Principal Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Designer

Company: Avantos AI

Location: New York City, NY, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-06-13

Experience Level: 8+ Years (with craft leadership)

Remote Status: Telecommute (United States)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end ownership and evolution of the Avantos AI design system, ensuring scalability and coherence across an AI-native platform.

• Drive design craft and quality for the core Agent Portal product surface, acting as the primary anchor for design excellence and setting the standard for the entire design team.

• Define and codify design tenets and patterns, influencing the strategic direction of design at Avantos AI and fostering a culture of principled design.

• Champion advanced design methodologies, including prototyping in code and leveraging AI tooling, to enhance efficiency and elevate the quality of design output.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is "Principal Designer," its focus on owning a design system, setting craft direction, and influencing process strongly aligns with "Design Operations" principles and responsibilities, making it a critical role for operationalizing design excellence within a rapidly scaling tech company. The emphasis on AI and its impact on design processes also positions this as a forward-thinking role in the operations of creative and product development functions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System Ownership: End-to-end management of the Avantos design system, including its component library, design tokens, pattern language, and the contribution rubric to ensure consistency as the team scales.

• Craft Leadership & Mentorship: Set the craft direction for all designers, elevating the team's overall quality through shared patterns and tenets. Provide mentorship, critique, and guidance to junior and mid-level designers.

• Core Product Design: Lead design efforts for the Agent Portal, the company's most critical user-facing surface, ensuring it serves as the first and most rigorously tested implementation of the design system.

• Design Tenet Authoring: Collaborate with the Head of Design to author and evolve the company's design tenets, defining the core values and principles that guide design decisions at Avantos.

• Cross-Functional Representation: Represent the design team in critical product and client conversations, providing senior craft judgment and strategic input to ensure design considerations are integrated early and effectively.

• Process Innovation: Actively participate in and influence the ongoing re-evaluation of design processes, incorporating new AI capabilities and exploring innovative ways of working to enhance design efficiency and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic, high-impact role focused on operationalizing design quality and scalability. The emphasis on "owning," "leading," "authoring," and "setting craft direction" highlights the operational nature of the role in establishing and maintaining design standards and processes, particularly within the context of a fast-paced, AI-driven product development environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating mastery of design principles and systems thinking is paramount. Candidates with backgrounds from top design programs or with equivalent practical experience are highly valued.

Experience: 8+ years of progressive product design experience, with a significant portion dedicated to craft leadership that has demonstrably influenced the design output and standards of an organization beyond individual project contributions.

Required Skills:

• Design Systems Expertise: Proven track record of authoring, implementing, and maintaining comprehensive design systems, including component libraries, design tokens, and pattern languages.

• Product Design Fundamentals: Deep mastery of interaction design, information architecture, visual craft, and the systems thinking required to build scalable design solutions.

• Figma Proficiency: Expert-level command of Figma for design, prototyping, and system management.

• Prototyping Fluency: Ability to prototype effectively across various mediums, with a strong preference for and increasing proficiency in code-based prototyping and AI-assisted tools.

• Craft Leadership: Demonstrated ability to move the design bar at a company and raise the quality of design output for a team.

• AI & Design Curiosity: Genuine interest and curiosity in how AI is transforming design, software development, and team workflows.

• Senior IC Acumen: Comfort and proven success operating as a senior individual contributor, leading through craft and system influence rather than management titles.

• B2B SaaS/Fintech Acumen: Familiarity with the complexities of B2B SaaS environments or the fintech industry; specific financial services experience is a plus but not a strict requirement.

Preferred Skills:

• AI-Native Design Experience: Experience designing products that are inherently AI-driven or agentic, focusing on making probabilistic outputs trustworthy and legible.

• AI Tooling Development: A history of building custom AI tooling to enhance design velocity or quality.

• Thought Leadership: Familiarity with influential design thinkers (e.g., Bret Victor, Lou Downe, Bob Baxley) and a well-articulated point of view on the intersection of craft and systems.

