Lead Mechanical Engineer — Prototyping & Product Design

SLAM; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401K matching

Paid holidays

Home office stipend

Job summary

IDEO is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to guide and shape the work of interdisciplinary teams in San Francisco. The role focuses on leading physical product development, prototyping, and applying DFM principles to create high‑impact products across industries.

The hire requires 5–7+ years in mechanical engineering, strong CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred), and experience mentoring junior engineers. Flexible work is supported as IDEO evolves its design practice.

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years in mechanical engineering or product design.
• Ability to guide product development through ambiguous problem spaces.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and rapid physical prototyping tools.
• Experience launching products and sourcing key manufacturing partners.
• Professional leadership and production experience on multi‑discipline teams.
• Experience mentoring junior designers and leading small teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage mechanical design efforts on complex projects from concept to implementation.
• Be the key technical voice on multi‑disciplinary teams, translating between form and function.
• Elevate clients’ climate goals and sustainability through 0‑1 product development and life cycle analysis.
• Mentor junior engineers and designers in manufacturing and design for manufacturing.
• Present design direction through CAD, physical prototypes, and visual storytelling.
• Partner with research, design, and business stakeholders to define project strategies.

Skills

Complex Mechanism Design

Packaging

Health and Life Sciences Products

Injection Molded Plastic Part Design

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly

Proof of Concept Prototyping

Research Model Prototyping

Tools

SolidWorks

Adobe Creative Suite

3D printing

Machining/CNC Lasercutting

Job description

IDEO is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to guide and shape the work of interdisciplinary teams in San Francisco. The role focuses on leading physical product development, prototyping, and applying DFM principles to create high‑impact products across industries.

The hire requires 5–7+ years in mechanical engineering, strong CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred), and experience mentoring junior engineers. Flexible work is supported as IDEO evolves its design practice.