Product Designer

About Primer

Fixing our K-12 education system is a civilizationally-important problem. We believe that all of our problems — including the ones that dominate the headlines — are downstream of education.

We have a simple thesis on how to solve it: empower 1,000's of educators to launch microschools in their communities.

We believe the historical tradeoff between price (tuition) and quality is a false dichotomy.

PrimerOS automates and eliminates much of the costs of traditional schools. Microschools have a structural advantage — asset-light real estate — which means much lower capex and opex. You put it together, and you get something that's never existed before: a world-class education that's accessible to normal American families and can rapidly scale.

Role Overview

We’re looking for our first product designer to join the team. Unlike traditional edtech companies, we operate real schools — from sourcing real estate and hiring teachers to designing the spaces where learning happens.

At Primer, design shapes everything — the mobile app families use, the digital tools that help teachers connect and plan, the daily experiences that guide students’ learning, and even the signage and interior design of our campuses.

This role is based in our San Francisco office, working closely with our executive team on challenges that extend far beyond screens.

What You’ll Do

Primer faces some of the hardest (and most exciting!) problems in product design. We’re building experiences that have to feel effortless and human while supporting the messy, magical reality of school. You’ll take real stories from students, families, and teachers and turn them into systems, environments, and interfaces that make learning feel natural and alive.

You’ll lead projects from the earliest research to the final polish. You’ll work across disciplines, clarifying goals, refining copy and tone, and sweating the small stuff so every detail feels intentional.

You’ll help set our design standards, raise the level of craft, and shape how design influences everything we build.

What We’re Looking For

• 3+ years of product or UI/UX design experience.
• A portfolio that shows exceptional design polish — strong visual taste, attention to detail, and a modern, cohesive aesthetic.
• Experience owning projects end to end — from concept through high-fidelity execution.
• Strong sense of language and consistency — able to refine copy, tone, and visual details so everything feels cohesive and intentional.
• Comfortable moving fluidly between visual design, interaction design, and systems thinking.
• Designers who balance insight with intuition — comfortable making decisions without over-relying on formal UX research.
• Excited to work on-site in San Francisco.
  
  

Something Extra: We value diverse backgrounds — whether in real estate, interior design, data visualization, compliance, or something entirely different. Unique perspectives make us better.

What It's Like Here

You'll start with a hands-on project and spend a week as a teaching assistant at one of our school sites to understand how our schools actually operate. Product, design, and engineering sit together, so you can walk over with questions or hop on quick huddles. You'll participate in weekly design reviews with non-technical stakeholders and gradually take on more complex projects, running user research and contributing to our design system.

By 90 days, you'll participate in quarterly planning and track the impact of your shipped projects. We eat free lunch together daily and maintain a supportive culture that makes complex work manageable.

Why Join Primer

We're building something really hard—a technology company that operates real schools. The design challenges are incredibly varied, the mission is meaningful, and you'll use every skill in your toolkit. Watch our CEO Ryan talk about the inspiration, the challenges, and the impact we’re having: YouTube Interview

We believe in staying lean and outperforming through smart use of tools, including using AI when it amplifies human connection. As a fast-growing startup, we offer salary commensurate with experience, plus significant equity and comprehensive benefits including 100% health insurance, life insurance, and daily lunch.

Primer is a mission-first company. We believe our mission is the highest-leverage way we can create positive change. In service of that, we keep work centered on mission execution and avoid social or political activism at work that’s unrelated to the mission. If that energizes you, we’d love to see you apply.