• Early-Stage Design Leadership: Experience as one of the first senior individual contributor designers at a Series A or B stage company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "8+ years with craft leadership that reaches beyond your own projects" and "a track record of authoring design systems, tenets, or patterns that other designers adopted and built on" strongly suggests that this role requires a candidate who has not only excelled individually but has also demonstrably influenced and improved the design operations and output of an entire team or company. Proficiency in "prototyping in code and with AI" points to an expectation of operationalizing cutting-edge design practices.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Case Study: A comprehensive case study detailing the creation, implementation, and ongoing management of a significant design system. This should include examples of component libraries, design tokens, and pattern languages, showcasing how the system facilitated scalability and consistency.

• Craft Leadership Examples: Showcase projects where you demonstrably elevated the craft and quality of design for a team or product, illustrating your ability to set and maintain high standards.

• AI Integration: Examples of how you've incorporated AI into your design workflow, whether through tooling, prototyping, or designing AI-native experiences, demonstrating an understanding of future design operations.

• Process Innovation: Evidence of your ability to influence and improve design processes, perhaps through the adoption of new tools, methodologies, or by defining design tenets that guide team operations.

Process Documentation:

• System Governance: Outline the processes and methodologies you've used to govern design systems, including contribution rubrics, version control, and feedback loops for pattern evolution.

• Cross-Functional Workflow: Demonstrate experience in establishing efficient workflows between design, engineering, and product management, particularly in the context of shipping complex SaaS products.

• Quality Assurance: Detail your approach to ensuring design quality and consistency across a product, especially as a system scales and is adopted by multiple designers and developers.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal Designer role focused on design systems and craft leadership, a portfolio isn't just a collection of work; it's a demonstration of operational design thinking. Candidates must show not just what they designed, but how they designed it at scale, how they influenced others, and how they've operationalized quality and consistency through systems and processes. The mention of "prototyping in code and with AI" implies a need to showcase how these advanced operational capabilities were leveraged.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the "Principal" title, 8+ years of experience, and a high-cost-of-living location like New York City, the estimated base salary range for a Principal Designer in the US is typically between $180,000 - $250,000+ per year. This range can fluctuate based on specific skills, prior experience, and the total compensation package including equity.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation: A strong base salary reflecting the seniority and impact of the role.

• Meaningful Equity: Significant stock options or grants, offering substantial upside as the company grows.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with potential company match.

• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, conference attendance, and skill enhancement relevant to AI and design systems.

• Remote Work Stipend: Support for home office setup and ongoing remote work expenses.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week, typical for a full-time role. However, given the dynamic nature of a startup and the senior IC role, flexibility and a results-oriented approach are expected, with potential for occasional longer hours during critical project phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimation is based on industry benchmarks for Principal Designer roles in major US tech hubs, considering the company's early-stage but well-funded status (Bessemer Ventures, MIT's investment arm). The "meaningful equity" is highlighted as a key component of compensation for senior roles in venture-backed startups. The "40 hours" is a baseline; senior IC roles often involve dedication beyond strict hours, emphasizing impact over time clocked.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Financial Services Technology (Fintech), SaaS. Avantos AI operates at the intersection of AI and financial services, aiming to revolutionize client relationship management and advisory workflows. This positions them in a high-growth, innovation-driven sector with significant market potential.

Company Size: Avantos AI is likely in the early to growth stage (Series A/B funded), indicated by the "Principal Designer" role being a senior individual contributor and the mention of "first senior IC design hires." This typically means a team size of 20-100 employees, fostering a fast-paced, agile, and collaborative environment.

Founded: Founded recently, with a team composed of experienced founders and leaders from prestigious institutions (Wharton, MIT) and successful tech companies. This suggests a culture built on strong foundations of execution, design thinking, and product-centricity from the outset.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: Likely small but growing, with a focus on senior individual contributors who can drive craft and operationalize design. The Head of Design will oversee this function.

• Reporting Structure: The Principal Designer will report to the Head of Design, functioning as a senior IC within the product and engineering organization.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: High degree of collaboration expected with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially client-facing teams (Sales, Client Success) to ensure design solutions are integrated, functional, and meet user needs.

Methodology:

• AI-Driven Development: Core to the company's ethos, design processes will likely incorporate AI for ideation, prototyping, and potentially system generation.

