Horizon: Design Engineer (Mid-level)

Spear AI•Washington, DC

2d•Remote

About The Position

Horizon: Design Engineer (Mid-level) We’re looking for a Mid-Level Design Engineer to help scale Spear AI’s growth and products. Ideally, you are someone who loves the front of the front-end and can hold their own when it comes to design and UX concepts. Spear AI is a growing defense contracting company dedicated to delivering cutting-edge solutions that support our nation’s security. As we expand, we’re building a culture where innovation meets mission-critical work. We operate with a flat structure that empowers every team member to make an impact, collaborate directly with leadership, and contribute to projects that matter. The work is technical, the problem space is dense, and the stakes are real. We ship in months, not years, and the people using what we build are operators, analysts, and warfighters.

Requirements

4+ years of Frontend or Design Engineer experience.
Clean, maintainable code that doesn't constrain future product ambition.
Use LLMs as a tool, not a crutch: independently audit their output, question their assumptions, and override them whenever a more elegant, human-engineered solution is required.
Strong portfolio of shipped interfaces where you handled both the design and the front-end build, and can clearly explain your decisions and trade-offs.
Deep understanding of design workflows and the technical or hardware constraints that surround them.
Sweat the small stuff: animation, loading states, typography rhythm, accessibility, responsiveness, and runtime performance.
Confidence to ask hard questions, experiment wildly, and advocate for what you feel is right for the user.
Treat every engineering bottleneck as a chance to dig deeper, constantly expanding your technical toolkit because you genuinely love figuring out how things work.
Thrive when things are moving fast. Mission-critical work in defense isn't always tidy, and priorities shift. You stay calm, adjust, and iterate.
Make the team better. On a team of three, every hire shapes how we work. You bring your own strengths but check your ego at the door, taking your teammates' wins as your own.
Explain a technical decision, a design rationale, or a complex trade-off in a clear way that lands perfectly with any audience.
Deep, professional experience with React, Next.js, and TypeScript.
Highly fluent with Tailwind and modern CSS fundamentals (including container queries, cascade layers, specificity, OKLCH color spaces, view transitions, flexbox, and grid).
Strong understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and core performance metrics (Core Web Vitals, Lighthouse).
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Must be able to obtain or currently hold a Secret or Top Secret U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

Code production-ready prototypes, modular front-end components, and core user-facing features.
Spot opportunities to redesign or refine key features and flows, aggressively hunting down visual "paper cuts" and UX friction.
Participate in project kickoffs to understand the product and audience, actively proposing visual direction rather than waiting for a rigid specification sheet.
Champion application performance, accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA), and codebase maintainability as first-class architectural concerns.

Benefits

Unlimited PTO
Dedicated sick time
Comprehensive health and benefits – Medical, dental, and vision coverage
11 Paid Holidays
Professional development – Educational opportunities and resources
Collaborative environment – Work directly with leadership in our flat organizational structure
Mission-driven work
Growth opportunities
401(k) with company match
Referral bonuses
Performance bonuses
Life insurance and disability coverage
Technology home office setup stipend
Professional certification reimbursement (position dependent)