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Creative Engineering Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Six or more years of experience in UI development, engineering, creative engineering, or a related hybrid field. A portfolio must show shipped SaaS or digital product work. * Deep, hands-on ...

... engineering team. This role will focus on the design and development of metal retail fixtures ... Collaborate with sales and customers to develop creative and functional design solutions. * Work ...

Showing results 41-60

Creative Engineering information

See Illinois salary details

$38.8K

$87.5K

$133.7K

How much do creative engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for creative engineering in Illinois is $87,479.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $48,900.00 and $126,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by creative engineers when balancing technical feasibility with innovative design ideas?

Creative Engineers often encounter the challenge of transforming imaginative concepts into technically viable solutions. Balancing innovation with practicality requires close collaboration with both design and engineering teams, ensuring that creative ideas can be implemented within project constraints such as budget, timeline, and available technology. Navigating these challenges involves clear communication, iterative prototyping, and a willingness to adapt designs based on technical feedback. Successful Creative Engineers thrive in multidisciplinary environments and are adept at problem-solving while maintaining a focus on both functionality and aesthetics.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a creative engineer?

To thrive as a Creative Engineer, you need a strong foundation in engineering principles, design thinking, and problem-solving, often supported by a degree in engineering or a related technical field. Familiarity with CAD software, rapid prototyping tools, and programming languages like Python or C++ is typically required. Strong collaboration, adaptability, and communication skills help bridge the gap between technical and creative teams. These skills are crucial for developing innovative solutions that are both technically sound and visually engaging.

What is the difference between Creative Engineering vs Mechanical Engineering?

AspectCreative EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Engineering, Design or related fields; often includes courses in design and innovationBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering; often includes courses in thermodynamics, mechanics, and materials
Work EnvironmentDesign studios, innovation labs, product development teamsManufacturing plants, research labs, engineering firms
Industry UsageProduct design, innovation, prototyping, creative problem-solvingMachinery, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing

Creative Engineering focuses on innovative design and problem-solving, often blending engineering with artistic concepts. Mechanical Engineering emphasizes the analysis, design, and manufacturing of mechanical systems. While both roles require engineering fundamentals, Creative Engineers prioritize creativity and user experience, whereas Mechanical Engineers focus on functionality and technical specifications.

What do creative engineers do?

Creative engineers combine engineering principles with innovative design to develop new products, systems, or solutions. They often work in multidisciplinary teams, utilizing skills in engineering, design, and problem-solving, and may use tools like CAD software to bring concepts to life. Their work typically involves brainstorming, prototyping, and testing to ensure functionality and creativity.

What is creative engineering?

Creative engineering is an interdisciplinary field that combines technical engineering skills with creative problem-solving and design thinking. Professionals in this area use their knowledge of engineering principles to develop innovative solutions, products, or systems that are both functional and aesthetically appealing. Creative engineers often work on projects that require out-of-the-box thinking, such as product design, interactive installations, or unique technological experiences. They collaborate with artists, designers, and other engineers to bridge the gap between creativity and technical feasibility.

What job categories do people searching Creative Engineering jobs in Illinois look for?

The top searched job categories for Creative Engineering jobs in Illinois are:

Infographic showing various Creative Engineering job openings in Illinois as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 6% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $87,479 per year, or $42.1 per hour.

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 11 days ago


Job description

Overview
The Sr. UI Designer will be the design-focused voice at the intersection of design and implementation, co-owning the visual fidelity, interaction quality, and long-term evolution of Epsilon's CORE UI design system. Based in Chicago, this role partners across Product Design and Engineering to push the boundaries of what's possible in enterprise SaaS: from building future-facing prototypes that signal where the product is heading, to shipping production-ready components that improve for every team. You bring deep fluency in design systems, a refined eye for motion and micro-interactions, and a willingness to use AI tools to move faster without sacrificing quality. This is a rare opportunity to define what delightful, modern SaaS looks like from the inside out, at a company where design has a seat at the table.
Responsibilities
  • Own the ongoing evolution of Epsilon's CORE UI design system, contributing to its token architecture, component quality, and interaction standards across both Figma and production code.
  • Build future-facing prototypes that explore emerging interaction patterns, next-generation UI concepts, and new product directions, communicating vision and intent before a line of production code is written.
  • Rapidly iterate on existing components by applying AI-assisted workflows. Use tools like Cursor, Copilot, v0, and generative invention to shorten build-to-code cycles without losing quality or consistency.
  • Define and champion a motion language for the product: easing curves, transition choreography, loading states, and micro-interactions that make complex enterprise software feel alive, responsive, and intuitive.
  • Partner closely with front-end engineers to close the gap between design intent and production reality, reviewing implementations, writing production-quality CSS and component code when the moment calls for it, and setting a high bar for what 'done' looks like.
  • Contribute to the design system's documentation, usage guidance, and adoption, making it easier for every product team to build with consistency and confidence.
  • Stay at the forefront of AI-native design practices: identifying where AI tools can accelerate exploration, reduce repetitive work, and enable higher-quality outcomes at scale.
  • Collaborate with Product Designers on complex interaction flows, ensuring that every edge case, empty state, and loading moment is thoughtfully designed and accounted for.
  • Mentor and set a high standard within the design org, leading by example in design critiques, system reviews, and cross-functional handoffs, and raising the quality bar for the team around you.
  • Apply WCAG accessibility standards throughout component and interaction design, advocating for inclusive experiences at the system level.

Qualifications
What you'll bring with you:
  • Six or more years of experience in UI development, engineering, creative engineering, or a related hybrid field. A portfolio must show shipped SaaS or digital product work.
  • Deep, hands-on experience contributing to and evolving a design system across both Figma (component libraries, design tokens, documentation) and code (React components, Storybook, token pipelines).
  • A strong and opinionated motion sensibility: experience designing and implementing micro-interactions, transitions, and animation systems that feel purposeful, polished, and on-brand, not decorative afterthoughts.
  • Demonstrated proficiency using AI tools,such as Cursor, GitHub Copilot, v0, Framer AI, or similar to accelerate design-to-code workflows, rapid prototyping, and component iteration.
  • Fluency in high-fidelity interactive prototyping, capable of producing experiences that convincingly simulate a final product to validate ideas before full build.
  • Working knowledge of HTML, CSS (including animations, transitions, and custom properties), and JavaScript/TypeScript sufficient to implement and critically review production UI.
  • Excellent visual design judgment: typography, spacing, color, density, and layout decisions that hold up at both the component and product-surface level.
  • An accessible online portfolio featuring live, interactive work and demonstrated motion and interaction work, not only static screens.

Why you might stand out from other talent:
  • You've built or significantly contributed to a design system that scaled across multiple product teams and you have strong, battle-tested opinions on what makes a system actually get adopted, not just built.
  • Your portfolio includes motion and interaction work: easing references, transition demos, or prototypes where the 'how it moves' was as deliberate and considered as 'what it looks like.'
  • You've used AI tools not just to write code faster, but to fundamentally change how you explore, prototype, and validate design directions, treating AI as a creative partner, not a shortcut.
  • You are equally comfortable opening a Figma file to iterate on a component's states as you are opening a code editor to implement that same component in code.
  • You believe enterprise SaaS deserves the same level of interaction polish as the best consumer apps, and you've made that argument and shipped the proof.
  • You've created design system documentation and component stories that designers and engineers actually want to use.
  • You think in systems: you see a one-off component request as an opportunity to introduce a durable pattern rather than solve an isolated problem.
  • You have experience with motion libraries (Framer Motion, GSAP, CSS @keyframes) and know how to balance performance with visual delight in production environments.
  • You've contributed to or led prototyping initiatives that shaped product strategy, not just validated existing decisions.

Click here to view how Epsilon transforms marketing with 1 View, 1 Vision, 1 Voice.
Additional Information
When You Join Us, We'll Create Something EPIC Together
Epsilon is a global data, technology and services company that powers the marketing and advertising ecosystem. For decades, we've provided marketers from the world's leading brands the data, technology and services they need to engage consumers with 1 View, 1 Vision and 1 Voice. 1 View of their universe of potential buyers. 1 Vision for engaging each individual. And 1 Voice to harmonize engagement across paid, owned and earned channels.
Epsilon's comprehensive portfolio of capabilities across our suite of digital media, messaging and loyalty solutions bridge the divide between marketing and advertising technology. We process 400+ billion consumer actions each day using advanced AI and hold many patents of proprietary technology, including real-time modeling languages and consumer privacy advancements. Thanks to the work of every employee, Epsilon has been consistently recognized as industry-leading by Forrester, Adweek and the MRC. Epsilon is a global company with more than 9,000 employees around the world.
Our pillars aren't just words. They're how we show up every day.
  • People centricity: We focus on employee well-being in an environment where colleagues truly care about each other.
  • Collaboration: We work together, support one another, and collectively achieve goals.
  • Growth: There are endless opportunities for growth through learning, development and career advancement.
  • Innovation: We drive progress through cutting-edge solutions and forward-thinking approaches.
  • Flexibility: We've created a balance between work and personal life, and we encourage adaptability to solve problems creatively.

Our values guide us to create value for our clients, our people and consumers.
  • Act with integrity
  • Work together to win together
  • Innovate with purpose
  • Respect all voices
  • Empower with accountability

These pillars and values are our foundation-shaping our culture, guiding our decisions, and uniting us in common purpose.
Because You Matter
As an Epsilon employee, you deserve perks and benefits that put you, your family and your finances first. Our benefits encompass a wide range of offerings, including but not limited to the following:
  • Time to Recharge: Flexible time off (FTO), 15 paid holidays
  • Time to Recover: Paid sick time
  • Family Well-Being: Parental/new child leave, childcare & elder care assistance, adoption assistance
  • Extra Perks: Comprehensive health coverage, 401(k), tuition assistance, commuter benefits, professional development, employee recognition, charitable donation matching, health coaching and counseling

Epsilon benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms.
Epsilon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Epsilon's policy is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on actual or perceived race, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy), marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, religion, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law. Epsilon also prohibits harassment of applicants and employees based on any of these protected categories. Epsilon will provide accommodations to applicants needing accommodations to complete the application process. Please reach out to LeaveofAbsence@epsilon.com to request an accommodation.
For San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles Areas: Epsilon will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance and San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. Applicants with criminal histories are welcome to apply.
Compensation Range: USD $67,800.00 - USD $126,000.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 9/9/2026.