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Design Engineer

cohere

OnSite United States
Uncategorized

Job Score

70 pts
On-site model (+70)

Who are we?

Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.

We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.

We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us!

About the Role

We're looking for a design engineer to help build and maintain Waypoint, our design system, across both the Figma library and the production codebase. This is not a "designer who codes a little" or an "engineer who dabbles in Figma" role. You should be genuinely fluent on both sides, comfortable defining a component's behavior and states in Figma one hour and shipping the same component to npm the next.

You'll take direct ownership of the Figma side of our library (structure, variants, tokens, documentation) while also contributing to the core Waypoint system: our component packages, our token pipeline, and the tooling that keeps design and code in sync. If the idea of being the single point of continuity between a Figma frame and a production component sounds exciting rather than exhausting, this is your role.

We're also thinking beyond the system we have today. Waypoint isn't just meant to serve designers and engineers, it's meant to become something a model can read, reason about, and build with directly. We want someone who can help us get there: grounded enough to do the unglamorous work of making today's system solid, and forward looking enough to help define what an intelligent design system looks like next.



Why this role

Waypoint is still early enough that the decisions you make now will shape how the system scales. You'll have real ownership, not just a queue of component tickets, and you'll be working alongside a team that treats design and engineering as one discipline rather than two departments that hand work back and forth. And you'll be helping define what a design system becomes when it has to serve a third audience: the models that will increasingly build with it.

Responsibilities

  • Own and evolve the Figma library for Waypoint: component structure, variants, properties, and documentation, so it stays a reliable source of truth for design teams.

  • Build and maintain core Waypoint components, contributing directly to our component packages alongside the design engineering team.

  • Work across our token pipeline, keeping design tokens in Figma and their code representations (CSS custom properties, Tailwind config) tightly synced.

  • Partner with product designers to translate new patterns into system components, and with product engineers to make sure those components are easy to adopt correctly.

  • Help define and refine the workflows and tooling that connect Figma and code (sync scripts, plugins, documentation sites) rather than relying on manual handoff.

  • Write clear documentation and usage guidance so the system scales without you being the bottleneck.

  • Weigh in on system architecture decisions: when to add a new component versus extend an existing one, how to version and package changes, how to keep the system consistent as it grows.

  • Help shape how Waypoint evolves to serve a third consumer beyond designers and engineers: the model itself. That means thinking about how components, tokens, and patterns get structured so they're legible to AI systems, not just to humans.

Qualifications

  • Own and evolve the Figma library for Waypoint: component structure, variants, properties, and documentation, so it stays a reliable source of truth for design teams.

  • Build and maintain core Waypoint components, contributing directly to our component packages alongside the design engineering team.

  • Work across our token pipeline, keeping design tokens in Figma and their code representations (CSS custom properties, Tailwind config) tightly synced.

  • Partner with product designers to translate new patterns into system components, and with product engineers to make sure those components are easy to adopt correctly.

  • Help define and refine the workflows and tooling that connect Figma and code (sync scripts, plugins, documentation sites) rather than relying on manual handoff.

  • Write clear documentation and usage guidance so the system scales without you being the bottleneck.

  • Weigh in on system architecture decisions: when to add a new component versus extend an existing one, how to version and package changes, how to keep the system consistent as it grows.

  • Help shape how Waypoint evolves to serve a third consumer beyond designers and engineers: the model itself. That means thinking about how components, tokens, and patterns get structured so they're legible to AI systems, not just to humans.

Nice-to-haves

  • Experience building or contributing to design-to-code sync tooling (Figma plugins, token pipelines, MCP-based workflows, or similar).

  • Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG) and how to bake them into components rather than bolt them on.

  • Experience packaging and versioning component libraries for multiple consuming teams (npm scoped packages, semver, changelogs).

  • Exposure to multi-platform design systems work (iOS/SwiftUI, Android/Jetpack Compose, or token build tools like Style Dictionary).

  • Experience in an AI native product environment or genuine interest in how AI changes the way design systems get built and used.

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

  • A weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.

  • Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.

  • RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.

  • 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent.

  • Annual enrichment benefits:

    Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.

    Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.

  • 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)

  • Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.

How and Where We Work:

  • Cohere is remote-friendly, but we also have offices in Toronto, London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul with more opening soon.

  • For those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events.

  • For those not near an office: a co-working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city.

  • Everyone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly.

If any of the above doesn’t line up exactly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply.


We strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

We may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider.

Beware of Scams: Cohere will never ask for payment or third-party services (e.g., CV writing) as part of our hiring process. All legitimate roles are listed on the Cohere careers page and LinkedIn only, with all communications from Cohere employees coming from an @cohere.com or @cw.cohere email alias. If jobs are viewed on other sites then please verify these through our official careers page.

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Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

Agile and Project Management in Today's Market

1. Move Beyond "Doing Agile": Deliver Real Value

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make in interviews for Agile roles is focusing too much on ceremonies (Dailies, Plannings, Retrospectives) and forgetting their actual purpose. Recruiters from global tech companies want to know how you eliminated bottlenecks and boosted team efficiency.

"True Agile success isn't measured by how many practices you implement, but by how much value you deliver to the customer and how quickly you do it."

Instead of writing "facilitated Scrum ceremonies" on your resume, use a results-driven approach: "Reduced team Cycle Time by 20% by identifying and removing bottlenecks in the value stream."

2. Certifications That Actually Bypass the ATS

While practical experience is the ultimate deciding factor, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) used by top US companies (like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday) filter resumes strictly through keywords. Holding the right certifications ensures you pass this first robotic barrier and get your profile in front of a human recruiter.

  • Professional Scrum Master (PSM I, II) by Scrum.org: Highly respected because it doesn't require renewal and features a rigorous, Scrum Guide-based exam.
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) by PMI: The gold standard for traditional, predictive, and hybrid Project Management.
  • PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP): Excellent for demonstrating broad knowledge across multiple Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, Lean).
  • SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework): Absolutely essential if you are targeting Enterprise-level corporations that have scaled Agile across thousands of employees.

3. Mastering Flow Metrics and Tools (Hard Skills)

The modern Agile professional must be data-driven. Companies offering six-figure compensation expect you to extract actionable insights from tools like Jira, Confluence, or Azure DevOps.

During technical interviews, be prepared to discuss how you utilize flow metrics, such as:

  • Lead Time and Cycle Time: To measure efficiency and the actual time it takes to deliver requests.
  • Throughput: The number of work items completed in a given timeframe.
  • Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD): To visually identify bottlenecks in the workflow.
  • OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): To align the development team's daily work with the company's high-level strategic goals.

4. Soft Skills and Conflict Resolution in Async Teams

In global, remote-first, and asynchronous environments, communication is the biggest challenge. A top-tier Project Manager or Scrum Master acts as a shield for the tech team and a bridge for stakeholders.

Demonstrate emotional intelligence, empathy, and negotiation skills. You will often face situational questions like: "How would you handle a Product Owner who constantly changes the Sprint scope mid-cycle?" Your answer should highlight peaceful, data-driven negotiation focused on business impact and team predictability.

Conclusion: Your Competitive Edge

To land premium Project Management and Agile roles, you must position yourself as a strategic business partner, not just a process enforcer. Understand the product, master the metrics, and know how to guide people towards continuous improvement.

References & Useful Links