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Vehicle Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The result is state-of-the-art fire rescue vehicles recognized for superior firefighting and rescue capabilities. E-ONE is part of Terex Corporation, a global designer and manufacturer of specialized ...

Senior Industrial Designer

Mountain View, CA · On-site +1

$196K - $248K/yr

... of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider ... Work with external partners to negotiate and co-develop designs * Partner closely with Product ...

... of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider ... Work with external partners to negotiate and co-develop designs * Partner closely with Product ...

Description REV Designs is a vehicle graphics and branding studio in Las Cruces, NM. We design, produce, and install commercial fleet wraps, emergency vehicle graphics, and custom vehicle builds. We ...

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Vehicle Designer information

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$21.5K

$65.4K

$112K

How much do vehicle designer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for vehicle designer in the United States is $65,444.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $42,500.00 and $85,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To thrive as a Vehicle Designer, you need a strong background in industrial or automotive design, engineering principles, and proficiency in CAD software, typically supported by a relevant degree. Familiarity with tools like Autodesk Alias, CATIA, or SolidWorks, as well as knowledge of vehicle regulations and materials, is crucial. Creativity, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you translate ideas into innovative, functional designs and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. These skills and qualities ensure the creation of safe, aesthetically pleasing, and market-ready vehicles that meet both consumer needs and industry standards.

What is the difference between Vehicle Designer vs Automotive Engineer?

AspectVehicle DesignerAutomotive Engineer
Primary FocusConceptual design, aesthetics, and styling of vehiclesEngineering, development, and testing of vehicle systems
Required CredentialsDesign degree, portfolio, CAD skillsEngineering degree, technical certifications
Work EnvironmentDesign studios, CAD labsResearch labs, manufacturing plants
Industry UsageAutomotive, transportation designAutomotive manufacturing, R&D

Vehicle Designers focus on the visual and aesthetic aspects of vehicle development, creating concepts and styling. Automotive Engineers work on the technical engineering, ensuring functionality and safety. Both roles are essential in the automotive industry but differ in their core responsibilities and skill sets.

What does a vehicle designer do?

A vehicle designer is responsible for creating the visual appearance, style, and overall aesthetics of vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles. They blend creativity with technical knowledge to design both the exterior and interior of vehicles, considering factors like functionality, ergonomics, and safety. Vehicle designers often use digital modeling, sketching, and computer-aided design (CAD) software to bring their ideas to life and work closely with engineers to ensure their designs are feasible and meet industry standards.

What are the typical collaboration points between a vehicle designer and other departments during a project?

Vehicle designers regularly collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and marketing teams throughout the design process. Early stages involve working closely with engineers to ensure concepts are both aesthetically appealing and technically feasible. As the project progresses, vehicle designers coordinate with manufacturing to align their designs with production constraints and cost considerations. Regular feedback sessions with marketing help ensure that the final design meets customer preferences and aligns with brand identity, making teamwork and communication skills essential for success in this role.
More about Vehicle Designer jobs
What cities are hiring for Vehicle Designer jobs? Cities with the most Vehicle Designer job openings:
What states have the most Vehicle Designer jobs? States with the most job openings for Vehicle Designer jobs include:
Infographic showing various Vehicle Designer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 74% Full Time, 22% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 96% In-person, and 4% Hybrid job distribution, with an average salary of $65,444 per year, or $31.5 per hour.
Chief Engineer, Advanced Air Vehicle Architect

Chief Engineer, Advanced Air Vehicle Architect

Anduril Industries

Costa Mesa, CA • On-site

$254K - $336K/yr

Full-time

Posted 11 days ago


Anduril rating

9.4

Company rating: 9.4 out of 10

Based on 7 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Air Dominance and Strike (AD&S) Chief Engineering Team is a driving force behind the technical execution and strategic vision of our most critical programs. They are responsible for architecting a vision for product development and guiding multi-disciplinary teams to deliver effectively. They are expected to own the mission and to be deeply involved in building the eco-system that enables execution.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
As our Chief Air Vehicle Architect, you will be the senior technical authority for conceptual design, applied S&T, and experimental development of advanced flight platforms. You will be highly creative, deeply understand customer needs, and personally drive technical execution through modeling, experimentation, build, and test of these air systems.
Concept Creation & Applied Science
  • Lead early conceptual design of entire advanced air vehicle platforms: configuration exploration, trade studies, and performance modeling.
  • Apply first-principles thinking across air vehicle engineering: aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, flight controls, GNC, low observables, autonomy, and mission systems to evaluate concepts.
  • Identify and mature key scientific and technical breakthroughs for new operational capability through novel air vehicle designs.
  • Balance creativity with engineering realism, ensuring executable technology paths for complete air vehicle solutions.
Systems Architecture & Integration
  • Define holistic system architectures integrating air vehicle design, mission systems, autonomy, and manufacturing from the outset.
  • Lead cross-disciplinary trade studies and modeling to understand interactions, sensitivities, and failure modes across the entire flight system.
  • Guide concepts from exploration to prototype-ready air vehicle designs.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical field (advanced degree preferred).
  • 10+ years direct experience in conceptual design, architecture, or advanced development of complete air vehicle platforms.
  • Demonstrated experience leading conceptual design and early-phase system architecture for full aircraft or complex flight systems.
  • Strong systems-level thinking across all air vehicle engineering domains.
  • Hands-on experience with real flight hardware, experimentation, or test activities.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Prior experience with DOW technology development organizations (e.g., DARPA, AFRL) on advanced flight programs.
  • Experience transitioning entire flight systems from early research through prototype and operational demonstration.
  • Background in experimental or flight test environments, including test planning and execution for novel air vehicles.
  • Experience working on advanced or classified air vehicle platforms, including low-observable or signature-constrained designs.
  • Deep technical expertise in multiple core air vehicle domains (e.g., aerodynamics, flight controls, GNC, propulsion, structures, aircraft integration).
  • Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-paced, non-traditional aerospace environments.
  • Currently obtains a Top Secret level clearance or higher

US Salary Range
$254,000-$336,000 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
  • No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
  • Please always verify communications:
    • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
    • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
  • Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
  • What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.

Anduril Industries logo

About Anduril Industries

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Anduril Industries is a trailblazer in the technology industry based in Costa Mesa, CA, US. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus VR, the company focuses on developing innovative technology to equip and empower those in the defense sector. Its primary products include cutting-edge autonomous systems and AI software that assist in combating threats to national and global security. The mission of Anduril Industries is to integrate technology and defense by building transformative, scalable solutions that ensure a safer world.

Industry

Guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing

Company size

501 - 1,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Costa Mesa, CA, US

Year founded

2017

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