At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop innovative travel products that combine comfort and engineering.
- Company: Trtl, a Glasgow-based brand revolutionising travel comfort.
- Benefits: Hybrid working, hands-on prototyping, and a chance to see your designs in action.
- Other info: Join a small, dynamic team where your work is visible and valued.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on how millions travel with your creative engineering solutions.
- Qualifications: Degree in Product Design Engineering or similar, plus 3-5 years of relevant experience.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Trtl
Trtl is a Glasgow-based travel comfort brand on a mission to make journeys better. Our flagship Trtl Pillow reinvented the travel pillow by hiding an engineered support structure inside a soft, wearable fleece — a product that works because textiles and mechanics were designed together. Millions of travellers around the world now fly, ride, and nap better because of it, and we’re building a growing family of travel products that carry the same idea: clever engineering, wrapped in comfort.
The role
As our Product Design Engineer, you’ll bring first-principles, physics-led problem solving to consumer products that people wear and carry. You’ll think about how a support structure carries the weight of a sleeping head, how a hinge or frame behaves after five hundred flights, how a material choice changes stiffness, weight, and cost — and you’ll do it all in service of products that feel effortless to the person using them. We’re looking for someone with an engineer’s eye for structures, forces, materials and mechanisms. This is a hands-on, end-to-end role: sketch, model, prototype, test, break, refine, and take designs through to manufacture alongside our textile designers and suppliers.
What you’ll do
- Lead mechanical and structural concept development for new travel products and improvements to our existing range, working from user needs back to engineering requirements.
- Apply physics to real design decisions — loads, stresses, stiffness, energy, ergonomics — using first-principles analysis, calculation, and simulation where it earns its keep.
- Design and detail parts in CAD (e.g. SolidWorks or similar), from quick form studies to production-ready parts and assemblies with proper tolerancing.
- Prototype and test relentlessly — 3D printing, workshop builds, lash-ups, and rigs — to answer questions early and cheaply.
- Select and specify materials across plastics, foams, frames, and structures, and work with our textile team so hard and soft components are designed as one product, not two halves.
- Take designs into manufacture through DFM, supplier collaboration, sampling, and pre-production validation, including durability and safety testing.
- Bring evidence — user insight, competitor teardowns, test data — into the team’s decisions, and communicate engineering trade-offs clearly to non-engineers.
What we’re looking for
Essential:- A degree in Product Design Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering, or similar — the kind of course that teaches you to think like both a designer and an engineer.
- Roughly 3–5 years’ experience designing and shipping physical consumer products, ideally in fast-moving consumer hardware.
- A physics-first, first-principles approach to problem solving — you reach for a free-body diagram, a quick calc, or a bench test before you reach for an opinion.
- Strong CAD skills with parametric modelling, assemblies, and drawings for manufacture.
- Working knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes — injection moulding, foams, wire forms and springs, fasteners, and how material choice drives performance, feel, and cost.
- A prototyping habit — comfortable in a workshop, quick to build, and honest about what the test results say.
- Genuine consumer focus — you care about how a product feels in someone’s hands (or around their neck) as much as how it performs on a test rig.
- Experience with textiles, wearables, or products that combine soft goods with engineered structures.
- Simulation experience (FEA), DFMEA, or structured test planning.
- Experience working directly with Far East or European suppliers, including factory visits and sample reviews.
- An instinct for lightweight, packable design — travel products live and die by weight, packed size, and durability.
How we work
You’ll be based at our Glasgow HQ on a hybrid pattern, with regular days in the office and workshop — this is a hands-on prototyping role, and being around the product (and the team) matters. You’ll join a small, senior product team where your work is visible on shelves and in airports, not buried in a programme plan.
How to apply
Send us your CV and a short portfolio — we’d love to see one or two projects where you took a physical product from problem to production, and hear about the engineering decisions you made along the way. Tell us about something you built, broke, and made better.
Trtl is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are happy to discuss flexible working.
Product Design Engineer in Glasgow employer: Trtl
Trtl is an exceptional employer located in Glasgow, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation meets comfort in travel products. With a strong focus on employee growth and collaboration, you will have the opportunity to work hands-on with a talented team, bringing your engineering expertise to life while contributing to products that enhance the travel experience for millions. The company promotes a culture of creativity and problem-solving, ensuring that your contributions are not only valued but also visible in the marketplace.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Product Design Engineer in Glasgow
✨Join Product Management Meetups
Get involved in local product management meetups or workshops. These events are perfect for meeting industry folks, sharing ideas, and staying updated on trends. Plus, you never know who might be hiring—it's a fantastic way to make connections that could lead to a job at places like Trtl!
✨Show Off Your Product Sense
Create case studies or mini-projects showcasing your product management skills, and share them on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn. This not only puts your skills on display but also boosts your visibility in the product community. Imagine how impressed the hiring team at Trtl would be by your initiative!
✨Utilise Online Communities
Dive into online product management communities like Product Coalition or Mind the Product. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and share your insights. These platforms are goldmines for networking and finding hidden job opportunities—many companies often scout talent from within these circles.
✨Leverage Your University Network
If you’ve recently graduated or are still in uni, tap into your alumni network for connections in product management. Many universities have their own job boards and affinity resources to help graduates land roles. Don't forget to keep an eye out for job openings at Trtl through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Product Design Engineer in Glasgow
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Product Design Engineer, let your passion for developing products shine through in your cover letter. Share specific examples of products you've managed, how you solved user needs, and any successful outcomes you've achieved. This is your chance to showcase your understanding of the product lifecycle!
Highlight Your Cross-Functional Skills:Product management isn't just about understanding the product; it’s about collaborating with different teams! Make sure to emphasise your experience working with developers, designers, and marketers. Use your CV to showcase your ability to bridge gaps between these areas, and include relevant experiences that demonstrate your communication and leadership skills!
Include Your Metrics and Achievements:In a full-time product management application, data speaks volumes! Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Did you increase user retention by a certain percentage? Launch a product ahead of schedule? Include these metrics in your CV to paint a picture of your impact and effectiveness in previous roles.
Tailor Your CV to the Role:Make sure your CV is tailored for the Product Design Engineer position at Trtl. Use keywords from the job description and ensure your relevant experiences are front and centre. Highlight any certifications or relevant training you’ve completed that will make you stand out as a strong candidate for the role. And remember, we’re excited to see your application on our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at Trtl
✨Understand the Product Life Cycle
As a product management candidate, we need to get our head around the complete product life cycle. Be prepared to discuss real-world examples of how you’ve managed product development from ideation to launch. Bring specific insights on tools like JIRA or Trello that can help streamline these processes.
✨Showcase Your Cross-Functional Skills
Product management is all about collaboration. We should be ready to highlight how we’ve worked across teams—think marketing, engineering, and design. Prepare to discuss scenarios where you had to mediate differing opinions and how you got everyone on board with a shared vision.
✨Prepare for Case Studies
In a full-time role, we can expect to encounter case study questions during our interviews. Practise solving hypothetical product problems on the spot, such as prioritising features for a new app or improving user engagement metrics. This will show our analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
✨Know Your Metrics
Let’s face it, numbers are our best friends in product management. We should prepare to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) and how we've used analytics to inform product decisions. Dive into examples where data has driven our strategy for improvements or justified product changes.
