Staff Web Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Web Designer

Company: Harvey

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Web Design & Development Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-07

Experience Level: 8+ Years (Staff/Senior-Staff Level)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the evolution and governance of Harvey's website design system, ensuring scalability, consistency, and accelerated delivery across all web touchpoints.

• Lead comprehensive web design projects from initial concept and user research through detailed interaction design, prototyping, and precise technical specifications for engineering.

• Drive innovation in user experience, conversion rates, and accessibility for harvey.ai and associated web properties through rigorous user testing and exploration.

• Mentor junior web designers, instilling best practices in responsive design, accessibility standards, and design system management to elevate team quality.

• Champion the translation of Harvey's brand narrative and product story into compelling, high-performing web experiences that generate awareness and drive pipeline.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Staff Web Designer," the responsibilities and required experience (8+ years, staff/senior-staff level, design system architecture, mentorship) indicate a senior-level individual contributor role with significant strategic influence over web design operations and product marketing alignment. The "Operations" category is derived from the role's focus on process, systems (design system), and cross-functional collaboration critical to GTM efforts.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and advance the comprehensive website design system, defining scalable patterns, component libraries, and robust governance standards to ensure brand consistency and efficient development across all web surfaces.

• Lead the entire design lifecycle for web initiatives, encompassing user research, conceptualization, interaction design, interactive prototyping, and detailed technical specification hand-offs to web engineers and motion designers.

• Foster innovation by employing exploratory design, rapid prototyping, and user testing methodologies to continuously enhance user experience, optimize conversion funnels, and ensure accessibility across harvey.ai and all related digital properties.

• Provide mentorship and guidance to junior web designers, embedding best practices for responsive design, web accessibility (WCAG compliance), and design system governance to collectively elevate the team's output quality.

• Conduct design reviews, present design solutions to marketing leadership and diverse cross-functional stakeholders, and articulate design rationale with exceptional clarity and professional expertise.

• Integrate AI tools and emerging technologies to streamline design workflows, explore novel interaction paradigms, and push the boundaries of what constitutes a best-in-class legal AI website experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic design leadership (design system ownership, innovation) and tactical execution (end-to-end project leadership, technical hand-offs), characteristic of a senior role. The mention of "category-defining legal AI company" implies a need for design that is both cutting-edge and highly polished, aligning with high-growth GTM strategies.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically expected for this level of expertise.

Experience: 8+ years of professional design experience with a substantial focus on web and digital product design, including proven impact at a staff or senior-staff level.

Required Skills:

• Mastery of user experience (UX) design principles and methodologies.

• Expertise in interaction design, creating intuitive and engaging user flows.

• Proven ability in responsive web design, ensuring seamless experiences across devices.

• Deep experience in design-system architecture, development, and governance.

• Proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma.

• Strong command of systems thinking for scalable design solutions.

• Experience providing pixel-level specifications and technical hand-offs to front-end developers.

• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI-assisted design workflows to enhance productivity and creativity.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

• Experience in mentoring junior design talent. Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA/AAA).

• Understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to inform design decisions.

• Experience in fast-paced, high-growth environments, particularly within the technology or AI sectors.

• Background in user research methodologies and usability testing.

• Experience in motion design principles or collaboration with motion designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of "8+ years" and "demonstrated impact at a staff or senior-staff level" strongly suggests a senior individual contributor role. The emphasis on "design-system architecture" and "governance" points to a need for someone who can operationalize design processes, making them highly scalable and efficient, which is crucial for a rapidly growing company. The mention of AI tools indicates a forward-thinking approach to design operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 robust case studies demonstrating end-to-end web design projects.

• Clearly articulate your role and contributions, especially in areas of design system development, scaling, and governance.

• Include examples of responsive design implementations and how you addressed cross-device user experience challenges.

• Highlight projects where you led user research, prototyping, and usability testing to inform design decisions.

• Demonstrate your expertise with modern design tools, particularly Figma, including complex component libraries and interactive prototypes.

• Present solutions that clearly show an understanding of systems thinking and how your designs contribute to a cohesive brand and product experience.

