Design Lead Jobs in California
Design Lead jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in technology, entertainment, consumer products, and fintech, with openings at every level from mid-level individual contributor through principal and staff design lead. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are the largest hiring hubs, where companies like Apple, Google, and Adobe maintain substantial design organizations and hire design leads consistently. Product design leadership, UX strategy, and design systems are the most in-demand specialties across California listings. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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About the role
Muon seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to serve as the mechanical design technical lead for one of our satellite classes. You'll own and iterate on the class-level mechanical architecture- bus structure, thermal, solar, and payload accommodation- while also owning specific mission instances built on that class, from requirements definition through launch integration, typically over 10-15 months per mission.
You'll start with Muon's platform building blocks and tailor them to mission needs, designing new mission-specific and platform components where required and making architecture decisions that balance performance, cost, and schedule. This is an individual contributor role with strong technical leadership responsibilities, including the potential for people management of a small team of mechanical engineers.
Due to the hands-on nature of this role, it requires onsite work at our San Jose location three days a week.
Responsibilities
- Own the mechanical architecture and design direction for a satellite class, balancing the needs of multiple concurrent and future missions
- Serve as mission mechanical lead for specific missions using your satellite class, delivering bus structure, thermal, solar, and payload mechanical solutions from requirements definition through launch vehicle integration
- Lead the design, analysis, and optimization of spacecraft structures, mechanisms, and mechanical subsystems, applying first-principles engineering to problems beyond established approaches
- Iterate and evolve the satellite class — improving performance, mass, cost, and manufacturability — and ensure designs scale from prototype builds to constellation quantities
- Work directly with customers on requirements, technical reviews, and proposal content; partner with Business Development to identify platform enhancement opportunities
- Define and champion mechanical design standards, review processes, and best practices across the organization
- Lead design reviews (PDR, CDR, MRR) and environmental test campaigns (vibration, TVAC, EMI)
- Coordinate multidisciplinary execution across structural, thermal, avionics, optical, RF, and program teams
- Mentor mechanical engineers at all levels; hire, onboard, and manage a small team as needed
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience designing, building, and testing flight hardware in space or other related industry
- Experience owning a spacecraft platform, product line, or major subsystem across multiple missions or products
- Proven track record of optimizing and maturing existing designs, not only clean-sheet development
- Deep competence in one or more of: structural mechanics and analysis, thermal management and modeling, environmental testing (TVAC, vibration)
- Mastery of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, FAIs, tolerance budgets, and mass budgets; proficiency with CAD (SolidWorks preferred), PLM, and FEA tools
- Customer-facing experience: technical interchanges, requirements discussions, or proposal contributions
- Demonstrated success mentoring and technically leading engineers and/or technicians
- Experience managing external vendors for part development and manufacturing
- Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional coordination skills
- B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field
Nice-to-have Skills
- Experience as a platform owner or product-line technical lead at a space company
- Direct contributions to winning proposals (technical volumes, orals, customer Q&A)
- Experience establishing engineering standards and best practices at an organizational level
- Experience with deployable structures (solar arrays, antennas, mechanisms)
- Optomechanical instrument or payload design experience
- Experience with ADCS components: reaction wheels, torque rods, star trackers
- Experience running structural analyses (FEMAP, ANSYS); software skills in Python or MATLAB
Salary
The salary range for this role is $202,000 - $223,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.
About Muon Space
Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.
Taking Care of Our Team
At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.
Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
ITAR/EAR Requirements
This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.
About the role
Muon seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to serve as the mechanical design technical lead for one of our satellite classes. You'll own and iterate on the class-level mechanical architecture- bus structure, thermal, solar, and payload accommodation- while also owning specific mission instances built on that class, from requirements definition through launch integration, typically over 10-15 months per mission.
You'll start with Muon's platform building blocks and tailor them to mission needs, designing new mission-specific and platform components where required and making architecture decisions that balance performance, cost, and schedule. This is an individual contributor role with strong technical leadership responsibilities, including the potential for people management of a small team of mechanical engineers.
Due to the hands-on nature of this role, it requires onsite work at our San Jose location three days a week.
