Architectural Product Designer - Modular Building Start-Up (Secaucus NJ)
If your favorite part of architecture school was the shop, not the pin-up, you’re probably under-employed.
This Architectural Product Designer role is for someone who wants to move beyond drawings and into real, physical building systems: designing, testing, and refining components that actually get built. It’s hands-on, iterative, and deeply collaborative.
Interested? Read more below.
Architectural Product Designer
Location: Secaucus, NJ (primarily in-person)
Team: Product Design
Reporting To: Head of Product Design
Salary: $80,000 - $120,000
Opportunity Overview
This company is rethinking how homes are built by integrating architecture, building science, and product innovation into a unified system. We are seeking an Architectural Product Designer to help shape the next generation of modular, high-performance building components.
This role is well suited for someone trained as an architect who thinks like a product designer — someone interested in moving beyond drawings to directly build and test real construction solutions.
You will work at the intersection of design, fabrication, and field execution, leading hands-on prototyping and testing within an in-house R&D environment. Your work will directly influence constructability, airtightness, and energy performance across an integrated modular system.
If you thrive on experimentation, iteration, and close collaboration with both designers and builders, this role offers the opportunity to turn ideas into tangible, measurable impact in the built environment.
Role Description
The Architectural Product Designer bridges architecture, building science, and product innovation. This role exists to advance a modular building system by improving constructability, energy performance, and on-site efficiency through integrated systems thinking.
Grounded in architectural training and informed by a builder’s mindset, this role translates design intent into tested, repeatable solutions. The designer leads hands-on research and development in a prototyping environment, collaborating with architectural execution teams, engineers, and contractors to develop modular assemblies such as prefabricated wet walls, bathroom pods and high-performance envelope systems.
What You’ll Do
Design and prototype modular systems and components, including prefabricated assemblies such as bathroom pods, wet walls, and other integrated building elements
Work hands-on in a prototyping facility to build, test, and refine new products and construction methods
Partner with contractors, trades, and internal teams to improve on-site construction workflows
Develop repeatable design-to-fabrication processes that connect digital modeling (Revit) with physical production
Collaborate closely with architectural execution teams to align product development with design intent
Continuously iterate on system performance, improving energy efficiency, airtightness, and overall quality
Contribute to a culture of design experimentation and integrated systems thinking
Own specific product workstreams from early concept through prototype, testing, and implementation
What You Bring
Professional architectural experience (~3-5 years), ideally with exposure to modular or prefabricated design
Strong proficiency in Revit and a solid understanding of building systems and detailing
Experience with or strong interest in product design and physical prototyping
Knowledge of building science principles, including envelope performance and energy efficiency
Hands-on construction or fabrication experience and familiarity with field conditions
Comfort working in a small, agile, and fast-evolving environment
Curiosity, creativity, and a desire to make design ideas real
Reporting & Collaboration
Reports to the Head of Product Design and works closely with:
Architectural execution teams for design development feedback
Contractors and trades for constructability insights and field testing
Fabrication and engineering partners for system integration and performance validation
As the organization grows, this role may expand to lead small product initiatives or modular system workstreams.
Success Looks Like
Within 6–12 months, you have:
Designed and delivered multiple prototypes ready for integration into a modular building system
Contributed to measurable improvements in constructability, energy performance, and airtightness
Established a repeatable workflow connecting digital design to physical fabrication and field testing
Why Join
This team believes the future of housing lies in integrated systems rather than isolated components. You’ll join a cross-disciplinary group working to redefine how homes are designed, produced, and assembled. Ideas move quickly from prototype to real-world application.
If you’re excited to work across scales — from digital detail to full-scale prototype — and want your work to directly influence how buildings are made, this role offers that opportunity.
