Junior Design Engineer for AM (FFF) Footwear

Koobz; Ventura (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Koobz is seeking a hands-on 3D design engineer to turn footwear concepts into manufacturable geometry. You will deliver release-ready 3D models and iterate quickly with the production team, ensuring parts print well on the first run.

The role requires strong Blender skills, UV unwrapping, and an understanding of footwear construction. You will work closely with designers and pattern makers to support sampling and pre-production processes.

Qualifications

• Degree in product design engineering, industrial design, footwear design, 3D/digital design or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Proficient in poly and sub-d modelling with clean topology and controlled edge flow.
• UV unwrapping with sensible seam placement and texel density.
• Rendering of shoe imagery for design reviews (Cycles/Eevee or similar).
• Blender as primary tool or close equivalent, with ability to pick up quickly.
• Understanding of FFF constraints and how they shape geometry (overhangs, walls, layer adhesion).
• Clean, organized, revisable file habits so others can modify scenes.
• Understanding of shoe construction: last, upper, midsole, outsole, fit and sizing.
• Comfortable iterating and adjusting quickly.
• Proficient in English, both written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Model Upper midsole, outsole and structural components for FFF from concept to release-ready files.
• Apply design-for-AM constraints in geometry, focusing on printability and dimensional stability.
• Build and grade parts across full size runs using lasts and fit data.
• Collaborate with production for printability feedback and revise geometry accordingly.
• Maintain clean, parametric, organized files for easy revisits and revisions.
• Coordinate with designers, pattern makers and production through sampling and pre-production.

Skills

Poly modeling

Sub-d modeling

UV unwrapping

Rendering

Blender

FFF constraints

File organization

Shoe anatomy

Iteration speed

English

Blender geometry nodes

Grasshopper

Python scripting

Generative design

TPU materials

Footwear software

Shoemaster

ICad

Romans CAD

Biomechanics

Education

Degree in product design engineering or related field

Tools

Shoemaster

ICad

Romans CAD

Job description

The role

You'll turn footwear concepts into manufacturable 3D geometry. Our production team handles slicing and printing; your job is to hand them models that print well the first time. Expect a fast loop between your models and their test parts.

What you'll do

• Model Upper midsole, outsole and structural components for FFF, from concept geometry to release-ready files
• Apply design-for-AM constraints in the geometry itself: self-supporting angles, wall thickness, orientation-aware features, tolerance and shrinkage compensation
• Build and grade parts across a full size run, working from lasts and fit data
• Work closely with the production team on printability feedback, and revise geometry based on what comes off the machines
• Maintain clean, parametric, well-organised files so models can be regraded and revised without rebuilding
• Collaborate with designers, pattern makers and production through sampling and pre-production

What we're looking for:

Essential

• Degree in product design engineering, industrial design, footwear design, 3D/digital design or equivalent hands-on experience
• Proficient in poly and sub-d modelling— clean topology, controlled edge flow, creasing and support loops, the ability to hold a surface where it matters and let it relax where it doesn't
• UV unwrapping— sensible seam placement, minimal distortion, packed and consistent texel density
• Rendering— you can light and present a shoe well enough for design reviews and client-facing imagery (Cycles/Eevee, or comparable)
• Blenderas your primary tool, or fluency in something close enough that you'll be up to speed in weeks
• Working understanding of FFF constraints and how they shape geometry — overhangs, wall behavior, layer adhesion, anisotropy, warping
• Clean, organized, revisable file habits — someone else should be able to open your scene and change it
• Understanding of how a shoe is built: last, upper, midsole, outsole, fit and sizing
• Comfortable with iteration and being wrong quickly
• English, written and spoken

Strongly preferred

• Blender geometry nodes— we use procedural setups heavily to keep our modelling non-destructive and editable. Comfort building and reading node trees, working with attributes, instancing and field-driven geometry matters more here than any specific technique. Strongest signal in this whole application.
• Computational or generative design background: Grasshopper, nTop, Python scripting, or your own tooling
• Understanding of how flexible materials (TPU/TPE across shore hardnesses) behave when printed, and how to design around it
• Hands-on printing experience of your own — not part of the job, but it shows in the geometry
• Familiarity with FEA or simulation for compliant structures
• Footwear-specific software (Shoemaster, ICad, Romans CAD) or last modification experience
• Sports or biomechanics knowledge — gait, pressure mapping, foot anatomy