UX Engineer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Engineer

Company: Maxima

Location: San Mateo, California, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Revenue Operations & GTM Systems / UX Design & Engineering

Date Posted: 2025-11-07

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in shaping the user experience of an AI-native enterprise accounting platform, focusing on the intersection of design and engineering within a high-stakes financial environment.

• The UX Engineer will be instrumental in building and maintaining the design system, ensuring a consistent and trustworthy user interface for complex financial workflows.

• A significant aspect of the role involves translating intricate AI and accounting concepts into intuitive, reliable, and user-friendly interfaces, bridging the gap between design vision and engineering execution.

• This position requires a deep understanding of design-to-code principles, focusing on creating robust UI foundations, tokens, and component libraries that enhance transparency, control, and trust in AI-driven financial operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "UX Engineer," the description heavily emphasizes design system development, front-end architecture, and the creation of reusable UI components. This suggests a strong leaning towards engineering with a deep UX sensibility, rather than a pure UX researcher or designer. Given the context of an enterprise AI accounting platform, the focus on SOX compliance, real-time close, and high-stakes financial environments implies a need for extreme precision, reliability, and explainability in the UI. This role sits at the critical juncture of product development, where operational efficiency and user trust are paramount. The "Revenue Operations & GTM Systems" category is chosen to reflect the operational impact of a well-designed, efficient enterprise platform, and the "UX Design & Engineering" category highlights the core technical and design competencies required.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Architecture: Develop, implement, and maintain Maxima’s comprehensive design system, encompassing design tokens, reusable UI components, and robust documentation, ensuring adherence to established accessibility and interaction standards.

• UI Consistency & Governance: Collaborate closely with front-end engineers and product designers to enforce a unified visual language and interaction model across all product surfaces, from journal automation to anomaly detection features.

• Explainable AI Interfaces: Partner with designers to prototype and engineer UI patterns that empower users to inspect, validate, and confidently override AI-driven actions within financial processes.

• High-Fidelity Prototyping & Implementation: Translate complex AI and accounting workflows into highly detailed, interactive prototypes and production-ready code, focusing on clarity, precision, and user trust.

• Accessibility & Enterprise Standards: Ensure all developed components and interfaces meet stringent accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.2 / Section 508) and are optimized for the performance, responsiveness, and reliability demanded by enterprise accounting applications.

• Design Tool Integration: Establish and manage seamless connections between design tools (e.g., Figma) and engineering workflows, optimizing design handoff, prototyping, and documentation processes, particularly within Storybook.

• Performance Optimization & Reusability: Drive improvements in front-end code quality by enhancing component performance, maximizing reusability, and elevating the overall developer experience for the engineering team.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Actively participate in design critiques, code reviews, and cross-functional team meetings to ensure continuous alignment between visual design intentions and technical implementation, fostering a culture of shared ownership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibility is building the "design-to-code" infrastructure. This implies a focus on creating a scalable and maintainable system that enables rapid development of consistent, high-quality UI. The emphasis on "explainable AI interfaces" and "trust" in "high-stakes financial environments" means the UX Engineer must be adept at designing for transparency and user understanding of complex automated processes, which is a critical component for operational adoption and compliance in finance.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience in UX engineering or front-end development with a design systems focus is highly valued.

Experience: 4+ years of progressive experience in UX engineering, design systems development, or front-end engineering with a specialization in building scalable component libraries for complex web applications.

Required Skills:

• Technical Proficiency: Expert-level command of HTML, CSS (including preprocessors like Sass/SCSS), JavaScript, and TypeScript.

• Front-End Frameworks: Deep, hands-on experience with React and its ecosystem.

• Design Systems Development: Proven track record of building, maintaining, and scaling design systems, including component libraries, design tokens, and comprehensive documentation.

• Accessibility Standards: Comprehensive understanding and practical application of WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 accessibility guidelines, with a commitment to baking accessibility into components by default.

• Design Tool Integration: Familiarity with modern design tools like Figma and the ability to effectively translate design specifications and tokens into functional code.

• Component Documentation Tools: Experience utilizing tools such as Storybook for component development, documentation, and showcasing.

