Industrial Designer - US Based

Toptal

7d

About The Position

We are building a new class of consumer hardware — a product that will fundamentally change how people experience and interact with their living spaces. We’re in stealth mode for now, but the ambition is large, the opportunity is massive, and the early team will define the future of the company. As the founding Industrial Designer, you will own the end-to-end design of our first-generation hardware product. This includes concept development, prototyping, user experience, aesthetics, ergonomics, materials selection, manufacturability, and readiness for OEM production. This is a rare zero-to-one design role. You will shape not only the product but the design language of an entirely new category. Applicants are required to reside in New York or be willing to relocate there. We do not offer visa sponsorship or assistance, so applicants must already be authorized to work in the US at the time of hire. Resumes and communication must be submitted in English.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• 4–10+ years of experience designing physical hardware products (consumer electronics, IoT devices, appliances, or smart home products preferred).
• Strong portfolio that demonstrates end-to-end design work from sketch to mass production.
• Expertise in design tools (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Rhino, Keyshot, Adobe Suite, etc.).
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes (injection molding, die casting, CNC, soft goods, assembly methods, CMF).
• Experience working with OEMs and contract manufacturers, ideally in Korea or Taiwan.
• Ability to collaborate with engineers and convert constraints into elegant, manufacturable design.
• Comfortable with rapid iteration, ambiguity, and shaping an early-stage product from scratch.
• Passion for creating beautiful, high-quality, user-centric products.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly growing company and handle a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a diverse array of contacts.
• You must be a world-class individual contributor to thrive at Toptal. You will not be here just to tell other people what to do.
• Regularly and reliably attend scheduled virtual team meetings on camera.
• Work independently with minimal supervision.
• Use all required digital collaboration tools.
• Prioritize and self-manage workflows and deadlines.

Nice To Haves

• Background in designing smart home devices, IoT products, or architectural/consumer-grade installations.
• Familiarity with smart materials, thin films, electronics packaging, or environmental product design.
• Experience building design systems or brand language for a first-generation product.
• Prior startup experience or zero-to-one product launches.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full industrial design process: concept sketches → CAD → prototyping → DFM → final production design.
• Create a cohesive product identity and design language for Shade.com.
• Work closely with hardware, materials science, and firmware engineers to ensure seamless functional integration.
• Translate engineering constraints into elegant, user-friendly design solutions.
• Develop and refine CMF (Color, Material, Finish) choices that elevate the product experience.
• Build prototypes (foam models, 3D prints, engineering samples) and iterate quickly.
• Prepare detailed design documentation for manufacturing.
• Collaborate with global OEMs and contract manufacturers to drive DFM and production readiness.
• Conduct usability studies, refine ergonomics, and inform product experience decisions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees