About Us
Familiar Machines & Magic, Inc. (FM&M) is a Massachusetts company using robotics and AI to pioneer an exciting new category of home robots in the health and wellness space with a significant focus on human-robot interaction.
Founded by industry leaders from iRobot, Disney, and Amazon and fully-funded by leading Venture Capitalist, we are currently in stealth mode.
We are assembling a world-class team of roboticists, engineers, and designers to bring our vision to life at scale. Familiar Machines & Magic is building a “high-expectations” team based on core values of trust, respect, kindness, and candor.
Position Overview
We are seeking a Principal Designer to shape the creative vision and design direction of our emotionally engaging, life-like companions. In this role, you will not only design critical aspects of user interaction and product expression but also set frameworks, processes, and standards that elevate FM&M’s design practice. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams in creating a companion experience that is emotionally resonant, grounded in real-world capabilities, and able to support multi-year relationships between people and their companions.
What You’ll Do
- Contribute to the design vision, frameworks, architectural decisions, processes, and standards that guide FM&M’s long-term creative direction and raise the bar for design
- Partner with cross-functional senior leadership to align design strategy with product, technology, and business goals
- Use 3D tools and rapid prototyping to explore emotionally-resonant, life-like forms and behaviors
- Collaborate with writers, animators, game designers, scientists and other designers to refine creative direction
- Work closely with design researchers to formulate and test hypotheses with target customers to gain insights that improve the companion experience
- Balance creative ambitions with practical product constraints to optimize the final user experience
- Synthesize findings from research, experimentation, and collaboration into a clearly articulated, user-validated, actionable companionship design
- Contribute to the company-wide vision for engaging companionship
- Produce visual assets used to communicate our experience vision to internal and external stakeholders
- Guide and mentor designers across levels, providing feedback and helping shape their professional growth
- Drive innovation by leading exploratory initiatives that push the boundaries of user engagement, emotional design, and human-robot interaction
- Use your experience to guide projects, synthesizing complex inputs from research, engineering, animation, and behavioral science into clear, actionable design solutions
- Align and collaborate with product management, R&D, and manufacturing to influence product capabilities and ensure the design vision translates seamlessly into shipped products
- Serve as a consultant and advisor to senior leadership on advanced technical and design challenges
- Represent FM&M externally through thought leadership, design advocacy, and contributions to the broader design and robotics community
- Perform other responsibilities as assigned
What You’ll Have
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in ID/UX/Design Engineering or equivalent industry experience
- Progressive design experience with a proven track record in leading large-scale, cross-disciplinary projects
- Recognized expertise and thought leadership in design, experience design, or human-robot interaction
- Mastery of design and productivity tools, including Apple Keynote, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Apps
- Proficiency in 3D solid and surface modeling, rigging, and animation (e.g. Maya, Solidworks, Blender, Fusion360) preferred
- Background in experiential entertainment, consumer robotics, or interactive ecosystems is a plus
What You’ll Need to Succeed
- Demonstrated ability to set design strategy and frameworks that influence company direction
- Strong communicator with the ability to consult and guide senior leadership on advanced design matters
- Experience in leading process improvement and scaling design practices across organizations
- Ability to balance innovation with practicality, driving impactful design decisions that serve both creative vision and product realities
- Passion for mentoring, collaboration, and driving a culture of excellence, trust, and innovation
Please Note: We have often hired those that do not meet the exact requirements but that we found to be a great culture fit and have the relevant experience to be successful in the role. Please consider applying if this is you.
Familiar Machines & Magic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.
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