• Include examples of technical specifications provided to engineers, illustrating a strong hand-off process. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of building, maintaining, or significantly contributing to a scalable design system, including documentation on its structure, components, and governance.

• Case studies detailing how you've improved design workflow efficiency, velocity, or quality through systematic approaches or AI tools.

• Examples of how you've collaborated with engineering and product marketing to ensure design-system adherence and successful implementation of web experiences.

• Documentation or descriptions of how you've approached accessibility best practices within your design process and system.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff Web Designer role, a portfolio is paramount. The emphasis on "design-system architecture" and "governance" suggests the need for a portfolio that goes beyond individual UI designs to showcase strategic thinking about scalable design operations. Demonstrating impact through metrics (conversion improvements, efficiency gains) will be critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $146,600 - $219,800 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health coverage

• Dental coverage

• Vision coverage

• Retirement benefits

• 401k match

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Equity plan

Working Hours: Assumed to be a standard 40-hour work week, with potential for flexibility given the "Flexible PTO" benefit, though the role is on-site.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is typical for a Staff-level designer in a high-cost-of-living area like New York City, especially within a fast-growing tech company. The benefits package is competitive and includes common perks like health coverage, retirement savings with a match, and equity, which are attractive to senior talent.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Legal Technology (Legal AI) - Harvey is at the forefront of applying AI to professional services, specifically in the legal domain, aiming to transform how critical knowledge work is performed. This industry is characterized by rapid innovation, a focus on accuracy and reliability, and a drive to deliver significant efficiency gains to clients.

Company Size: The description implies rapid scaling and strong investor support, suggesting a growth-stage startup environment. This typically means a dynamic, fast-paced, and often evolving organizational structure.

Founded: While the founding date isn't explicitly stated, the description suggests Harvey is a company that has achieved product-market fit and is now in a significant growth phase, indicating it's established enough to have a defined brand and product, but still agile.

Team Structure:

• The Web team is responsible for the company's web presence, including harvey.ai. This team likely includes web engineers, motion designers, and potentially UX researchers, all working under the guidance of design leadership.

• The Staff Web Designer will be a senior member of this team, expected to mentor junior designers and collaborate closely with Product Marketing, Brand stakeholders, and Web Engineering.

• Cross-functional collaboration is central, with the designer acting as a key liaison between design, engineering, and marketing to translate brand and product strategy into web experiences. Methodology:

• Emphasis on "frontier agentic AI" and "enterprise-grade platform" suggests a technically sophisticated approach to product development.

• The values of "Decisiveness, Simplicity, and Job's Not Finished" point to a culture that prioritizes rapid execution, clear judgment, and continuous improvement.

• Design operations will likely focus on efficiency, scalability, and leveraging AI tools to accelerate workflows.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Harvey's focus on "frontier agentic AI" in legal services positions it as an innovative leader. The company culture described – fast-paced, ownership-driven, with values like Decisiveness and Simplicity – suggests an environment where impactful contributions are expected and rewarded. The "Staff" title implies a high level of autonomy and expectation for driving strategic initiatives within the web design function.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at the "Staff" level, signifying a senior individual contributor. It's a role for an experienced professional expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, set technical and design direction, mentor others, and drive significant projects with minimal supervision. In operations terms, this means owning and optimizing a critical function (web design system and experience) that directly impacts GTM effectiveness.

Reporting Structure: The Staff Web Designer reports to a lead or manager within the Web team, likely overseeing web engineering and design. They will work closely with Product Marketing and Brand stakeholders, implying a collaborative relationship rather than direct reporting.

Operations Impact: The web presence is often the first point of contact for potential clients and partners. The Staff Web Designer's impact is significant, influencing brand perception, lead generation (pipeline), and overall customer engagement. By owning the design system, they ensure that the website remains a scalable, high-performing asset that supports Harvey's rapid growth and market positioning.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a Design Lead or Manager role, overseeing a larger team and strategic design initiatives.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design workflows, advanced UX research, or front-end development integration.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Take on broader responsibilities in product marketing or GTM strategy, leveraging design expertise.