• Iterative Product Development: A fast-paced, agile approach with frequent re-evaluation of processes and capabilities as new AI advancements emerge.

• Design System as Foundation: Emphasis on building and leveraging a robust design system to ensure quality, consistency, and efficiency as the product and team scale.

Company Website: https://avantos.ai/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on "AI-native operating system for financial services" and its funding from "Bessemer Ventures and MIT’s investment arm" indicate a strong emphasis on cutting-edge technology and a data-driven, strategic approach to product development. The culture is described as "execution-focused, design-driven, product-centric," implying a high-performance environment where design plays a pivotal role in shaping the product strategy and user experience.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a Principal-level Individual Contributor (IC) in the design domain. It signifies a senior position focused on deep craft expertise, strategic thinking, and operationalizing design excellence across the organization. The responsibilities are not about managing people but about leading through expertise, system building, and mentorship, directly impacting the efficiency and quality of the entire design function.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Designer will likely report to the Head of Design. This structure places them in a position to influence design strategy directly and work closely with other senior leaders in Product and Engineering.

Operations Impact: The Principal Designer's impact is critical to the operational efficiency and scalability of Avantos AI's product development. By owning the design system, they ensure that design quality is maintained and amplified as the company grows. This directly affects the speed of feature development, the consistency of the user experience, and the overall trustworthiness of the AI-native platform, which is crucial for adoption in the financial services sector. Their work operationalizes design, making it a predictable and reliable engine for product innovation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepening AI Design Expertise: Opportunity to become a leading expert in designing AI-native and agentic products, a highly sought-after skill.

• Expanding System Ownership: Potential to evolve the design system beyond the Agent Portal to encompass other platform surfaces or even influence broader company design standards.

• Strategic Design Influence: Contribute significantly to the overall product strategy and vision, shaping how Avantos AI leverages design and AI to achieve its business goals.

• Mentorship & Team Building: Develop leadership skills by mentoring other designers, potentially laying the groundwork for future team lead or management roles if desired, though the current role is IC-focused.

• Industry Recognition: The opportunity to build and champion an industry-leading design system for an AI-native platform could lead to speaking engagements, publications, and recognition within the design community.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior IC "craft anchor," emphasizing deep expertise and influence over people management. The "growth opportunities" are framed around deepening specialized skills in AI design and system building, aligning with the operational excellence expected of a Principal-level role in a tech startup. The impact on "operational efficiency and scalability of product development" is a key takeaway.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The "Telecommute" designation for the United States, combined with a New York City location, suggests a Hybrid or Remote-First work environment. The company may have a physical office in NYC for collaboration days or team gatherings, but the role is designed to be performed remotely within the US.

Office Location(s): Primary operations and team presence likely centered around New York City, NY. The company may have other satellite offices or a distributed US workforce.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: While remote, the culture emphasizes collaboration through tools like Figma, code repositories, and communication platforms (Slack, etc.). There's an expectation of active participation in design critiques and cross-functional meetings.

• Technology Focus: Access to modern design and development tools, including Figma, AI prototyping tools, and potentially custom-built internal tooling. The environment encourages experimentation with new technologies.

• Deep Work Emphasis: The culture values "craft, focus, deep work, and ownership," suggesting an environment that supports concentrated effort, with deliberate efforts to minimize distractions during core working hours.

Work Schedule: While the standard is 40 hours/week, the emphasis on "ownership" and "deep work" suggests that flexibility is provided, allowing individuals to structure their time to achieve optimal results. This means focusing on outcomes rather than rigid adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule, which is beneficial for managing complex design processes and integrating AI tools effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Telecommute" and US-wide location for a NYC-based company points to a modern, flexible work arrangement. The description of the culture ("craft, focus, deep work, and ownership") implies an environment that respects individual work styles while demanding high performance and collaborative output, which is crucial for operationalizing complex design systems.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager, focusing on alignment with the key requirements, especially design system experience and craft leadership.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Critique: A session where you present a curated selection of your work, likely focusing on a design system case study or a project demonstrating craft leadership. This will include a live design critique to assess your thought process, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate design rationale.

