Soft Goods Designer

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 products that 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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…