• Impactful Projects: Contribute to defining a new category in legal AI, with the potential for significant personal and professional recognition.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" designation is crucial; it indicates a senior IC role focused on expertise, mentorship, and strategic impact, rather than people management. This is a common progression path for highly skilled individual contributors in tech. The growth opportunities are aligned with advancing within a specialized design track or moving into broader product/GTM roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site in New York City. This suggests a traditional office environment that fosters in-person collaboration, team building, and direct mentorship.

Office Location(s): New York, New York, United States. This is a major hub for technology and innovation, offering access to a vibrant professional community.

Workspace Context:

• The environment is described as fast-paced, with high expectations for excellence and ownership.

• Collaboration is key, with frequent interaction expected between designers, engineers, product marketing, and brand teams.

• Access to modern design tools (Figma) and potentially AI tools is implied, supporting efficient and innovative design workflows.

• The emphasis on "pushing each other for excellence" suggests a culture of constructive feedback and continuous learning.

Work Schedule: While standard working hours are implied for an on-site role, the mention of "Flexible PTO" suggests a company that values work-life balance and trusts its employees to manage their time effectively to meet project demands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in New York City, combined with a fast-paced culture, indicates a demanding but highly collaborative environment. This setup is often preferred for roles that require deep collaboration and rapid iteration, especially when building foundational elements like a design system.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your resume and portfolio for alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: Expect to present your portfolio, focusing on your experience with design systems, responsive design, and AI-assisted workflows. Be prepared to articulate your design rationale and decision-making process.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: A practical exercise may be given, potentially involving a small design problem or a deep dive into a past project's challenges and solutions. This will assess your problem-solving skills and design methodology.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: You'll likely meet with web engineers, product marketing leads, brand stakeholders, and potentially other designers. These interviews will assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to integrate into the team.

• Hiring Manager/Leadership Interview: A final interview to discuss your overall fit, career aspirations, and strategic vision for web design at Harvey.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly demonstrate the business impact of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased engagement, enhanced efficiency through design systems). Quantify results whenever possible.

• Showcase Design Systems: Dedicate significant space to your experience with building, scaling, and governing design systems. Explain your approach to component libraries, patterns, and documentation.

• Highlight AI Integration: If you've used AI tools in your workflow, showcase how they accelerated your process or led to innovative solutions.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, walk through the problem, your process, your solutions, and the outcomes. Explain why you made certain design decisions.

• Technical Readiness: Be prepared to discuss your hand-off process to engineers and your understanding of front-end constraints.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a case study, thoroughly research Harvey, its product, and its target audience to inform your approach.

• Prioritize: Focus on the most critical aspects of the challenge, demonstrating strategic thinking and efficient problem-solving.

• Articulate Rationale: Clearly explain your design decisions and trade-offs, especially under time constraints.

• Design System Thinking: Consider how your proposed solutions would fit into or evolve an existing design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff-level role, the interview process will heavily scrutinize a candidate's strategic thinking, ability to operate autonomously, and proven track record of delivering scalable design solutions. The portfolio is the primary tool for demonstrating these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned as a required modern design tool, indicating it's the primary platform for UI design, prototyping, and design system management.

• AI Tools: Mentioned as a way to accelerate workflows and explore new paradigms. Specific tools are not listed, but expect integration with AI-powered design assistants or generative design platforms.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly stated for the designer, familiarity with web analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) would be beneficial for understanding user behavior and validating design impact.

• Experience with A/B testing platforms for website optimization would also be valuable. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the designer's core responsibilities, but understanding how website interactions feed into CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) or marketing automation platforms (e.g., Marketo, Pardot) would provide valuable context for conversion-focused design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and AI tools highlights Harvey's commitment to modern design practices and efficiency. A candidate should be prepared to discuss their proficiency with these tools and their experience integrating new technologies into their workflow.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Decisiveness: The team acts quickly on clear judgment, valuing action over prolonged deliberation. For a designer, this means being able to make confident decisions and iterate rapidly.

