Lead Industrial Designer (Robotics)

TL;DR

Lead Industrial Designer (Robotics): Defining the visual identity and physical expression of robotic products with an accent on form language and production-intent geometry. Focus on bridging high-level AI capabilities with physical system constraints and integrating design assets directly into engineering CAD workflows.

Location: Based in San Francisco, CA (In-office 4 days per week). Relocation assistance available.

Salary: $207K – $310K + Equity

Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.

What you will do

• Define and evolve the visual identity, form language, and design principles of robotic products and hardware systems.
• Create sketches, renderings, and physical prototypes to explore new product directions and communicate design intent.
• Develop production-intent surface geometry and digital assets for direct integration into engineering CAD workflows.
• Partner with product, engineering, and leadership teams to translate goals into compelling physical designs.
• Drive industrial design decisions across the lifecycle, balancing aesthetics, functionality, and manufacturability.
• Establish design standards and a long-term vision for future robotic platforms.

Requirements

• Extensive experience designing consumer electronics, robotics, transportation, or advanced hardware systems.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellence in industrial design, form development, and physical execution.
• Experience creating Class A surfaces or production-intent digital assets for engineering teams.
• Proficiency with tools such as Alias, NX, Rhino, Blender, or Gravity Sketch.
• Must be based in or relocate to San Francisco, CA.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to shape the identity of an entirely new class of robotic products.
• Collaborative environment working across the entire model stack toward AGI.
• Relocation assistance provided for new employees.
• Equity compensation included in the offer.