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Prototype Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Higharc

Prototype Engineer

$36.50 - $41/hr

Higharc is seeking a Prototyping Engineer to join our rapidly growing Special Projects team. In this role, you'll take foundational AI/ML research and integrate new capabilities into the Higharc ...

Teak Isle Manufacturing Inc.

Prototype Engineer

Ocoee, FL · On-site

$60K - $65K/yr

Prototype Engineer About the Company: Teak Isle Manufacturing, located in Ocoee, Florida and is the leader in the design and fabrication of custom OEM and Retail parts for the Marine and other ...

FWG Solutions, Inc.

Prototype Engineer

Panama City Beach, FL · On-site

$31.75 - $35.50/hr

This position is for the LCAC 100 Program The Prototype Engineer will be responsible for the planning and test support of the U.S. Navy's Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) Amphibious Combat Vehicle ...

FWG Solutions, Inc.

Prototype Engineer

Panama City Beach, FL · On-site

$31.75 - $35.50/hr

This position is for the LCAC 100 Program The Prototype Engineer will be responsible for the planning and test support of the U.S. Navy's Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) Amphibious Combat Vehicle ...

FWG Solutions, Inc.

Prototype Engineer

Panama City Beach, FL

$31.75 - $35.50/hr

This position is for the LCAC 100 Program The Prototype Engineer will be responsible for the planning and test support of the U.S. Navy's Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) Amphibious Combat Vehicle ...

Ampa, Inc.

Sr. Prototype Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$75K - $90K/yr

Role Overview: We're seeking a hands-on Sr. Prototype Engineer to support the development, testing, and validation of next-generation transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) devices. You'll work ...

Knowmadics

Rapid Prototype Engineer II

Wichita, KS · On-site

$32 - $35.75/hr

Lawton OK; or Round Rock, TX Job Purpose/Summary This role is for a Rapid Prototype Engineer II to design, fabricate, assemble, and validate hardware prototypes supporting research and development ...

Apple

GPU Silicon Prototype Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$35.50 - $39.75/hr

Description As a Silicon Prototype Engineer in Apple's GPU Design Verification and Validation organization, you'll ensure our complex GPU designs and software meet Apple's quality standards through ...

Apple

GPU Silicon Prototype Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$35.50 - $39.75/hr

Description As a Silicon Prototype Engineer in Apple's GPU Design Verification and Validation organization, you'll ensure our complex GPU designs and software meet Apple's quality standards through ...

Apple

GPU Silicon Prototype Engineer

Austin, TX

$35.50 - $39.75/hr

Description As a Silicon Prototype Engineer in Apple's GPU Design Verification and Validation organization, you'll ensure our complex GPU designs and software meet Apple's quality standards through ...

Apple

GPU Silicon Prototype Engineer

Austin, TX

$35.50 - $39.75/hr

Description As a Silicon Prototype Engineer in Apple's GPU Design Verification and Validation organization, you'll ensure our complex GPU designs and software meet Apple's quality standards through ...

Ford Motor Company

Senior Prototype Engineer

Long Beach, CA · On-site

$98K - $186K/yr

Senior Prototype Engineer - positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Long Beach, California). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the anticipated ...

Brightwing

Prototype Build Engineer

Auburn Hills, MI · On-site

$35 - $38/hr

The Prototype Build Engineer will be responsible for managing all prototype build activities including developing and communicating build plans based on vehicle specifications, coordinating ...

Munich Re

Sensor Solutions Prototype Engineer Sr

Hartford, CT · On-site

$55.75 - $71.75/hr

Hartford, CT The Sensor Solutions Prototype Engineer is responsible for coordinating field tests and piloting of sensor use cases, devices, and product opportunities, as a part of Applied Technology ...

Stefanini

Prototype Build Engineer

Auburn Hills, MI · On-site

$33.75 - $37.75/hr

Stefanini is looking for a Prototype Build Engineer (Auburn Hills, MI) For quick apply, please reach out to Lovkesh Bharti at / The Prototype Build Engineer will be responsible for managing all ...

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How much do prototype engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 23, 2026, the average hourly pay for prototype engineer in the United States is $36.48, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $34.38 and $38.46 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Prototype Engineers face when transitioning designs from concept to functional prototypes?

Prototype Engineers often encounter challenges such as interpreting incomplete or evolving design specifications, sourcing unconventional materials, and working within tight deadlines. Close collaboration with design, engineering, and manufacturing teams is essential to resolve technical issues quickly and ensure the prototype aligns with the intended functionality. Flexibility and creative problem-solving are key, as unexpected obstacles frequently arise during the rapid iteration and testing phases.

What is a Prototype Engineer?

