Senior Industrial Designer

Company Description

DesignThink is a product design and development studio focused on defining and delivering meaningful product experiences that drive real business outcomes. We partner with companies across a wide range of industries including medical devices, commercial equipment, tools, juvenile products, consumer goods, and more, giving our team broad exposure to different users, technologies, and market dynamics. This cross-industry perspective allows us to bring fresh thinking to every program and uncover opportunities others might miss. Our work sits at the intersection of Industrial Design, Human Factors, and Engineering, allowing us to move fluidly from early insight and concept development through detailed execution and manufacturing support. We are equally focused on design outcomes and business outcomes. Every solution we create is grounded not only in usability and form, but also in the market realities that define product success, brand positioning, cost targets, user adoption, and competitive differentiation. We are particularly focused on building cohesive product ecosystems and design language systems that help brands scale with clarity and intention across product lines.

Position Summary

We are looking for a Senior Industrial Designer who is first and foremost a hands‑on design leader, someone who thrives in the work while also helping guide direction. This role is approximately 80% hands‑on design execution and 20% strategic and client‑facing, requiring a balance of strong form development, visualization, and prototyping skills with the ability to communicate design intent clearly and confidently. You will play a key role in shaping product direction across projects, translating complex inputs into thoughtful, well‑resolved solutions that align user needs, brand identity, and business objectives. You should be equally comfortable sketching concepts, building CAD, and presenting ideas to clients in a way that drives alignment and decision‑making. The ideal candidate brings a strong point of view on form, usability, and brand expression and knows how to apply that thinking across product systems, not just individual products.

What Success Looks Like

• You actively contribute to design work: sketching, modeling, and refining solutions at a high level
• You help translate ambiguous inputs into clear, actionable design directions
• You create work that feels cohesive across products, not one‑off solutions
• You understand how design decisions impact cost, brand, usability, and market success
• You communicate ideas in a way that builds trust and drives decisions
• You balance speed and thoughtfulness, knowing when to explore and when to converge
• You leverage tools, including AI, to accelerate workflow without compromising intent
• You elevate the team through collaboration, feedback, and example

Primary Responsibilities

Design Execution & Development

• Lead hands‑on design work across all phases, concept sketching, form development, CAD modeling, and prototyping, bringing clarity and resolution to ideas.

Concept Development & Direction

• Generate and guide multiple design directions, balancing creative exploration with strategic intent, usability, feasibility, and business considerations.

Design Communication

• Clearly articulate design rationale through sketches, renderings, prototypes, and presentations, internally and with clients.

Client Engagement

• Participate in client conversations to present work, explain design decisions, and help guide alignment around product direction.

Design Language & Systems Thinking

• Contribute to the development of cohesive product families and visual brand languages that scale across product lines.

User‑Centered Design

• Ensure solutions are intuitive, functional, and grounded in real‑world use scenarios.

Cross‑Disciplinary Collaboration

• Work closely with engineering and usability teams to ensure design intent is maintained through development and into production.

Multi‑Project Ownership

• Manage multiple projects and priorities, balancing creative exploration with timelines, budgets, and deliverables.

Example Project Types

• Defining a next‑generation medical device platform that balances usability, regulatory constraints, and brand evolution
• Developing a tool or equipment product family with a cohesive design language across multiple SKUs
• Creating a new consumer product experience from early opportunity definition through production‑ready design

Studio Culture, Pace, & Expectations

We are a collaborative studio that values the experience, perspective, and voice of every team member. Strong ideas can come from anywhere, and we believe the best outcomes are built through open dialogue and mutual respect. Our pace reflects the reality of product development; there are moments of rapid iteration and focused sprints, as well as longer, deeper phases of refinement and execution. We look for designers who are adaptable, accountable, and comfortable navigating both. You will be trusted with meaningful responsibility and given the space to contribute but also expected to take ownership of your work, communicate clearly, and support the broader team.

Portfolio Requirements

We’re looking for portfolios that demonstrate both strong execution and clear thinking, from early exploration through refinement and final resolution.

Work should show:

• Sketching and form development
• Iteration and decision‑making process
• Consideration of usability and real‑world context
• Examples of product families, systems thinking, or design language development (strongly preferred)

Digital Tools & Workflow

Proficiency in modern industrial design tools is expected, including:

• Sketching (digital and/or traditional)
• 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred)
• Rendering tools (Vizcom, KeyShot, or similar)
• Adobe Creative Suite

AI‑Enabled Workflow

You are comfortable integrating AI into your design process as a creative accelerator, using it to explore, visualize, and iterate more efficiently while maintaining strong design judgment and intent.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design or related field
• 5+ years of relevant industry experience
• Strong foundation in both design execution and applied design thinking

Reporting Structure

This role reports directly to the President and works closely with Industrial Design, Engineering, and Usability teams. You will also engage with clients to communicate design direction and advocate for the end‑user experience.

Position Type and Compensation

Full‑time, 6‑month contract position with the opportunity to transition to a permanent role. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Work Authorization

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Apply

Please send resume and portfolio to: Jobs@designthinkstudios.com