Design Engineer, Design Intelligence Bay Area, CA,

At Block, we're building the foundation for a new generation of design intelligence. Systems and tools that help people turn ideas into real, usable products with greater clarity, speed, and confidence. This work sits at the intersection of design, engineering, and AI, and its purpose is simple: make high-quality craft more accessible, more collaborative, and more scalable across teams.

Our focus is on translating design intent into flexible, programmable systems where tools and agents support exploration, improve everyday workflows, and unlock new creative possibilities. We believe advanced design capability shouldn't be limited to specialists or gated tools; it should be something more people can participate in, learn from, and build on together.

We treat AI as a core part of the creative process, not an add‑on. People on this team are curious about how new technologies reshape the way work gets done, and they explore those shifts thoughtfully—balancing experimentation with care for users, teams, and long‑term impact. We value clear thinking, systems awareness, and a collaborative approach to problem‑solving, where progress comes from shared momentum rather than individual heroics.

This role is well‑suited for builders who enjoy learning in motion, experimenting responsibly, and shaping new design × AI patterns that can grow across Block over time.

• Design, build, and evolve AI‑assisted tools that support designers and developers in their everyday work.
• Translate design intent and brand expression into flexible, programmable systems and agents.
• Prototype and explore new interface patterns, including generative, agent‑driven, and multimodal experiences.
• Build extensible infrastructure—such as plugins, automation tools, and workflows—that can be adopted and adapted by many teams.
• Work closely with design and engineering partners to shape how design, engineering, and AI come together at Block.

We don't expect a perfect background or a single “right” path. We're interested in people who have built things, learned deeply, and kept going especially when the path wasn't straightforward.

• You may bring this experience through some combination of:
  • Experience shipping software or tools that solve real problems, in professional, academic, or independent settings.
  • Hands‑on work in design engineering, design systems, creative tooling, or related hybrid roles.
  • Comfort working with modern front‑end technologies.
  • Exposure to AI or ML systems such as working with APIs, LLMs, or agent‑based tools at any depth.
  • Familiarity with UI and product workflow tools used by designers and engineers.
  • Examples of building tools or systems that help other people create, move faster, or work better together.
  If you also have experience in any of the areas below, that's a bonus:
  • Collaborating with creative partners such as art directors, motion designers, audio designers, or illustrators.
  • Open‑source, generative, automation‑driven, or agentic projects.
  • Exploring multimodal interfaces like voice, vision, gesture, or AI‑driven interactions.
  • Building for mobile platforms, including iOS, using modern development practices.

We may use automated AI tools to evaluate job applications for efficiency and consistency. These tools comply with local regulations, including bias audits, and we handle all personal data in accordance with state and local privacy laws.

Contact us here with hiring practice or data usage questions.

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, based solely on the core competencies required of the role at hand, and without regard to any legally protected class.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these…