• Enterprise UI Nuances: A keen eye for detail, strong focus on usability, and a deep appreciation for design fidelity, particularly within data-rich enterprise software interfaces.

• AI & Automation Curiosity: Genuine interest in AI, automation, and their potential to enhance trust and efficiency within financial operations.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with monorepos and component publishing workflows.

• Familiarity with performance optimization techniques for complex web applications.

• Understanding of UX research methodologies and their integration into the design-to-code process.

• Experience working within regulated industries, particularly finance, where precision and compliance are paramount.

• Exposure to backend technologies or API integrations that impact front-end development.

• Contributions to open-source design system projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 4+ years of experience, combined with the specific technologies (React, TypeScript, Figma, Storybook) and the task of building a design system from the ground up for an enterprise product, suggests a mid-to-senior level UX Engineer. The emphasis on accessibility and enterprise-grade reliability points towards candidates who have worked on complex, mission-critical applications. The "AI & Automation Curiosity" is a critical cultural and technical fit indicator for this role in an AI-first company.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Showcase: A dedicated section or clear examples demonstrating your experience in building, maintaining, and evolving design systems, including token architecture and component library structure.

• Component Library Examples: Provide live examples or detailed case studies of reusable UI components you have developed, highlighting their functionality, accessibility features, and reusability.

• Design-to-Code Case Studies: Showcase projects where you successfully bridged the gap between design and engineering, illustrating your process for translating Figma designs or design tokens into robust front-end code.

• Accessibility Implementation Proof: Feature examples where you have explicitly implemented accessibility best practices (e.g., ARIA attributes, keyboard navigation) and can articulate the process and outcomes.

• Performance & Scalability Demonstrations: Include evidence of projects where you focused on component performance, maintainability, and scalability within a larger application context.

Process Documentation:

• Design System Development Lifecycle: Be prepared to discuss your approach to the full lifecycle of design system development, from initial strategy and component definition to ongoing maintenance, versioning, and governance.

• Component Creation & Testing: Detail your process for creating new components, including design handoff, coding standards, testing methodologies (unit, integration, accessibility), and integration into Storybook.

• Cross-Functional Workflow Integration: Explain your methods for collaborating with product designers, front-end engineers, and product managers to ensure efficient workflows, clear communication, and timely delivery of UI elements.

• Accessibility Auditing & Remediation: Outline your strategy for auditing existing components and interfaces for accessibility compliance and your process for implementing necessary remediation.

📝 Enhancement Note: For UX Engineering roles, particularly those focused on design systems, a robust portfolio is paramount. It serves as direct evidence of their ability to build and maintain the core UI architecture. The emphasis on "design-to-code" and "explainable AI interfaces" means candidates should be ready to demonstrate how they translate abstract concepts into tangible, functional UI elements that enhance user understanding and trust in complex systems.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the San Mateo, California location, required experience level (5-10 years), and the specialized nature of UX Engineering with a focus on enterprise AI platforms, the estimated annual salary range is $140,000 - $190,000 USD.

Benefits:

• Equity: Opportunity to own a part of a high-growth startup, aligning personal success with company growth.

• 401(k) Plan: Retirement savings plan to support long-term financial well-being.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO): Flexible approach to time off, promoting work-life balance and employee autonomy.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Professional development opportunities, including access to conferences and training.

• Relocation assistance may be available for exceptional candidates.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are expected, with flexibility for remote work. The company culture emphasizes results and autonomy, allowing for adaptable scheduling as long as team collaboration and project deadlines are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is estimated based on industry benchmarks for experienced UX Engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area, a high cost-of-living region. The specific range accounts for the advanced technical skills, design system expertise, and the critical nature of the role in building foundational elements for an AI-native enterprise platform. Benefits are derived from typical startup offerings and explicitly mentioned in the job description.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: FinTech / Enterprise Software / Artificial Intelligence. Maxima operates at the cutting edge of accounting technology, leveraging AI to automate and enhance critical financial processes like month-end close. This industry demands high levels of precision, security, and reliability.

Company Size: Early-stage startup (likely under 50 employees, given seed funding stage). This implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment where individual contributions have a significant impact.

