1

Design Innovation Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Collaborate with design leadership to identify opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement. * Assist in the creation of mock-ups, material boards, and design ...

Collaborate with design leadership to identify opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement. * Assist in the creation of mock-ups, material boards, and design ...

Collaborate with design leadership to identify opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement. * Assist in the creation of mock-ups, material boards, and design ...

Head of IC Design

San Jose, CA

$181K - $223K/yr

Balance design innovation with execution risk and schedule confidence. * Ensure designs meet: o Performance targets o Cost and area targets o Manufacturability and yield requirements Core ...

Collaborate with design leadership to identify opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement. * Assist in the creation of mock-ups, material boards, and design ...

Head of IC Design

San Jose, CA · On-site

$181K - $223K/yr

Drive improvements in:o First-pass silicon success o Development cycle time o Design productivity and reuse Balance design innovation with execution risk and schedule confidence. Ensure designs meet ...

Head of IC Design

San Jose, CA · On-site

$181K - $223K/yr

... Balance design innovation with execution risk and schedule confidence. • Ensure designs meet: o Performance targets o Cost and area targets o Manufacturability and yield requirements Core ...

Head of IC Design

San Jose, CA · On-site

$181K - $223K/yr

... Balance design innovation with execution risk and schedule confidence. • Ensure designs meet: o Performance targets o Cost and area targets o Manufacturability and yield requirements Core ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Design Innovation information

See California salary details

$62.2K

$119.9K

$189K

How much do design innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for design innovation in California is $119,875.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $93,800.00 and $136,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a design innovation?

A Design Innovation job focuses on creating new, user-centered solutions by combining design thinking, technology, and business strategy. Professionals in this role research trends, identify user needs, and develop innovative products, services, or experiences. They collaborate across disciplines to prototype, test, and refine ideas that drive growth and differentiation. This role is common in industries like tech, consumer goods, healthcare, and consulting, where innovation is a key competitive advantage.

What jobs can you get with a design and innovation degree?

A design and innovation degree prepares graduates for roles such as product designer, user experience (UX) designer, innovation strategist, design researcher, and creative director. These positions often require skills in design thinking, prototyping, and familiarity with tools like Adobe Creative Suite or CAD software, and may involve working in industries like technology, consumer goods, or branding.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the design innovation position, and why are they important?

To excel in Design Innovation, you need a strong background in design thinking, creative problem-solving, and user-centered design, often supported by a degree in design, engineering, or a related field. Proficiency with tools like Adobe Creative Suite, CAD software, rapid prototyping methods, and familiarity with agile project management is highly valuable. Effective communication, collaboration, and an open-minded approach to feedback are crucial soft skills in this field. These abilities ensure the development of innovative, impactful solutions that align with user needs and organizational goals.

What types of projects or challenges do design innovation professionals typically work on?

Design Innovation professionals are often tasked with tackling complex, multifaceted problems across a variety of industries, such as product development, service design, and business process improvement. Their projects commonly involve leading collaborative brainstorming sessions, developing prototypes, and synthesizing feedback to iterate on solutions. Team members frequently engage with stakeholders from diverse disciplines, such as marketing, engineering, and user research, to ensure holistic and user-driven outcomes. The dynamic, project-based work environment provides ongoing opportunities for creative thinking and professional growth.

What does a design innovation do?

A design innovation professional develops new and improved product, service, or process designs that enhance user experience and functionality. They often use creative thinking, research, and design tools to solve problems and drive competitive advantage within organizations.
What are the most commonly searched types of Design Innovation jobs in California? The most popular types of Design Innovation jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Design Innovation jobs in California? For Design Innovation jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Design Innovation jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Design Innovation jobs in California are:
Infographic showing various Design Innovation job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 4% Internship, 75% Full Time, 17% Part Time, and 4% Temporary. Highlights an 87% In-person, 9% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $119,875 per year, or $57.6 per hour.