Responsibilities
- Own the mechanical architecture and design direction for a satellite class, balancing the needs of multiple concurrent and future missions
- Serve as mission mechanical lead for specific missions using your satellite class, delivering bus structure, thermal, solar, and payload mechanical solutions from requirements definition through launch vehicle integration
- Lead the design, analysis, and optimization of spacecraft structures, mechanisms, and mechanical subsystems, applying first-principles engineering to problems beyond established approaches
- Iterate and evolve the satellite class — improving performance, mass, cost, and manufacturability — and ensure designs scale from prototype builds to constellation quantities
- Work directly with customers on requirements, technical reviews, and proposal content; partner with Business Development to identify platform enhancement opportunities
- Define and champion mechanical design standards, review processes, and best practices across the organization
- Lead design reviews (PDR, CDR, MRR) and environmental test campaigns (vibration, TVAC, EMI)
- Coordinate multidisciplinary execution across structural, thermal, avionics, optical, RF, and program teams
- Mentor mechanical engineers at all levels; hire, onboard, and manage a small team as needed
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience designing, building, and testing flight hardware in space or other related industry
- Experience owning a spacecraft platform, product line, or major subsystem across multiple missions or products
- Proven track record of optimizing and maturing existing designs, not only clean-sheet development
- Deep competence in one or more of: structural mechanics and analysis, thermal management and modeling, environmental testing (TVAC, vibration)
- Mastery of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, FAIs, tolerance budgets, and mass budgets; proficiency with CAD (SolidWorks preferred), PLM, and FEA tools
- Customer-facing experience: technical interchanges, requirements discussions, or proposal contributions
- Demonstrated success mentoring and technically leading engineers and/or technicians
- Experience managing external vendors for part development and manufacturing
- Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional coordination skills
- B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field
Nice-to-have Skills
- Experience as a platform owner or product-line technical lead at a space company
- Direct contributions to winning proposals (technical volumes, orals, customer Q&A)
- Experience establishing engineering standards and best practices at an organizational level
- Experience with deployable structures (solar arrays, antennas, mechanisms)
- Optomechanical instrument or payload design experience
- Experience with ADCS components: reaction wheels, torque rods, star trackers
- Experience running structural analyses (FEMAP, ANSYS); software skills in Python or MATLAB
Salary
The salary range for this role is $202,000 - $223,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.
About Muon Space
Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.
Taking Care of Our Team
At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.
Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
ITAR/EAR Requirements
This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.
See All 106+ Design Lead Jobs in California
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Find Design Lead JobsDesign Lead Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Design Lead Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Google11
- Apple10
- Tesla6
- Meta4
- Cisco4
Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware21
- Technology & Software15
- Construction & Real Estate4
- Artificial Intelligence3
- Consulting & Professional Services2
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in design lead jobs across California.
- Portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product or UX design ownership across shipped features
- Bachelor's degree in interaction design, graphic design, HCI, or a related field
- Five or more years of design experience with at least one year leading a team or project
- Proficiency in Figma, Sketch, or similar industry-standard prototyping and design tools
- Experience collaborating cross-functionally with product management and engineering teams
- Strong communication skills for presenting design decisions to senior stakeholders
Design Lead Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a design lead in California?
The path to a design lead role in California typically starts with a foundation in UX, product design, or visual design, usually through a bachelor's degree in interaction design, HCI, or a related discipline. California does not require a state license for this role. Most employers promote from senior individual contributor roles after candidates demonstrate ownership of complex projects, mentorship of junior designers, and cross-functional collaboration with product and engineering teams.
How much do design leads make in California?
Design leads in California earn a median of about $137,780 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $81,500 for the lowest 10% to over $249,210 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire design leads in California?
Employers hiring design leads in California right now include Google, Apple, and Tesla, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's deep concentration of technology, media, and consumer product companies means design lead demand is distributed across both large-scale design organizations and growth-stage product teams.
Which California cities have the most design lead jobs?
San Jose, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale have the most design lead openings in California. San Francisco and the broader Bay Area dominate because of the density of technology headquarters there, while Los Angeles draws significant volume from entertainment, streaming, and consumer brand companies that maintain large in-house design teams.
Are there remote design lead jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 42% of design lead openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting the strong remote culture that took hold at California technology companies. Strategic and systems-focused design lead roles tend to be the most remote-friendly, while roles tied to physical product development or on-site creative studios typically require in-person presence.
How can I get hired as a design lead in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry point is a senior individual contributor role at a mid-size California product company, where you can take on informal team-lead or mentorship responsibilities before the title changes. Large California employers like Salesforce and Intuit run associate and new-grad design programs that place candidates on product teams with growth tracks. Building a portfolio that shows system-level thinking and cross-functional collaboration, rather than just craft, is the credential that opens the door.
Where can I find and apply to design lead jobs in California?
You can find and apply to design lead jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings from employers actively hiring. Find roles that fit your experience and specialty, then apply directly to each one.
See All 106+ Design Lead Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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