This paper presents the contemporary metaheuristic optimization algorithm named the Spotted Hyena Optimizer (SHO). The proposed technique is based on the law of gravitation and simulates the social behavior of spotted hyenas. The three basic steps of SHO, namely, searching for prey, encircling, and attacking prey, are mathematically modelled and discussed. The main concept of this work is to apply the recently developed SHO algorithm to two real-life design problems, namely optical buffer design and airfoil design. Experimental results reveal the supremacy of the SHO algorithm for solving the engineering design problems as compared to other competitor algorithms.