Job Purpose 

Remote, US · Engineering · Full-time, term through October 2027

About Exygy and CiviForm

Exygy has been building technology for the public good for more than 20 years. Today we're focused on scaling Bloom Housing and CiviForm, two open-source tools that help government teams better serve their communities. CiviForm is an open-source government benefits platform that lets residents fill out a single, streamlined application to screen for and apply to multiple public assistance programs in one place. It's built and maintained by Exygy, in partnership with government agencies and Google.org. CiviForm empowers less administrative burden and higher completion rates for applicants, and a more modern, cost-effective alternative to legacy eligibility systems for local governments. CiviForm is deployed in the cities of Seattle, Bloomington, and Charlotte and the State of Arkansas.

Job Overview

CiviForm has grown quickly, and its interface has grown with it. Thoughtful design patterns can make it noticeably better for everyone who uses it. We’re seeking a Design Engineer to improve the product’s usability, consistency, and accessibility by bridging design and engineering from concept through implementation.

This role combines design and frontend development, with responsibility for laying out flows, prototyping in the browser, and merging the production code independently. You’ll shape a shared component system on our design system and modernize existing interfaces step by step, upholding high standards for accessibility and performance along the way. This position will work closely with our product manager, designer, and engineers, as well as government partner teams who contribute to our open-source codebase.

Employment Terms

This is a full-time, termed, remote, U.S.-based position. This is a funding-contingent position with an anticipated duration through October 2027, with potential to turn permanent based on the current term of the applicable client contract or grant and the portion of the scope of that contract or grant that requires specifically the work of this role.

Who Does This Role Report To

Director of Engineering, Civiform

Responsibilities

• Audit CiviForm's UI and turn the findings into a prioritized plan for paying down design debt.

• Redesign the highest-friction flows for both residents applying for benefits and staff building and reviewing applications.

• Define and document the component library, tokens, and patterns, built on the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS).

• Migrate legacy screens onto that system, one PR at a time, without breaking things for governments in production.

• Hold the bar for accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA), mobile, plain language, and translated content.

• Review frontend and design changes from our team and partner contributors.

• Document design decisions so the open-source community can follow them.

  
  

What you'll bring

• 5+ years designing and building web interfaces, with a portfolio that shows both strong visual design and shipped code.

• Excellent visual and interaction design: typography, layout, hierarchy, and information-dense screens.

• Production-level semantic HTML, CSS or Sass, and JavaScript or TypeScript.

• Experience building or maintaining a design system, and migrating an existing product onto one.

• Deep, practical knowledge of accessibility; familiarity and experience WCAG 2.2 AA

• Fluency in Figma, and the judgment to know when to skip it and design in the browser.

• A practical habit of using AI tools to speed up your work, like prototyping, refactoring, or migrating repetitive screens, while owning the quality of what ships.

• Clear writing, and comfort defending a design decision to engineers and government partners.

  
  

Nice to have

• Experience with USWDS or another government design system.

• Experience with server-rendered stacks such as Java and Thymeleaf, Rails, or Django, and with htmx or Tailwind.

• Background in civic tech, public benefits, or forms-heavy products.

• Open-source contribution experience.

• Experience designing for low-literacy, multilingual, or mobile-only users.

  
  

Metrics of Success

• One documented component system that both applicant and admin screens use.

• The highest-impact legacy admin screens migrated, with legacy styling code removed.

• Measurable usability improvement on 2–3 priority flows, confirmed through testing with residents or staff.

• Partner contributors shipping consistent UI without needing a design review on every PR.

Payment & Timeline

Base salary of 125,000–145,000 USD. The annual salary range for this full-time position is $125,000 - $155,000. Exygy’s compensation is benchmarked to national industry averages, not geographic location, ensuring equitable pay across all roles. Our hiring targets align with the median of the salary range for this position, with offers based on role requirements and candidate experience. 

Employees are eligible to enroll in our 401K benefits. We match 100% of the first 3% you defer plus 50% of the next 2% of each paycheck’s eligible compensation (maximum 4% match per paycheck). Healthcare benefits package with options up to 100% coverage toward select medical, dental, and vision plans. Exygy provides up to 10 days of sick leave and flexible PTO. 

Exygy employees may work remotely across the US. Exygy employees' main residence must be within the US. Exygy proudly embraces work/life balance. Full-time employees are expected to work 32-40 hours in a typical week. We aim to hold all internal meetings between 10AM and 3PM PT, Monday-Thursday. We strive to keep Fridays meeting-free, allowing employees flexibility to catch up on their workload or take needed time to rest.

EEO & Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

We are actively seeking to create a diverse and equitable work environment because we believe that it creates a stronger team.

Exygy values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQIA individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, older members of society, and others from minority groups and diverse backgrounds to apply. Exygy is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants because of race, color, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any protected category prohibited by local, state, or federal laws. All employees and contractors of Exygy are responsible for maintaining a work atmosphere free from discrimination and harassment by treating others with dignity and respect.

· APPLICATIONS DUE MON, NOVEMBER 16 AT 12 noon PT ·