly interfaces.
• Quantify Results: Use metrics (performance improvements, user feedback, efficiency gains) to substantiate your claims of success.
• Focus on Relevance: Tailor your presentation to emphasize projects that are most relevant to interactive map-based applications and complex data visualization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss specific technical challenges related to geospatial data and performance. Demonstrating an understanding of the company's mission and values, and how your role contributes to them, will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on Ashby.
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects demonstrating your expertise in React, interactive map-based UIs, geospatial data visualization (e.g., Mapbox, Deck.gl), and performance optimization for complex datasets. Include case studies detailing your problem-solving approach and quantifiable results.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords and experiences directly relevant to the job description, such as "Sr. UX Engineer," "React," "TypeScript," "WebGL," "Mapbox," "Deck.gl," "performance optimization," "data visualization," and "geospatial." Quantify achievements where possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your experience with specific examples, focusing on your approach to complex technical challenges, collaboration with design and product teams, and how you translate user needs into functional, high-performance interfaces. Prepare to discuss the company's mission and how your role contributes.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself thoroughly with HavocAI's mission, values, and the challenges in the defense technology and autonomous systems sector. Understand their focus on "collaborative autonomy" and "ownership of all tasks."

⚠️ 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.

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