Founded: Founded by experienced professionals from companies like Rubrik, Twitter, and Netflix, bringing a wealth of knowledge in scaling financial operations and building robust enterprise software. This founding team's background suggests a strong focus on operational excellence, product quality, and user-centric design.

Team Structure:

• The UX Engineer will likely be part of a growing Product and Engineering team.

• Reporting structure is expected to be to a Head of Product, Lead Designer, or Head of Engineering, depending on the current organizational setup.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Development: Emphasis on using data to inform design and engineering decisions, particularly in understanding user behavior and system performance.

• Agile Development Cycles: Likely employs agile methodologies for rapid iteration, feedback incorporation, and efficient delivery of features.

• Focus on Craftsmanship: The mention of "precision, craft, and innovation" suggests a culture that values high-quality execution and thoughtful design.

• Explainability & Trust: A core operational methodology for an AI platform in finance is ensuring users understand and trust the automated processes.

Company Website: https://www.maxima.ai/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on AI for enterprise accounting, coupled with its experienced founders and significant seed funding, positions it as a high-potential startup. The culture is likely to be driven by innovation, technical excellence, and a strong understanding of the operational needs of finance departments. The "UX Engineer" role is positioned to be foundational in establishing the user experience for this transformative product.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Engineer or a foundational member of the design systems team. It offers significant scope for individual contribution and influence on the product's core UI architecture. The role requires a blend of deep technical expertise in front-end development and a strong, user-centered design sensibility, making it a critical position for a growing enterprise platform.

Reporting Structure: The UX Engineer will report to a senior leader within the product or engineering organization, such as a Head of Product, Lead Designer, or Engineering Manager. This ensures close alignment with product strategy and engineering execution.

Operations Impact: The work of the UX Engineer directly impacts the operational efficiency and reliability of Maxima's AI accounting platform. By creating intuitive, trustworthy, and consistent user interfaces, they enable accountants and controllers to manage complex financial tasks with greater confidence and speed. This role is crucial for driving user adoption, reducing errors, and ensuring compliance (e.g., SOX), thereby directly contributing to the operational success of Maxima's clients and the company's market position.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in design systems, front-end architecture, and accessibility, becoming a go-to expert within the company.

• Leadership Potential: Opportunity to lead design system initiatives, mentor junior engineers, and influence product direction as the company scales.

• Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in AI, enterprise accounting, and FinTech, a highly valuable and in-demand skill set.

• Impactful Product Development: Play a key role in shaping a category-defining product that revolutionizes a critical business function.

• Startup Growth Trajectory: Potential for significant career advancement and responsibility as Maxima grows and expands its product offerings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers substantial growth potential, moving beyond individual contribution to potential team leadership and strategic influence, especially given the startup environment and the foundational nature of the design system. The intersection of UX, engineering, AI, and finance makes this a unique and high-impact career path.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as "Remote OK," indicating a flexible work environment that supports remote employees. While the headquarters are in San Mateo, California, the company appears open to hiring talent outside of its immediate vicinity.

Office Location(s): Headquarters in San Mateo, California. The company may have other satellite offices or a fully distributed team structure given the remote-friendly policy.

Workspace Context:

• Remote-First/Hybrid Culture: Expect a work environment that prioritizes asynchronous communication and digital collaboration tools to support remote team members effectively.

• Tooling & Technology: Access to modern design and development tools, including Figma, Storybook, and a robust front-end tech stack, will be standard.

• Collaborative Platforms: Heavy reliance on tools like Slack, Zoom, and project management software (e.g., Jira, Asana) for seamless team interaction and project tracking.

• Focus on Autonomy: A culture that trusts employees to manage their time and deliver results, typical of successful startups.

Work Schedule: While standard full-time hours are expected, the remote-friendly nature suggests flexibility in daily scheduling. Core hours may be established for team meetings and critical collaboration, but individual work blocks can likely be adapted to personal productivity peaks and time zones. The emphasis is on output and meeting deadlines rather than strict time tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote OK" status is a key differentiator. For operations roles, this implies a need for strong self-management, excellent communication skills, and proficiency with remote collaboration tools. The company's approach to remote work will significantly shape the day-to-day experience, focusing on asynchronous workflows and digital connectivity.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

• Technical Assessment/Portfolio Review: A deep dive into your portfolio, focusing on design system architecture, component examples, and your process for design-to-code implementation. This may involve a live coding exercise or a detailed discussion of past projects.

