Startups

Head of Brand Design

Special · New York, NY · On-site

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About Special

Special is a new kind of holding company, building an AI operating system to transform critical American industries. Backed by a16z.

About the role

You'll be the lead designer across the entire holding company, from Special's own brand surfaces ( special.co , marketing materials, announcements), SpecialOS (our operating system that runs our companies), and Figure Health (our first vertical). You'll work directly with founders, engineers, and operators in the field to turn messy operational processes into beautiful experiences.

What they're looking for

  • Have shipped meaningful brand design work and/or product features on web/mobile
  • Care deeply about craft, clarity, and user experience
  • Are comfortable working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where the org and the product are both being built in real time
  • Are interested in real-world industries — healthcare, services, the physical economy — not just consumer software
  • Embrace new design and engineering workflows, including AI-assisted tooling
  • Communicate clearly and collaborate well across disciplines, including with non-technical operators
More about this role

Special is a new kind of holding company. Our mission is to maximize the efficiency of American taxpayer dollars by transforming its critical industries with AI. We acquire and operate businesses that form the backbone of the American economy and deploy SpecialOS, our proprietary operating system, to make them run more efficiently.

Special is backed by leading investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Human Capital and former members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team. Our team is small, technical, and systems-oriented. Everyone is an individual contributor. We expect strong work ethic and clear communication.

You'll be the lead designer across the entire holding company, from Special's own brand surfaces ( special.co , marketing materials, announcements), SpecialOS (our operating system that runs our companies), and Figure Health (our first vertical). You'll work directly with founders, engineers, and operators in the field to turn messy operational processes into beautiful experiences.

Design is a top priority at Special. This role is for a designer who wants range: one week you're refining a clinician workflow, the next you're designing a brand system for a...

Read the full posting on Special's site ↗

Design

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