1

Product Design Prototyper Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Product Design Lead

Torrance, CA ยท On-site

$134K - $161K/yr

Drive prototype builds, system integration, test campaigns, root-cause investigations, and production-readiness reviews. * Contribute directly to design, analysis, prototyping, testing, and ...

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys product development, mechanical design, prototype testing, and working with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative manufacturing solutions. The ...

Be Seen First

Product Design Engineer

Malta, OH ยท On-site

$70K - $75K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

The Product Design Engineer is responsible for the design, development, testing, and continuous ... including concept creation, prototyping, testing, manufacturing support, and technical ...

Product Design

New York, NY ยท On-site

$160K - $250K/yr

Product Design @ Clay We believe that not enough design thinking has gone into the tools we use to ... Design & prototype novel interfaces. You'll rethink how we can make certain aspects of building ...

Product Design & Innovation Lead

Frederick, MD ยท On-site

$144K - $177K/yr

* Overview InventWood offers an extraordinary opportunity for a Product Design & Innovation Lead to ... They would then rapidly implement prototypes utilizing our internal woodshop and/or external ...

Manager, Product Design

Plano, TX ยท On-site

$182K/yr

At least 5 years of experience in design and prototyping tools such as Figma Preferred Qualifications * At least 6 years of experience in a Product Design role * At least 6 years of experience in ...

Manager, Product Design

Plano, TX ยท On-site

$180K/yr

At least 5 years of experience in design and prototyping tools such as Figma Preferred Qualifications * At least 6 years of experience in a Product Design role * At least 6 years of experience in ...

Product Design Engineer

San Jose, CA ยท On-site

$120K - $300K/yr

You'll work across the full product development cycle - concept sketches, CAD modeling, prototyping, and DFM - collaborating with electrical and ML engineers to design enclosures and mechanisms that ...

Product Design Manager

New York, NY ยท On-site

$206K/yr

At least 5 years of experience in design and prototyping tools such as Figma Preferred Qualifications * At least 6 years of experience in a Product Design role * At least 6 years of experience in ...

At least 5 years of experience in design and prototyping tools such as Figma Preferred Qualifications * At least 6 years of experience in a Product Design role * At least 6 years of experience in ...

You'll work across the full product development cycle - concept sketches, CAD modeling, prototyping, and DFM - collaborating with electrical and ML engineers to design enclosures and mechanisms that ...

Product Design Manager

Mclean, VA ยท On-site

$191K/yr

At least 5 years of experience in design and prototyping tools such as Figma Preferred Qualifications * At least 6 years of experience in a Product Design role * At least 6 years of experience in ...

Showing results 21-40

Product Design Prototyper information

See salary details

$88K

$189.5K

How much do product design prototyper jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for product design prototyper in the United States is $184,336.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $189,000.00 and $189,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a product design prototyper, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Product Design Prototyper, you need strong skills in UX/UI design principles, rapid prototyping, and a background in design or related fields. Proficiency with tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, and prototyping platforms like InVision or Principle is typically required. Creativity, collaboration, and the ability to quickly iterate based on feedback distinguish top performers in this role. These skills ensure the delivery of user-centered prototypes that effectively communicate design intent and accelerate the product development process.

What is the difference between Product Design Prototyper vs UX Designer?

AspectProduct Design PrototyperUX Designer
Primary FocusCreating interactive prototypes to test product conceptsResearching user needs and designing overall user experience
Skills & ToolsPrototyping tools (Figma, Adobe XD), UI designUser research, wireframing, usability testing
Work EnvironmentDesign teams, product teams, iterative testingResearch teams, design teams, user testing environments
Common UsageDeveloping clickable prototypes for testingUnderstanding user behavior and designing interfaces

While both roles involve design skills, Product Design Prototypers focus on building interactive prototypes to validate ideas, whereas UX Designers concentrate on understanding user needs and crafting the overall user experience. Both collaborate closely but serve different stages of the product development process.

What is a product design prototyper?

