Mechanical Engineering Design Lead

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

Lead Mechanical Engineer – San Francisco, CA

At IDEO, we use design to create new products, services, experiences, tangible strategies, and creative capabilities.

IDEO is in search of a Lead Mechanical Engineer to guide and shape the work of our world‑class interdisciplinary teams. The ideal candidate will bring deep industry knowledge of product development lifecycles & maintenance; a drive to iterate quickly through prototyping; and an inclusive collaboration style. This hire will have the unique opportunity to help evolve IDEO’s practice of engineering high‑impact physical products, building on our diverse network of Design Directors, Partners, and Business Leaders.

In a Nutshell

The Lead Mechanical Engineer is directly responsible for leading physical product development efforts for our exceptionally creative clients across industries.

We are especially excited to meet candidates with exceptional project management skills; visual storytelling abilities; a drive to get tangible by prototyping in both digital and physical realms; and a grounding in core design for manufacturing (DFM) principles and practices.

This hire must be within a commutable distance of IDEO’s San Francisco studio. IDEO proudly supports flexible work.

Once here you will:

• 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 best practices through 0-1 physical product development, materials science research, and life cycle analysis (LCA).
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and designers in the craft of physical product realization, sourcing partner manufacturers, and design for manufacturing principles.
• Present design direction through CAD, physical prototypes, and visual storytelling.
• Partner with research, design, and business stakeholders to define project strategies and product direction.
• Build, test, and iterate high‑fidelity functional prototypes using 3D printers and machine tools.
• Contribute to and occasionally lead user research throughout concepting and pilot production phases.
• These may include in‑home visits, ethnographic diary studies, qualitative/quantitative survey analysis, or other participatory workshop activities.
• Represent IDEO in client communications, workshops, and presentations.

Qualifications / Experience

• 5‑7+ years of experience in mechanical engineering or product design
• Proven ability to guide product development through ambiguous problem spaces
• Deep proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred), Adobe Creative Suite, and rapid physical prototyping tools beyond 3D printing (machining, CNC lasercutting, foamcore, paper prototyping, etc)
• Experience launching products and sourcing key manufacturing partners
• Professional leadership & production experience with one or more of the following:
• Complex Mechanism Design: proven ability to design, test, and develop robust mechanisms for products like medical devices or consumer electronics.
• Packaging: understand basic structural packaging design and sustainability considerations.
• Health and Life Sciences Products: usability and functionality with a focus on ergonomics and medical‑specific requirements.
• Injection Molded Plastic Part Design: having a general knowledge of tooling approaches to aid in part design, including awareness of techniques like overmolding.
• Design for Manufacturing and Assembly: having a general understanding of the types of trade‑offs and decisions that need to be made when designing a product for mass production.
• Proof of Concept Prototyping: functional prototypes to explore a key design challenge and prove something is technically feasible.
• Research Model Prototyping: prototyping to create different models to elicit user feedback during research sessions.
• Experience mentoring junior designers and leading small teams
• Experience working in startups or client‑service studios, and a systems‑thinking mindset

Nice‑to‑have Skills

• A leading craft edge in one or more of the following skills…
• UI/UX design (Figma, Framer, Protopie, etc)
• Coding/Software Development (Mechatronics, Arduino, Python, etc)
• Storytelling tools such as photography, videography

Salary & Benefits

IDEO is committed to paying its employees equitably, regardless of gender identity or race/ethnicity/cultural identity. We support the holistic well‑being of our community by providing a thoughtfully designed benefits package.

The salary range for this role is $110,000–$130,000 USD. This range is influenced by a wide range of factors considered in compensation decisions at IDEO. This includes, but is not limited to: skills, industry knowledge, and experience. Final offers may vary from the amount listed based on candidate experience, expertise, and other factors.

In addition to base compensation, IDEO offers a rich benefits package including the following:

Health Benefits: Vision, Dental, Healthcare
Financial Benefits: 401K matching
Family & Caregiving: Parental Leave, Adoption Assistance, Fertility Assistance, Transgender Medical Assistance, Breastmilk shipment, Back‑up/Dependent Care, Pet Insurance
Other Benefits: Flexible Work, Flexible Time Off, Paid Holidays, Annual Education Stipend, Home Office Stipend

Commitment to Diversity

At IDEO, we are committed to the work of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization and in the world. Our purpose of having disproportionate, world‑changing impact through design is directly connected to our ability to bring many different perspectives to the table. This applies to our candidates, the people we hire, the clients and customers we serve, and the communities we learn from in our research.

As a human‑centered organization, we are committed to working with and designing for people of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio‑economic status, physical ability or attribute, religion, national origin, or political belief. We recognize that this commitment requires ongoing work and sustained attention, as well as adaptation to new insights and best practices.