• Systems Thinking & AI Discussion: An interview focused on your understanding of systems thinking, your experience with design systems, and your perspective on the role of AI in design. You may be asked about your experience with AI tooling and how you approach designing for AI-native products.

• Cross-Functional Interview: Discussion with members of the product and engineering teams to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to integrate design within a broader product development lifecycle.

• Final Interview: A conversation with the Head of Design or a senior leader to discuss strategic alignment, cultural fit, and overall vision for design at Avantos AI.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the problem your design system solved, your approach to its creation and governance, and its measurable impact on team efficiency, product consistency, and quality. Use metrics where possible (e.g., reduction in design/dev time, increase in component adoption).

• Showcase Craft Leadership: Include examples where you took initiative to improve design quality, mentor others, or establish new design standards. Explain your rationale and the outcomes.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: For any project, illustrate how you considered the broader system, not just isolated screens. How did your design decisions contribute to a cohesive and scalable user experience?

• Incorporate AI/Code Prototypes: If you have examples of prototyping in code or using AI tools, feature them prominently. Explain the benefits and how they advanced your design process.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies with a clear narrative: problem, your process, your solutions, and the results. Be prepared to discuss your decision-making at each step.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Tenets & Principles: Be ready to articulate your own design tenets and discuss how you would approach codifying them for a team.

• System Scalability: Prepare to discuss strategies for scaling a design system as a company grows, including contributions, maintenance, and adoption challenges.

• AI in Design: Think critically about the implications of AI on the design process and the role of a designer. How can AI augment, rather than replace, human design craft?

• Craft Critique: Practice articulating constructive feedback on design work, focusing on principles, systems, and user impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "prototyping in code and build their own AI tooling" strongly suggests that the interview process will probe deeply into these advanced operational capabilities. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate not just design skill, but proficiency in modern, efficient, and AI-augmented design workflows. The "contribution rubric that keeps it coherent" points to a need to discuss the operational aspects of design system governance.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for UI design, prototyping, and design system management. Mastery is essential.

• Design System Management Tools: While Figma is central, candidates should be familiar with concepts of design tokens, component libraries, and potentially tools that integrate with Figma for advanced system management.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency beyond Figma is expected, with a strong emphasis on prototyping in code (e.g., React, Vue, or similar front-end frameworks) and potentially utilizing AI-powered design tools or plugins to accelerate workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo to understand user behavior and inform design decisions.

• User Feedback Tools: Experience with platforms for collecting and analyzing user feedback to identify areas for design improvement.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding how design integrates with CRM systems (like Salesforce) and other business automation tools can be beneficial for B2B SaaS context. Familiarity with how design impacts sales and client servicing workflows is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "prototyping in code and build their own AI tooling" indicates that this role requires more than just standard Figma skills. Candidates should highlight any experience with front-end development frameworks for prototyping or with AI/ML tools that can be leveraged in a design context. This is a key differentiator for "operations" in a cutting-edge design role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A deep commitment to high-quality design, precision, and attention to detail, operationalized through robust systems and rigorous critique.

• Systems Thinking: Valuing interconnectedness and scalability, viewing design as part of a larger system of products, processes, and user experiences.

• AI Innovation: Embracing and actively exploring how AI can transform design processes, product capabilities, and user interactions, fostering a culture of continuous learning and experimentation.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking full responsibility for design outcomes, from system creation to product delivery, and driving initiatives to completion.

• Collaboration & Mentorship: A culture where knowledge is shared freely, feedback is given constructively, and senior members actively mentor and elevate the skills of the entire team.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Design is deeply integrated with Product and Engineering, working collaboratively from ideation through to implementation.

• Systemic Approach: Collaboration focuses on how design decisions impact the broader system and how the design system can facilitate smoother cross-functional work.

• Feedback-Driven Iteration: An open feedback loop is encouraged, with regular design critiques and iterative development cycles that incorporate input from all stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values ("execution-focused, design-driven, product-centric," "craft, focus, deep work, and ownership") directly inform the operational culture. The emphasis on "AI-native" and "reimagining" implies a culture of innovation and forward-thinking that needs to be operationalized through design systems and collaborative processes.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing System & Speed: Establishing and maintaining a comprehensive design system while operating at the rapid pace of an AI startup, where requirements and capabilities evolve quickly.

