Product Design Engineer for Premium Box

We're a manufacturing agency seeking an experienced product design engineer to lead a premium compact-style box from concept through to production-ready stage. The role involves designing the package and ensuring the design meets production requirements. The ideal candidate will have experience in product design engineering and be able to deliver high-quality results efficiently. A premium, pocket-sized hinged clamshell box (think high-end cosmetic compact) with the following core features: Rounded-rectangle form factor — a clean rectangle with radiused corners (not an oval/ellipse), with a premium matte finish and debossed branding. Child-resistant locking mechanism — mandatory. A two-action latch (push-and-slide or similar) that meets child-resistant packaging certification standards. Hinged lid with an integrated mirror on the underside. Removable food-safe plastic insert tray(s) that seat into the main shell, with their own lids. Designed for premium retail presentation and durability. We have reference sketches and rough dimensions ready to share with shortlisted candidates. We want an engineer who can independently evaluate and recommend the best path to manufacture, specifically: Metal vs. plastic for the main box — we are genuinely undecided. We want your professional assessment of which is better and/or cheaper given the form factor, finish quality, tooling costs, order volumes, and overall complexity. You decide what's simpler to execute well, and tell us why. Recommend appropriate materials for the insert tray(s) and lid (food-safe / suitable for consumer products). Design and specify the child-resistant locking mechanism and ensure it can pass relevant certification. Solve the practical engineering details (hinge mechanism, mirror mounting, snap-fit/tolerances, tray seating). Review our reference materials and clarify requirements. Provide a material and manufacturing recommendation (metal vs. plastic) with rough cost/complexity trade-offs. Concept design and CAD modeling. Engineering of the locking mechanism, hinge, mirror, and tray system. Design-for-manufacturing (DFM) optimization. Production-ready files and specifications, plus support liaising with manufacturers/tooling if needed. Prototyping guidance and iteration. We're looking for a long-term partner who can own this build and deliver a polished, manufacturable product. We look forward to hearing how you'd approach it.