Senior Design Engineer

Wakefit · India

Furniture Design Engineer

Design & Engineering · Product Development

Location: Hosur, Tamil Nadu

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: 6+ Years

About Wakefit

Wakefit is building a next-generation furniture manufacturing ecosystem that combines product design, engineering, technology, and high-scale manufacturing.

We are looking for an experienced Furniture Design Engineer to own the end-to-end development of furniture products — from concept and 3D modelling to prototyping, engineering validation, production drawings, and mass manufacturing.

This role sits at the intersection of Furniture Design, Engineering and Manufacturing . You will work closely with Product Design, Production, Manufacturing, Procurement and Quality teams to ensure that every product is aesthetically strong, structurally sound, cost-effective, and designed for manufacturing at scale.

What Success Looks Like

• Furniture products move from concept → prototype → validation → production with minimal rework.
• Designs are manufacturing-ready from day one , reducing production defects, rejections, and engineering changes.
• Accurate 3D models, production drawings, BOMs, specifications, and assembly documentation are released on time.
• Products meet defined standards for quality, durability, functionality, ergonomics, cost, and manufacturability .
• Design and engineering decisions improve material efficiency, manufacturing productivity, and product cost .
• Product learnings are documented and converted into standardized design practices for future launches.

Key Responsibilities

1. Furniture Design & Product Development

• Own the end-to-end design and engineering of assigned furniture products from concept to production .
• Develop concepts, sketches, layouts, 3D models, assemblies, and detailed engineering designs.
• Translate design intent into production-ready furniture solutions .
• Design products considering functionality, aesthetics, ergonomics, structural integrity, durability, manufacturability, and cost.
• Develop both individual components and complete furniture assemblies.
• Design and optimize products across categories such as tables, chairs, beds, storage, sofas, cabinets, and other furniture systems .

2. CAD & Engineering Documentation

• Create detailed 3D part and assembly models using SolidWorks .
• Prepare accurate 2D manufacturing and assembly drawings with appropriate dimensions, tolerances, material specifications, and finishing requirements.
• Develop and maintain BOMs, component specifications, assembly instructions, and engineering documentation .
• Ensure drawings accurately reflect the final product and are suitable for manufacturing.
• Manage design revisions and ensure engineering changes are properly documented.
• Maintain standardized CAD models, templates, components, and design libraries.

3. DFM / DFA & Manufacturing Engineering

• Design furniture specifically for Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) .
• Work closely with production and manufacturing teams to identify and eliminate manufacturability issues before production.
• Understand manufacturing processes including:
• CNC machining
• Cutting and drilling
• Edge banding
• Routing
• Woodworking
• Joinery
• Metal fabrication
• Welding
• Upholstery
• Painting and finishing
• Assembly
• Optimize designs for repeatability, ease of assembly, production efficiency, and quality.
• Identify opportunities to simplify components, reduce part count, standardize hardware, and improve assembly processes.

4. Prototyping & Product Validation

• Drive prototype development from engineering drawings and CAD models.
• Work with prototype and production teams to build and validate first samples.
• Conduct design reviews based on fit, form, function, ergonomics, durability, stability, and manufacturability .
• Identify design gaps during prototype and pilot production stages.
• Implement design changes based on testing, production feedback, quality observations, and customer insights.
• Ensure final designs are validated before mass production release.

5. Material & Hardware Selection

• Select appropriate materials based on product requirements, performance, aesthetics, availability, and cost.
• Strong understanding of:
• Solid wood
• Plywood
• MDF / HDF
• Particle board
• Laminates
• Veneers
• Metals
• Glass
• Foam
• Fabrics
• Furniture hardware and fittings
• Evaluate hardware, joints, fasteners, mechanisms, and fittings for functionality and durability.
• Recommend alternate materials or components where they improve cost, quality, availability, or manufacturability .

6. Cost Optimization & Value Engineering

• Design products within defined cost and material targets .
• Identify opportunities for material optimization and cost reduction without compromising product quality or customer experience.
• Partner with Procurement and Manufacturing teams on value engineering initiatives .
• Evaluate alternate materials, hardware, construction methods, and component designs.
• Contribute to reducing material wastage, assembly time, component cost, and manufacturing complexity.

7. Production & Quality Support

• Work closely with Production, Quality, Design QC, and Manufacturing teams during product industrialization.
• Resolve design-related issues arising during prototype, pilot, and mass production.
• Conduct root-cause analysis for recurring design and manufacturing defects.
• Implement permanent engineering solutions rather than temporary fixes.
• Support first-piece approval and production release activities.
• Ensure products consistently meet defined dimensional, functional, structural, and aesthetic quality standards .

8. CNC / CAM & Manufacturing Data

• Understand how CAD designs translate into CNC and other manufacturing processes.
• Work with CAM teams to ensure designs are compatible with CNC machining requirements.
• Exposure to AlphaCAM for woodworking/CNC applications will be highly valuable.
• Understand machining constraints such as tool access, routing, drilling, tolerances, nesting, joints, and material behavior.
• Optimize designs to reduce unnecessary machining operations and production complexity.

9. Design Standards & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain design standards, templates, component libraries, and engineering guidelines.
• Standardize commonly used components, hardware, joints, and construction methods.
• Capture manufacturing and customer learnings and incorporate them into future product designs.
• Continuously improve the design-to-manufacturing process through data, experimentation, and cross-functional feedback.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Furniture Design, Product Design, Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Furniture Technology, Wood Technology , or a related discipline.

Experience

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in furniture design, furniture engineering, product development, or furniture manufacturing.
• Strong experience taking furniture products from concept → CAD → prototype → production .
• Experience working closely with manufacturing / production teams is mandatory.

Technical Skills

Mandatory:

• Strong proficiency in SolidWorks .
• Strong proficiency in AutoCAD .
• Excellent understanding of 3D part modelling and assembly modelling.
• Strong knowledge of production and engineering drawings.
• BOM creation and engineering documentation.
• Strong understanding of DFM / DFA .
• Practical understanding of furniture manufacturing processes.

Preferred:

• Working knowledge of AlphaCAM / CAM software .
• Experience with CNC-based furniture manufacturing.
• Knowledge of parametric modelling and design standardization.
• Exposure to engineering change management and product lifecycle processes.

Furniture Domain Knowledge

The candidate should have strong practical knowledge of:

• Furniture construction and joinery
• Solid wood and panel-based furniture
• CNC manufacturing
• Woodworking processes
• Furniture hardware and fittings
• Structural design
• Upholstery and soft furniture construction
• Surface finishing
• Prototyping and sample development
• Production constraints and manufacturability
• Ergonomics and user comfort
• Material behavior and tolerances

Experience in high-volume furniture manufacturing, D2C furniture, modular furniture, home interiors, or engineered furniture products will be an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Strong product and engineering mindset
• Excellent 3D visualization and spatial understanding
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Attention to detail and dimensional accuracy
• Strong understanding of manufacturing constraints
• Ability to balance design, quality, cost, and manufacturability
• Strong cross-functional collaboration
• Data-driven approach to product improvement
• Ability to work hands-on with prototype and production teams
• Ownership mindset from design handoff through production stabilization

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for someone who is not just a CAD designer , but an engineer who understands how furniture is actually built.

The ideal candidate will be able to look at a furniture concept and answer:

“Can this be manufactured reliably at scale, at the right cost, with the required quality?”

They should be equally comfortable working on SolidWorks at their workstation, reviewing a prototype, and solving a design issue directly on the manufacturing floor.