About Valency

Valency Systems is a small, dynamic team of engineers, scientists, and researchers building the global hub for the agentic research era.

We're based in Berkeley, California, and we're building something that matters. If you care about open science, advancing research at the speed of thought, and using AI to accelerate discovery, we'd love to talk.

Our team is hybrid. We come together in person 3 days a week, with the option for 2 days of remote work.

The Position: AI-Native Product Designer

Nobody knows what good AI design looks like for science yet. We're hiring a designer to help figure it out.

You won't be handed specs. Most days, you'll start with a capability that just became possible and end with something users can actually try. User interviews Monday, new interaction model Tuesday, pixel-perfect before it ships Wednesday.

You'll work alongside engineers and researchers, not downstream from them. We want someone who shapes what we build, not just how it looks.

What you'll do:

Own the full arc: research, sketches, wireframes, prototypes, production UI

• Prototype in Figma, code, or paper. Whatever gets the idea across fastest.

• Make complex AI capabilities feel obvious to use

• Talk to users constantly and bring what you learn into your work

• Build and maintain a design system that holds up as the product grows

• Push for accessibility and responsible patterns in everything we ship

Who we're looking for:

You use AI tools daily in your design work

• You're comfortable enough with code to prototype when it's the fastest path

• You've shipped something hard (complex workflows, data-heavy interfaces, technical users) and made it feel simple

• You'd rather dig into an undefined problem than wait for a brief

• You care about craft without letting it slow you down

• You're comfortable being the only designer in a room full of engineers

Portfolio

Show us work where you owned something end-to-end. We want to see at least one project where you invented the approach, not followed a pattern.

Compensation, Benefits & Equity
We offer a competitive salary, benefits, and meaningful equity in a company building something important from the ground up.

Work Authorization: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.