Design Engineer

About the Role

We're looking for Design Engineers who own feature delivery end-to-end - from problem framing to shipped production code.

You’ll bridge design and engineering by building production-ready Flutter features within our Barracuda design system. You’ll use AI-native workflows to compress the design → prototype → build → test loop into days, not weeks.

This isn’t about producing Figma files or inventing new patterns. It’s about shipping high-quality, real-world solutions using a strong component foundation.

You’ll work “on rails” with our design system — focusing on solving problems and delivering outcomes rather than reinventing UI primitives.

• Understand the problem deeply - clarify user needs, edge cases, and constraints before building
• Build production-ready Flutter applications across iOS, Android, and web
• Prototype quickly using AI-native tools (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) to explore flows and validate ideas
• Own features end-to-end:
  From rough prototype to production deployment
• Work within the Barracuda design system:
  Compose and extend components appropriately (core system maintained separately)
• Make design decisions in code:
  Balance UX quality with pragmatism and velocity
• Collaborate with backend engineers:
  Implement mock data early, integrate APIs, iterate together
• Test, measure, and refine:
  Learn from real usage and improve continuously

We expect you to use AI as a force multiplier, not as a shortcut.

That means:

• Generating scaffolding and exploratory prototypes rapidly
• Iterating on flows and UX decisions directly in code
• Using AI to accelerate thinking, not replace judgement
• Reducing handoff cycles by collapsing design and implementation

AI-assisted development is expected and encouraged — but ownership and critical thinking remain yours.

• Not a traditional designer role focused on Figma deliverables
• Not a pixel-perfect handoff role
• Not a blank-canvas pattern creation role
• Not a core design system maintenance role
• Not a role where engineers implement your work — you implement it yourself

ANNA is evolving.

We’re building with AI-native tools and a comprehensive cross-platform design system (Barracuda). That changes the shape of both design and engineering.

We need builders who:

• Move fast
• Think like designers
• Ship like engineers
• Own outcomes, not artefacts

• Significant autonomy over feature areas
• Direct access to product teams, backend engineers, and users
• Modern tools that amplify your capability (Barracuda, AI-native workflows, strong team culture)
• Support adopting AI-native workflows if you’re still learning
• Real, high-impact problems affecting UK small businesses

We know this is a unique role, so your path here might be unconventional. You might be:

• A Flutter developer who’s developed strong design sensibilities
• A designer who learned to code and wants to ship independently
• A front-end engineer with strong UX instincts
• Someone already bridging design and engineering informally
• A mobile developer frustrated by handoffs

What matters most is your ability to think like a designer whilst building like an engineer, and your hunger to own shipped features rather than just deliverables.

• Small, lean team (4 people currently) in the Formations product area
• Backend developers currently handling front-end work
• Australian front-end developer timezone makes real-time collaboration challenging
• You'll be working closely with the Formations team initially
• Cross-functional collaboration with product and engineering
• Barracuda design system provides your component foundation (maintained by core team)

• Primary:
  Flutter/Dart
• Design System:
  Barracuda (you'll use and extend, not maintain core)
• AI Tools:
  Claude Code, Cursor, or similar AI-native development tools
• Version Control:
  Git/Git Hub
• State Management:
  Riverpod, Bloc, Provider (or demonstrate equivalent experience)
• Design Tools:
  As needed, but building > designing

• Prototype first
• Implement mock data early
• Integrate APIs collaboratively
• Ship working code
• Iterate based on real usage
• Minimise handoffs
• Own the feature lifecycle

Must-haves:

• St…