• Designing for AI Uncertainty: Creating user experiences that are trustworthy, legible, and predictable when dealing with the probabilistic nature of AI outputs.

• Scaling Design Craft: Ensuring that high design quality is consistently applied across a growing product surface and an expanding design team, moving beyond individual talent to systemic excellence.

• Adoption of New Technologies: Encouraging and facilitating the adoption of new design methodologies and AI tooling among the design team and cross-functional partners.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Becoming a recognized expert in designing for AI-native applications, a rapidly growing and critical field.

• Design Operations Leadership: Developing expertise in operationalizing design at scale, which is transferable to many high-growth tech companies.

• Influence on Product Strategy: Contributing to the core product vision and strategy of an AI platform set to disrupt a major industry.

• Advanced Prototyping: Deepening skills in code-based prototyping and AI-driven design tooling, staying at the forefront of design technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the operational complexities of a fast-paced AI startup, particularly in balancing rapid iteration with the need for robust, scalable design systems. The growth opportunities are directly tied to developing specialized, in-demand skills within the evolving landscape of AI and design operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design System Philosophy: "Describe your philosophy on design systems. What makes a design system successful and scalable, especially in an AI-first environment? How would you operationalize contributions to our system?" Prepare to discuss governance, adoption strategies, and how AI might influence system evolution.

• AI & Design Craft: "How do you see AI changing the practice of product design? What's your approach to ensuring trust and legibility in AI-generated outputs? Can you share an example of how you've used AI or code to enhance design quality or efficiency?" Focus on practical applications and your perspective on future design operations.

• Craft Leadership & Mentorship: "How do you define and elevate design craft within a team, especially when you're not a direct manager? Describe a time you mentored a designer or influenced the design direction of a product significantly. What was your process?" Be ready to demonstrate your ability to lead through example and expertise.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Avantos AI's Vision: "Based on your understanding of Avantos AI, what do you see as the biggest design challenges and opportunities for our AI-native platform in financial services?" Research the company's mission, funding, and target market.

• Design Tenets: "If you were to author design tenets for Avantos AI, what would be your top three, and why? How would you ensure these tenets are lived and breathed by the team?" Think about core values like AI trustworthiness, user empowerment, and operational efficiency.

• Culture Fit: "How do you approach collaboration with engineering and product teams, especially when pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI?" Prepare examples that showcase your ability to work effectively in a cross-functional, fast-paced environment.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, your design process (especially system building and AI integration), and the measurable outcomes. Quantify wherever possible.

• Systemic View: Highlight how your work contributes to a larger system. For design system examples, show how components are used, how they ensure consistency, and how they enable faster development.

• Craft & Rationale: Be prepared to deeply discuss your design decisions, highlighting your judgment, taste, and the rationale behind them. This is where your "craft anchor" status will be assessed.

• AI & Code Integration: If you have relevant projects, explicitly showcase how you used AI or code in your design process. Explain the benefits and learnings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice emphasizes demonstrating strategic thinking, operationalizing design principles, and showcasing proficiency in cutting-edge technologies like AI and code-based prototyping, aligning with the advanced requirements of a Principal Designer role in a tech-forward company. The focus on "operationalizing contributions to our system" is a direct prompt for how the candidate approaches the operational side of design.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to prominently feature your experience with design systems, craft leadership, and any work involving AI or advanced prototyping. Prioritize case studies that demonstrate your ability to operationalize design quality and scalability.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 8+ years of experience, your track record of craft leadership and design system authorship, and any relevant experience with B2B SaaS, fintech, or AI-driven products. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design philosophy, your approach to AI in design, and your strategies for leading craft. Prepare to walk through your portfolio with a focus on process, impact, and rationale.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Avantos AI's mission, funding, product, and the financial services industry they aim to transform. Understand their "AI-native" approach and how design plays a crucial role in their operations.

⚠️ 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.

---