--- title: 'Design Engineer at Lean In' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-lean-in-san-francisco-920g5dmrmm4w' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Design Engineer at Lean In - **Company:** Lean In - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $130k–$200k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-06-15 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/sgff.org/65c95127-6ab3-4378-a47c-8d7ec9c3b632 ## Job description About Lean In & The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation (SGBFF) works to build a more equal and resilient world. We bring people together to support each other through four initiatives: LeanIn.Org, LeanInGirls.Org, OptionB.Org, and the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program. Through our community, research-based content, and programs, we help women and allies build the skills, confidence, and networks they need to reach their full potential. We believe a more equal world is possible - and that it will take us working together to create it. While the majority of your work will focus on Lean In, this role offers the opportunity to drive impact across multiple mission-driven initiatives. ## THE ROLE We're hiring a Design Engineer - a rare hybrid who both designs and builds. You'll own experiences end to end: research and design the interface, then write the code that brings it to life. As AI collapses the distance between idea and implementation, the most valuable people are those who move fluidly across the whole arc of a product - taste and craft on one side, engineering rigor on the other. You'll have real autonomy, direct influence on the experiences we put in front of our community, and room to grow alongside the team and platforms you help shape. ## What You'll Do Design the experience - Lead the end-to-end design process — research, concept, and prototypes for web and mobile. - Build and evolve design systems and patterns that stay consistent and scale across products. - Spot opportunities to make the user experience better and proactively propose thoughtful solutions. Build the product - Take features from design concept to production release. - Develop responsive, accessible front-end experiences using modern JavaScript frameworks. - Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code, and troubleshoot and debug across the stack. Own the craft - Partner with product, data, and leadership to translate user needs into shipped solutions. - Optimize performance, accessibility, and security across everything you build. - Help shape engineering and design standards as the team grows. ## What You Will Bring - 3+ years across design and engineering — or deep experience in one with demonstrated ability in the other. - A portfolio that shows user-centered thinking and strong execution. - Expert proficiency in Figma, including components, variants, auto-layout, and design systems. - Strong front-end skills: modern JavaScript frameworks, HTML5, and CSS3. - Working back-end proficiency (Python, Node.js, Ruby, Java, etc.) and comfort building RESTful APIs. - A strong foundation in interaction design, visual design, and information architecture. - Deep understanding of responsive design, accessibility standards, and inclusive design principles. - Fluency with — or strong curiosity about — AI-assisted design and development tools. - A self-starter who thrives with autonomy and drives projects forward with minimal direction. - Strong communication and presentation skills, and the ability to collaborate across a small team. - A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Design, a related field, or equivalent practical experience. - A deep commitment to Lean In's mission to inspire and equip women to lead. - Alignment with the Sandberg Bernthal Family Foundation's initiatives, including building resilience and driving social impact. The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity without regard to age, race, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. It's important to us that people of all identities and backgrounds see themselves represented and included in our work, so we actively encourage people of all identities and experiences to apply. Before you apply, please review our approach to AI in the hiring process here. ## About Lean In ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Lean In is a global nonprofit that offers free leadership programs, research, and tools to empower women and create more equal workplaces. - **Entity Type**: Private (Nonprofit – part of the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation) - **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States - **Founded**: 2013 - **Founders**: Sheryl Sandberg ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Nonprofit / Women’s Leadership Development / Workplace Equality - **Target customers**: B2B (corporate clients via Lean In Company Programs), B2C (individual women, girls, and allies globally) - **Mission / purpose**: Inspire and equip women to achieve their ambitions and work toward an equal world. ## Products & Services - **Lean In Circles**: Small peer groups that meet regularly to learn and grow using free, research-backed curriculum. - **Lean In Networks**: Larger groups that gather for inspiration and connection. - **Lean In Company Programs**: Free corporate workshops and toolkits, including “50 Ways to Fight Bias,” to build inclusive workplace cultures. - **Lean In Girls**: A research-backed program that builds confidence, resilience, and leadership skills in girls. - **Women in the Workplace Report**: Annual landmark study in partnership with McKinsey & Company – the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not applicable (nonprofit); no valuation disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Annual revenue ~$3M (USD 2,965,106 per LinkedIn [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/leaninorg)). - **Notable Investors / Partners**: McKinsey & Company (research partner); part of the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation (includes OptionB.Org and Dave Goldberg Scholars Program). - **Growth Signals**: Over 150,000 Lean In Circles launched in 180+ countries; 163K+ LinkedIn followers (+27.9% yearly growth); active hiring for engineering and data roles. ## Competitive Advantages - **Brand & Founder**: Sheryl Sandberg’s global visibility and credibility drive reach and trust. - **Free, Research-Backed Resources**: All materials are no-cost and grounded in data, lowering barriers for individuals and companies. - **Scale**: Operates across 180+ countries with a community of millions, giving it unmatched grassroots distribution for a nonprofit. - **Corporate Partnerships**: Direct engagement with companies through program offerings, creating a dual audience (employees + employers). ## Strategic Focus - Expand data-driven insights (annual Women in the Workplace report) to influence corporate policy and public conversation. - Deepen corporate program adoption, especially around bias training and leadership pipelines. - Grow Lean In Girls and other youth-focused initiatives to build early leadership confidence. - Continue scaling global peer communities (Circles & Networks) to sustain engagement. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven culture**: Focus on gender equality and empowering women – meaningful work with visible impact. - **Hybrid work**: Roles listed (Backend Engineer, Data Scientist, Design Engineer) are in San Francisco, CA with a hybrid model [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/sgff.org). - **Small, global team**: ~90 employees across 33 countries; tight-knit environment with autonomy. - **High employer rating**: 4.5/5.0 on LinkedIn (5.0 across work-life, comp, culture, and career for current reviews) [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/leaninorg). - **Key people**: Co-founder Sheryl Sandberg, board members including Tom Bernthal, Katie Mitic, and others with strong tech and nonprofit backgrounds. ## Sources 1. [leanin.org](https://leanin.org/) – Homepage, programs, and Women in the Workplace report. 2. [leanin.org/about](https://leanin.org/about/) – About page: mission, programs, and impact metrics. 3. [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/leaninorg) – Company details, revenue, headcount, employee ratings, growth stats. 4. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/sgff.org) – Current open roles and work location/hybrid policy. ## Other roles at Lean In - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-lean-in-san-francisco-3tw2xfhcq991) — San Francisco, CA - [Program Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/program-operations-manager-lean-in-san-francisco-9xywy2e15nv2) — San Francisco, CA - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-disher-kalamazoo-yatkr4sx0rq3) — Kalamazoo, MI - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-metriport-san-francisco-smm7ewvswvjk) — San Francisco, CA - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-hash-london-gcmsp6c4ndwq) — London, United Kingdom - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-latchbio-san-francisco-8x1p6p2tc58a) — San Francisco, CA - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-idler-san-francisco-6jc914e1vqp3) — San Francisco, CA - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-confido-new-york-6btam66wj8s3) — New York, NY - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-trovy-new-york-3ndws4a9260m) — New York, NY - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-coderabbit-san-francisco-z436m5fapszn) — San Francisco, CA