Lead Industrial Designer

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantagedomain dominance. The companys products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN) empowering warfighters commercial air operators and border protection teams to act faster adapt rapidly and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors including 8VC Accel and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Washington D.C. San Francisco San Diego Seattle and London. For more information please visit .

Role Overview:

CHAOSis seeking aLead Industrial Designerto shape the physical and human-facing aspects of our next-generation dual-use systemsspanning mounted and dismounted sensor platforms ground-based vehicles and airborne effectors.

In this role you will define and drive industrial design vision across hardware and user-facing systems balancing real-world operational constraints with a cohesive product identity. You will work closely with hardware software and user interface teams to ensure our products are not onlyhigh-performing but intuitive durable and thoughtfully designed for the environments in which theyoperate.

This role sits at the intersection ofindustrial design human factors and product strategybridgingthe gap between engineering-driven development and user-centered design.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on build-and-ship designer (not purely studio-based) with experience designing ruggedized products for demanding environments such as military aerospace or industrial applications.

This is a full-time on-site position in Los Angeles CA with 20% travel for field testing and user interaction.

Responsibilities:

• Define and drive the industrial design vision across a portfolio of dual-use products ensuring alignment with brand usability and mission requirements

• Translate complex system requirements into intuitive physical form factors layouts and user interactions

• Design for real-world use cases including deployment transport setup maintenance and operation in austere environments

• Collaborate with hardware software and UI teams to ensure a cohesive end-to-end user experience across physical and digital interfaces

• Develop concepts mockups and prototypes (low- to high-fidelity) to rapidly iterate on form ergonomics and usability

• Guide trade studies between performance size usability and visual design helping the organization make intentional design decisions

• Influence product architecture early to improve usability serviceability and operator efficiency

• Ensure designs account for ruggedization environmental exposure and manufacturability in collaboration with mechanical engineering

• Provide design direction and critique across teams tomaintainconsistency and quality

• Participate in field testing and user engagement incorporating feedback from operators into iterative design improvements

• Help evolve a design language that balances high-performance systems with a disciplined mission-appropriate aesthetic

What Success Looks Like:

• Products that are easier to deployoperate andmaintainin the field

• Clear intentional tradeoffs between performance and usability

• A recognizable and consistent design languagealigned with brand image

• Strongalignment between engineering product vision and user needs

• Designs that balance visual quality with mission appropriateness modern without being ornamental

MinimumRequirements:

• Bachelors degree in Industrial Designor related field

• 7 years of experience in industrial design with a focus on ruggedized outdoor or mission-critical products

• Demonstrated experience taking products from concept through production

• Strong portfolioshowcasingshipped products (military aerospace industrial automotive or adjacent fields preferred)

• Experience designing for real-world use including ergonomics human factors and operational workflows

• Ability to create and communicate design intent through sketches renderings prototypes and storytelling

• Working knowledge of DFMA and manufacturing constraints with the ability to collaborate effectively with mechanical engineersand manufacturing process engineers

• Understanding of environmental and durability considerations (e.g. weather exposure handling transport field use)

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with engineering product and leadership teams

• Ability to obtain andmaintaina U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience designing military or defense-adjacent systems or products used in harsh environments

• Exposure to mounted/dismounted systems sensor platforms or vehicle-integrated products

• Familiarity with human-machine interface design across both physical and digital systems

• Experience working with rapid prototyping tools (3D printing shop tools etc.)

• Proficiencywith common design tools (e.g. CAD Adobe Suite Figma) without requiring deep CAD ownership

• Experience conducting or supporting user research field studies or operator interviews

• Experience designingMIL-Spec products

• Active U.S. security clearance

Why CHAOS

• Health Benefits: Medical dental and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k ( 50% company match up to 6% of pay) FSA HSA life insurance and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch No meeting Fridays unlimited PTO casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries generous pre-IPO stock option grants relocation assistance and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus equity and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a 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.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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