• Simplicity: A belief that simplicity is what scales. Designs and processes should be clear, efficient, and easy to understand and implement. This applies to design systems and user interfaces.

• Job's Not Finished: A mindset of continuous improvement and never being satisfied with the status quo. This means a constant drive to innovate and optimize.

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for tasks and outcomes, demonstrating a proactive and accountable approach.

Collaboration Style:

• Intense and Driven: The team operates with intensity and pushes each other for excellence. This suggests a high-performing, motivated group.

• Customer-Centric: Staying close to customers is a core principle, implying that user feedback and understanding client needs are integral to all work, including design.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Close partnership with web engineers, motion designers, product marketing, and brand stakeholders is essential for delivering end-to-end solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values are deeply embedded in the description and directly influence how the team operates. A candidate should be ready to discuss how their personal work style aligns with decisiveness, simplicity, continuous improvement, and a strong collaborative ethos, particularly in a fast-paced environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining a New Category: Designing for a "category-defining legal AI company" requires balancing innovation with the need for trust, reliability, and clarity, which can be challenging in a traditionally conservative industry like law.

• Scaling Design Systems at Speed: As Harvey grows rapidly, the design system must evolve quickly to support new features and marketing initiatives without compromising quality or consistency.

• Integrating AI into Design Workflows: Effectively leveraging AI tools to enhance design productivity and creativity while maintaining design integrity and human oversight.

• Balancing Brand Story and Product Functionality: Translating complex AI capabilities into intuitive, user-friendly web experiences that also communicate a compelling brand narrative.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in leveraging AI for design exploration, content generation, and workflow automation.

• Design System Leadership: Gain extensive experience in architecting, scaling, and governing complex design systems for a high-growth tech company.

• Cross-Functional Impact: Broaden understanding of product marketing, GTM strategies, and how web design directly contributes to business objectives.

• Industry Immersion: Gain deep insights into the legal tech industry and the evolving landscape of AI in professional services.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to Harvey's innovative position in the market and its growth trajectory. These challenges also present significant opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach evolving and governing a design system for a rapidly growing AI company like Harvey, ensuring both scalability and brand consistency?" (Focus on your process, governance models, and how you'd handle conflicting needs.)

• "Describe a time you used AI tools to significantly improve your design workflow or outcome. What was the impact, and what were the limitations?" (Be specific about tools, process changes, and quantifiable results.)

• "How do you balance the need for innovation and a cutting-edge brand image with the requirements for clarity, trust, and accessibility in professional services like legal AI?" (Discuss your approach to user needs, industry context, and design principles.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Harvey, how would you ensure our website design reflects our values of Decisiveness, Simplicity, and Job's Not Finished?" (Connect company values to your design philosophy and process.)

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers and elevating the collective quality bar of a design team?" (Provide examples of your mentorship style and best practices.)

• "Describe your experience collaborating with product marketing and brand stakeholders. How do you ensure alignment between design, messaging, and business goals?" (Focus on communication, feedback loops, and shared objectives.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio around key themes: Design Systems, End-to-End Web Projects, and AI-Assisted Design.

• Narrative: For each project, tell a clear story: the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, design, testing), your solutions, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Design Systems: Dedicate a significant portion to your design system experience – architecture, components, governance, and impact.

• Showcase AI: If applicable, present projects where you leveraged AI tools, explaining the "how" and "why."

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present your most impactful work efficiently, focusing on the aspects most relevant to the role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills, but strategic thinking, operational excellence in design, and alignment with Harvey's unique culture and mission.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Web Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience with design systems, responsive web design, Figma, AI-assisted design workflows, and any mentorship or leadership roles. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select case studies that best showcase your expertise in design systems, end-to-end web projects, and your ability to drive impact. Ensure clear articulation of your process and results.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio, focusing on your strategic approach, design rationale, and the business impact of your work. Be ready to discuss how you'd apply your skills to Harvey's specific context.

• Research Harvey: Understand their product, target audience, brand messaging, and company values. This will help you tailor your application and prepare for interview questions.

⚠️ 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.