The role
Gensync is a Denver-based AI services and platform company. We are building the internal platform we use to run our own business, with AI in the core of how the work gets done rather than bolted on around it. And we build it the same way we want it used: agentic coding tools are the center of our process, not a side feature.
We are looking for a Design Engineer to sit at the seam between design and code. You would be the first line of communication with our design team, the person who translates Figma into polished, working interface, manages the day-to-day relationship with designers, and over time grows into owning the entire front-end development pipeline. This role is distinct from our Designer posting — we are not hiring you to produce designs. We are hiring you to bring real design judgment to the front-end, translate design intent faithfully into shipped UI, and be the connective tissue that keeps design and engineering moving together.
What this role isn't
This is not pure execution — you are not waiting for perfect specs and building exactly what you are handed. It is also not a job where "familiarity with AI tools" is just a line on your resume. The interesting part, and the part we are hiring for, is the combination: design judgment, front-end skill, strategic thinking, and genuine fluency with agentic coding tools so you move faster than traditional front-end work allows.
What you'll actually do
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Be the first line of communication with the design team. You are the day-to-day point of contact between design and engineering, and the owner of that relationship. This responsibility shifts from the founder to you. You work with the design team on a daily basis through Figma and chat to ensure they have the direction needed to execute on weekly objectives.
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Bring design intuition to front-end decisions. You do not just execute on existing designs — you have ideas and thoughts about how the application can be structured. You provide guidance from a higher perspective on what the product needs to focus on to achieve goals, and you work with the founder to prioritize functionality and the order in which work gets delegated to designers.
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Translate Figma into front-end code. Take completed designs and turn them into polished, responsive, accurate UI. You have a real eye for the details that make an interface feel right, and you catch gaps or improvements that need to happen during build.
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Manage the design-to-development pipeline. You own the transition from completed design work into front-end development. When designs ship from the design team, they flow to you. You figure out how to structure and build them out.
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Execute and develop the front-end. It is not just managing design — you are actually building and developing the functionality from a front-end perspective, running the work through agentic coding tools at high speed while maintaining quality.
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Set up the foundation for the development pipeline. Figure out the structure and framework that front-end work should follow. As the pipeline matures, you set it up so that work can eventually be delegated or scaled without losing coherence.
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Think strategically about the product. You do not just focus on the day-to-day grind. You think through design principles, user experience enhancements, and how to approach implementation from a higher level. You help shape how the product looks and feels.
First 30 / 60 / 90 days
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30: Up and contributing. You have shipped real UI from design files and you understand the stack, the design system, and how the design team works. You are the trusted point of contact for designers.
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60: Running the design-to-development loop independently. You are translating designs into working code without close review, and the daily communication with the design team is moving smoothly.
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90: Owning more of the pipeline. You have shaped how front-end work moves from design to shipped, you have set up the foundation for how development is structured and executed, and you are thinking strategically about the next phase.
Schedule and structure
- Hours: Up to 20 hours per week to start, with real potential to grow into a full-time role as the engagement expands.
- Employment type: Contractor (1099).
- Location: Remote-friendly within the US, Denver-area hybrid preferred. Mountain Time anchor.
Compensation
This is an hourly contract role paying $45–$75/hr depending on skill and experience. No equity at this stage. We are an early-stage company being deliberate with spend, optimizing for someone genuinely AI-fluent and design-minded over the longest resume, and pricing accordingly. What you get instead of a big-company package is unusual scope: you sit at the center of how our product looks and gets built, manage a key relationship (design team), and grow into owning the entire front-end pipeline.
What you need to have
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At least 2 years working in a professional environment, with front-end work and design collaboration you can show us.
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Strong, hands-on experience with our front-end stack. You are highly proficient with React and Next.js, along with JavaScript / TypeScript and modern CSS. This is the stack our product is built on, and demonstrable depth here is required, not a nice-to-have. You should be able to point to real interfaces you have shipped with React and Next.js.
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Strong design instincts and UX judgment. You care deeply about how the product looks and feels. You can tell good from almost-good, and you catch the details that make an interface feel right.
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Real ability to translate design into code. You understand design principles and can take a Figma file and turn it into polished, responsive, accurate UI.
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Familiarity with AI dev tools, and genuine fluency with agentic coding tools (Claude, etc.). You run your entire workflow through them, not just occasionally.
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Excellent communication skills. You will be the bridge between design and engineering, the owner of a key relationship. Being clear, dependable, and a good listener matters as much as the code you write.
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Strategic thinking. You think about where the product is going and what needs to happen to get there. You do not just focus on the ticket in front of you.
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A willingness to build the foundation for how front-end development scales. You can think ahead about structure, pipeline, and how to set things up so they can grow.
Nice to have
- Experience coordinating or leading a small team or workstream.
- A strong visual portfolio or examples of shipped interfaces.
- Experience in an early-stage, low-oversight environment.
- Familiarity with Figma and the design-to-code workflow.
Why Gensync
- You work directly with the founder and sit at the center of how the product looks and gets built.
- You own a key relationship (the design team) and grow into owning the entire front-end development pipeline.
- We are AI-native for real, so your fluency with agentic coding tools is the skill we value most.
- Early enough that the patterns you set and the structure you build stick and shape the company.
- The consulting side of the business funds the build, so the platform is not racing a runway cliff.