Nominal builds software that lets hardware teams test, iterate, and deploy as fast as software teams.
The Role
Summer 2027 Product Design Intern working with designers, engineers, and product partners on a scoped project for hardware engineering customers. Responsibilities include user research, workflow analysis, AI-assisted prototyping, detailed product design, design critiques, and contributing to design system components and documentation. Candidates should demonstrate visual design fundamentals, thoughtful problem-solving, prototyping ability, curiosity about technical problems, and openness to feedback.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Nominal
Nominal is building the connected test and operations platform powering the world's most advanced hardware systems, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation defense programs. Our platform gives hardware engineering teams a single place to ingest data, analyze performance, automate test execution, and collaborate across every phase of development, so they can move faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.
We serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, from autonomy leaders like Anduril and Shield AI to next-generation aerospace teams like Hermeus and REGENT, and performance engineering teams like Pratt Miller Motorsports, alongside mission partners within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on programs where failure isn’t an option. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Skills Required
- Graduating in 2028 and seeking a Summer 2027 internship
- Portfolio of academic, personal, or internship projects demonstrating visual design fundamentals and thoughtful problem-solving
- Ability to use design and prototyping tools to communicate flows, layouts, and interactive concepts
- Curiosity about unfamiliar technical problems and willingness to understand user workflows
- Openness to feedback and ability to demonstrate improvement based on feedback
- Meet applicable ITAR eligibility or obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations
- Experience exploring AI tools for prototyping or testing design ideas
- Experience with data visualization, technical software, or hardware-related projects
Nominal Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Nominal and has not been reviewed or approved by Nominal.
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Healthcare Strength — 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage is repeatedly described as covering both employees and dependents, indicating unusually strong healthcare provisioning. Additional mentions of “Platinum” coverage reinforce the sense of a high-tier plan offering.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Unlimited PTO and paid holidays/sick time are presented as part of the core package, suggesting broad time-off benefits on paper. Parental leave is also framed as fully paid in several places, reinforcing overall leave breadth.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellness stipends, daily gourmet lunch (and sometimes dinner), and periodic retreats are consistently highlighted as meaningful lifestyle perks. Learning/development and other small stipends further round out a perks-heavy total rewards posture.
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The Company
What We Do
Nominal builds the essential software stack that enables hardware teams to test and iterate as rapidly as software teams. Nominal empowers engineers to continuously monitor, validate, and deploy innovations, transforming how mission-critical hardware is built and operated.
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