Design Engineer (Senior / Staff / Principal)

Gym Class is a top-rated social game on Meta Quest, with millions of downloads and a 4.9-star rating. We are seeking a founding Design Engineer to lead the development of our mobile web app and in-VR web surfaces. This role involves end-to-end ownership, from design in Figma to building responsive UI with React/Node/CSS, setting high standards for speed, polish, and accessibility. Ideal for those passionate about consumer design and front-end engineering, ready to ship to a highly engaged social audience.

Must Have

• Ship end-to-end features from wireframes to production React/Node.
• Drive the web roadmap across mobile and VR platforms.
• Build a design system with reusable components and interaction patterns.
• Optimize for fast loads and 60fps interactions on mobile and VR.
• Instrument analytics, run usability tests, and iterate based on player behavior.
• 3-6+ years building consumer web products with strong Figma skills and a portfolio of design + code work.
• Expert in React, TypeScript/JavaScript, HTML, CSS (layouts, animations, responsive design).
• Performance-minded, comfortable with profiling, code-splitting, and caching.
• Pragmatic and fast, able to scope well and ship iteratively.
• High-ownership and comfortable with ambiguity.

Good to Have

• Ex-founders and builders who like to run with problems.

Perks & Benefits

• Equity
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• 401k retirement plan with matching

Role Summary

Gym Class is a top rated social game on Meta Quest - millions of downloads, 79,000+ reviews, and a 4.9-star rating. We’re hiring our founding Design Engineer to drive the development of our upcoming mobile web app (embedded in native), and web surfaces inside our flagship, social VR experience.

You’ll own key web surfaces end-to-end - crafting in Figma, then building responsive, production-grade UI with React/Node/CSS - and you’ll set a clear quality bar for speed, polish, and accessibility. If you love living at the intersection of consumer design and front-end engineering, owning a high-compact roadmap for a startup, and shipping to a highly engaged social audience - this role is for you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Ship end-to-end features: Turn rough ideas and user feedback into polished flows - wireframes → interactive Figma → production React/Node.
• Drive the web roadmap: Propose, scope, and deliver improvements across mobile and VR platforms, social flows, profiles, discovery, chat and AI, spectating - balancing velocity and quality.
• Build a design system: Create reusable components and interaction patterns; advocate consistency across mobile web and in-VR web surfaces.
• Hit performance budgets: Optimize for fast loads and 60fps interactions on mobile and VR.
• Tighten quality loops: Instrument analytics, run lightweight usability tests, and iterate quickly based on real player behavior.

QUALIFICATIONS - you are…

• A designer-who-codes (or an engineer with taste): 3–6+ years building consumer web products. Strong Figma skills and a shipped portfolio of design + code work.
• Front-end strong: Expert in React, TypeScript/JavaScript, HTML, CSS (layouts, animations, responsive design). You care about spacing, typography, and micro-interactions.
• Performance-minded: Comfortable profiling, code-splitting, image/asset strategy, caching/CDN, and keeping bundles lean.
• Pragmatic & fast: You scope well, communicate clearly, and ship iteratively without sacrificing polish.
• Entrepreneurial: High-ownership, comfortable with ambiguity. Ex-founders and builders who like to run with problems do great here.

Pay and Benefits

Salary ranges may be inclusive of several career levels and will be narrowed during the interview process based on a number of factors, including the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and location. Additional benefits for this role include: equity; and medical, dental, and vision benefits; and 401k retirement plan with matching.

About Gym Class - by IRL Studios

Gym Class is a top-rated social VR game on Meta Quest with over +79,000 reviews and a 4.9-star rating​. Millions of players join to connect with friends, explore social worlds, and engage in competitive games. The community launched around basketball, and is now expanding rapidly into more categories.

The company's mission is to connect the world by simulating it. To achieve this, Gym Class recently raised over $8M from the world's top technology investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Y Combinator, the National Basketball Association, the Golden State Warriors, top NBA players like Kevin Durant, Lonzo Ball, Andre Iguodala, Soma Capital, Founders Inc., Danny Green, Zaza Pachulia, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Balaji Srinivasan, and more. In 2023, the company announced a licensing relationship with the NBA, and in 2025, its licensing relationship with the MLB.

Learn more at gymclass.com or follow @gymclassvr.