IDEO San Francisco is in search of a Senior Software Design Lead who will architect the human and technical systems behind the digital products and AI experiences we design, build prototypes that behave like real production software, and be the technical voice client CTOs trust. You'll pick up design at IDEO along the way.
Why is this role important for IDEO’s work?
Software design makes the biggest impact by turning a product vision into something a client can actually build, and by testing ideas in working code rather than static screens. Their skillset is critical to our business because the work has evolved from designing interfaces to designing systems: how people, software, and AI agents behave together. We count on them to understand data models, APIs and agentic infrastructure from first principles, and speak credibly on technical choices with executives and engineering leaders.
Once here you will:
Work with product designers, product strategists and design researchers on 8–12+ week digital product engagements that may span from product vision and strategy to full end-to-end build. You will play a key role in turning human insights into technical architecture: data, APIs, integrations and the agentic layer.
Build early prototypes with real data, real models and real integrations, so we learn quickly and lower the risk of big bets.
Advise client executives and engineering teams on tech stack choices, build-vs-buy, evaluating APIs and LLMs, and feasibility.
Design how agents and systems behave on a human's behalf, including guardrails, failure states and how the system stays legible to both people and machines.
Raise the craft bar inside IDEO. Create reusable starter kits and toolkits so teams stop building from scratch, and coach designers who prototype in code.
Help shape proposals and scope technical work in business development.
What does IDEO offer you?
IDEO is a place where you can solve diverse, complex challenges for our clients and their organizations, alongside thoughtful, intelligent individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and humility. We intentionally craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career.
As a Software Designer in San Francisco, we provide the opportunity for you to:
Learn design from a leading design and innovation firm. IDEO's founders designed Apple's first mouse and the first laptop. Since then, we've kept people at the center of design through every wave of technological change. You'd learn to do field research with real people, synthesize insights and tell compelling stories, and work alongside some of the best designers in the world.
Work across many problem spaces. In one year you might redesign a retail or finance app, prototype new ideas in media and entertainment, and take on systemic challenges in health and education. Working across clients and industries stretches your thinking. A good solution isn't only technically sound: it has to fit real people, real businesses and the constraints they work within.
Be in the room for the "why" before the "how."You'd shape the question from day one instead of receiving a spec after decisions have been made. And you’d help build this practice at IDEO to shape how next generation digital products are designed and built in the era of AI.
Some previous projects to check out:
Straight Arrow News: a redesigned news app and website with features like See All Sides, Sources and Media Landscape views. App page views grew 1,170% and active users 700%. This role would design the content and data model underneath and prototype with real feeds.
Gates Foundation – Last Mile Money: human-centered design for 100+ digital financial products serving 34M underserved users. This role would work on architecture for low-connectivity settings and evaluate partner platforms and APIs.
Jack Technology – Aitu: AI-enabled industrial sewing machines and a humanoid robot, designed around how they work with factory workers. This role would work on system behavior: how the AI signals what it's doing and how humans stay in control.
Relevant experience and mindset:
Must-haves:
6-8+ years as a software engineer shipping production software, ideally at growth-stage or established tech companies where speed and scale both mattered. You've taken products from concept to launch.
1-2+ years as an engineering lead or solutions architect: scoping, estimating and planning projects, and making architecture decisions others build on. You think at a systems level.
Deep software fundamentals, including systems design, data modeling, APIs, and tradeoffs around performance, security and scale, plus fluency in a modern stack (e.g., TypeScript, React, Python, Node; AWS, GCP, Azure).
Hands-on building with LLMs (tool use, agents, retrieval, evals) and advanced prototyping. You turn concepts into working software quickly, using real data and integrations, with quality that holds up beyond vibe coding.
A track record of working closely with product, design and data, plus curiosity about people and a desire to learn how the craft of software intersects with product and design. You use prototypes as a way to think, not just to deliver.
Strong communication and storytelling: architecture diagrams, system maps and presentations that make technical recommendations clear and persuasive to executives and engineering leaders.
Nice-to-haves:
Comfort with Figma, design systems and front-end craft
Client-facing or consulting experience, or taking part in UX research
Experience with hardware or connected devices (Arduino, IoT)
Pop quiz, Hot Shot:
A client's CEO wants "an AI agent in the app by Q2." What's your first question for the CEO?
What's a piece of software that's beautifully built under the hood, not just on the surface? What makes it good?
Application requirements and instructions:
Résumé, LinkedIn + Cover Letter (Optional)
GitHub or two to three work samples (code, architecture docs, side projects or technical writing)
A short response of about 300 words: "Tell us about a technical decision you made that shaped how people experienced a product. What were the tradeoffs, and what would you do differently today?”
Payscale & Benefits
IDEO is committed to paying its employees, contractors & vendors equitably, regardless of gender identity or race/ethnicity/cultural identity.
The salary range for this role is $130,000-150,000 USD. Final offers may vary based on candidate experience, location, and other factors. As a full-time position, this role is eligible for employee benefits.
In addition to base compensation, IDEO offers a rich benefits package including the following:
Hybrid Model: Team members based in the San Francisco Bay Area are expected to work in the studio on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with flexibility based on client travel, project needs, and deliverables. Candidates based outside the Bay Area are not expected to be in the studio regularly, but should be available to travel as needed for IDEO and client work.
Health Benefits: Vision, Dental, Healthcare
Financial Benefits: 401K with Employer Contribution
Family & Caregiving: Parental Leave, Adoption Assistance, Fertility Assistance, Transgender Medical Assistance, Breastmilk shipment, Back-up/Dependent Care, Pet Insurance
Other Benefits: Flexible Work, Flexible Time Off, Paid Holidays, Annual Education Stipend, Home Office Stipend, Commuter Reimbursement, and Phone & Internet Reimbursement
Commitment to Diversity
At IDEO, we are committed to the work of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization and in the world. Our purpose of having disproportionate, world-changing impact through design is directly connected to our ability to bring many different perspectives to the table. This applies to our candidates, the people we hire, the clients and customers we serve, and the communities we learn from in our research.
Please note that the successful candidate must be based in the United States and have the unrestricted right to work in the US. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. IDEO proudly supports flexible work.