Staff Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Product Designer

Company: Semgrep

Location: San Francisco, Boston, New York, Denver (Remote-friendly within the US)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-01

Experience Level: 8+ years (Senior/Staff level)

Remote Status: Hybrid (Remote-friendly, with occasional in-office requirements)

🚀 Role Summary

• End-to-End Product Ownership: This role requires ownership of the complete user experience for Semgrep's platform, spanning detection, remediation, triage, and developer workflows within complex technical environments.

• Strategic Product Influence: Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership to define roadmap direction and product strategy, ensuring a user-centric approach grounded in deep understanding of developer and security professional needs.

• Complex Systems Design: Focus on designing comprehensive systems that transform intricate application security processes into intuitive, trustworthy, and efficient user experiences.

• Design Operations & Scaling: Play a pivotal role in shaping and scaling the design function at Semgrep, developing guidance and tools to empower non-designers and elevate design quality across the organization.

• AI-Augmented Design: Leverage and champion the use of AI tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor) throughout the design lifecycle to accelerate speed, enhance quality, and innovate on design processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title indicates a senior individual contributor role with significant autonomy and influence, expected to tackle ambiguous problems and drive strategic initiatives. The emphasis on AI tools suggests a forward-thinking design team eager to integrate cutting-edge technology into their workflows. The hybrid nature with quarterly in-office requirements points to a need for strong remote collaboration skills alongside in-person connection.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End Design Ownership: Take full responsibility for ambiguous, cross-cutting design initiatives, from initial problem framing and in-depth user research to the successful launch of impactful features and platform improvements.

• Strategic Partnership: Collaborate intimately with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to inform and shape the product roadmap and overall product strategy, ensuring design decisions are data-driven and aligned with user needs.

• Complex Workflow Design: Develop intuitive and trustworthy user experiences for complex security workflows, including detection, remediation, and triage, ensuring seamless integration into developer environments.

• User Research Leadership: Conduct and champion user research (both qualitative and quantitative), gathering insights on user behaviors and workflows, and translating findings into actionable design recommendations.

• Craft & Quality Elevation: Drive high standards for design craft, clear thinking, and thoughtful critique, ensuring exceptional execution and a polished user experience across the Semgrep platform.

• Design Enablement: Create and maintain design guidance, systems, and tools that empower non-designers to make informed design decisions, fostering a design-aware culture.

• Design Team Scaling: Contribute to the growth and scaling of the design team and function at Semgrep, defining best practices and processes for a growing organization.

• AI Tool Integration: Actively utilize and advocate for AI tools as integral components of the design and prototyping workflow, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of core product design execution and strategic leadership. The emphasis on "designing whole systems" and "raising the quality bar" points to a need for a designer with a strong systems-thinking approach and meticulous attention to detail. The requirement to "build guidance and tools" indicates a mentorship and enablement component.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 8+ years of professional experience in product design, with a significant portion focused on complex digital products.

• Proven track record of leading design initiatives across multiple product areas and teams, demonstrating significant product and organizational impact.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Expertise: Deep understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies, with a strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end design solutions for complex problems.

• User Research Proficiency: Ability to conduct and synthesize both qualitative (interviews, usability testing) and quantitative (task success, time on task) user research to inform design decisions.

• Systems Thinking: Capacity to understand and design complex, interconnected systems, ensuring coherence and consistency across the entire product experience.

• Information Architecture (IA): Skill in organizing and structuring content and features to create intuitive navigation and information hierarchies within complex applications.

• Prototyping & Iteration: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) to test and iterate on design solutions rapidly.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Demonstrated experience in mentoring junior designers and influencing design best practices within a team or organization.

• AI Tool Fluency: Enthusiasm and practical experience using AI tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor) to enhance the design process, including ideation, prototyping, and content generation.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to partner effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders in a fast-paced, agile environment.

• Technical Acumen: Comfortable working closely with engineers and understanding technical systems, enabling effective collaboration on complex product challenges.

• Communication & Ambiguity Navigation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design decisions, bring structure to ambiguous problems, and present compelling arguments.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with developer tools, security software, or SaaS platforms.

• Familiarity with building and maintaining design systems.

• Experience with data analysis and using analytics to inform design.

