Design Engineer

The Design Engineer translates creative direction into buildable fixtures. Working on both new collection development and bespoke custom orders, this role produces detailed CAD models, drawings, and documentation that our shop floor, vendors, and installers can all build from. The Design Engineer partners closely with the design studio on aesthetics, with the Manufacturing Engineer on producibility, and with the Assembly and Quality teams on how a fixture actually comes together and gets inspected.

Key Responsibilities

CAD & Technical Drawings

Create parametric 3D models and manufacturing drawings in Autodesk Fusion (or similar tools) for collection and custom fixtures.

Produce clean, dimensioned drawings with tolerances, finishes, and notes appropriate to the vendor or in-house process.

Develop BOMs and maintain part revisions in NetSuite with support from the Systems Engineer.

New Product & Custom Development

Partner with the design studio from concept through production release: sketch review, massing studies, proportion and scale studies, and prototype iteration.

Specify materials and finishes in collaboration with Design, including glass, machined and spun metal, alabaster, and wood.

Lead prototype builds, capture lessons learned, and carry them into a clean production release.

Manufacturability & Vendor Handoff

Review designs with the Manufacturing Engineer for manufacturability, tolerance stacks, and cost before release.

Issue drawing packages to vendors and answer technical questions through the Manufacturing Engineer.

Incorporate feedback from QC and Assembly into drawing updates and ECOs.

Standards & Compliance

Design fixtures that meet UL 1598 / UL 8750 and relevant electrical and structural standards in collaboration with the Assembly Engineer.

Maintain design documentation and revision history in a disciplined way so that what’s in the field matches what’s in the system.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering, or a closely related field.

3–5 years of design engineering experience producing production-ready drawings for manufactured products.

Strong CAD skills in Autodesk Fusion (Fusion 360) or a comparable parametric CAD tool, with GD&T proficiency.

Experience designing for multiple materials and processes: machining, metal spinning, casting, glass, and wood.

Ability to balance aesthetic intent with buildability; comfortable iterating with a design-led team.

Strong communication skills and organized documentation habits.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience designing lighting fixtures and familiarity with UL 1598 / UL 8750.

Experience with NetSuite item and BOM records.

Background in luxury goods, architectural hardware, or high-end furniture.

Exposure to rendering, photometric analysis, or thermal considerations for LEDs.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary range: $90,000 – $115,000 annually (based on experience)

Discretionary annual performance bonus

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off, holidays, and parental leave

Employer-paid life and disability insurance

Employee assistance program

Safety shoes and prescription eyewear allowance

Employee discount on Allied Maker products

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

On-site at the Glen Cove, NY workshop; split between CAD work and time on the shop floor

Occasional exposure to shop-floor conditions during builds and reviews

Requires seated work with periodic standing and light lifting (up to 25 lbs)

About Allied Maker

Allied Maker is an American design and manufacturing studio creating luxury-crafted lighting fixtures. Based in New York, each piece is made to order by a dedicated team of craftspeople, with a focus on authentic materials, refined form, and enduring quality.

The studio operates at the intersection of design, engineering, and manufacturing. Ryden Rizzo leads product design and form. Lanette Rizzo leads design direction, production, and client strategy. Together, they set a standard where design integrity, engineering, and performance are inseparable.

Allied Maker is widely specified by leading architects and designers and continues to expand its capabilities while maintaining a singular focus: deliver artisan-crafted, highly engineered, sophisticated yet simple lighting design solutions.

Salary Range Annually

$90,000 — $115,000 USD