About the role
About Primer
Primer is a growing network of K–8 schools restoring the timeless foundations of American education. Inspired by the original teaching primers that shaped a nation of readers, thinkers, and builders, our schools begin with what has always worked, and build for what lies ahead. Close-knit learning environments. Skilled educators. A culture that takes kids seriously as learners and leaders.
Primers shaped the first 200 years of American children. Primer will ready them for the next.
About the role
You’ll own the end-to-end design for the experiences that make Primer schools great. That includes web and mobile products for families, students, educators, and internal teams, as well as the physical campuses themselves. From the app parents use every day, to the signage they see when they walk into a school, you’ll help us define it all.
Most edtech companies stop at software. We run the schools, source the real estate, hire the teachers, and build the spaces where learning happens. The same person who designs the digital onboarding flow also has a point of view on how the classroom flows.
You’ll join a small, high-ownership design team that works close to students, families, educators, and operators. We value clear thinking, honest feedback, strong craft, and a bias toward action.
You’ll work closely with product, engineering, and school operators to solve problems that have never been solved before. The goal is to build simple, intuitive, and joyful experiences for all our users and scale our products for our next phase of growth.
What you’ll do:
* Lead design projects from initial concept through high-fidelity design and launch.
* Run user research with students, families, and teachers, and turn what you learn into interfaces, systems, and environments.
* Move fluidly between visual design, interaction design, and systems thinking depending on what the product needs.
* Refine copy, tone, and visual detail so every screen feels cohesive and intentional.
* Contribute to and help shape the Mondrian design system.
* Design beyond the screen: campus signage, interior spaces and marketing assets
* Help set Primer's design standards and raise the ceiling of the team as it grows.
What we're looking for
* 5+ years of experience as Product Designer
* An exceptionally polished portfolio
* A track record of owning projects end-to-end, from concept through launch.
* A strong sense of language and consistency
* Comfort balancing insight with intuition. You can commit to a direction without waiting for formal research to hand you the answer.
* Strength bringing clarity to big, ambiguous problem spaces
* Comfortable presenting to executives, board members, investors and non-tech stakeholders
* Experience using AI tools to prototype and convey designs is a plus
* High EQ. You work well with people who aren't designers, take feedback in a room full of them, and can read what students, families, and teachers actually need.
* Genuine excitement about Primer's mission
* This is a full-time, in-person role based in San Francisco, as we believe our best work happens when we’re together.
Something Extra: We value diverse backgrounds — whether in education, healthcare, logistics, marketplaces, compliance, field operations, or something entirely different. Anything that taught you how complex human systems really work.
Why Join Primer
We're building something really hard — a new school system. The product challenges are incredibly varied 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 in this interview.
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.