How To Become A Senior Industrial Designer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior industrial designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Abby Guido

A senior industrial designer is a specialist in the conceptualization, design, and development of ideas into finished products. The senior industrial designer functions as the chief coordinator of the team. You mentor the design team and lead design projects by developing guidelines and specifications according to the product's requirements. As a senior industrial designer, you will use software like SolidWorks 3D models to create your product concepts which aid production. The senior industrial designer also coordinates all the teams involved in the product development from research and market analysis to design and virtual presentations, and finally, the manufacturing process.

The senior industrial designer role is highly specialized and requires a minimum qualification of a bachelor's degree. You can further specialize by getting a master's degree. The skills in high demand for senior industrial designers are proficiency in software like SolidWorks and CAD, product design, user interface, Photoshop, research skills, leadership, and communication skills. Averagely, senior industrial designers earn a minimum of $43.46 per hour, making a total of a whooping sum of $90,406 per year. It is safe to say that is a very profitable career path.

What general advice would you give to a senior industrial designer?

Abby Guido

Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University

We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.

Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.

ScoreSenior Industrial DesignerUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,758

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 10.07%

Black or African American 1.12%

Hispanic or Latino 7.28%

Unknown 4.48%

White 76.67%

Gender

female 8.50%

male 91.50%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior industrial designer

Explore senior industrial designer education requirements

Most common senior industrial designer degrees

Bachelor's

78.6 %

Master's

13.6 %

Associate

6.8 %

Start to develop specific senior industrial designer skills

Skills	Percentages
Industrial Design	10.31%
Solidworks	8.00%
CAD	7.95%
KeyShot	7.31%
Design Solutions	5.64%

Complete relevant senior industrial designer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior industrial designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior industrial designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior industrial designer resumes.

Research senior industrial designer duties and responsibilities

Manage timelines, client relations, design research, product conceptualization, modeling, prototyping, product liaisoning and more.
Create product concepts and take them through SolidWorks 3D models and into production.
Refine the initial concept into a functional high fidelity prototype capable of meeting design objectives verifiable through user testing.
Design pet toys and pet products.

Get senior industrial designer experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior industrial designer. The most common roles before becoming a senior industrial designer include industrial designer, product designer team lead and designer.

Prepare your senior industrial designer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior industrial designer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior industrial designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior industrial designer resume templates

Build a professional senior industrial designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior industrial designer resume.