Product Designer - New Grad (Summer 2027)
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Summary
Nominal is hiring a new-grad Product Designer in New York to own design for features of its hardware test and operations platform, turning complex hardware/data workflows into intuitive interfaces. Day to day: prototyping (including with AI), partnering with engineers and customers, and contributing to the design system.
About Nominal
Nominal is building the connected test and operations platform powering the world's most advanced hardware systems, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation defense programs. Our platform gives hardware engineering teams a single place to ingest data, analyze performance, automate test execution, and collaborate across every phase of development, so they can move faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.
We serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, from autonomy leaders like Anduril and Shield AI to next-generation aerospace teams like Hermeus and REGENT, and performance engineering teams like Pratt Miller Motorsports, alongside mission partners within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on programs where failure isn’t an option. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence.
The role
We’re looking for designers graduating in 2027 or sooner with solid visual and product design fundamentals to join Nominal full time.
You’ll own design work for defined features and product improvements, with support from experienced designers and close collaboration with engineering and product. You’ll help bring new capabilities to life, learn directly from customers, and grow your judgment as a product designer. Your work will support engineers testing and validating complex hardware systems, including nuclear reactors, rockets, and supersonic aircraft.
🚀 What you’ll do
- Turn complexity into clarity. Dive into high-frequency, high-volume hardware and data workflows and translate them into intuitive product experiences.
- Design alongside real users. Partner with engineers and customers to understand their workflows, identify pain points, and test potential solutions.
- Partner with design, engineering, and product to research, prototype with AI, and contribute directly to product improvements and features.
- Own the design of defined features from initial exploration through implementation, working with your team to clarify scope and make tradeoffs.
- Collaborate with engineers throughout development to refine interactions and deliver thoughtful, usable experiences.
- Evolve our design system. Contribute reusable patterns and components that improve consistency and usability across the platform.
- Help shape our design culture by sharing work early, giving constructive feedback, and using customer insights to inform product decisions.
🎯 Reach out if…
- You’re graduating in 2027 (or sooner) and seeking a full-time product design role as a new graduate or early-career designer.
- You have a portfolio that demonstrates strong visual design fundamentals and product thinking through academic work, personal projects, internships, or professional experience.
- You can translate a user problem into clear flows, detailed interface designs, and prototypes.
- You can explain your design decisions and refine them based on feedback, user needs, and technical constraints.
- You take initiative to clarify unfamiliar problems and collaborate with others to move work forward.
🌟 Bonus, not required
- You’ve collaborated with engineers to bring a design into a working product.
- You’ve used AI tools to explore ideas or build prototypes.
- You’ve designed data visualizations, complex workflows, or tools for technical users.
✨ Benefits/Perks
- 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Unlimited PTO and sick leave
- Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
- Professional Development Stipend
- 401k Plan
- In-office hardware lab with a $250 project stipend
- Annual company retreat
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.