Product Designer - Internship (Summer 2027)

The posting, as Nominal wrote it

About Nominal

Engineers today are building some of the most ambitious machines humanity has ever seen. They should have AI that’s purpose-built for them.

Nominal is building the Hardware Intelligence Platform that gives engineers increased visibility into complex physical systems, helps them make better decisions, and ultimately gets their products into the real world faster. It brings together the systems, data, intelligence, and applications hardware engineering requires to meet the AI moment. Hardware engineering teams use Nominal to simulate, test, manufacture, and operate the physical systems that keep the world moving, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation energy systems and robotics.

Our customers span aerospace, defense, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and robotics. They include Anduril, Shield AI, Wisk Aero, Pratt Miller Motorsports, Antares, and Shinkei Systems, amongst others, alongside programs within the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Tesla, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.

Some of the world’s leading technology investors, including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, and Insight Partners, are backing Nominal’s ambition to change how machines are built and operated. We’re looking for teammates who want to take on hard problems and help make a new generation of world-changing hardware possible.

The role

We’re looking for students graduating in 2028 with solid visual and product design fundamentals who are seeking a Summer 2027 internship and are interested in joining Nominal full time after graduation in 2028.

You’ll work alongside designers, engineers, and product partners on a scoped project that addresses a real customer need. With mentorship and regular feedback, you’ll build experience across research, prototyping, and detailed design while contributing to the tools engineers use to test and validate complex hardware.

🚀 What you’ll do

• Turn complexity into clarity. Learn how engineers work with high-frequency, high-volume hardware data and help translate those workflows into intuitive product experiences.
• Learn from real users. Work with the team to understand customer needs, observe workflows, and identify opportunities to improve the product.
• Partner with design, engineering, and product to research, prototype with AI, and contribute directly to product improvements and features.
• Take a scoped design project from exploration through detailed design, with guidance from your design mentor and team.
• Build your craft. Share work in design critiques, incorporate feedback, and explain the thinking behind your decisions.
• Contribute to our design system by applying existing patterns and helping improve components and documentation.

🎯 Reach out if…

• You’re graduating in 2028, seeking an internship in Summer 2027, and interested in a full-time product design role at Nominal after graduation.
• You have a portfolio of academic, personal, or internship projects that demonstrates visual design fundamentals and thoughtful problem-solving.
• You can use design and prototyping tools to communicate ideas through flows, layouts, and interactive concepts.
• You’re curious about unfamiliar technical problems and ask questions to understand how people work.
• You’re open to feedback and can show how you’ve used it to improve your work.

🌟 Bonus, not required

• You’ve explored AI tools to prototype or test design ideas.
• You’ve worked on data visualization, technical software, or hardware-related projects.

✨ Benefits/Perks

• Receive mentorship from our world-class team
• Trips to co-locate with the team across our different offices
• Free lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks
• A beginning-of-internship swag bag and an end-of-internship intern gift
• In-office hardware lab with a $250 project stipend

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .