Product and Industrial Designer

Job Description

Job Description

Role at a glance

Austin, Texas · Full time · Hybrid, mostly in office · Mid-career, 5+ years of relevant experience

Annual base salary: US$100,000–US$120,000. At least 4 days per week in office, with flexible office hours for prototype and equipment access.

Focus: demonstrators, evaluation modules, developer kits, enclosures, interfaces and packaging. Partner with Jonas on product design and with engineering on technical feasibility.

01 · ROLE OVERVIEW

Make the technology tangible, useful and credible.

Photonic Muscle is turning a new actuator technology into products people can understand, evaluate and integrate.

Why this role

We need a product and industrial designer who can move beyond appearance to make functional hardware: demonstrators, evaluation modules, developer kits, enclosures, interfaces and packaging that reveal what the technology can genuinely do.

Your mandate

Lead the translation from engineering capability to coherent physical products. Combine industrial design craft with technical judgment while respecting load, travel, heat, optics, electronics, assembly, safety, reliability and cost.

02 · RESPONSIBILITIES

Own the path from concept to production-intent hardware. What you will own

• Create product concepts, form factors and experience principles for demonstrators, evaluation modules and developer-ready kits.
• Develop sketches, CAD, physical mock-ups and functional prototypes from early exploration through design release.
• Integrate actuator modules, optics, electronics, sensors, return mechanisms, thermal paths and wiring into purposeful assemblies.
• Define enclosure architecture, interfaces, access, ergonomics, assembly logic, CMF and packaging.
• Build and test prototypes using rapid fabrication, off-the-shelf parts and external vendors.
• Work with engineering to set requirements, make trade-offs and preserve testability, serviceability and safety.
• Prepare production-ready CAD, drawings, specifications, BOM inputs, design intent and vendor handoff materials.
• Design product and demo systems that communicate value without overstating technical maturity.
• Establish a coherent physical design language that can scale from demonstrations to repeatable evaluation products.

Expected outcomes in the first 12 months

• A clear physical product and demonstrator design language aligned with the Photonic Muscle brand.
• Two reliable, transportable application demonstrations that expose real technical value and known limits.
• A developer or evaluation-kit concept with coherent enclosure, interfaces, documentation and packaging.
• Reusable CAD, component and fabrication standards that shorten the path from experiment to presentable hardware.
• A qualified network of Austin-area prototype, model-making and low-volume manufacturing partners.

03 · CANDIDATE PROFILE

Industrial design craft backed by technical credibility. What we are looking for

• At least 5 years of industry experience designing and delivering physical products, preferably with meaningful electromechanical content.
• A strong portfolio showing functional prototypes, product architecture, technical problem-solving and shipped or production-intent work.
• Expertise in industrial design CAD and surfacing, with the ability to create robust engineering handoffs.
• Hands-on prototyping skills across 3D printing, machining, model making, fixtures and practical assembly.
• Working knowledge of mechanisms, electronics packaging, tolerances, fastening, materials and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to discuss engineering trade-offs with credibility; this is not a purely aesthetic role.
• Experience with CMF, supplier collaboration, DFM/DFA and low-volume production.
• Clear communication, disciplined documentation and comfort presenting to technical, commercial and investor audiences.

Helpful experience

• Robotics, wearables, consumer electronics, medical devices, toys, automation or advanced hardware.
• Developer kits, evaluation products, trade-show demonstrators or products that make an enabling technology legible.
• Smart materials, soft robotics, optics, thermal systems or compact mechanisms.
• Packaging design, instructions and the full unboxing-to-first-use experience.
• Managing external model shops, fabricators or contract manufacturers.

04 · WORKING MODEL

Function before theatre. Specific applications first. How we work

• The product should demonstrate real capability under stated conditions.
• Design and engineering work side by side, with frequent physical prototypes.
• We design around a customer problem, not a generic promise.
• Bold and grounded: strong ideas, technical precision and no unsupported claims.

Location and working model

This role is based in Austin, Texas, with a hybrid working model that is primarily in office. We expect at least 4 days per week in office, with flexibility, especially around office hours. Regular in-person work supports access to prototypes and equipment and close collaboration with the product team.

05 · COMPENSATION AND HIRING

Position the role for Austin's strongest multidisciplinary designers. Compensation

The annual base salary range is US$100,000–US$120,000 for this mid-career role, requiring at least 5 years of relevant experience.

Proposed hiring process

• Portfolio review focused on functional development, technical decisions and shipped outcomes.
• Working-style conversation with Jonas covering users, product judgment, collaboration and pace.
• Technical design review with engineering using a candidate-selected electromechanical product.
• A bounded concept exercise or paid work sample if substantial preparation is required.
• In-person Austin studio and prototype session, references and a written offer from an accountable human decision-maker.

About Photonic Muscle

Photonic Muscle is building the actuation layer of physical AI: slim, silent motion systems powered by light. We develop application modules, reference designs and products around photo-responsive actuator technology, focusing on places where traditional motors fall short on mass, noise, form factor or finesse.