Softgoods Designer

Softgoods Designer

As a Softgoods Designer on the Industrial Design Specialist Team you will design, prototype, develop and integrate technical softgoods solutions across Meta's consumer VR, AR, Smart Glasses, Wearables and Accessories product lines. We work closely with Industrial Design Generalists, PDE and operations partners to push the boundaries of what is possible in Softgoods integration. You will bring strategic problem solving and industry leading hands-on design skills and take a critical role in designing novel Softgoods solutions to improve the aesthetics and ergonomics for our consumer electronics devices. You'll own the design of parts/assemblies such as facial interfaces, strap systems, wrist wearables with integrated electronics and charging carry cases. We also provide support for our accessories lines such as carry cases and VR headset customization. You have a passion for pushing the state of the art of Softgoods design and manufacturing and experience working collaboratively with cross-functional teams. This position is full-time. Extensive experience in Softgoods design, development and manufacturing is strongly preferred but not required for this position. Our ideal candidate has a mechanical background, experience in designing and manufacturing consumer electronics Softgoods products, expert 3D and 2D CAD capabilities, and prototyping skills.

Softgoods Designer Responsibilities

• Conceive elegant, effective ways to address ergonomic and mechanical challenges
• Design category-defining products, helping Meta Reality Labs change the world through design
• Utilize user-centric thinking and aesthetic sensibility to align our brand to customer needs
• Work collaboratively with multiple cross-functional teams on complex technical programs in a fast-paced environment
• Be a key contributor of concepts and problem solving across multiple softgoods projects
• Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of Softgoods materials and manufacturing techniques
• Create softgoods designs and communicate design intent through sketching, CAD and most importantly you make mock-ups and prototypes to prove new concepts
• Collaborate closely with other Designers/Engineers to create and bring new and better toolbox solutions that benefit the brand (such as new technologies, construction techniques, features, etc.)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design or related field
• 2+ years of experience as an Industrial Designer with emphasis on developing Softgoods products
• Experience exploring and refining ideas through prototyping
• Experience in 3D CAD modeling (Rhino, SolidWorks, NX, Fusion 360)
• Experience in 2D CAD (Adobe Illustrator)
• Knowledge of fabric and textile constructions (knit, weaves, nonwovens)
• Experience in creating 2D flat patterns from 3D shapes and vice versa
• Experience operating sewing machines and other softgoods specific equipment

Preferred Qualifications

• Textile, bag, garment and/or footwear design experience
• Experience with CNC cutting machines (laser, fabric cutter)
• Experience with patterning/visualization software (Gerber, Optitex, CLO)
• Knowledge of flat-knitting