Partner 20, Design Systems Lead

<p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Founded in Silicon Valley in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z) is a venture capital firm that backs bold entrepreneurs <a href="https://a16z.com/news-content">building the future</a> through technology. We are <a href="https://a16z.com/portfolio">stage agnostic</a>. We invest in seed to venture to <a href="https://a16z.com/growth/">growth-stage technology</a> companies, across <a href="https://a16z.com/ai/">AI</a>, <a href="https://a16z.com/bio-health/">bio + healthcare</a>, <a href="https://a16z.com/consumer/">consumer</a>, <a href="https://a16zcrypto.com/">crypto</a>, <a href="https://a16z.com/enterprise/">enterprise</a>, <a href="https://a16z.com/fintech/">fintech</a>, <a href="https://a16z.com/games">games</a>, and companies building toward <a href="https://a16z.com/american-dynamism/">American dynamism</a>. a16z has $100B+ under management across multiple funds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We’ve established a team that <a href="https://a16z.com/about/">is defined by</a> respect for the entrepreneur and the company-building process; we know what it’s like to be in the founder’s shoes. We’ve invested in <a href="https://a16z.com/portfolio/">companies</a> like Anduril, Airbnb, Coinbase, Cursor, Databricks, Deel, Figma, GitHub, Roblox, SpaceX, and Stripe. Our team is at the forefront of new technology, helping founders and their companies impact and change the world.</span></p> <h2><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Design at a16z</span></h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Most design orgs are built to execute. A request comes in, a designer makes the thing, and it goes out the door. That model works (until the volume of requests outpaces the size of the team), and suddenly design becomes a bottleneck instead of a multiplier.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We're building something different. The future of design at a16z isn't a bigger team cranking out more assets: it's a design function that scales through systems. Templates, tools, AI-powered workflows, and self-serve infrastructure that let anyone at the firm create high-quality, on-brand work without routing every request through a designer. AI makes this possible in ways it wasn't before. But only if someone builds the design systems&nbsp; right, which means deeply understanding our brand, not just the tools.</span><br><br><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We have an existing foundation: brand guidelines, component libraries, AI skills and apps, and other templates across our core use cases—and we're looking for someone to take that foundation and continue to build it into something the whole firm can run on.</span></p> <h2><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">The Role</span></h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We're hiring a Design Systems Lead to own and evolve that infrastructure. This is a clear ownership role: you're the person accountable for the quality, consistency, and reach of our design systems, and for what gets built next.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">The work itself is equal parts brand design and systems building: half deep, intuitive command of the a16z visual language, half thinking in components, workflows, and repeatable outputs. You'll translate our brand into component libraries, AI skills, AI-powered tools, and self-serve templates the whole firm can use. That means writing clean markdown files, building high-functioning AI skills from scratch, and vibe-coding lightweight apps purpose-built for design use cases. What you're building is the invisible design framework for the firm. The work it produces shouldn't be. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We are open to candidates based in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA or New York City, NY.&nbsp;</span></p> <h2><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">To join our team, you should be excited to:&nbsp;</span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Take clear ownership of the a16z design systems function: setting the direction, maintaining the standards, and being accountable for what gets built and how well it works</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Translate a16z brand systems into scalable templates, components, and modular frameworks across Krea, Figma, Google Workspace, Claude, Codex, Gamma, and many other core platforms with enough command of the brand to make those systems feel designed, not just functional</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Build repeatable systems for high-volume design needs (presentations, social assets, event materials, charts) so these don't require a designer every time</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Write and maintain markdown-based brand documentation, style references, and skill instruction files that serve as the source of truth for AI-generated outputs</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Build high-functioning AI skills from scratch: structured prompts, reference frameworks, and training inputs that produce design work that's distinctly and consistently a16z</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Vibe-code lightweight apps and custom tools purpose-built for design use cases (generators, formatters, asset builders, etc.) using whatever combination of AI models, APIs, and front-end code gets the job done</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Create tools and templates that let non-designers produce polished, on-brand work independently, without the output looking like it came from a template</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Partner with designers to distill complex visual systems into usable building blocks, and keep those systems current as the brand evolves</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Spot patterns in repeatable work, build toward them, and continuously improve what's running based on real usage and feedback</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Occasionally train people across the firm on the tools and systems we build (whether that's written documentation, a quick video walkthrough, or a 1:1) so what we make actually gets used the way it was intended</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Work with the project manager and new media ops team to track adoption and efficiency gains across the firm</span></li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Minimum Qualifications</span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">4+ years of experience in brand design, design systems, product design, or a related field</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">A deep command of visual identity: quick to sense when something’s off, and able to diagnose and resolve it systematically</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Strong Figma skills, including building and maintaining design systems, libraries, and component structures others actually use</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Fluent in typography, layout, and the details that separate considered design from competent design</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Experience writing and scaling AI skills, not just prompting, but structuring reference frameworks, markdown files, and instruction sets that produce reliably on-brand outputs</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Comfortable vibe-coding: you've built lightweight apps, generators, or custom tools for design use cases, and you know where the edges are</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">AI is already part of how you work, not something you're experimenting with; you've used tools like Claude, Codex, Krea, Midjourney, or similar and you’re curious about what’s next.</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">You see the forest and the tree(s): if given a recurring design problem, your instinct is to build something comprehensive, not just solve it once</span></li> <li style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">A natural collaborator with low ego and high empathy: you work well across teams and can translate between design thinking and the needs of people who don't speak it</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">The anticipated salary range for this role is between $210,000 - $245,000, actual starting pay may vary based on a range of factors which can include experience, skills, and scope.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">This role is eligible to participate in the a16z carry program and various discretionary bonus programs as well as benefit and perquisite plans including health, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401K plan, vacation, and sick leave.</span></p><div class="content-conclusion"><h2><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><strong>a16z culture&nbsp;</strong></span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We do only first class business and only in a first class way</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We take a long view of relationships, because we are in the relationship business&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We believe in the future and bet the firm that way</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We are all different, we recognize that, and we win</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We celebrate the good times</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We do it for the team</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">We play to win</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">At a16z we are always looking to hire the absolute best talent and recognize that diversity in our experiences and backgrounds is what makes us stronger. We hire candidates of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, Veteran status, and any other status. These differences are what enables us to work towards the future we envision for ourselves, our portfolio companies, and the World.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Our organization participates in E-Verify. Click<a href="https://www.e-verify.gov/employees" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.e-verify.gov/employees&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1674233464432000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-yT1T3ug2xE734Ge62fLD"> here</a> to learn about E-Verify.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">Andreessen Horowitz hereby reserves the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.</span></p></div>