Manufacturing, Engineering Services

Staff UX/UI Designer

San Francisco, CAOnsiteFull TimeStaff$160,000–$220,000 /yrPosted 5 days agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

UX design
UI design
user research
usability testing
user interviews
interaction design
information architecture
Figma
prototyping
technical constraints

Nice to have

engineering-heavy products
hardware-adjacent products
map-based interfaces
geospatial interfaces
location-based interfaces
defense

Role summary

CHAOS Industries, a defense technology company funded by leading investors, is seeking a Staff UX Designer to establish and lead its UX function. This senior individual contributor role involves significant autonomy and influence in setting UX direction, research practices, and standards. Responsibilities include leading UX design for key products and internal tools, collaborating closely with engineering, defining UX best practices, and translating complex workflows into intuitive user experiences. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of experience, a strong portfolio, proficiency in Figma, and exceptional communication and influence skills, with experience in technical or defense-related products being a plus.

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview CHAOS is looking for a Staff UX Designer to establish and lead the UX function from the ground up. This is a staff-level role: you'll operate with significant autonomy and influence, setting the direction for how UX is practiced across the company rather than working within an established function. You'll bring best-in-class UX practices to CHAOS — research, interaction design, information architecture, and usability — and apply them to the tools and interfaces our teams rely on. You'll work closely with engineering day-to-day, shaping how products and internal tools are designed from a user's perspective, while also building the foundation (processes, standards, research practices) that the UX function will run on as it grows. Over time, you'll be expected to bring in user research capabilities as part of maturing that foundation. This role is for an experienced, senior individual contributor who wants to define a function, not just execute within one — someone who can operate independently at a high level, exercise strong judgment with minimal oversight, and set the bar for UX at CHAOS from day one. Responsibilities

Lead UX design for key products and internal tools, from early concept through shipped experience, operating as the senior-most UX voice in the room

Partner closely with engineering to design and refine interfaces, workflows, and interactions, balancing user needs with technical constraints

Introduce and establish user research practices at CHAOS — usability testing, user interviews, and other methods to ground design decisions in real user needs

Define and advocate for UX best practices, standards, and processes across the company, with the authority to set direction

Build the foundation for a growing UX function, including processes, standards, and practices that can scale over time

Translate complex, technical, or novel workflows into intuitive, well-designed user experiences

Partner with cross-functional stakeholders (engineering, product, leadership) to align on priorities and advocate for the user's perspective in high-level decision-making

Create and maintain design systems/UX standards that scale across products as the company grows

Communicate design rationale and research findings clearly and persuasively to technical and non-technical audiences, including leadership

Minimum Qualifications

10+ years of UX design experience, with a demonstrated track record operating at a staff/principal level on complex products

Experience conducting or overseeing user research (usability testing, interviews, or similar) and using it to inform design decisions

Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end UX work at a senior level — research, interaction design, and polished execution

Experience working closely and effectively with engineering teams, including translating technical constraints into good design solutions

Proficiency in Figma and standard UX/prototyping tools

Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and influence skills — proven ability to set direction and build buy-in in an organization where the function is new

Demonstrated ability to operate independently with a high degree of ownership and ambiguity, particularly in the early stages of building out a function

Ability to work hybrid (3 days/week in-office) out of either our El Segundo or San Francisco office

Preferred Qualifications

Experience designing for technical, engineering-heavy, or hardware-adjacent products

Experience designing map-based, geospatial, or location-based interfaces

Experience in defense or government, especially with command and control (C2) systems

Experience establishing design systems from scratch

Bachelor's degree in design, HCI, psychology, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

U.S. Citizen

Why CHAOS?

Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company

Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more

Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code

Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses

Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary: $160,000 - $220,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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