Mobile Design Engineer

About the Company

Payward, the organization behind Kraken and other financial platforms such as NinjaTrader and CF Benchmarks, has been developing a cutting-edge, globally accessible financial infrastructure for over 15 years to promote an open financial ecosystem worldwide.

About the Team

Kraken, established in 2011, is one of the longest-running cryptocurrency platforms trusted by over 10 million users including individuals and institutions. It provides diverse trading and staking services through an app that millions rely on for interacting with their finances. The Consumer Mobile team focuses on crafting a smooth, responsive user experience on the Kraken app using React Native, where subtle details enhance user trust in the crypto space.

Role Overview

We seek a professional who merges design and engineering into a unified craft to lead the interaction and motion design of the Kraken mobile app. Your focus will be on delivering seamless, trustworthy user experiences through motion, performance optimization, and system design on a React Native platform.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the animation, motion, and interaction aspects of the Kraken application, including easing, gestures, transitions, haptics, and sounds to ensure a polished user experience.
• Advance and maintain the mobile design system, contributing components and setting standards to facilitate consistent and effective engineering practices.
• Collaborate intensively with product designers to enhance motion and interaction design from conception to implementation.
• Analyze rendering performance, particularly on lower-end Android devices, to minimize frame drops and enhance fluidity.
• Participate in architectural decisions impacting UI responsiveness related to state, rendering cycles, and data management.
• Elevate the quality standards across the mobile development team through code reviews, examples, and crafting reusable design patterns.

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

• Strong portfolio showcasing interactive design work or demo projects evidencing exceptional craft.
• Expert-level proficiency in React Native, including Reanimated and gesture handling, with a demonstrated ability to diagnose performance issues at the thread level.
• Keen sense for motion design details such as easing curves and spring dynamics, with the ability to identify and articulate interaction inconsistencies.
• Excellent product intuition to refine vague briefs into well-defined, superior features beyond initial specifications.
• Experience utilizing AI tools like Cursor, Copilot, or Claude to improve productivity while focusing effort on design quality.
• Effective written and spoken English communication suited to a globally distributed, asynchronous working environment.

Preferred but Not Required

• Experience with React Native Skia, shader programming, or advanced custom canvas rendering techniques.
• Proficiency in native coding with Swift or Kotlin sufficient to create bridge modules and discern appropriate platform approaches.
• Contributions to motion libraries, design systems, or interaction component sets adopted by other engineers.
• Background in visual or motion design utilizing prototyping tools like Figma, After Effects, or paper sketches.
• Previous exposure to high-pressure environments in fintech, trading, healthcare, or similar fields where precise UI performance is critical.

Additional Information

Applicants may apply anytime unless a deadline is indicated.

Resumes may omit personal identifying information such as age or graduation dates.

We assess candidates with criminal backgrounds fairly and in compliance with relevant fair chance laws.

We value diversity and inclusiveness, encouraging applications from passionate individuals even if not all criteria are fully met.

Equal opportunity employment principles are upheld, prohibiting discrimination or harassment of any form.