Senior Soft Goods Designer

ABOUT US

Peak Design makes 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 years experience designing consumer products.
• 5+ years of experience designing and developing softgoods, 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 min. 

2) Zoom interview, 45 min. 

3) Onsite/final interviews, 120 min.

WHAT WE OFFER

- 100% covered employee premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance

- Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options

- Life/AD&D, long-term disability, and short-term disability coverage

- Generous mental health and fertility health reimbursement options

- 401(k) plan with employer matching

- Unlimited PTO policy, 12 paid company holidays, and flexible work schedules

- 100% paid parental leave

- Peak Design product and exclusive industry discounts

- Monthly cell phone reimbursement

- Pre-tax commuter benefits

- Annual career development stipend

- Charitable donation program with employer matching

- Quarterly onsite or offsite collaboration weeks with the whole Peak Design team

WHY US?

Thanks to the folks at Outside Magazine, we can tell you that Peak Design is an objectively great place to work. Why? We provide opportunities to go deep in your craft, work both autonomously and collaboratively, drive your professional growth, and recharge with flexible Fridays and unlimited paid time off -- the saucy list of perks and benefits goes on. So, how do we maintain this exquisite way of working while also pulling off an exceptionally thoughtful brand and product line? A close-knit culture that values transparency, community, trust, and questioning the status quo.

Many employees find the way we run our business to be radically different from what they’ve experienced elsewhere. You might call it the opposite of micromanagement: employees are often expected to set their own priorities and roadmaps for their areas of the business. Who thrives here? Self-starters. Question-askers. People who make their own to-do lists. Folks who can do a little bit of everything. People who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty with nitty-gritty details in order to see a vision through.

If you prefer to work in a more traditional corporate environment, Peak Design might not be the place for you. But if you’re pickin’ up what we’re putting down, we look forward to hearing from you!

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING

At Peak Design we believe a diverse team is an innovative team and something worth celebrating. A range of perspectives and backgrounds creates a stronger and more creative work environment (not to mention more fun). We’re committed to equality and inclusivity across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experience.

Some candidates may see a long list of job requirements and feel discouraged because they don’t match every single bullet point – we strongly encourage you to apply anyway! If what we do resonates with you, and you feel excited and able to contribute, we’re equally stoked for the opportunity to engage with you.

ACCOMODATIONS

Peak Design provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in the job application and interview process (including if you have any difficulty using our online system). If you need such an accommodation, please complete the application form below.