Senior Designer, Soft Goods

ABOUT US

The purpose of Peak Design is to create happy, meaningful lives for the people that work here. We believe this purpose can only be achieved when self-actualizing, highly stoked people enthusiastically step into (or log onto) the Peak Design office every day. Our purpose and our mission go hand-in-hand and we encourage and celebrate authenticity and the unique perspective each of our employees brings. We’re a close-knit team that thrives on mutual respect and the belief that every voice matters—especially when it’s got something interesting to say.

We make radical, meticulously-engineered gear for detail-obsessed people. Our backpacks, travel bags, camera gear, and phone accessories are used dang-near everywhere. If you’ve visited Machu Picchu, Tokyo, or an REI store in the last 10 years, you’ve been within ogling distance of a Peak Design product.

Alongside our award-winning gear is a brand that truly reflects who we are as people—passionate about design, deeply caring about our environmental and social impact, unafraid to speak up, radically transparent, and generally down to clown. Whether we’re explaining a product, running a sale, launching a nonprofit, sponsoring a film, or razzing the biggest company on Earth, we do it with our trademark honesty, warmth, and wit. Through our products and our brand, we aim to create delight, and leave this world better than how we found it.

ABOUT THE JOB

In this role you will be focused on the design and development of soft goods. We’re looking for someone to own all stages of new product introduction, including early stage market research, concept development through sketching, and working with our overseas partner team to create production-ready samples. Day to day, you will own both new and existing products on our fast-paced and ever-changing roadmap.

• Determine design requirements based on briefs, and collect data points that will influence the design direction through market research.
• Create mood boards, sketch concepts, and make scrappy prototypes to validate design directions. 
• Partner with designers, material developers, and product management in comprehensive prototype and costing reviews, to bring design vision to life within the confines of the target cost.
• Maintain regular communication with factories, suppliers, and overseas contacts regarding project status and timing.
• Create tech packs for overseas vendors for cut and sew, and work closely with the development team on establishing BOM for contract manufacturers. 
• Gather feedback from product users, and provide feedback to Peak Design colleagues regarding their projects. 
• Maintain an organized catalog of all assets - e.g. tech packs, patterns files, images of physical designs - within our shared drive. 

• 10+ overall years experience designing consumer products.
• 5+ years of experience designing and developing soft goods, including taking big projects to market.
• Comfort in a design studio/shop. Ability to operate basic sewing machines and equipment.
• You’re a wizard at drawing and communicating ideas on a physical sketchpad or a digital device.
• Expert in 2D illustration and communication tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. 3D modeling or pattern-making software knowledge is helpful, too.
• Familiarity with the design rhythm of tech packs and patterning and prototyping,
• Able to travel internationals to visit our suppliers 1-3 times per year.
• Local to the San Francisco Bay Area (or willing to relocate for this role), and willing to work from our office/design shop in the Dogpatch neighborhood a minimum of 3 days per week (this is not a remote role, though we do maintain flexibility).
• Bonus points if you use and care a lot about gear (photography, outdoor, travel, or other passion areas)

INTERVIEW PROCESS

Here’s what you can expect:

1) Phone screen 30-45 min. 

2) Zoom interview, 45-60 min. 

3) Onsite/final interviews, ~120 min.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Having a team of wildly-talented, fully-stoked people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skillsets is how we make this whole shindig possible.

Peak Design complies with all laws set force by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces Federal laws that protect you from discrimination in employment: https://www.eeoc.gov/poster

Peak Design also complies with all laws set forth by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), which is responsible for enforcing state laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of protected characteristics: https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/Posters/