Mid Level Design Engineer- Furniture Design

We are looking for a technically rigorous and creatively grounded Design Engineer to join the studio. This role bridges design development and manufacturing — you will work closely with the creative team to translate concepts into buildable, beautiful products, and take ownership of the documentation and oversight required to bring them to life through our network of external production partners.

You are someone who thinks spatially, works precisely, and communicates clearly — with colleagues, with clients, and with factory floors.

Responsibility

Design Development

–    Develop and refine furniture designs in Rhino, producing accurate 3D models from conceptual briefs through to production-ready geometry

–    Generate clean, dimensioned AutoCAD drawings for internal review, client presentations, and manufacturing handoff

–    Prepare precise shop drawings including assembly details, joinery, tolerances, hardware callouts, and finish specifications

–    Collaborate with the creative team during design iteration to ensure technical feasibility without compromising design intent

Manufacturing Liaison & Oversight

–    Serve as the primary technical point of contact with external factories and fabricators

–    Conduct factory visits to oversee production runs, review prototypes, and address technical issues on-site

–    Review and approve material samples, finish mock-ups, and first-article prototypes against design intent

–    Identify and resolve manufacturing constraints early in the process, proposing solutions that preserve quality

Documentation & File Management

–    Build and maintain a rigorous documentation system for all projects — drawings, revisions, specs, and approvals

–    Issue and manage drawing sets to external factories, tracking revisions and maintaining version control

–    Document production processes, factory capabilities, and lessons learned to build studio knowledge over time

–    Prepare technical packs for client handoff including care instructions, lead times, and production specifications

Consulting Projects

–    Support client brand engagements with technical documentation, design development, and production coordination

–    Represent the studio professionally in client-facing meetings and site visits

–    Adapt fluidly across multiple concurrent projects with varying scales, materials, and production methods

Software

–    Rhino 3D — proficient; able to model complex geometries cleanly and efficiently ( mandatory)

–    AutoCAD — proficient; able to produce fully dimensioned, standards-compliant drawings

–    Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign) — working knowledge for layout and presentation

–    Microsoft Office / Google Workspace — for documentation, reporting, and communication

Technical Skills

–    Expert-level shop drawing production: orthographic views, sections, details, assembly sequences

–    Strong understanding of furniture construction methods — woodworking joinery, metal fabrication, upholstery, and surface finishing

–    Ability to read and mark up factory drawings and identify technical discrepancies

–    Familiarity with material properties, tolerances, and how manufacturing methods affect design outcomes

–    Understanding of quality control processes and acceptance criteria for furniture production

Experience & Background

–   2–6 years of experience in furniture design, product design, or a related design-engineering discipline

–    Demonstrated experience working directly with manufacturers — domestic or overseas

–    Portfolio showing both design sensibility and technical drawing capability

–    Experience in a design consultancy or studio environment is a strong advantage

Soft Skills

–    Exceptional attention to detail — you catch things others miss and take pride in it

–    Strong written and verbal communication; able to brief factories clearly and concisely

–    Self-directed with good judgment about when to escalate and when to resolve independently

–    Comfortable holding multiple projects simultaneously without losing rigour on any of them

–    Willingness to travel for factory visits, prototype reviews, and client meetings as needed