Lead Designer

Lead DesignerStarpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. Today, we are building robotic systems that locally produce the essential commodities a lunar civilization will require at extreme scale: water, power, and oxygen. Our ultimate goal is to build and operate a self-sustaining city on Mars.Starpath is building a growing portfolio of hardware — space solar arrays, lunar surface robotics, factory equipment, and the systems that will one day operate on the Moon and Mars. As our Lead Designer, you will own how our hardware looks, feels, and reads as a coherent family of products. Your work will define Starpath's design language, and set the aesthetic and formal standards that carry across every product we build.This is a hands-on senior IC role. You'll live in CAD, generate concepts, iterate fast, and partner deeply with engineering to translate design intent into buildable hardware. The right person combines strong industrial design instincts with the engineering fluency to work directly with mechanical, structures, and manufacturing teams without translation loss.ResponsibilitiesDevelop and steward Starpath's industrial design language across all products — form, surfacing, proportions, materiality, and detailGenerate concept designs in CAD for new products and product refreshes, from early ideation through refined design intentPartner with mechanical, structures, and manufacturing engineering to translate design concepts into buildable hardware while preserving design intentEstablish and evolve design standards, guidelines, and libraries that support consistency as the product portfolio growsLead design reviews and act as the design voice in cross-functional product decisionsProduce renderings, visualizations, and design deliverables that communicate design vision internally and externally (investor materials, customer presentations, marketing)Own the visual and formal cohesion of Starpath's hardware — ensuring products from different teams read as part of the same familyPush back on unnecessary complexity — simplify forms, reduce visual noise, and cut detail wherever it doesn't add valueRequired QualificationsBachelor's or Master's degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, or a related discipline6+ years of industrial design experience with a portfolio demonstrating hardware product design, ideally in aerospace, robotics, consumer electronics, automotive, or comparable domainsStrong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, Alias, Rhino, or similar) with the ability to model and iterate concepts directlyDemonstrated ability to define and maintain design language across a family of hardware productsPortfolio required for considerationPreferred QualificationsExperience at a hardware company with a strong design reputation (Apple, Tesla, Rivian, Anduril, Nike, Frog Design, IDEO, or comparable)Background bridging industrial design and mechanical engineering — comfort with GD&T, DFM, and engineering-driven design constraintsProficiency with visualization and rendering tools (KeyShot, Blender, Cinema 4D, or similar)Experience designing hardware for extreme environments, high-reliability applications, or complex mechanical systemsSketching skills for early ideation and communicationExperience partnering with brand and marketing teams on visual identity and product photographyPrior experience as the sole designer or first design hire at a growing hardware companyCompensation & BenefitsLocation: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CACompetitive salary plus equity package; compensation scales with candidate experiencePTO & health/dental/vision coverage includedEAR REQUIREMENTS:To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.Equal OpportunityStarpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.