Design Engineer
About the role
A contract position available, starting immediately, with potential for full-time. Location: New York or remote (EST preferred). Contract rate: $100–$150/hr. Full-time base salary: $105,000–$145,000 (base).
Why This Role Exists
The separation between design and development has always been a workaround. This role exists to collapse that gap by working directly in code, prototyping, designing, and shipping in the same motion.
About Little Plains
Little Plains is a modern brand and product studio. We work primarily with early-stage companies, often from pre-launch through Series A, at moments where clarity, speed, and conviction matter most. Our partners are founders and small senior teams building new products, categories, and narratives under real constraints. We operate as an embedded creative partner rather than a traditional digital agency, building brand, product, and go-to-market work into cohesive systems that can scale as companies grow. Our work spans healthcare, biotech, SaaS, and consumer products.
What You Will Do
- Design and build web and product experiences directly in code, from concept through production
- Work in Next.js, React, and modern CSS to create expressive, performant interfaces
- Build and maintain design systems as living codebases, not static component libraries
- Translate brand identity and motion language into production-ready front-end work
- Prototype interactions and animations in code as part of the design process, not after it
- Collaborate with brand designers and strategists to ensure implementation matches intent
- Use AI-first development tools as a core part of how you prototype, build, and explore
How We Work
Design engineers work in parallel with creative strategy and brand work from the start. Decisions are made in code when appropriate, in Figma when appropriate, and often in both at once. AI is part of how we prototype and build. We want people who are already using it as a real part of their process.
The Bar for Craft
This role requires deep front-end fluency, a strong design eye, and the confidence to make visual and interaction decisions independently. The best design engineers here will be impossible to replace with two people.
What We're Looking For
- 3–5 years of experience in design engineering, front-end development with strong design skills, or equivalent
- Deep proficiency in React, Next.js, TypeScript, and modern CSS (including animation and layout)
- Strong design sensibility: you can make visual decisions, not just implement them
- Experience building and maintaining design systems as code
- Fluency with AI-assisted development tools as a genuine part of your workflow, not just a speed multiplier
- Comfort working across Figma and code without a hard boundary between the two
- A portfolio that demonstrates both design quality and technical execution
Benefits (Full-Time)
- Quarterly profit share tied to studio performance
- Equity participation for long-term team members
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance (50% employer-covered)
- 15 days PTO (Year 1, increases by 2 days/year)
- One week paid office closure every summer
- Paid office closure between Christmas and New Year's
- Parenthood leave: 12 weeks (birth parent), 6 weeks (non-birth parent) at full pay
- Prenatal leave: 20 hours paid per year
- $1,000/year craft and tools stipend
- $200/month coworking stipend
Equal Opportunity & Fair Chance
Little Plains is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, including the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws. In accordance with the NYC Fair Chance Act, we consider applicants with criminal histories. Any background check will occur only after a conditional offer of employment has been made.