Industrial Designer
Posted Updated
Summary
Industrial Designer at Armory, a defence-tech startup in Gurugram, India: owns the form, ergonomics and manufacturability of rugged hardware, taking products from sketch through CAD, prototyping and tooling to mass production alongside engineering, manufacturing and vendor teams. Core focus: CAD (SolidWorks/Fusion 360/Rhino), DFM, CMF, prototyping.
Important pre-read:
This job description will take ~15 minutes to read and ~15 minutes to apply. You increase your chances of selection by 10x if you read this to the end, slowly. Trust us on this.
What is Armory?
What is Armory?
What we are building requires hard work, tenacity, ownership, creativity and way more man-hours than an everyday job.
If you are a savant at what you do, love autonomy, have high agency and genuinely want to impact the future of this country, we want you to work with us starting yesterday!
Modern conflicts waged remotely demand a radical rethinking of strategy as adversaries deploy inexpensive drones and technology to inflict maximum damage with minimal risk.
If you prefer routine over the dynamic unpredictability of innovation, Armory isn't for you. Our fast-paced environment requires genuine curiosity, resilience, a passion for continuous learning, and comfort with rapid change.
Armory is a new age defence tech startup building next-generation products to strengthen Indian forces in the modern battlefields.
About the founder
About the founder
Amardeep Singh is an IIT Bombay alumnus & an aerospace engineer by education. He was a founding member of ideaForge - currently India's biggest drone company & the first drone company to get listed on the Indian stock exchange.
His 16-year entrepreneurial journey is marked by a series of ambitious ventures spanning across diverse tech domains like Drones, Consumer Hardware, B2B SaaS & AI.
Problems we solve
Problems we solve
Our country's defence systems, conceived in a bygone era, have been outpaced by the rapid advancements in technology, revealing critical gaps that we, at Armory, are poised to bridge.
At Armory, we identify and solve the most critical, complex & specific challenges in modern warfare. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and diving deep into specific problems, we create innovative defence technologies and products that protect our nation and allies.
Why you should NOT join us:
Why you should NOT join us:
If high stakes, tight deadlines, and significant challenges don't excite you, then our mission to revolutionise defence technology might not align with your career goals. We seek individuals who are ready to push boundaries and are motivated by the urgency of now.
Why you SHOULD join us:
Why you SHOULD join us:
We offer the opportunity to work on groundbreaking projects that strengthen national defence, supported by a team of A players.
Join Armory if you're drawn to solving hard problems and want to create a meaningful & profound impact to the national security.
At Armory, you will do the best work of your life. Period.
Requirements
About this role
As an Industrial Designer at Armory, you will design the physical products that go into the field. You will own the form, feel, function of our hardware and take ideas from rough sketches all the way to mass-manufactured products that soldiers can rely on in the harshest conditions. This is not a styling role. You will live at the intersection of design, engineering, obsess over how a product is built, and make real hardware that ships at scale.
- Concept to Production: Take products from initial sketches and concepts through CAD, prototyping, tooling, and into mass manufacturing.
- Form & Ergonomics: Design product form and ergonomics for real-world field use. Intuitive, rugged, and built for operators under pressure.
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Design with manufacturing in mind from day one for tolerances, draft angles, material selection, and assembly so what you draw can actually be built at scale.
- CMF (Colour, Material, Finish): Make deliberate CMF decisions that balance durability, function, and the Armory identity.
- Prototyping & Iteration: Build and test physical prototypes, iterate fast, and refine designs based on real feedback and testing.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with mechanical, electronics, and manufacturing teams to turn concepts into production-ready products.
- Vendor & Tooling Coordination: Work with vendors and tooling partners to take designs through moulds, fixtures, and first-article production.
Must haves
- 5–10 years of experience in industrial design, with a strong portfolio of shipped physical products.
- You have personally taken at least one product from sketch all the way to mass manufacturing and can walk us through exactly how.
- Strong proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Rhino, or equivalent).
- Solid grasp of DFM - materials, manufacturing processes, tolerances, and assembly.
- Hands-on prototyping skills and comfort iterating on real hardware.
- A strong sense of form, ergonomics, and CMF.
- Ability to collaborate closely with engineering and manufacturing teams, not design in isolation.
Bonus points for
- Experience designing products for defense, aerospace, or other rugged/high-reliability environments.