• Design/Engineering Interview: A session with product designers and front-end engineers to evaluate your technical skills, problem-solving approach, and understanding of UX principles within an enterprise context.

• Cross-Functional / Product Interview: Discussion with product managers or other stakeholders to assess your ability to understand business requirements, translate them into UI solutions, and collaborate effectively across teams.

• Final Round / Culture Fit: A conversation with a founder or senior leader to ensure alignment with Maxima's vision, values, and startup culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the problems your design system solved, the processes you established, and the measurable impact on development speed, consistency, and user experience.

• Showcase "Design-to-Code" Workflow: Detail your methodology for translating design artifacts (Figma, tokens) into production-ready code. Use case studies to illustrate this process.

• Emphasize Accessibility Implementation: For each relevant project, explain how you incorporated accessibility standards and what specific techniques you employed.

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use metrics (e.g., reduction in UI bugs, improvement in development time for new features, consistency scores) to demonstrate the value of your work.

• Tailor to Maxima: Research Maxima's product and mission. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and experience can directly contribute to their goal of revolutionizing enterprise accounting with AI.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Challenge: Be ready to discuss how you would approach building or evolving a design system for an AI-driven enterprise application, considering factors like scalability, maintainability, and explainability.

• Component Design & Implementation: Be prepared to walk through the process of designing and implementing a complex UI component, from initial requirements to final code, considering accessibility and responsiveness.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would handle conflicting design requirements, technical constraints, or challenges in ensuring UI consistency across a rapidly developing product.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "design-to-code" system and "explainable AI interfaces" means interviewers will probe deeply into how the candidate translates abstract requirements and complex logic into tangible, understandable user experiences. A strong portfolio demonstrating practical application of these principles is crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• React: The core front-end JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

• TypeScript: For enhanced type safety and maintainability in large-scale JavaScript applications.

• HTML5 & CSS3 (Sass/SCSS): Foundational web technologies for structure and styling.

• Figma: The primary design tool for creating UI mockups, prototypes, and design systems.

• Storybook: A tool for developing, testing, and documenting UI components in isolation.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Design System Infrastructure:

• Design Tokens: Used to manage design decisions (e.g., colors, typography, spacing) consistently across platforms.

• Component Libraries: Reusable UI elements built with React.

• Monorepos (Potentially): A repository structure that manages multiple projects or packages (like a design system and applications) in one place, facilitating shared code and dependencies.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in React and TypeScript is non-negotiable, given the company's focus on building a modern, scalable enterprise platform. The requirement for Figma and Storybook indicates a mature approach to design and development workflows, emphasizing collaboration and component-driven development.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Precision & Reliability: Essential for enterprise accounting software, where errors can have significant financial consequences. This translates to meticulous code, thorough testing, and a commitment to robust design.

• Transparency & Trust: Crucial for an AI-driven platform. Users must understand how the AI works and trust its outputs, which directly influences UI design for explainability.

• Innovation & Craftsmanship: A drive to push boundaries in AI and accounting technology, combined with a commitment to high-quality execution and thoughtful design.

• Collaboration & Ownership: A startup environment where individuals are empowered to take ownership of their work and collaborate effectively across teams to achieve common goals.

• User-Centricity: A deep understanding of the needs and challenges of accountants and controllers, translating into intuitive and efficient user experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect close working relationships with Product Designers, Front-End Engineers, and Product Managers, fostering a shared understanding of product goals and user needs.

• Open Communication: A culture that encourages clear, direct, and frequent communication, likely leveraging tools like Slack and regular video calls.

• Feedback-Driven: Regular participation in design critiques and code reviews, valuing constructive feedback to improve both the product and individual skills.

• Process Improvement Focus: A continuous effort to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency, both in product development and team operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values are deeply intertwined with the nature of its product: an AI-powered, high-stakes financial platform. Trust, transparency, and precision are not just buzzwords but operational necessities that will inform every aspect of the UX Engineer's work and the team's culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building a New Design System: Establishing a comprehensive and scalable design system from the ground up for a complex enterprise application in a nascent AI-accounting space.

