Product Designer

About the role

You will own the entire product design lifecycle for Beacon AI's pilot assistant, shaping every interaction that sits between the pilot and the AI in the cockpit. This role demands that you move fearlessly from ambiguous problems to crafted solutions, defining the product from the ground up in a domain where mistakes are not tolerated. You will partner daily with engineers and operators to ensure that what is built is not only beautiful but also safe, reliable, and fast under pressure. Your work will directly influence how human and machine intelligence collaborate to make aviation operations more capable and efficient. You will be the voice of the pilot, translating complex AI behavior into clear, actionable, and safety-critical interfaces. Because we operate without heavy process, you must be comfortable making rapid decisions and iterating based on real-world feedback. Your designs will set the standard for how AI is experienced in high-stakes environments, and you will be responsible for ensuring clarity, speed, and precision are baked into every screen.

Key facts

What you'll do

Conduct discovery and user research with pilots and aviation professionals to uncover workflows, mental models, and safety-critical requirements that inform your design decisions.

Own the end-to-end product design process for Beacon AI's pilot assistant, moving from initial concept and requirements through wireframes, prototypes, interaction details, and final specifications ready for engineering.

Translate complex AI-driven data, alerts, and system states into interfaces that are instantly clear, actionable, and resilient in high-pressure cockpit environments.

Build and maintain a scalable design system that ensures consistency, speed, and safety across the product as it evolves and grows.

Partner closely with engineering and strong product leadership to ship polished, well-considered experiences iteratively while balancing constraints, trade-offs, and operational realities.

Define and evangelize design standards and patterns that make AI-powered features feel trustworthy, predictable, and intuitive for end users in the cockpit.

Contribute to brand and visual identity efforts, supporting marketing and web presence as needed while maintaining coherence with the core product experience.

Champion usability testing and continuous feedback loops, using insights from pilots and operators to refine interactions and reduce cognitive load.

Navigate ambiguity and evolving requirements with comfort, using structured problem-solving to break down complex challenges into executable design work.

Act as a design thought partner to product managers and engineers, challenging assumptions and pushing back when proposed solutions do not serve safety, clarity, or efficiency.

Maintain a deep curiosity about aviation, aerospace, and safety-critical systems, ensuring that your design decisions are informed by domain realities and operational context.

Leverage Figma as your primary tool to own design systems components, prototypes, and specifications, enabling efficient collaboration and handoff.

Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution, moving fluidly from research and concept exploration to high-fidelity mockups and interaction details.

Advocate for the pilot experience in every decision, ensuring that AI insights are presented in ways that reduce hesitation and support confident action.

Support the product roadmap by delivering timely, high-quality design work that enables the team to ship critical capabilities to customers and defense partners.

Requirements

You must have experience as a sole or founding designer, owning design end to end and driving products from concept to execution without the structure of a large design organization.

You must demonstrate strong product design instincts, moving confidently between research, strategy, and high-fidelity execution to solve difficult problems.

You must be fluent in Figma and capable of owning a design system end to end, from components to detailed specifications.

You must ask "why" before you ask "what does it look like," pushing back when a brief fails to address the underlying problem or user need.

You must be energized by complexity and ambiguity, remaining composed and effective when requirements are unclear or constraints are tight.

You must have a genuine curiosity about aviation, aerospace, or safety-critical industries, using this context to inform your design decisions.

You must have at least 3 years of professional product design experience, with a portfolio that demonstrates your ability to handle complex, data-heavy, or safety-critical products.

You must be proficient with modern design tools and be able to present a portfolio that clearly shows end-to-end product design work, including research, iterations, and high-fidelity outcomes.

Nice to have

Experience designing for AI-powered products and understanding how to make machine-generated insights feel trustworthy and intuitive to end users.

Familiarity with motion design, micro-interactions, or basic HTML and CSS to enhance prototyping and communication with engineering.

Practical notes

This is a hybrid role based in San Carlos, California, requiring 3 or more days per week onsite.

All work must be performed in the United States in compliance with U.S. export control regulations.

Beacon AI only hires U.S. persons, including U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, lawful permanent residents, or individuals granted asylum or refugee status.

The company cannot provide visa sponsorship or support visa transfers.

Perks & Benefits (Full-Time Employees)

Healthcare: 100% of employee medical premiums covered; 25% contribution toward dependents.

Time Off: 3 weeks PTO plus 13+ paid company holidays.

Stipends: Monthly phone and wellness benefits.

401(k): Offered with a commitment to enhance this benefit in the future, even though there is no current employer match.