Product Design Engineer Jobs in California
Product Design Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in consumer electronics, medical devices, aerospace, and automotive technology, with openings at every level from new-grad mechanical designer to senior systems engineer. The largest hiring activity is in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles, where companies like Apple, Medtronic, and Northrop Grumman maintain significant engineering workforces. The most in-demand specialties right now are electromechanical systems design, DFM-focused product development, and human-centered hardware design. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Job Description:
A major focus of this role will be shaping the next generation of AI-native and agent-driven workflows across the autonomy lifecycle. As Hivemind evolves from traditional software tooling toward AI-assisted autonomy development, simulation, evaluation, deployment, and operations, this leader will help invent entirely new ways for users to collaborate with AI systems, agents, and foundation-model-powered tools. The ideal candidate has deep experience designing AI products, developer platforms, or complex technical systems and can translate emerging AI capabilities into workflows that dramatically improve user productivity and outcomes.
This is a highly hands-on role as this leader will manage a team of elite designers. During the first 6–12 months, most of the time will be spent conducting user research, designing experiences, prototyping concepts, facilitating product discovery, and partnering directly with Product and Engineering teams to define the future of autonomy development.
What you'll do:
User Research & Product Discovery
- Lead customer research efforts across product development, customer engagement, and solutions teams to identify pain points, workflows, unmet needs, and product opportunities.
- Establish scalable mechanisms for gathering, synthesizing, and communicating user insights throughout the product development lifecycle.
- Translate customer and operational feedback into actionable product recommendations, requirements, and design initiatives.
Product Design & User Experience
- Design end-to-end workflows across autonomy development, simulation, testing, analysis, deployment, and operations.
- Create intuitive experiences for highly technical users including autonomy engineers, software developers, operators, and mission planners.
- Simplify complex system architectures, data flows, infrastructure tooling, and AI workflows into understandable user experiences.
- Own the end-to-end experience of the product including training, documentation, tutorials, and overall workflows – help our users get the most of the product.
Strategic Product Leadership
- Partner closely with Product Managers to shape product vision, roadmap priorities, and go-to-market strategies.
- Drive alignment across Product, Engineering, Design, and Executive Leadership through compelling narratives, prototypes, and visual storytelling.
- Advocate for user-centered decision making in a highly technical and engineering-driven environment.
Design Practice, Systems & Organizational Scale
- Establish and evolve design standards, design systems, UX principles, and product design best practices across Shield AI.
- Raise the quality bar for product design, usability, consistency, and customer experience.
- Grow the product design function by mentoring a small team of designers, shaping design culture, and staying actively involved in critical design work.
- Champion design wins and impact across the organization, highlighting the important role design plays in delivering successful products.
AI-Native Product Design & Agentic Workflows
- Define the future user experience for AI-assisted autonomy development, simulation, testing, deployment, and operational workflows.
- Design human-AI collaboration models that enable users to effectively leverage AI agents, copilots, and foundation-model-powered systems.
- Partner with Product, AI Research, and Engineering teams to create new interaction patterns for agent orchestration, autonomy generation, scenario creation, test generation, and mission planning.
- Develop frameworks for trust, transparency, explainability, and human oversight within AI-assisted workflows.
- Help establish industry-leading design patterns for Physical AI development platforms and agent-driven software systems.
Required qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in Product Design, UX Design, Human Factors, or related fields.
- Proven track record designing and shipping complex technical products, developer tools, platforms, infrastructure software, data-dense applications, or enterprise systems.
- Deep technical fluency and ability to effectively collaborate with senior engineering leaders on architecture, technical constraints, and software development workflows.
- Strong experience conducting user research and translating insights into product strategy and design solutions.
- Proven ability to influence product direction and organizational decisions without direct authority.
- Strong understanding of AI-powered product experiences, including conversational interfaces, human-in-the-loop workflows, AI-assisted decision making, and agent-based systems.
- Experience defining new user experiences in ambiguous technology spaces where industry standards and workflows are still emerging.
- Experience building and retaining high-performing design teams.
- Strong portfolio showcasing both strategic thinking and hands-on design execution.
Preferred qualifications:
- Background designing developer platforms, SDKs, cloud infrastructure products, DevOps tooling, or engineering productivity tools.
- Direct work on AI/ML platforms, MLOps workflows, foundation-model-enabled products, copilots, or agentic systems.
- Familiarity with autonomy, robotics, simulation, digital twins, mission systems, physical AI, or related development workflows including testing, evaluation, deployment, and operations.
- Portfolio examples involving command-and-control systems, mission-planning interfaces, operational dashboards, or real-time decision-support tools.
- Ability to design across integrated hardware/software systems.
- Domain exposure to defense technology, aerospace, robotics, or other regulated, mission-critical, or high-consequence operational environments.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Job Description:
A major focus of this role will be shaping the next generation of AI-native and agent-driven workflows across the autonomy lifecycle. As Hivemind evolves from traditional software tooling toward AI-assisted autonomy development, simulation, evaluation, deployment, and operations, this leader will help invent entirely new ways for users to collaborate with AI systems, agents, and foundation-model-powered tools. The ideal candidate has deep experience designing AI products, developer platforms, or complex technical systems and can translate emerging AI capabilities into workflows that dramatically improve user productivity and outcomes.
This is a highly hands-on role as this leader will manage a team of elite designers. During the first 6–12 months, most of the time will be spent conducting user research, designing experiences, prototyping concepts, facilitating product discovery, and partnering directly with Product and Engineering teams to define the future of autonomy development.
What you'll do:
User Research & Product Discovery
- Lead customer research efforts across product development, customer engagement, and solutions teams to identify pain points, workflows, unmet needs, and product opportunities.
- Establish scalable mechanisms for gathering, synthesizing, and communicating user insights throughout the product development lifecycle.
