Industrial Designer jobs in Durham, NC

Team: Product Development
Classification: Exempt
Job Type: Salary, Full-time
Location: Butner, NC
Annual Salary: $83,164-$92,097*

OVERVIEW:

Nugget, a direct-to-consumer kids furniture brand, is looking for an experienced Industrial Designer to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Nugget products! As an Industrial Designer, you will be at the forefront of innovation, responsible for designing and developing exciting new products that align with Nugget's vision and product roadmap. If you have experience as an Industrial Designer and are energized by creating innovative concepts and translating them into feasible design solutions - we’d love for you to apply today!

What is Nugget? We are an industry-leading, fun-loving, furniture company (est. 2014) that seeks to bring bold play and big imaginations into everyday life at home. We design, develop, market, manufacture, sell, and ship our part-toy, part-furniture, four-piece Nuggets all from one location, with a team of ~100 Nuggeteers, in Butner, North Carolina (just outside of Durham). And we’re just getting started — in both 2020 and 2021, Inc. Magazine named us the fastest-growing manufacturing company in the United States. We’re proud to continue the industrial legacy of North Carolina, and to make kids furniture for growing imaginations.

ABOUT THIS ROLE:

Research and Concept Development

• You will lead and own industrial design efforts through all phases of the design and development process, collaborating closely with our Product Development team to drive the creation of customer-centric product concepts
• You will collaborate with the Director of Product Development and the VP of Product to understand user behaviors, preferences and pain points - working to create compelling and presentable personas that effectively capture the voice of the user, incorporating valuable insights from Market Insights, Qualitative/Quantitative Research, and user research
• You will develop innovative and functional product concepts ensuring alignment with Nugget's overarching product strategy and business goals
• You will demonstrate a keen understanding of project constraints, such as budget, timeline, and technical limitations, to refine concepts that strike a balance between creativity and feasibility
• You will refine product concepts, incorporating feedback from design reviews, thorough design research and analysis of user insights and trends to enhance visual appeal, functionality, and user experience, ultimately ensuring concepts align with user needs and preferences, as well as Nugget’s competencies and strategy.

Sketching, Visualization, and Prototyping

• You will conceptualize and produce a continuous flow of quality sketches that effectively communicate and visualize design ideas and concepts
• You will translate sketches into basic 3D models of designs, capturing overall shape, proportions, and key design elements, then collaborating with our Product Development team to review and refine based on technical aspects, feasibility, and any required modifications
• You will employ a wide range of prototyping techniques to create quick and resourceful prototypes providing tangible representations of design concepts for early-stage evaluation and iteration. Then in later phases, create functional and visual prototypes for review.

Materials and Manufacturing Knowledge

• You will apply your knowledge of multiple manufacturing methods (for example – injection molding, soft goods, thermoforming, extrusion, woodwork, etc.) to identify viable paths of manufacturing, in partnership with our Product Development team.

ABOUT YOU:

• You have 4-6 years of experience in Industrial Design or Product Design roles, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design or related discipline
• You have a wide array of experience in product development, having successfully worked on a diverse range of products across various industries and markets from concept to market
• Bonus: Experience in Toys or Home Goods
• You have extensive experience in sketching, prototyping, and translating ideas into tangible design representations
• You have demonstrated proficiency in utilizing CAD software to create accurate and detailed 2D drawings,  3D models, and renderings for product design and development
• Bonus: Experience in Solidworks and Key Shot
• You are excited to build strong partnerships and work collaboratively to share, gather, and utilize others’ ideas and opinions throughout the product design process.
• You are effective in a variety of communication settings, among diverse styles and position levels and can adjust to fit the audience and the message, while simultaneously encouraging the open expression of diverse ideas and opinions
• You enjoy creative problem solving – coming up with useful ideas and ways of thinking that are new, better, or unique, then taking those creative ideas and putting them into practice!
• You demonstrate self-awareness by using a combination of feedback and reflection to identity your personal strengths and weaknesses, and gain insight from your experiences
• You approach work with a “no job is too small” attitude, and have a curious mind - always willing to learn and grow your imagination

BENEFITS:  

• Competitive Pay Annual Company Bonus
• Medical, Dental, and Vision covered at 100% for employees
• PTO, Holidays, and Winter Break
• 401k Employer Match
• Paid parental leave
• Free Nugget Team Discount