Founding Design Engineer

Urban Ridge Supplies•New York, NY

11h•$140,000 - $185,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Noto is an AI-native operating system for after-school businesses, bringing scheduling, billing, payroll, marketing, CRM, communications, classroom management, and student and parent portals into one platform. The founding design engineer will own how the product looks, works, and reads, defining its design foundation and making a complex, frequently used product intuitive and delightful. This hands-on product role combines design and engineering with strong product judgment, taste, and empathy for users. The engineer will take ideas from initial sketches through shipped experiences, own projects end to end from UI to database, and help establish the components, patterns, and copy standards that guide the team. The position is focused on product—not marketing or brand work—and offers broad ownership over what the team builds and how it builds it. Noto has a team of about 20 in New York City. The role is based in the office four days per week at Herald Square, with one remote day per week and one week per quarter working from anywhere. Occasional travel for team offsites and customer visits is expected. Team members currently work 50–60-hour weeks; some late nights and occasional weekends are expected. Applicants must already be authorized to work full-time in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is unavailable.

Requirements

Four or more years designing and building software products.
Full-stack ability and comfort with React, Next.js, Node, and Postgres.
Ability to use AI to ship features end to end and recognize when AI-generated code is incorrect.
Strong product judgment, including the ability to simplify messy workflows and explain design decisions.
Care for words and small details, including labels, error messages, empty states, and parent emails.
Comfort working with ambiguity and investigating unstructured customer call notes by speaking with business owners or front-desk staff.
Currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; visa sponsorship is unavailable.

Nice To Haves

Experience as the first or only designer at a company.
Experience designing complex operational software such as scheduling, billing, or administrative tools.
Interest in helping education businesses thrive.

Responsibilities

Own the design of the entire product, including layouts, workflows, and the words on every screen.
Design and build projects end to end, from the user interface to the database.
Set the product design quality bar and shape other engineers’ work from early scoping through final polish.
Identify moments that confuse or slow customers, then redesign and build better solutions.
Establish the components, patterns, and copy standards that define how the team builds.
Use customer conversations and observations to understand underlying problems and inform product work.