Beaconai→
Product Designer at Beaconai in San Carlos, CA
Job Description
Product Designer
Location: San Carlos - Hybrid
About Beacon AI
We’re a fast-moving team of aviators, engineers, and operators building an AI platform to make flying safer, more efficient, and more capable. Backed by top investors, we’ve secured a dozen Department of Defense contracts and partnered with major airlines to deliver mission-critical systems. We operate without silos or heavy processes. Small, focused teams own what they build, ship quickly, and learn fast, pushing the boundaries of how humans and AI work together in aviation.
Role Overview
We are looking for a Product Designer who wants their work to matter. At Beacon AI, you will shape how pilots interact with AI in the cockpit, designing experiences where clarity, speed, and precision are not just good design principles, they are safety critical. This is a rare opportunity to define a product from the ground up in one of tech's most consequential domains.
Key Responsibilities
Own the end-to-end product design process for Beacon AI's pilot assistant, from discovery and user research through wireframes, prototypes, and final specs handed off to engineering
Conduct research and usability testing with pilots and aviation professionals to deeply understand workflows, mental models, and safety critical needs
Translate complex AI-driven data and alerts into interfaces that are instantly clear and actionable in high-pressure cockpit environments
Build and maintain a scalable design system that ensures consistency and speed across the product
Partner closely with engineering and strong product sense to ship polished, well-considered experiences iteratively
Contribute to brand and visual identity as a secondary responsibility, supporting marketing and web presence as needed
What Will Make You Successful
You have experience as a sole or founding designer, leading design end to end, moving quickly from concept to execution, and driving products from 0 to 1 without the structure of a large design team
You have strong product design instincts and can move fluidly from research and strategy to high-fidelity execution
You are fluent in Figma and comfortable owning a design system end to end
You ask "why" before you ask "what does it look like" and you push back when a brief is not solving the right problem
You are energized by complexity and ambiguity, not intimidated by it
You have a genuine curiosity about aviation, aerospace, or safety critical industries
Bonus Points
3+ years of experience in product design, ideally with complex, data-heavy or safety-critical products such as aviation, aerospace, defense, medical devices, or enterprise software
Proficiency in Figma or similar modern design tools with a strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design work
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 is a plus
Work Location
This is a hybrid role based in San Carlos, CA, with 3+ days per week onsite and the option to work remotely on remaining days.
Perks & Benefits (Full-Time Employees)
Healthcare: 100%* of employee medical premiums covered; 25% for dependents
Time Off: 3 weeks PTO plus 13+ paid company holidays
Stipends: Monthly phone and wellness benefits
401(k): Offered (no current employer match, but we are committed to enhancing this benefit in the future).
Due to U.S. export control regulations, we can only hire U.S. Persons (U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, lawful permanent residents, or individuals granted asylum or refugee status). We are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support visa transfers. All work must be performed in the United States.
Beacon AI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit harassment or discrimination of any kind in the workplace and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.