Staff Industrial Designer

Aurora Innovation•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Aurora is seeking a Mid-Level to Senior Industrial Designer who is passionate about the craft of design and the process of building real products. This role requires a highly collaborative, detail-oriented individual comfortable working through constraints with engineers and external partners. You will be part of a fast-paced feedback loop, iterating, prototyping, and refining user-focused designs to develop integrated solutions that are innovative, reliable, and manufacturable at scale. Working closely with experienced engineering teams and OEM partners, we value practical problem-solving, clear communication, and hands-on engagement. Our environment emphasizes substance and offers the opportunity to deliver meaningful work on products that move beyond concept into transformative self-driving real-world applications.

Requirements

3–6+ years of experience in industrial, automotive or product design.
A portfolio demonstrating strong execution and a grasp of the end to end process from discovery through DFM refinement.
Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, CATIA, Alias, Keyshot or similar) for A-Surface design iteration development and visualization.
Strong sketching skills used as a thinking tool and high fidelity presentation tool internally and externally.
Working knowledge of manufacturing processes (injection molding, CNC, sheet metal, etc.) and experience collaborating with engineers on complex products.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with OEM or product design studio development environments and supplier collaboration.
Exposure to sensor integration, including LiDAR, radar, and cameras.
A strong curiosity regarding product assembly and a willingness to refine designs based on real-world constraints.
High ownership, a focus on quality outcomes, and meticulous attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Develop thoughtful user-centric, well-resolved design solutions for self-driving kit vehicle integration and user interactions, in collaboration with user researchers and product team experts.
Communicate ideas through sketching, CAD, and high-quality visual assets to support storytelling and curation of concepts, in collaboration with design and marketing teams.
Partner closely with engineering and aero partners to balance design intent with performance and feasibility.
Collaborate with vehicle teams for seamless platform integration, including mounting, protection, serviceability, and applying DFM principles to support scalability.
Prototype and test designs to validate decisions and identify potential issues early in the process.
Collaborate with OEM partners and suppliers to align on requirements and maintain practical documentation to support the manufacturing process.