• Understanding of application security concepts and workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of "8+ years" and the "Staff" title strongly suggest this role is for a seasoned designer who can operate with a high degree of autonomy and strategic foresight. The explicit mention of AI tools and the need for technical acumen are critical differentiators for candidates.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies detailing your process from problem identification and user research through to final design solutions and impact.

• Complexity Demonstration: Highlight projects that involved complex technical systems, intricate workflows, or ambiguous problem spaces, demonstrating your ability to bring clarity and order.

• User-Centricity: Clearly articulate how user needs, research findings, and data informed your design decisions and iterations.

• Systems Design Examples: Include examples where you designed or significantly improved larger systems, information architecture, or design system components.

• Collaboration & Impact: Detail your collaboration with PM and Engineering, and quantify the impact of your designs where possible (e.g., user adoption, efficiency gains, reduction in errors).

Process Documentation:

• Problem Framing: Demonstrate how you approach understanding and defining complex problems, including user research methodologies and stakeholder alignment.

• Design Workflow: Illustrate your iterative design process, including ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and refinement.

• System Design Principles: Explain your approach to designing scalable and consistent systems, including information architecture and potential design system contributions.

• AI Tool Integration: Showcase how you've leveraged AI tools within your design process to improve efficiency, explore ideas, or enhance outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff Product Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond just polished UI mockups to demonstrate strategic thinking, deep problem-solving skills, and the ability to influence product direction. Emphasis on complex systems, AI integration, and measurable impact will be key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $205,000 - $250,000 USD per year

Base Salary Rationale: This range is competitive for a Staff Product Designer role in major US tech hubs (San Francisco, Boston, New York, Denver), reflecting the senior level of experience, specialized technical product focus, and high degree of ownership and impact expected. It aligns with industry benchmarks for senior individual contributors in high-growth SaaS companies with significant venture backing.

Benefits:

• Equity: Stock options or RSUs, providing ownership in Semgrep's growth and success.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans designed to meet or exceed local market standards.

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

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

• Professional Development: Budget for conferences, training, and learning resources to support continuous skill enhancement.

• Parental Leave: Supportive policies for new parents.

• Wellness Programs: Initiatives focused on employee well-being.

• Remote Work Stipend: Potential for a stipend to support home office setup and remote work expenses.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week).

• Flexibility is expected, with a focus on results and collaboration rather than strict adherence to hours, especially for remote employees.

• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required during critical project phases or for cross-time zone collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is at the higher end, appropriate for a Staff level designer in competitive markets. The benefits are described generally, as specific offerings often vary by location and are detailed in the company's benefits portal. The emphasis on "market-aligned" and "exceeds local market standards" suggests a strong benefits package.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Application Security (AppSec) and Developer Tooling. Semgrep operates at the intersection of software development and cybersecurity, providing tools that enable developers to build secure code more efficiently.

Company Size: Semgrep is a venture-backed startup, likely in the growth phase, with a company size that suggests a dynamic environment where individual contributions have significant visibility and impact. (LinkedIn data indicates a range, but the description points to a scaling organization).

Founded: Founded in San Francisco, Semgrep has attracted significant investment from top-tier venture capital firms, indicating strong market validation and ambitious growth plans.

Team Structure:

• Product & Engineering Focused: The role implies close collaboration with Product Management and Engineering teams, suggesting a well-integrated product development process.

• Growing Design Function: Design is presented as a function that is "still growing," indicating opportunities to shape processes, standards, and team culture.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: A strong emphasis is placed on partnering with various teams, fostering a collaborative and communicative environment.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisions: User research, quantitative signals (task success, time on task), and customer conversations are emphasized as key inputs for design and product strategy.

• Agile Development: Implied through close partnership with engineering and roadmap-driven work.

• AI Integration: A core tenet of the company's approach to innovation and efficiency in product development.

• Iterative Design: The process involves continuous refinement based on feedback and testing.

Company Website: https://semgrep.dev/

📝 Enhancement Note: Semgrep is positioned as a leader in a rapidly evolving tech space. The culture is likely fast-paced, innovative, and deeply technical. The "growing design function" is a key aspect, offering influence but also requiring proactive leadership and process development.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role, typically sitting above Senior Designer and below Principal or Director levels. It signifies deep expertise, strategic influence, and the ability to lead complex, ambiguous initiatives.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to a Head of Design, Design Lead, or potentially a Director of Product if the design function is very lean. The direct reports are unlikely, but mentorship of junior designers is a key expectation.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on the usability, effectiveness, and adoption of Semgrep's core security platform. By making complex security workflows intuitive and trustworthy, the designer directly contributes to developer productivity, security posture, and ultimately, the company's ability to secure its customers' code.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a more senior leadership role, potentially managing a design team or becoming a principal designer setting strategic vision.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in developer tooling, application security, or AI-driven design workflows.

• Process Innovation: Lead initiatives to define and implement best practices for design operations, research, and AI integration at Semgrep.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across product, engineering, and marketing to shape the overall company strategy and user experience.

• Industry Expertise: Become a recognized expert in designing for developer tools and security, contributing to Semgrep's thought leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" designation is crucial; it implies a level of autonomy and strategic impact typically reserved for individuals who can operate independently and drive significant change. Growth paths will likely involve increasing scope, strategic influence, and mentorship responsibilities.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid model. While remote is an option, there's a requirement to be in the office at least one week per quarter. This suggests a culture that values in-person collaboration for specific strategic sessions, team building, and deep dives. Office locations are in major tech hubs (San Francisco, Boston, New York, Denver).

Office Location(s): San Francisco, Boston, New York, Denver. These are major tech centers, offering access to talent and industry events.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative & Technical: Expect a fast-paced, innovative environment where collaboration with highly technical individuals (engineers, product managers) is constant.

• Tooling: Access to modern design and AI tooling (e.g., Figma, Claude Code, Cursor) will be standard.

• Impactful Work: The opportunity to work on a product with significant security implications for a wide range of customers.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time.

• Flexibility is likely encouraged, especially for remote employees, with an emphasis on delivering results and collaborating effectively across different time zones when necessary.

• The quarterly in-office requirement necessitates planning and travel coordination.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with mandatory quarterly meetups suggests a company that values both the flexibility of remote work and the benefits of in-person interaction for strategic alignment and team cohesion. Candidates should be comfortable with this blend.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a conversation with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A session with design leadership and/or team members to present your portfolio, discuss case studies, and potentially tackle a design problem relevant to Semgrep's domain.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and strategic thinking.

• Hiring Manager/Leadership Interview: A final discussion to assess leadership potential, strategic vision, and overall fit with the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the problem you solved, your role, your process, and the quantifiable outcomes or learnings from your projects.

• Showcase Complexity: Present case studies that demonstrate your ability to handle ambiguous and technically challenging problems.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Explain how your designs fit into larger systems and contribute to overall product coherence.

• Demonstrate AI Integration: If applicable, showcase projects where you've effectively used AI tools to enhance your design process or outcomes.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives, explaining the "why" behind your decisions.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design rationale, trade-offs you made, and how you'd approach future challenges at Semgrep.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Semgrep's Domain: Research Semgrep's product, target audience (developers, security teams), and the core problems they solve.

• Think Systemically: For any design challenge, consider the broader system, user workflows, and potential technical constraints.

• Embrace AI: If given an AI-assisted challenge, think about how you'd leverage these tools strategically.

• Communicate Your Process: Be prepared to walk through your thought process, even if you don't have a fully polished solution. Focus on your approach to problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely be rigorous, focusing heavily on practical design skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to work within a technical, fast-paced environment. The portfolio is the primary tool for demonstrating these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: The industry standard for UI/UX design, wireframing, and prototyping. Essential for collaborative design workflows.

• Sketch/Adobe XD: Potentially used, but Figma is typically the primary tool in modern design teams.

• Prototyping Tools: In-built Figma prototyping, or potentially dedicated tools for more advanced interactions.

AI & Development Tools (as mentioned):

• Claude Code: An AI coding assistant that can help with generating code snippets, debugging, and understanding technical concepts.

• Cursor: An AI-first code editor designed for faster development.

• Other AI Tools: Candidates are encouraged to bring their own opinions and experience with other AI tools that can accelerate design and development.

Collaboration & Project Management:

• Slack: For day-to-day communication.

• Jira/Asana/Linear: For managing product backlogs, sprints, and project tasks.

• Confluence/Notion: For documentation, knowledge sharing, and design specifications.

Research & Analytics:

• UserTesting.com / Maze: For remote usability testing and data collection.

• Google Analytics / Mixpanel / Amplitude: For understanding user behavior and product usage data (designers will collaborate with PMs and analysts on this).