A Prototype Engineer is a professional who designs, builds, and tests early versions of products or components to evaluate their functionality and performance before mass production. They collaborate with designers, engineers, and product managers to turn concepts into tangible prototypes, using a variety of fabrication techniques and materials. Their work helps identify potential design improvements, troubleshoot issues, and ensure that the final product meets technical and user requirements.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Prototype Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Prototype Engineer, you need strong skills in mechanical or electrical engineering, rapid prototyping techniques, and a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with CAD software, 3D printing technologies, and hands-on fabrication tools is typically required, along with knowledge of prototyping standards. Creativity, problem-solving, and effective communication are essential soft skills to excel in cross-functional teams and adapt to evolving project requirements. These abilities enable successful design iteration, effective collaboration, and efficient transition from concept to functional prototype.

What Does a Prototype Engineer Do?

A prototype engineer is part of a product development team that designs prototypes for new kinds of industrial products. Many companies employ design engineers to perform numerous technical duties, such as drawing up schematics and blueprints, overseeing the production of prototypes, and testing those prototypes to decide whether they should enter mass production. The career requires significant educational qualifications and a variety of skills and experience. You should have an engineering degree in the field you wish to enter, strong analytical problem-solving, and the ability to work as part of a large team.

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Prototype Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Prototype Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $75,868 per year, or $36.5 per hour.
Prototype Engineer

Prototype Engineer

Higharc

Remote

$36.50 - $41/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 23 days ago

Job description

About Us
Higharc is a VC-backed startup that is changing how new homes are designed and built. Join a founding team who've shipped products for Autodesk, Electronic Arts, Nike, and Apple. We have raised a total of $83M with support from top-notch venture capital firms and more than 18 strategic investors-industry leaders in construction, building products manufacturing, and distribution.
Higharc is seeking a Prototyping Engineer to join our rapidly growing Special Projects team. In this role, you'll take foundational AI/ML research and integrate new capabilities into the Higharc platform.
What You'll Do
Operating in lock-step with our broader engineering organization, this engineer will test prototypes with customers, evaluate results, and promote proven capabilities to the full product. Expect to:
  • Design and develop tools that expose AI/ML capabilities to autonomous agents, building the orchestration layer that solves complex domain use-cases in production homebuilding.
  • Take proven research outputs and integrate them into the Higharc product as packages and components, following best practices established in a large, complex codebase.
  • Work across the Python ML/AI service layer and the TypeScript/React product, wiring new capabilities end-to-end via API.
  • Build frameworks for rapid evaluation, iteration, and promotion of prototypes.
  • Operate in lock-step with the broader engineering organization and participate in customer-facing labs sessions, using direct customer signal to validate prototypes and inform iteration priorities.
  • Serve as the primary translation layer between the research team and the product engineering team.
  • Convert experimental notebooks, fine-tuned models, and RAG pipelines into maintainable, testable, deployable code.
  • Develop working knowledge of the homebuilding domain sufficient to make independent judgment calls about which capabilities matter, which edge-cases are load-bearing, and where AI falls short in the built environment.

About You
You're an empathetic and high-impact engineer who bridges the gap between research output and production software. You believe that homebuilding is a real and complex domain worth understanding deeply, not a generic vertical to slap AI onto. You have excellent judgement and collaboration skills, and treat the boundary between reesarch and product as shared territory, not "someone else's problem".
You have:
  • 4+ years of professional Software Engineering experience, with 2+ years integrating ML/AI capabilities into production products
  • Shipped AI-powered features to real users, not just model training
  • Experience working in or adjacent to a research team
  • Professional proficiency with Python, Typescript/React, API design, LLM tooling, evaluation design, and AI calibration
  • Familiarity with LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, or open-source), vector databases, RAG architectures, Python ML ecosystem (PyTorch, HuggingFace), modern frontend frameworks (React/Next.js), CI/CD and testing frameworks

A major plus if you also bring:
  • Experience in construction, AEC, or other physical-world domains with messy, under-structured data
  • Experience with agentic frameworks (LangChain, CrewAI, or custom harnesses) strongly preferred

While we've identified the core experience and skills required above, please still apply if you have more or different experience than this! We will use your previous experience and performance across the series of interviews to establish appropriate level within our organization in a fair and equitable way.
Working at Higharc
Higharc has been remote first since our founding in 2018. We offer flexible hours so you can do your best work without missing out on life. Higharc offers competitive salaries with significant equity, in a fast-growing, well-funded company.
Personal healthiness is an important value for us- we provide comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with flexible PTO, and meaningful maternity/paternity leave to all U.S based employees that are full-time. You'll also have access to other big-company benefits such like short and long-term disability plans and a 401K. Haven't worked remotely before? We provide a stipend to create the ideal home office.
Please note: we are seeing an uptick of fraudulent recruiting activity claiming to be associated with Higharc. All communication and outreach from our in-house team will come from an @higharc.com email address.

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