Soft Goods Designer

Skipwithjoy; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Skip is seeking a highly motivated and entrepreneurial soft goods designer who will own the design and development of the padded interfaces where our gen 2 device meets the human body: cuffs, liners, pads, and fasteners. This role requires close collaboration with mechanical engineers and human factors teams to ensure material, fit, and device work as one.

You will lead prototyping, wear testing, and material selection, shaping a long-term soft goods platform for MO/GO while maintaining high

Qualifications

• 8+ years of soft goods design and development, focused on padded, load-bearing interfaces.
• Deep knowledge of interface materials and their performance under load, heat and sweat.
• Strong understanding of soft goods construction and cost implications.
• Experience collaborating with engineers on parts that integrate with rigid structures.
• Existing relationships across materials and converting supply base.
• Experience writing specs and managing suppliers through production.
• Must be able to relocate to the Bay Area.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of gen 2 body interface components from concept to production, including material selection and supplier handoff.
• Partner with mechanical engineers on integration of soft and hard components: attachment methods and load distribution.
• Define functional requirements: comfort under load, pressure distribution, thermal/moisture management, skin safety.
• Select and qualify materials for on-body interfaces: foams, gels, spacers, laminates, skin-facing textiles.
• Maintain a materials landscape map and supply base; assess tradeoffs and best-in-class options.
• Specify and develop construction methods: lamination, die cutting, thermoforming, RF/ultrasonic welding, sewing, bonding.
• Build and iterate physical prototypes; run wear sessions and translate feedback into updates.
• Contribute to long-term soft goods platform and material standards for future MO/GO products.
• Wear prototypes on hikes and around the office.

Skills

Soft goods design

Material selection

Prototyping

Supplier management

Cross-functional collaboration

Design specs writing

3D knitting

RF welding

Ultrasonic welding

Lamination

Die cutting

Sewing

Bonding

Tools

RF welding

Ultrasonic welding

Lamination

Die cutting

Sewing

Bonding

3D knits

Job description

Skip is on a mission to make life joyful through powered movement.

Movement is a powerful way to build physical, mental and social health. Yet it is elusive for 2 billion people due to age, injury, or disability. We are building productsthat will restore mobility for millions and enable a new frontier of joyful movement experiences. We want to build a future where a grandparent can easily outrun their grandkids and no one is left behind at the trailhead.

Skip is a 28-person early-stage start-up that spun out of Google X in 2023. With deep cross-disciplinary expertise and key partnerships (e.g. with Arc’teryx) we are uniquely positioned to launch the first commercially successful wearable robotic device, the MO/GO, develop a platform to launch future Movewear products and transform millions of lives in the coming years.

THE ROLE:

We are seeking a highly motivated and entrepreneurial soft goods designer who is excited to solve problems that have never existed before, because the product category hasn’t existed before.

You will own the design and development of the padded interfaces where our gen 2 device meets the human body: the cuffs, liners, pads, and fasteners that sit between our hard structures and the wearer’s leg. This isn’t a cushioning afterthought. It’s a functional systems design challenge: the interface is how force gets from the robot to the person, and it determines whether the device feels like an extension of your body or something strapped to it. You’ll work hand in hand with our mechanical engineers who design the hard cuff structures, and our human factors team, to make sure material, fit, and device work as one.

Some of the specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the design and development of our gen 2 device body interface components from concept through production: material selection, geometry, construction, fit iteration, and supplier handoff
• Partner with our mechanical engineers on the hard cuff design to define how soft and hard components integrate: attachment methods, load distribution, pressure mapping, and serviceability all live in your brief
• Define the functional requirements for the interface in close collaboration with our mechanical and human factors teams: comfort under sustained load, pressure distribution, thermal and moisture management, skin contact safety, durability, and cleanability
• Select and qualify materials for on-body interfaces: foams, gels, spacer fabrics, 3D knits, laminates, skin-facing textiles, and any novel material that earns its place on the body
• Maintain a working map of the materials landscape and supply base: who makes what, who converts it, what’s genuinely best in class for our use case, and where the tradeoffs are
• Specify and develop construction methods suited to the part: lamination, die cutting, thermoforming, RF or ultrasonic welding, sewing, and bonding
• Build and iterate physical prototypes rapidly; run fit and wear sessions with internal wearers and external test users and translate feedback into material and design updates
• Contribute to the long-term soft goods platform: define the material standards and construction principles that future MO/GO products will build on
• Wear prototypes on hikes and around the office.

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years’ experience in soft goods design and development, with significant time on padded, load-bearing, or on-body interface components (packs, harnesses, footwear, protective gear, bracing, or similar)
• Deep working knowledge of interface materials: foams, spacer fabrics, laminates, and skin-facing textiles, including how they perform under load, heat, sweat, and repeated wear
• Strong understanding of soft goods construction and converting processes, and how design choices affect cost, consistency, and manufacturability
• Experience working directly with engineers on parts that integrate with rigid structures
• Established relationships across the materials and converting supply base, and a clear view of who is good at what
• Experience writing specs and managing suppliers through production
• Ability to relocate to work at the Skip Bay Area office
• Sense of humour, tolerant of Aussie & Canadian spelling

Bonus Points

• Experience designing closures and fastening systems for on-body products (straps, buckles, hook and loop, BOA or other dial systems, magnetic closures) with an eye for quick, secure, one-handed donning and doffing
• Experience assessing and qualifying suppliers: capability audits, capacity and lead time evaluation, quality systems, and holding vendors to schedule
• Experience with medical or assistive device interfaces (orthotics, prosthetic liners, bracing, exosuit soft goods)
• Familiarity with skin contact requirements and biocompatibility testing
• Familiarity with human factors, ergonomics, biomechanics, or pressure mapping as they apply to wearable design
• Experience in start-up or early-stage product environments
• Personal motivation to improve human movement

This is a full time hybrid position working at the Skip office in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco.

Skip is an equal opportunity employer. Our hiring decisions are based on need and competence to satisfy said need. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other legally protected status.

Any and all offers of employment extended by Skip are conditional on candidates’ ability to provide satisfactory proof of eligibility to maintain full-time employment in the United States.