Industrial Designer

About This Role

This role involves defining and applying the product design look and feel for air defense systems, ensuring a distinctive identity and high perceived quality. It suits an industrial designer with experience in physical products, particularly rugged equipment, who can work across various engineering and production teams.

Responsibilities

• Define the Alta Ares product design Look & Feel (shapes, materials, colors, finishes, markings) and apply it consistently across the whole product range
• Design the aesthetics of products and give them a distinctive identity in the market
• Ensure a high level of perceived quality: handling, transport, packaging and unboxing experience
• Design for field use: battery access, carry handles, handling and deployment, operation with gloves and in degraded conditions
• Build DFx (Manufacturing, Assembly, Usability, Serviceability) into every design, working closely with Mechanical Engineering, Industrialization and Production
• Produce sketches, renders, CMF specifications, 3D CAD models and prototypes, and take part in design reviews through to industrialization
• Turn feedback from operators, customers and demo teams into design improvements
• Manage external design and DFM partners: write their specifications, review their work and integrate their recommendations
• Support Marketing with visual assets for customers and trade shows

Requirements

• 5+ years as an Industrial Designer on physical products: rugged equipment, electronics, defense, aerospace, outdoor or similar
• Experience covering the full process, from concept to an industrialized product
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks or equivalent) and in rendering tools (KeyShot or similar)
• Experience of manufacturing processes (injection molding, machining, sheet metal, 3D printing, composites) and of DFM/DFA principles
• Hands-on experience with prototyping and testing with users
• Able to work across R&D, Production and Product in a fast-moving environment
• Fluent in English, French preferred
• Eligible for French security clearance

Nice to have:

• Experience with defense, military or field-deployed equipment
• Knowledge of human factors and ergonomics standards (e.g. MIL-STD-1472)
• Experience building a product design Look & Feel from scratch

About the Company

Alta Ares is an air defense Neoprime that builds AI-guided interceptors to counter drones and cruise missiles, along with the software platform that powers them. Their customers are NATO-aligned militaries and defense institutions, with systems deployed across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Founded in 2024, the company has grown to 90 people, raised over $60M, and increased revenue 40x this year. Alta Ares designs and manufactures defense systems: interceptor drones, ground control stations and C-UAS equipment.