Design Engineer

Frontend Engineer ยท Senior ยท Full Time

Foster City, CA (Hybrid) In office M,W,FUSD 180k โ€“ 290k8mo ago
Apply for this role

Opens Replit's application page

Role

What you'll do.

Replit is seeking a Senior Design Engineer to bridge design and engineering on their agentic software creation platform. This role involves architecting front-end solutions, implementing their design system (Replit UI), and creating seamless user experiences for millions of users worldwide. The position requires 8+ years of front-end development experience with expert-level skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript, and React.

Responsibilities

  • UI Architecture: Architect and implement complex UI components and systems that balance aesthetics with technical performance
  • Design System Leadership: Lead the technical implementation and evolution of Replit's design system (Replit UI)
  • Prototype Development: Create interactive prototypes to explore new interaction models and validate design concepts
  • Design Implementation: Collaborate closely with product designers to bring designs to life with pixel-perfect precision
  • Best Practices Establishment: Establish best practices for front-end development and component architecture
  • Technical Mentorship: Mentor engineers on design principles and implementation techniques
  • Workflow Optimization: Develop tools and processes to improve design-to-development workflow
  • Design Review Participation: Contribute to design reviews with a focus on technical feasibility and implementation
  • Accessibility Champion: Champion accessible, responsive, and performant user interfaces across the platform

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Front-end Development

    8+ years of experience in front-end development with a strong design sensibility

  • Core Web Technologies

    Expert-level knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/TypeScript

  • Modern Framework Experience

    Deep experience with modern front-end frameworks with React preferred

  • Design Systems Knowledge

    Strong understanding of design systems and component-based architecture

  • UI Animation Skills

    Experience implementing complex UI animations and interactions

  • Design-to-Code Translation

    Proven ability to translate design concepts into production-ready code

Education

  • Formal Education

    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Design, or related field preferred but not required with equivalent experience

Experience

  • Senior-Level Experience

    8+ years of professional front-end development experience

  • Design Collaboration

    Strong communication skills to effectively collaborate with both design and engineering teams

  • Accessibility Implementation

    Experience with accessibility standards and best practices in web development

Skills

Required

  • JavaScript/TypeScript

    Expert-level proficiency in modern JavaScript and TypeScript for complex application development

  • HTML/CSS

    Expert-level knowledge of semantic HTML and advanced CSS including animations and responsive design

  • React

    Deep experience with React framework and modern component-based architecture patterns

  • Design Systems

    Strong understanding of design system principles, component libraries, and design tokens

  • UI/UX Implementation

    Ability to implement pixel-perfect designs with attention to user experience details

  • Front-end Architecture

    Experience architecting scalable front-end solutions and component systems

  • Cross-team Collaboration

    Strong communication skills for effective collaboration between design and engineering teams