A Product Design Prototyper is a professional who creates interactive models or mockups of products to test and communicate design concepts before final development. They use various tools and materials to simulate the look, feel, and functionality of a product, helping teams and stakeholders visualize and refine ideas. Prototypers often collaborate closely with designers, engineers, and product managers to ensure the prototype meets user needs and technical requirements. Their work helps reduce development risks and accelerates the design process by identifying potential issues early on.

How does a product design prototyper typically collaborate with UX designers and engineers during the product development process?

Product Design Prototypers work closely with both UX designers and engineers to bring concepts to life quickly and iteratively. They often translate wireframes and design concepts into interactive prototypes, enabling rapid user testing and feedback. By acting as a bridge between design and engineering, prototypers help identify feasibility issues early and refine solutions collaboratively. Regular communication and alignment with cross-functional teams are essential, as prototypers often facilitate design handoffs and ensure that prototypes accurately represent the intended user experience.
More about Product Design Prototyper jobs
Infographic showing various Product Design Prototyper job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 80% Full Time, 16% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 91% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $184,336 per year, or $88.6 per hour.

Product Design Lead

Northwoodspace

Torrance, CA โ€ข On-site

$134K - $161K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago


Job description

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.
As a Product Design Lead, you will lead the development of Northwood's antenna systems from early architecture through design, integration, manufacturing, and deployment. You will own the execution of multidisciplinary antenna products that combine mechanical structures, RF hardware, electronics, embedded systems, thermal management, manufacturing, and test.
This role is for a deeply technical engineer who can operate as both a senior individual contributor and a cross-functional product lead. You will apply strong expertise in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, RF hardware, embedded systems, or a related discipline while developing the system-level understanding needed to drive the complete antenna product.
You will translate product and mission objectives into clear requirements, technical plans, schedules, interfaces, and verification strategies. You will organize teams around the most important engineering problems, identify risks and dependencies early, and drive products through design reviews, prototype builds, testing, production, and field deployment.
Responsibilities:
  • Own the technical development and execution of a Northwood antenna system or major subsystem from concept through production and deployment.
  • Translate product, customer, and mission needs into system requirements, architectures, interfaces, performance budgets, and verification plans.
  • Coordinate development across mechanical, electrical, RF, antenna, embedded software, thermal, manufacturing, test, supply chain, and field operations.
  • Build and manage development schedules, technical milestones, critical-path dependencies, and risk-mitigation plans.
  • Lead system-level trade studies across antenna performance, structural design, power, thermal behavior, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and deployment speed.
  • Drive prototype builds, system integration, test campaigns, root-cause investigations, and production-readiness reviews.
  • Contribute directly to design, analysis, prototyping, testing, and troubleshooting within your primary engineering discipline.
  • Provide clear updates to engineering leadership on progress, risks, decisions, and resource needs.

Basic Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, RF Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  • 3+ years of experience developing complex hardware, antenna systems, RF products, aerospace systems, or similarly multidisciplinary technology.
  • Deep individual-contributor expertise in at least one relevant engineering discipline, such as mechanical design, electrical hardware, RF hardware, antenna engineering, embedded systems, or systems integration.
  • Demonstrated experience owning a complex hardware product or subsystem through design, prototyping, integration, testing, and delivery.
  • Strong systems-thinking ability and experience managing technical interfaces and tradeoffs across multiple engineering disciplines.
  • Experience turning ambiguous product objectives into requirements, development plans, schedules, and test strategies.
  • Hands-on experience building, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting physical hardware systems.
  • Strong organization, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience developing phased-array antennas, ground station antennas, satellite communications systems, radar systems, or other complex RF hardware.
  • Experience with antenna structures, RF enclosures, electronics packaging, thermal management, environmental sealing, cable routing, or electromechanical integration.
  • Familiarity with antenna elements, amplifiers, filters, frequency converters, beamforming electronics, calibration systems, and RF distribution networks.
  • Experience taking a hardware product from early architecture through qualification, production, installation, and field operation.
  • Experience with environmental testing, design for manufacturing, supplier management, and production-readiness processes.
  • Track record of resolving complex integration issues across mechanical, electrical, RF, embedded, and software boundaries.

Additional Information:
If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.