Founding Designer

About Us

Kamikai Labs is reimagining the future of 2D animation. Through our AI-powered suite of production tools, we help the world's leading animation studios and indie creators ship higher-quality work faster than ever before. Our products are already in active use across top-tier Japanese studios, and we're growing quickly as demand accelerates.

 

About the Role

We are seeking a Founding Designer to own our product experience end-to-end. This is a high-autonomy role where you will define how professional animators interact with AI-powered creative tools. You will work at the intersection of AI research and creative production, shaping how technology enhances human artistry.

 

Key Responsibilities

• Full-Cycle Design: Own the entire product design process from initial research and wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes and visual polish.
• Design System: Define and evolve a scalable design system to ensure consistency and speed across the product suite.
• User Research: Conduct deep-dive research with animators and studio professionals to understand complex creative workflows.
• Engineering Collaboration: Work closely with engineers and ML researchers to ship production-ready, professional-grade interfaces.
• Culture Building: Shape the design culture, standards, and processes as the team expands.

 

Requirements

• Experience: Senior-level product design experience (strong mid-level with creative tools experience considered).
• Portfolio: A portfolio demonstrating end-to-end UX work on complex software or professional-grade tools.
• Tools: Mastery of Figma and experience building/maintaining design systems.
• Autonomy: Ability to take full ownership, move quickly, and make pragmatic tradeoffs in a startup environment.
• Location: Based in Japan or willing to relocate (relocation support provided).
• Language: English fluency is required; Japanese is a bonus.

 

Bonus Qualifications

• Background in animation, illustration, or VFX production workflows.
• Experience designing AI-powered or generative tools (e.g., handling model parameters, latent space, or iterative AI prompting).
• Familiarity with the anime/manga industry.
• Front-end development skills or advanced motion design/prototyping.

 

Why Join Kamikai?

• Day One Impact: Shape the design DNA of a company transforming a global creative industry.
• Elite Users: Build tools used by world-class animation studios.
• Growth & Equity: Competitive compensation, relocation support, and a meaningful equity package.
• Creative Team: Work with a passionate, technical team dedicated to human-centric AI.

 

Note for Applicants: When applying, please write only 1-3 bullet points about why you are an excellent fit for this specific role.