The Principal Designer is the highest individual contributor design role at the company, and despite the IC title, leader of many.
You will define taste. You'll set the design direction across hardware, software, brand, and the design system. You’ll serve as a direct creative partner to the CDO. But the role goes further than Pocket.
We're at an inflection point in the design industry. The tools we've relied on for two decades are being disrupted. The methods we use to develop concept, prototype, and ship experience design are in flux. The vocabulary of UI itself – what it means to "draw" an interface, to define an interaction, to communicate design intent – is up for reinvention. This is a rare chance to be a thought leader not just inside a company, but across a practice.
And underneath all of it: you'll hold what you make. AI Hardware is one of the most technically challenging and creatively alive spaces in product design right now. There's almost no established canon. The designers here will create it.
Digital products delight, but physical products enamour. So let’s design both.
### **What you'll own**
* KEY: Set the caliber for design and design thinking as a hands on IC
* KEY: Always be working on the right thing
* KEY: Stay humble at all times, be a role model
* Visual (Graphic) Design excellence
* AI Design Workflow Origination and Infrastructure, incl. AI-augmented design
* Lead designers, engineers, and specialists on complicated projects
* Independently manage complex schedule and timelines, prioritizing quality design outcomes
* Develop creative and valuable product concepts tied to business goals (create revenue)
* Design app and device interfaces, interaction models, and user journeys that sing
* Own end-to-end design across ANY product surface that needs your talent
* Set new design trend and style for not only Pocket, but for the design industry
* Evangelize Design at Pocket through community engagement and high-profile projects
* Network and assist the CDO in hiring the best designers in the business
* Lead us in creating a world-class modern design system, tbd
* Drive cohesive visual identity across all touch points
* Facilitate engagements with creative agencies, representing Pocket
* Facilitate engagements with major platform partners, representing Pocket
* Participate in strategic planning along side the CDO
* Enjoy the journey
### **What we're looking for**
* Have 8+ years designing complex, multi-surface products
* You are not afraid of the work
* You understand that good design is good business… and that it’s all business
* Fascination with Artificial Intelligence, and have a daily relationship with it
* A top-tier designer with formal training and portfolio demonstrating it
* You can draw to communicate, and in front of others while under pressure
* You are brave in the face of our most complex, highest-stakes creative challenges.
* You are an effective communicator and writer _without_ AI
* Know how to build consensus while keeping design quality high
* Fluent with iOS and Android guidelines and Web design standards
* Expert in Figma and various prototyping tools
* UI Animation design proficiency and Motion sensibility
* Fluent with the latest design-to-dev workflows
* Think seriously about where the practice of design is going, and want a role in shaping it
* You are _the_ voice in design strategy and a model of craft for the team we're building
* You are not afraid of late nights and no stranger to big responsibility
**Strong plus:**
* Have explored AI Hardware design
* Have invented AI Design workflows and can share knowledge with the team
* Have shipped holistic hardware, software, and services
* Have Early Access Program (EAP) experience
* Have experience working with manufacturing in Asia
* Content design/copywriting skill for in-product education and product engagement
* Analytics-informed iteration; experimentation with clear success metrics
* 3D design proficiency, and maybe even a little CAD
### **What we offer**
This role carries founding-team-level equity and executive visibility. The designers joined this company to do something that hasn't been done. So did we. We're looking for someone who feels the same pull.
* Direct mentorship from and camaraderie with executives
* Direct impact on a fast-growing YC company with strong early revenue traction
* Work directly with founders who deeply love Design
* High trust, high ownership environment
* Best-in-class tools (design, motion, testing devices, prototyping kits)
Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