  • Accessibility Standards

    Knowledge of WCAG guidelines and inclusive design implementation practices

Preferred

  • Replit Platform

    Nice to have

    Active user of Replit platform with passion for accessible software creation

  • Developer Tools

    Nice to have

    Experience building design tools or developer productivity tools

  • AI/ML Integration

    Nice to have

    Background or interest in working with AI and machine learning technologies

  • Open Source Contributions

    Nice to have

    Contributions to design systems, UI libraries, or related open-source projects

  • Animation Libraries

    Nice to have

    Experience with advanced animation libraries like Framer Motion, GSAP, or Lottie

  • Performance Optimization

    Nice to have

    Knowledge of front-end performance optimization techniques and tools

Tech stack

Languages

JavaScriptTypeScriptHTMLCSS

Frameworks

ReactModern Front-end Frameworks

Tools

Design SystemsPrototyping ToolsVersion ControlBuild Tools

Other

Replit UIAccessibility StandardsAnimation Libraries

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

BaseยทUSD 180,000 โ€“ 290,000

EquityยทStock options

Benefits

  • Competitive Salary & Equity

    Market-competitive base salary with equity compensation

  • 401(k) Program

    Retirement savings plan with 4% company match

  • Health Insurance

    Comprehensive health, dental, vision and life insurance coverage

  • Disability Coverage

    Short-term and long-term disability insurance protection

  • Parental Leave

    Paid parental, medical, and caregiver leave policies

  • Commuter Benefits

    Support for commuting expenses and transportation

  • Wellness Stipend

    Monthly stipend for health and wellness expenses

  • Work Environment

    Autonomous work environment with flexibility

  • Office Setup

    Reimbursement for in-office setup and equipment

  • Flexible Time Off

    Flexible time off policy plus company holidays

  • Team Events

    Quarterly team gatherings and social events

  • Office Amenities

    Full range of amenities available in the Foster City office

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Phone or video call with recruiter to discuss background, interest in Replit, and basic qualifications

  2. 02

    Technical Portfolio Review

    In-depth review of design engineering portfolio, GitHub projects, and discussion of technical implementation choices

  3. 03

    Design System Challenge

    Take-home or live coding exercise focused on building reusable UI components with design system principles

  4. 04

    Cross-functional Interview

    Panel interview with design and engineering team members to assess collaboration and communication skills

  5. 05

    Technical Deep Dive

    Detailed technical interview covering front-end architecture, performance optimization, and accessibility implementation

  6. 06

    Final Interview

    Meeting with engineering leadership to discuss vision alignment, growth potential, and cultural fit at Replit

Full posting

Original listing.

Replit is the agentic software creation platform that enables anyone to build applications using natural language. With millions of users worldwide, Replit is democratizing software development by removing traditional barriers to application creation.

About the role:ย 

We're seeking a Design Engineer to bridge the gap between design and engineering at Replit. In this role, you'll help shape our design system implementation, architect front-end solutions, and ensure seamless user experiences across our platform. You'll be instrumental in creating the technical foundation that allows us to enable anyone with an idea to create apps.

You will:

  • Architect and implement complex UI components and systems that balance aesthetics with technical performance

  • Lead the technical implementation and evolution of our design system (Replit UI)

  • Create prototypes to explore new interaction models and validate design concepts

  • Collaborate closely with product designers to bring designs to life with pixel-perfect precision

  • Establish best practices for front-end development and component architecture

  • Mentor engineers on design principles and implementation techniques

  • Develop tools and processes to improve design-to-development workflow

  • Contribute to design reviews with a focus on technical feasibility and implementation

  • Champion accessible, responsive, and performant user interfaces

Required Skills & Experience

  • 8+ years of experience in front-end development with a strong design sensibility

  • Expert-level knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/TypeScript

  • Deep experience with modern front-end frameworks (React preferred)

  • Strong understanding of design systems and component-based architecture

  • Experience implementing complex UI animations and interactions

  • Proven ability to translate design concepts into production-ready code

  • Strong communication skills to effectively collaborate with both design and engineering teams

  • Experience with accessibility standards and best practices

Bonus Qualifications

  • Active Replit user and passionate about making software creation more accessible

  • Experience building design tools or developer tools

  • Background or interest working with AI

  • Open-source contributions to design systems or UI libraries

This is a full-time role that can be held from our Foster City, CA office. The hybrid role has an in-office requirement of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Full-Time Employee Benefits Include:

๐Ÿ’ฐ Competitive Salary & Equity

๐Ÿ’น 401(k) Program with a 4% match

โš•๏ธ Health, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance

๐Ÿฉผ Short Term and Long Term Disability

๐Ÿšผ Paid Parental, Medical, Caregiver Leave

๐Ÿš— Commuter Benefits

๐Ÿ“ฑ Monthly Wellness Stipend

๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Autonomous Work Environment

๐Ÿ–ฅ In Office Set-Up Reimbursement

๐Ÿ Flexible Time Off (FTO) + Holidays

๐Ÿš€ Quarterly Team Gatherings

โ˜• In Office Amenities

Want to learn more about what we are up to?

Interviewing + Culture at Replit

To achieve our mission of making programming more accessible around the world, we need our team to be representative of the world. We welcome your unique perspective and experiences in shaping this product. We encourage people from all kinds of backgrounds to apply, including and especially candidates from underrepresented and non-traditional backgrounds.

Redirects to Replit's application page.

Other roles

More at Replit.

View all 35 roles