- Experience with ruggedized, IP-rated, or MIL-spec hardware.
- Deep knowledge of materials and processes which includes injection moulding, die casting, sheet metal, CNC, and composites.
- Background in consumer hardware, electronics, or industrial products that shipped at volume.
- Familiarity with rendering and visualization to communicate design intent.
- A portfolio that makes us go, "Damn, we need this person on our team."
What will make you successful in this role?
- Deep expertise in industrial design and design for manufacturing.
- A builder's instinct where you care how things are made, not just how they look.
- Ability to solve hard product problems with first-principles thinking.
- Taking full ownership of a product from concept to production.
- A hands-on approach to design, prototyping, and problem-solving.
- A mindset geared towards rapid execution and innovation.
- Getting s**t done.
How will we set you up for success in this role?
- A live project: You will jump straight into a live product as soon as you join. No dummy or test projects.
- State-of-the-art tools and technologies: You will have access to industry-leading design software, prototyping, and manufacturing resources required.
- Access to resources: You name it, we will do everything to get it for you.
- Supportive team: You will be surrounded by the best minds ready to help you.
Our Hiring Process
We target to close the hiring process within 14 days of your application.
Round 1: Screening Application
Duration: At your own pace but if it takes you less than 15 minutes to apply, you are unlikely to move to the next round.
How to ace: Do not copy-paste your answers from a website or ChatGPT. Be specific in your answers. It's about you.
Codeword: Use TOLERANCE in the application form where it asks you for Codeword. This way we know you have read the JD :)
Round 2: Introduction round
Duration: 1 hour
How to ace: Be yourself. We want to know YOU, not some ideal unrealistic person. Demonstrate your expertise in the area we are evaluating. Ask good questions.
Round 3: Culture Fitment
Duration: 1 hour
How to ace: Help us understand your goals & aspirations. Share some of the stories that have made you what you are. Ask good questions.
Next Step:
Congratulations! You are now a part of Armory. You will build something that let's you sleep at night with a feeling you did something meaningful. Buckle up for a ride into the future.
Work Location
Armory highly values having employees working in-office. We are establishing a collaborative work environment and company culture and that simply does not happen from home. We are based out of Gurgaon and require employees to be in office.
Benefits
What we expect from you
- Genuine curiosity
- Founder's mindset
- First principles thinking
- Execution, not just ideas
- Bias for action
- High energy
- High agency
- Highest level of integrity
- Getting your hands dirty
- Audacious state of mind
What to expect from us
- Team of A players
- Work directly with the founder
- Ridiculous levels of responsibility
- Fast & decisive approach
- Work on hard problems
What your first 3 months at Armory will look like:
30 Days
- Complete onboarding, understand the mission, and meet the team.
- Familiarize yourself with Armory's products, design language, and manufacturing setup.
- Review ongoing product projects and contribute to early design work.
- Set up your workflow with required CAD and prototyping tools.
- Develop initial concepts or improvements for a live product.
60 Days
- Take a product concept from sketch into detailed CAD and prototyping.
- Drive DFM reviews with engineering and manufacturing teams.
- Build and test physical prototypes, and iterate based on feedback.
- Coordinate with vendors on materials, tooling, and production feasibility.
- Refine design direction for an upcoming product.
90 Days
- Take ownership of a product from concept toward production readiness.
- Deliver production-intent CAD and work with vendors on first-article builds.
- Establish industrial design guidelines and CMF direction for future Armory products.
- Identify opportunities to improve manufacturability, cost, and durability.
- Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and product teams to align design with company goals.
Tips
Irrespective of you applying at Armory or not, some of the following tips will definitely help you in your job search.
How to get hired
Targeted Applications: Ensure your application is tailored specifically for the job you're applying for by understanding its requirements and showcasing relevant experiences and skills. Apply for THIS job, not some job.
Quality Over Quantity: Instead of applying to 100 jobs casually, it's far better to apply to 4 seriously.
Stand out: Most people don't put any efforts in applying to jobs, their applications look exactly the same. It's easy to stand out from them just by putting a little effort and showcasing your relevant experience and interest for the said job.
How to NOT get hired
If your cover letter starts with "Honestly, I possess all the skills and experience that you're looking for", then you are not going to make it.
In fact, we wrote a long thread on all the ways you will NOT get hired. We highly recommend you to read it.
We wish you the best in your job search!
