Design Engineer General Application @ Academy Talent Network

Academy specializes in hard-to-fill senior roles at the intersection of UX, product, and AI. We're a strategic hiring partner for companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon—focused on placing the top 5% of design and product talent who are personally vetted, coached, and ready to ship.

We're not your typical recruiting agency. Our team is led by practitioners who've actually done the work—including CEO Adam Perlis, former Head of Product Design at TIME Magazine, AKQA, and BASIC/DEPT. We train every recruiter for 3 months on UX disciplines because we believe the best recruiters are the ones who deeply understand the craft.

Thank you for considering Academy's Talent Network

Note: This is not an application or an active job opening but rather an opportunity to join our talent network and be considered for future opportunities.

We're building a network of Design Engineers across the full spectrum:

Whether you're comfortable jumping into Claude Code or an IDE like Cursor, closing PRs and shipping to production—or you're working primarily in tools like Figma Make, v0 by Vercel, or Lovable and building your way toward production-ready code—we want to connect with you.

This isn't a single role posting. We're expanding our B150 community (a network we built for GenAI professionals) to include Design Engineers. We want to know you so we can match you with opportunities that fit your skillset and career goals as they come up with our clients.

Application Process:

1. Initial Review: Emphasis on evaluation criteria. Only qualified candidates with relevant or demonstrable Design Engineering experience will move to the interview phase.
2. Recruiter Interview: Successful candidates meet our recruiting team.
3. Case Study: Presentation to the Academy hiring manager.
4. Opportunity Alignment: Matching your skills with available roles.
5. Client Interview: Introduction to our client's hiring manager.
6. Onboarding: Finalize your role, either with Academy or our client.

By applying, you're taking the first step in a journey that respects your skills and career aspirations. We look forward to evaluating your application and discussing the multitude of opportunities available through Academy.

Feedback Tailored to Your Journey:

While we strive to provide comprehensive feedback to all candidates, the depth of our feedback is tailored to the stage you reach in our application process. Here's what you can expect:

Early-Stage Applicants:

If you apply without a portfolio or with work that doesn't meet our evaluation criteria, or don't have the requisite work experience we'll direct you to relevant articles to help you improve.

Mid-Stage Applicants:

For those with adequate work and experience that falls short in other areas like "i.e visual design ability, storytelling, or organization, lack of specific work experience like B2C, SaaS, 0-1" we'll provide articles along with written feedback to guide your improvement.

Advanced-Stage Applicants:

Candidates who meet our evaluation criteria and proceed to the interview stage will receive a combination of verbal, written, and article-based feedback for a well-rounded evaluation.

Our Commitments:

Transparency:

We're changing the narrative around ghosting candidates. Expect transparent, timely (we do our best but we services thousands of applicants per year so please be patient), and respectful communication at every step.

Industry Expertise:

Our team of industry experts understands the nuances of the UX field, bridging the trust gap often seen in traditional recruitment.

Expert Feedback:

Career guidance is a standard, not a privilege. Receive constructive feedback to enhance your skills and candidacy.

Human Approach:

We prioritize the candidate experience, investing time to understand your unique skills and align them with suitable opportunities.

Why Choose Academy?

Flexible Career Options:

From full-time roles to contract gigs, we offer a variety of paths tailored to your needs.

Compensation That Counts:

Fair pay based on industry benchmarks, with assistance in salary negotiations for full-time roles.

Employee Benefits:

Contractors become temporary W2 employees, eligible for benefits like sick leave, workers' compensation, and unemployment insurance. Those applying to full-time employee roles will of course receive the benefits of the company they get hired at.

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