Principal Industrial Design Engineer

James Hardie is the industry leader in exterior home and outdoor living solutions, with a portfolio that includes fiber cement, fiber gypsum, composite and PVC decking and railing products. Our family of trusted brands includes Hardie®, TimberTech®, AZEK® Exteriors, Versatex®, fermacell®, and StruXure®.

With over 8,000 employees and our U.S. operating entities headquartered in Chicago, we boast 31 operating sites, 6 recycling facilities, and 6 research and development centers globally. Powered by a dynamic workforce, we’re united by our purpose of Building a Better Future for All™ through sustainable innovation, a Zero Harm culture, and a commitment to empowering our people and communities.

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Summary

As part of the R&D organization, the Principal Industrial Design Engineer applies extensive experience developing consumer products through production and understands how industrial design integrates with engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and research. This role is equally comfortable creating compelling visual concepts, building CAD models, participating in design research, and collaborating with cross functional teams, to solve complex challenges. Cross functional teams include R&D, Commercial, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Marketing.

The Principal Industrial Design Engineer combines exceptional design talent with a deep understanding of manufacturing, product development, and human centered design. The individual will bridge the gap between creative vision and product reality. This role will develop products across our company portfolio that are desirable to customers, manufacturable at scale, and grounded in customer insights.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead industrial design projects across the full product development lifecycle, from research and ideation through prototyping and production 
• Leverage relevant research insights to identify unmet customer needs across a complex B2B2C ecosystem, including architects, builders, distributors, and homeowners.
• Be a key driver in managing and progressing innovation growth at James Hardie through developing innovative product concepts that balance aesthetics, ergonomics, usability, and manufacturability.
• Partner closely with engineering, manufacturing, and marketing teams to translate design intent into scalable, manufacturable, and market-ready product solutions.

• Develop compelling product concepts through sketching, rendering, CAD modeling, visualization, and prototyping for audiences up to the C-suite level.

• Communicate design concepts and decisions with clarity, using visual storytelling to bring stakeholders along at every stage 
• Facilitate and lead ideation workshops and co-creation sessions with stakeholders from R&D, Commercial and Marketing organizations
• Explore and lead exploration of new material applications, finishes, textures, colors, and form languages
• Apply design expertise to identify opportunities for innovation, improve internal product development processes, and act as a change agent by introducing fresh ideas that elevate the design practice.

• Champion the use of AI-enabled tools to accelerate design workflows, enhance concept development, and improve the quality and efficiency of design outputs.
• Mentor and develop junior team members and colleagues by fostering a culture of continuous learning, openly sharing expertise, and elevating industrial design capabilities across R&D.
• Champion design excellence and customer desirability throughout the organization
• Lead concept evaluation against manufacturing constraints, technical requirements, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles to guide scalable, production-ready product solutions.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, or a related field required.
• 10+ years of experience in industrial design within a consumer products manufacturing environment, with 3+ of those years in a senior position.
• 5 years of experience, working within the end-to-end product development process 
• 3 years + experience leading design efforts and conducting design evaluations
• 3+ years’ experience in design research environments including Jobs to -Be Done, Human Centered Design and Workshop Facilitation
• Expert proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Blender
• Strong CAD skills for 3D modeling (Solidworks, PTC Creo,Rhino) and product development
• Experience using AI tools to enhance design workflows and output quality highly desired

• Proven track record of developing and commercializing products from early concept through production launch.
• Experience leading innovation and product development initiatives within complex manufacturing organizations.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, tolerances, prototyping methods, and production constraints.
• Experience working within B2B2C product development environments and balancing the needs of multiple customer stakeholders, including architects, builders, contractors, distributors, and homeowners.
• Deep understanding of architectural aesthetics, design trends, material applications, and building system integration.
• Ability to serve as the design authority for new product development programs, providing guidance on customer desirability, design quality, and concept execution.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive alignment across R&D, Product Management, Manufacturing, Commercial, and Marketing functions.
• Demonstrated success mentoring, coaching, and developing designers and cross-functional team members while elevating overall design capability within the organization.
• Proven experience applying Human-Centered Design, Design Thinking, and customer-centered innovation methodologies within product development environments.
• Strong ability to identify opportunities for process improvement and effectively influence organizational change.
• Exceptional communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate ideas effectively to technical teams, business stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution, from research and ideation through prototyping and validation.
• Collaborative, low-ego leadership style with a passion for continuous learning, coaching others, and solving complex problems.
• Ability to travel up to 15% of time

What You’ll Receive:

As of the date of this posting, a good faith estimate of the current pay scale for this position is $140K to $160K. Placement in the range depends on several factors such as experience, skills, geography and internal equity and may change over time. This position qualifies for benefits and you will be eligible to participate in a bonus plan.

 

At James Hardie, we recognize that our success depends on our people. We've worked hard to build a generous and competitive benefits program that demonstrates our commitment to our employees.

• Compensation: competitive salary and bonus eligibility
• Insurance: day-one health coverage medical, dental, vision, life insurance
• Paid Time Off: vacation and company holidays
• Retirement: 401(k) with 6% match
• Investments: Employee Stock Purchase plan (ESP)
• Work-Life Balance: parental leave, wellness programs
• Purpose. Impact. Community: Sustainability Initiatives | James Hardie

James Hardie Building Products Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, veteran's status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or any other basis protected by law.

James Hardie will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies.

The position responsibilities outlined above are in no way to be construed as all encompassing. Other duties, responsibilities, and qualifications may be required and/or assigned as necessary.