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a must. Experience or a strong willingness to learn and integrate AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor into the design workflow is a significant advantage and a stated requirement. Familiarity with agile project management tools is also expected.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Builder Mindset: Semgrep empowers invention without friction. The culture values individuals who are proactive, innovative, and enjoy building and improving.

• Security-First: A deep commitment to code security and empowering developers to build securely. This permeates the product and company mission.

• Speed & Efficiency: The company emphasizes moving fast and fixing issues efficiently, both in code and in internal processes. AI integration is a testament to this.

• Trust & Transparency: Built on respect and honesty, fostering an environment where open communication and trust are paramount.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on cross-functional teamwork and shared ownership.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Product Teams: Designers work closely with Product Managers and Engineers, forming cohesive units focused on specific product areas or initiatives.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encourages thoughtful critique and open discussion to elevate design quality and drive better outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Expect opportunities to share learnings, best practices, and insights across the team and company.

• Embracing New Tools: A willingness to experiment with and adopt new technologies, particularly AI, to improve workflows and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values innovation, efficiency, and a strong sense of ownership. The culture appears to be one of collaboration, transparency, and a drive to push boundaries, especially with the integration of AI.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Technical Users: Creating intuitive interfaces for complex developer tools and security workflows requires deep empathy and technical understanding.

• Balancing Ambiguity and Structure: Tackling "ambiguous cross-cutting design initiatives" requires comfort with uncertainty and the ability to define structure where it doesn't exist.

• Scaling Design Processes: As a growing company, establishing and refining design processes, standards, and systems will be an ongoing challenge.

• Integrating AI Effectively: Finding the right balance and integration points for AI tools that genuinely enhance the user experience and design workflow without introducing complexity or "AI fluff."

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent vision and execution across product, engineering, and design, especially as the company scales.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in application security, developer tooling, and the evolving landscape of AI in software development.

• Strategic Design Leadership: Gain experience in shaping product strategy and influencing organizational direction at a senior level.

• Process Development: Lead initiatives to build and optimize design operations, research frameworks, and design system components.

• Mentorship: Hone leadership and mentorship skills by guiding and developing other designers.

• AI Tool Mastery: Become an expert in leveraging advanced AI tools for design and development, staying at the forefront of technological innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant opportunities to shape a growing design function and tackle complex, impactful problems in a cutting-edge tech domain. The challenges are tied to Semgrep's growth and its innovative approach to security and AI.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach understanding the core needs of developers using security tools, given their often time-constrained workflows?" (Prepare to discuss research methods, empathy mapping, and user journey mapping.)

• "Describe a time you led a complex, cross-functional design initiative from start to finish. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on your process, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.)

• "How do you see AI tools like Claude Code or Cursor impacting the product design process, and how would you integrate them into your workflow at Semgrep?" (Be prepared to discuss specific use cases, benefits, and potential pitfalls.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Semgrep's mission and the application security space?" (Research Semgrep's market position, competitors, and recent news.)

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers or enabling non-designers to make better design decisions?" (Prepare examples of your leadership and enablement style.)

• "Describe your ideal collaborative relationship with Product Managers and Engineers." (Highlight your communication style, feedback approach, and understanding of shared ownership.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Relevant Projects: Choose 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your skills in complex systems design, developer tooling, and strategic problem-solving.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly outline: the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, iteration, AI usage), the solution, and the impact/learnings.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, trade-offs, and how you handled specific challenges.

• Showcase AI Integration: If applicable, highlight how AI tools were used in your process and what benefits they provided.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, deep understanding of the design process, comfort with technical complexity, and a proactive approach to leveraging AI. The portfolio presentation is the primary vehicle for this.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the application through the provided Ashby link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 detailed case studies showcasing your end-to-end design process, particularly for complex technical products. Highlight your approach to user research, systems thinking, and the impact of your work.

• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to clearly articulate your 8+ years of experience, focusing on achievements relevant to product design, developer tooling, and AI integration. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear communication, storytelling, and demonstrating your strategic thought process. Be ready to discuss your experience with AI tools and how you'd approach challenges at Semgrep.

• Research Semgrep: Familiarize yourself with Semgrep's product, mission, target audience, and recent company news to articulate your interest and cultural fit effectively.

⚠️ 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.