- Translate customer and operational feedback into actionable product recommendations, requirements, and design initiatives.
Product Design & User Experience
- Design end-to-end workflows across autonomy development, simulation, testing, analysis, deployment, and operations.
- Create intuitive experiences for highly technical users including autonomy engineers, software developers, operators, and mission planners.
- Simplify complex system architectures, data flows, infrastructure tooling, and AI workflows into understandable user experiences.
- Own the end-to-end experience of the product including training, documentation, tutorials, and overall workflows – help our users get the most of the product.
Strategic Product Leadership
- Partner closely with Product Managers to shape product vision, roadmap priorities, and go-to-market strategies.
- Drive alignment across Product, Engineering, Design, and Executive Leadership through compelling narratives, prototypes, and visual storytelling.
- Advocate for user-centered decision making in a highly technical and engineering-driven environment.
Design Practice, Systems & Organizational Scale
- Establish and evolve design standards, design systems, UX principles, and product design best practices across Shield AI.
- Raise the quality bar for product design, usability, consistency, and customer experience.
- Grow the product design function by mentoring a small team of designers, shaping design culture, and staying actively involved in critical design work.
- Champion design wins and impact across the organization, highlighting the important role design plays in delivering successful products.
AI-Native Product Design & Agentic Workflows
- Define the future user experience for AI-assisted autonomy development, simulation, testing, deployment, and operational workflows.
- Design human-AI collaboration models that enable users to effectively leverage AI agents, copilots, and foundation-model-powered systems.
- Partner with Product, AI Research, and Engineering teams to create new interaction patterns for agent orchestration, autonomy generation, scenario creation, test generation, and mission planning.
- Develop frameworks for trust, transparency, explainability, and human oversight within AI-assisted workflows.
- Help establish industry-leading design patterns for Physical AI development platforms and agent-driven software systems.
Required qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in Product Design, UX Design, Human Factors, or related fields.
- Proven track record designing and shipping complex technical products, developer tools, platforms, infrastructure software, data-dense applications, or enterprise systems.
- Deep technical fluency and ability to effectively collaborate with senior engineering leaders on architecture, technical constraints, and software development workflows.
- Strong experience conducting user research and translating insights into product strategy and design solutions.
- Proven ability to influence product direction and organizational decisions without direct authority.
- Strong understanding of AI-powered product experiences, including conversational interfaces, human-in-the-loop workflows, AI-assisted decision making, and agent-based systems.
- Experience defining new user experiences in ambiguous technology spaces where industry standards and workflows are still emerging.
- Experience building and retaining high-performing design teams.
- Strong portfolio showcasing both strategic thinking and hands-on design execution.
Preferred qualifications:
- Background designing developer platforms, SDKs, cloud infrastructure products, DevOps tooling, or engineering productivity tools.
- Direct work on AI/ML platforms, MLOps workflows, foundation-model-enabled products, copilots, or agentic systems.
- Familiarity with autonomy, robotics, simulation, digital twins, mission systems, physical AI, or related development workflows including testing, evaluation, deployment, and operations.
- Portfolio examples involving command-and-control systems, mission-planning interfaces, operational dashboards, or real-time decision-support tools.
- Ability to design across integrated hardware/software systems.
- Domain exposure to defense technology, aerospace, robotics, or other regulated, mission-critical, or high-consequence operational environments.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
See All 167+ Product Design Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Product Design Engineer JobsProduct Design Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Product Design Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Apple20
- TikTok12
- Google9
- Tesla7
- Meta5
Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware18
- Technology & Software16
- Manufacturing3
- Banking & Financial Services3
- Retail2
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in product design engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, industrial, or product design engineering required
- Proficiency in CAD software such as SolidWorks, CATIA, or Creo for 3D modeling
- Experience with design for manufacturability and tolerance analysis on physical products
- Demonstrated portfolio of physical products taken from concept through production
- Familiarity with prototyping methods including CNC machining, injection molding, and 3D printing
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with manufacturing, electrical, and UX teams
Product Design Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a product design engineer in California?
Most product design engineer roles in California require a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, industrial design, or a closely related field. The role does not carry a state-issued license, but engineers who progress into signing off on public-safety systems often pursue California licensure through the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Building a portfolio of physical product work and gaining hands-on prototyping experience are what California employers weigh most heavily.
Which companies hire product design engineers in California?
Employers hiring product design engineers in California right now include Apple, TikTok, and Google, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. California's concentration of consumer electronics, medical device, and aerospace firms means demand is spread across both large multinationals and well-funded hardware startups.
Which California cities have the most product design engineer jobs?
San Francisco, San Jose, and Mountain View have the most product design engineer openings in California. The Bay Area leads because of its dense cluster of consumer electronics and hardware companies, while San Diego draws heavily from the medical device and defense sectors, and Los Angeles reflects demand from aerospace, entertainment technology, and automotive design studios based in the region.
Are there remote product design engineer jobs in California?
Yes, but they're rare. Product design engineering is inherently hands-on, with regular lab access, prototype reviews, and manufacturing coordination required. About 50% of product design engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, and those roles tend to be in early-stage concept work, CAD-heavy system design, or vendor coordination rather than physical prototyping or testing.
How can I get hired as a product design engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an associate product design or mechanical design role at a California hardware company, where you support senior engineers on CAD modeling, tolerance analysis, and prototype builds. Large California employers such as medical device manufacturers in San Diego and Bay Area consumer electronics firms regularly hire new graduates into rotational engineering programs. A portfolio showing physical products you have designed and built, even from coursework or personal projects, carries more weight than years of experience at this stage.
Where can I find and apply to product design engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to product design engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings tied to the California market. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 167+ Product Design Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Product Design Engineer Jobs