Staff Industrial Designer - Hand Tools

Milwaukee Tool; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Milwaukee Tool is seeking a Staff Industrial Designer to support our Hand Tools category. In this mid-level role you will balance ergonomics, usability, craftsmanship, manufacturability, and aesthetics within our bold brand language.

You will collaborate with engineers, researchers, and product managers to create user-centered, brand-aligned design solutions, develop concepts, prototype, test, and iterate toward production-ready outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional design experience.
• Portfolio demonstrating creativity and form development.
• Understanding of ergonomics, usability, and manufacturing.
• Ability to iterate and validate ideas through hands-on prototyping and testing.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Familiarity with Milwaukee's visual brand language is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Identify unmet user needs and opportunities through research and observation.
• Generate product concepts through independent ideation.
• Facilitate collaborative brainstorming sessions to catalyze innovation.
• Define project goals, plan development activities, and independently execute design development.
• Refine the form and function of designs through sketching, 3D modeling, prototyping, and hands-on testing.
• Support Design for Manufacturing by applying knowledge of materials and processes.
• Communicate design intent through clear visuals and impactful presentations.
• Document design solutions and manufacturing specifications for cross-functional use.
• Support projects through production to ensure exceptional design execution.

Skills

Ergonomics

Usability

Prototyping

3D modeling

Sketching

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design

Job description

Position Overview

Milwaukee Tool is seeking a creative, talented, and driven Staff Industrial Designer to support our Hand Tools category.

Job Description

In this mid-level role, you will demonstrate solid design capabilities and take greater ownership of your work with increasing autonomy. You will effectively apply established processes while continuing to strengthen your design skills, workflows, professionalism, and advocacy for design.

Your design work will balance ergonomics, usability, craftsmanship, manufacturability, and aesthetics that showcase our bold brand language. You will work with cross-functional teams of engineers, researchers, and product managers to develop user-centered, brand-aligned design solutions.

Daily Responsibilities

• Identifying unmet user needs and opportunities for disruptive innovation through research and observation
• Generating product concepts through independent ideation
• Facilitating collaborative brainstorming sessions to catalyze innovation
• Defining project goals, proactively planning development activities, and independently executing design development
• Refining the form and function of your designs through sketching, 3D modeling, prototyping, and hands-on testing
• Supporting Design for Manufacturing (DfM) by applying your growing knowledge of various materials & processes
• Communicating design intent through clear, compelling visuals and impactful presentations
• Documenting design solutions and manufacturing specifications for departmental and cross-functional use
• Supporting projects through production to ensure exceptional design execution

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design (or equivalent) from an accredited university
• Minimum of 3 years of professional design experience
• Portfolio demonstrating strong creativity, form development, and problem-solving skills
• Understanding of ergonomics, usability, and manufacturing
• Natural inclination to iterate, refine, and validate ideas through hands-on prototyping and testing
• Strong communication, collaboration, and initiative
• Ability to manage multiple projects and adapt quickly in a fast-paced environment
• Experience designing within an established visual brand language (VBL) - familiarity with Milwaukee VBL is a plus

At Milwaukee Tool, you will work alongside some of the industry's best designers to create products used by millions of professionals every day, shaping how work gets done.

If you are naturally curious, obsessed with design, and motivated to collaborate with dynamic teams to create great tools, we would love to see your portfolio!

Milwaukee Tool is an equal opportunity employer.