Design Engineer

Job Description

The Monad Foundation is a team of dedicated ecosystem and community builders who are on a mission to massively grow the impact of decentralized tech. We believe that the Monad blockchain--the performant and parallel EVM Layer 1--will help decentralized apps eat the world. The Role The Design Engineer sits within the Design Team and owns the behavioral layer: which includes interaction logic, motion systems, micro-interactions, and the high-fidelity UI and prototypes that define how features feel before engineering builds them. This role is upstream of implementation.

Instead of waiting for specs, you shape themstate transitions, sequencing, timing, easing, and the patterns that reduce cognitive load and build trust. Where a Frontend Engineer focuses on correctness, reliability, and performance, a Design Engineer focuses on clarity, feel, perceived speed, and emotional UX. If you think in behaviors instead of screens, work quickly in code to explore variations, and have the taste to know when timing is off by 100ms, this role is for you.

What You Will

Do Interaction Architecture & Behavior Design - Define interaction models, state diagrams, and multi-step flows (idle hover press loading success error). - Shape transitions that improve clarity, trust, and perceived performance. - Establish behavioral defaults and consistent interaction patterns across the product. Motion Systems & Perceptual UX - Design motion as communicationtiming scales, easing curves, hierarchy, spatial continuity. - Build motion tokens and reusable interaction primitives (duration stacks, velocity scales, spring configs). - Create GSAP/Framer Motion animations that reduce friction, explain system changes and even to tell stories. Prototyping for Discovery - Prototype flows in real code (Next.js sandboxes, isolated canvases) to validate experience early. - Explore multiple variants quickly to answer UX questions before engineering commits. - Pressure-test complexity, emotional tone, and loading states through motion-first prototypes. Micro-Interaction Design - Design multi-state component behavior (press, release, scrub, drag, kinetic motion). - Shape feedback for transactions, loading, optimistic UI, and error recovery. - Prevent user disorientation with subtle transitions, progressive reveals, and spatial continuity. - Create an enjoyable, polished and uniquely branded experience through animation.

Interaction Systems & Design Tokens - Develop interaction and motion tokens for duration, easing, velocity, and transforms. - Define systemized micro-interactions for buttons, cards, lists, panels, and navigation. - Collaborate with the design-system team to integrate motion guidelines and behaviors into core components. Partnering With Design & Engineering - Work with designers to refine flows, simplify complexity, and surface issues early. - Work with engineers to clarify behavior requirements and reduce rework cycles. - Provide guidance on constraints, feasibility, and opportunities to elevate the experience. - Bridge the gap between design and engineering. Perceived Performance & UX Friction - Design loading behaviors that reduce perceived waiting. - Establish patterns for skeletons, micro-delays, optimistic UI, and sequencing. - Diagnose friction based on user confusion, not just technical bugs.

Who You Are

- 5+ years in a hybrid design/engineering role (Design Engineer, Interaction Engineer, Prototyper). - Strong GSAP or Framer Motion skillsbeyond simple examples. - Experience building prototypes in React/Next.js to validate flow and timing. - Deep understanding of timing, easing, motion hierarchy, and when each is appropriate. - Strong visual craft: spacing rhythm, type alignment, optical adjustments, depth cues. - Knowledge of animation performance: transform/opacity, avoiding layout thrash, interruptibility. - Comfortable shaping ambiguous UX spaces and exploring alternatives quickly. - Communicates behavior clearly through prototypes, diagrams, and rationale. - High bar for detail and interaction quality. Nice to Have - Experience with FLIP/layout transitions, layoutId, and shared-layout strategies. - Experience with WebGL/Canvas/SVG for advanced motion. - Motion/integration experience within design systems. - Prototypes synced with real data or simulated network states. - Familiarity with mobile performance and motion accessibility patterns. How You Work - Behavior-first. You think in states, transitions, timing, and user intent. - Prototype-driven.

You validate ideas through working examples, not static discussion. - System-minded. You favor reusable patterns over bespoke animations. - Detail-calibrated. Small timing/easing changes matter to you. - Cross-functional. Designers rely on you to reveal flow issues; engineers rely on you to clarify behavior. - Autonomous.

You turn ambiguous product areas into clear, testable interaction models. - Pragmatic. You balance clarity, delivery, and maintainability. This role sits on the Design Team and strengthens alignment between product, design, and engineering by owning the behavior layer end-to-end.

Why Work

with Us - Challenging problems. You'll work on extremely challenging problems with massive impact. - Huge opportunity. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) standard is ubiquitous, but existing EVM-compatible chains are slow and bandwidth-constrained. Monad's core innovations offer developers the best of both worlds (portability and performance) and are a game-changer for mass user adoption in crypto. - The right team.

You'll be part of an exceptional and highly-motivated team - Culture. We're a lean team working together to achieve very ambitious goals. We are united in our culture of collaboration, low ego, and high-quality output. As an early member of our team, you'll help continue to shape our culture.

Salary

And Benefits Benefits for full-time employees may include medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% coverage for employees); generous paid time off; paid parental leave; and 10 company-observed holidays.