CBRN Garment Designer

Responsible for the design, development and technical maturation of CBRN protective garment systems and associated soft-goods interfaces, from concept through prototype, evaluation, verification support and transfer to manufacture. The role balances garment ergonomics, wearer integration, barrier performance, manufacturability, regulatory expectations, cost and programme objectives.

• Develop CBRN garment concepts, patterns, assemblies and detailed specifications that meet agreed customer, user, programme and product requirements.
• Translate voice-of-customer, wearer trials, threat/use-case requirements and human factors insights into practical garment architectures, features and construction details.
• Design and specify textile systems, seams, closures, interfaces, reinforcement, sizing, fit, donning/doffing features, labelling and packaging requirements appropriate to CBRN protective clothing.
• Lead or support prototype build activity, sample evaluation, fit sessions, user trials and design verification planning, ensuring evidence and decisions are captured in accordance with Avon procedures and quality systems.
• Work closely with engineering colleagues to integrate garments with respirators, hoods, gloves, boots, harnesses, communications, powered-air systems and other PPE or mission equipment where applicable.
• Create and maintain design outputs including technical drawings, pattern information, graded size data, bills of material, construction specifications, tolerance requirements, test sample definitions and supplier manufacturing packages.
• Assess manufacturability and repeatability of garment designs, including seam construction, material handling, repairability (if applicable), inspection criteria, production tooling/templates and supplier capability.
• Identify candidate materials, films, laminates, closures, tapes, elastics and other components, working with suppliers to obtain data, samples and prototype materials. Evaluate candidate materials using in-house and/or 3rd party test capabilities.
• Support regulatory, certification and approval activities by ensuring design intent, test rationale, sample traceability and evidence packs are complete and technically coherent.
• Apply structured design review, risk management and problem‑solving methods to resolve performance, fit, durability, comfort, usability and production issues.
• Collaborate with purchasing, quality, operations and suppliers to manage design changes, cost targets, lead times, first-article evaluation and transfer-to-production readiness.
• Communicate clearly with internal stakeholders, customers, test laboratories and external partners, preparing concise technical presentations and recommendations to support design decisions.

Degree in:

• mechanical engineering
• human factors
• or a related discipline

• Demonstrable experience designing technical garments, protective clothing, soft goods or wearable equipment from concept through development and production introduction.
• Strong understanding of pattern development, garment construction, sizing, fit, grading, tolerancing, technical packs, bills of material and supplier‑ready specifications.
• Practical knowledge of textiles, laminates, membranes, coated fabrics, seam technologies, closures, tapes, elastics and other garment components relevant to protective clothing.
• Hands‑on prototyping, fitting and sample evaluation capability, with the ability to diagnose design, construction, comfort, durability and manufacturability issues.
• Ability to work within a regulated product‑development environment, generating clear design evidence, test rationale and configuration‑controlled documentation.
• Experience collaborating with external…