Head of Product Designer

Head of Product Design/ Director 

About the Role:

You will define and own the physical product experience for a breakthrough stealth-stage neurotechnology and brain-computer interface (BCI) startup building an AI-powered neural interface platform. This role will shape how the wearable looks, feels, and integrates naturally into everyday life. The first-generation product is a highly integrated, sensor-rich textile beanie that combines cameras, microphones, open-ear speakers, EEG sensors, flexible electronics, and battery systems into a soft, elegant form factor designed to be worn comfortably for extended periods of time.

Role Overview:

• Own ID and ME for the wearable end-to-end: sketch through CAD, prototype, tooling, and DfM with overseas CMs.
• Lead the integration of electronics into soft goods: flex PCB packaging, rigid-island placement, textile-to-rigid transitions, weight distribution, thermal management, serviceability
• Define and enforce comfort engineering: pressure mapping, weight balance, skin-contact thermal limits, breathability, fit across head sizes and hair types, long-wear validation.
• Drive the design language and material story for our brand''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s physical products: fabrics, seams, transitions, how the device announces itself or fades into the background.
• Partner with the EE lead on rigid-island layout, antenna keep-outs, and electrode contact pressure; with audio and camera leads on acoustic ports, mic mesh, lens windows, and pod integration.
• Partner with the reliability lead on drop, ingress, thermal, and ergonomic robustness.
• Ship the product by end of year and build and lead the product design function as ID and ME capability scales.

Responsibilities:

• 10+ years of industrial design and/or mechanical engineering, with multiple shipped consumer wearables or comparable body-worn products.
• Demonstrated experience integrating electronics into soft goods or textile products (apparel, headwear, garments, or wearables with significant fabric content).
• Deep CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Rhino, or equivalent) and rendering (Keyshot or comparable).
• Strong instinct for comfort engineering: pressure points, weight, thermal, fit across diverse users, backed by structured wear testing and iteration.
• Experience driving DfM, tooling, and quality with overseas CMs.

Preferred Skills:

• High-density biocompatible interfaces, dry electrode arrays, or other dense sensor-to-skin integrations.
• Soft goods sourcing and textile engineering: knit beanies, technical apparel, woven goods.
• Optical windows, acoustic ports, or sensor windows in consumer products.
• Biocompatibility, skin contact, and dermatological testing for body-worn products.
• A point of view about what makes a wearable beautiful rather than gadget-y.

No 3rd party agencies or no C2C

Abel Lara | OSIJOBS

Type: Fulltime

Location: Palo Alto, CA (Hybrid Schedule)

Salary Range: $300k - $350k/y (DOE) Offers equity + bonus