Staff Product Designer, Design Innovation

Pinterest

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 28 days ago


Job description

Pinterest is looking for a methodical and thoughtful Staff Product Designer to join the Design Innovation team. You'll help evolve our product design language and craft intuitive, coherent, and delightful experiences across surfaces. You'll collaborate closely with product, engineering, research, and data science partners to shape end-to-end experiences that feel uniquely Pinterest, raise the quality bar, and explore new opportunities for innovation, including AI-powered experiences. You have a knack for visual detail as much as holistic systems thinking. You're a problem solver whose designs reflect a deep understanding of user needs and business context. You're comfortable working in an iterative, experimental environment and using AI tools to accelerate your workflow while maintaining strong critical thinking, judgment, and ownership of outcomes.

What you'll do:

  • Design product experiences-systematically, interactively, and visually-with a high bar for craft and consistency across the Pinterest product ecosystem.
  • Partner with Design Innovation teammates and cross-functional partners to evolve our product design language and bring it to life in key product surfaces and features.
  • Uphold and Elevate Craft: Conduct quality audits, review flows and handoffs, and directly contribute hands-on design when needed-always advocating for the highest standards. 
  • Prototype & Technologize: Rapidly visualize, prototype, validate new ideas; translate abstract solutions into practical, scalable patterns using Figma, code, AI, or whatever is needed to inspire clarity/adoption.
  • Collaborate closely with engineering, product management, and research to develop impactful, user-centric, and data-informed solutions; work with engineers throughout implementation to ensure high-quality execution.
  • Incorporate insights from qualitative and quantitative research, experiments, and marketplace/AI trends to refine design directions and identify new opportunities for innovation.
  • Contribute to design reviews and critique, helping to uphold and inspire a high level of design execution and inclusive, accessible experiences across the team.
  • Mentor & Scale Impact: Inspire and guide other designers in craft, systemic thinking, and best practices through critique, guidance, and sharing your expertise across teams.
  • Communicate & Influence: Clearly articulate your design thinking, rationale, and vision-presenting work to teams, leaders, and executives, and rallying consensus.

What we're looking for:

  • 8+ years of experience in product design, with strong visual and interaction design skills demonstrated in a portfolio of shipped or in-progress work.
  • Track record in staff/principal-level roles, influencing horizontally, upholding design craft quality, and partnering cross-functionally-ideally in large-scale consumer or platform environments. 
  • Expert-level motion and visual design skills, with a deep understanding of principles and their impact on usability, comprehension, and overall experience quality - using animation and transitions to enhance clarity, convey emotion, and drive user engagement.
  • Ability to design within and extend a design system, balancing consistency with thoughtful innovation across surfaces and platforms.
  • Design technologist mindset: Comfortable experimenting with Figma prototypes, AI, and (optionally) front-end code; curious and opinionated about technical feasibility, accessibility, and how we can streamline design workflows and processes through systems and tools. 
  • Strong product thinking and systems mindset: you can connect craft decisions to user outcomes, product strategy, and measurable impact.
  • Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design decisions, tradeoffs, synthesize ambiguity into actionable design problems and unite teams through clarity, documentation, and collaboration. 
  • High attention to detail and a sense of ownership over the quality and cohesion of the product experience, including accessibility and inclusive design considerations.
  • Collaborative, low-ego working style with a growth mindset; passion for ongoing learning, experimentation, and mentoring others, giving and receiving feedback & contributing to team culture.
  • Bachelor's degree in design, a related field or equivalent experience.
  • Bonus Points For
    • Experience leading platform-wide or multi-product design system initiatives.
    • Familiarity with personalization, large consumer apps, or rapid scale environments.
    • Contributions to public design systems, open-source libraries, or industry talks/writing.
    • Join us to shape the platform and patterns that power inspiration for millions-raising the bar for design quality, system integrity, and Pinterest's positive potential.

In-Office Requirement Statement:

  • We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day-to-day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role.
  • This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1-2 times every 6-months, and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

Relocation Statement:

  • This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-JD3