Role Overview
Exa is hiring a entry-level Design Engineer. This is a full-time role in San Francisco, California. posted today. applications are still in the early window, before most candidates have applied. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.
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Job description
Exa is an applied AI lab building a search engine unlike the world has ever seen. We build massive-scale infra to crawl the entire web, train state-of-the-art embedding models to process it, and design super high performant vector databases to retrieve over it. We now power search for Cursor, Cognition, HubSpot, and over 400,000 developers and have raised $350m from Lightspeed, Benchmark, and a16z.
Our ultimate goal is to build perfect search over all the world's information, far beyond Google. If you want to build massive-scale ML systems that will define the way the new AI world consumes information, this is the place for you.
We're looking for a Designer with strong visual taste to help drive rich, developer-friendly experiences across web and brand.
Designers at Exa have broad creative license, and the freedom to create and lead new initiatives based on your best product judgement. We expect a broad set of skills and the ability to create high-quality designs, interactions, and prototypes. If you are a versatile designer who enjoys rapidly iterating on a variety of projects, this might be the right role for you.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Lead Exa's product design across all platforms and touch points.
- Explore visual designs in Figma or Claude/Codex/Cursor and translate them into web-native experiences.
- Iterate on the future of agent-native experiences: how does this new wave of autonomous agents change the way that people discover, integrate, and build with our product?
- Identify and pursue new areas of product growth; create and iterate on product flows and high-fidelity visuals.
EXAMPLE PROJECTS
- Work with front-end engineering to develop the flow, layout, and features of our API playground.
- Design novel onboarding, documentation, and debugging experiences that are seamless with coding agent workflows.
ABOUT YOU
- Proficiency in design tools like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe Creative Suite.
- Experience using coding agents to ship projects and iterate on designs.
- Strong curiosity for the latest tools: coding agents, design libraries, shaders.
- Expertise in UX/UI principles for complex technical products.
- A strong perspective and good judgement. 3+ years of experience, with ideally at least 1-2 years of in-house design experience.
- You thrive in high velocity, high growth, scrappy startup environments
LOGISTICS
- Location: This is an in-person opportunity in San Francisco.
- Visas: We're happy to sponsor international candidates (e.g., STEM OPT, OPT, H1B, O1, E3). While we cannot guarantee your visa, we have historically been successful in sponsoring candidates from all over the world. If you receive an offer, our team will work hard to get you a visa.
- Benefits: We offer premium healthcare benefits (medical, dental, vision), fertility benefits, 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all new parents, and a monthly wellness stipend to all of our employees.
About Exa
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for the Design Engineer position at Exa?
Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Exa. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.
Where is the Design Engineer position at Exa located?
This position is based in San Francisco, California. Exa has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.
What does a Design Engineer at Exa earn?
Exa has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.
When was the Design Engineer role at Exa posted?
This role was posted on July 10, 2026 (today). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.
Is the Design Engineer role at Exa entry-level?
Yes. This is an entry-level position. Strong candidates typically have 0-2 years of relevant work experience, internships, or significant project work. Read the full description for any specific qualification requirements Exa has listed.
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