• Ensuring AI Explainability in UI: Designing interfaces that effectively communicate complex AI decision-making processes to non-technical users in a way that builds trust and allows for validation.

• Balancing Innovation with Enterprise Rigor: Integrating cutting-edge AI technology with the stringent requirements for reliability, security, and compliance in enterprise finance.

• Rapid Iteration in a Startup Environment: Adapting quickly to evolving product requirements and market feedback while maintaining high standards of design and code quality.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring seamless collaboration and shared understanding between design, engineering, and product teams, especially in a remote or hybrid setting.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mastering Design Systems: Becoming an expert in the principles and practices of building and scaling design systems for enterprise applications.

• Deep Dive into AI & FinTech: Gaining specialized knowledge in the application of AI within financial operations and the unique challenges of the FinTech industry.

• Leading Product Design Initiatives: Opportunity to take on leadership roles in shaping the user experience strategy and execution for a groundbreaking product.

• Mentorship & Skill Development: Learning from experienced founders and a high-caliber team, with opportunities for formal and informal mentorship.

• Contributing to a Category-Defining Product: Playing an instrumental role in building the foundational user experience for what could become the leading AI platform in enterprise accounting.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are directly tied to the innovative nature of Maxima's product and its startup environment. Overcoming these challenges offers significant opportunities for professional growth and impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design System Philosophy: "Describe your ideal design system for an AI-driven enterprise platform. What are the key principles you would prioritize, and how would you ensure it scales with product growth?" Focus on principles like modularity, accessibility, and explainability.

• AI Interface Design: "How would you approach designing an interface that helps a financial controller understand, validate, and potentially override an AI's recommendation for a complex journal entry?" Be ready to discuss visual cues, data presentation, and user control mechanisms.

• Design-to-Code Workflow: "Walk us through your process for taking a Figma design for a new feature and implementing it as a reusable React component, including how you handle design tokens, accessibility, and testing." Highlight your use of Storybook and any automation.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Motivation for AI in Finance: "What interests you about applying AI to enterprise accounting, and why is building trust in these systems important?" Show genuine curiosity and understanding of the domain.

• Startup Fit: "How do you thrive in a fast-paced startup environment, and what is your approach to collaboration when working remotely?" Emphasize your adaptability, proactive communication, and ownership.

• Measuring Impact: "How do you measure the success and impact of your work as a UX Engineer, particularly in relation to design systems and user experience?" Be ready to discuss metrics related to consistency, developer efficiency, and user satisfaction.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each portfolio piece, explain the problem you were solving, your process, the challenges you faced, and the impact of your solution.

• Focus on "Why": Don't just show what you built; explain why you made certain design and technical decisions, especially in relation to user needs, accessibility, and scalability.

• Demonstrate Design-to-Code: Clearly articulate how you translated visual designs into functional code. If possible, show live examples or detailed walkthroughs of components in Storybook.

• Highlight Accessibility: Explicitly point out how accessibility was integrated into your work, showcasing specific examples and the standards you followed.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect detailed questions about your code, design choices, and development processes. Be ready to discuss trade-offs and alternative approaches.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a strong understanding of both the technical aspects of UX engineering and the unique challenges of building enterprise software for the finance industry, particularly with AI integration. The ability to articulate a clear design-to-code process and showcase measurable impact will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your experience in building design systems, implementing design-to-code workflows, and prioritizing accessibility. Ensure these examples are relevant to enterprise software and highlight your ability to translate complex requirements into user-friendly interfaces.

• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to highlight keywords related to UX Engineering, Design Systems, React, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Figma, Storybook, Accessibility (WCAG), and enterprise software development. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice discussing your portfolio projects, focusing on the "why" behind your decisions, your process for design-to-code implementation, and the impact of your contributions. Be ready to articulate your interest in AI and its application in finance.

• Research Maxima: Understand Maxima's mission, product, and target market. Familiarize yourself with their approach to AI in accounting and be prepared to discuss how your skills align with their goals and company culture.

⚠️ 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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