Softgoods Product Designer (textiles)

Posted by VanEssential on 08/25/2026

Job Basics

Industry Sector: Lifestyle, Outdoor

Job Categories: Design & Development - Product, Outfitter- Adventure Travel Staff, Product Analyst

Company Type: Accessories, Apparel/SoftGoods, Gym/Outfitter, HardGoods/Equipment, Recreation

State: CO

City: Boulder

Country: United States

Required Experience: 5 - 7 years

Job Type: Full Time

Salary: $75,000/year

Required to Relocate: Yes

Required to Travel: Yes

Employee May Telecommute: No

Job Seeker Must Live Within: 25 miles

Job Description & Requirements

Location: Boulder, Colorado | In Office Only

Who We Are

VanEssential is a growing Boulder-based company creating thoughtfully designed gear that makes van life simpler, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. We’re a small, entrepreneurial team where ideas are welcomed, collaboration matters, and everyone has an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

We value people who take ownership, communicate openly, stay curious, and enjoy being part of a close-knit team. We work hard, but we also believe work should leave room for life and adventure. If you want to help build a growing brand rather than simply work for one, you’ll fit right in.

The Role

The Soft Goods Product Designer is a hands-on role responsible for executing the end-to-end soft-good product lifecycle at VanEssential. This position focuses on tactical management and technical delivery, translating product vision into reality through industrial design, managing the prototyping process, and overseeing overseas manufacturing. You will manage daily project workflows to ensure innovative van accessories are developed efficiently, meeting quality standards and production timelines.Because we're a small and growing company, you'll have meaningful influence over how we evolve our products.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Roadmap

• Coordinate with leadership to execute the product strategy and maintain alignment with seasonal release cycles.

• Conduct thorough market research to identify customer pain points and seasonal opportunities. 

• Lead end-to-end design for soft goods from initial concept through production, managing roadmap execution to achieve key milestones for timely delivery.

Industrial Design & Development

• Lead soft good innovation by translating customer needs into thoughtful product architecture, organization, and construction. 

• Produce technical drawings, sketches, renderings, digital prototypes, tech packs, specifications, and construction details to clearly communicate design intent.

• Iterate on designs based on testing, user feedback, and manufacturability constraints.

Project & Supply Chain Management

• Oversee textile product development from concept and material selection through sampling, refinement, and final production approval. 

• Manage overseas vendor relationships, ensuring quality control and adherence to production timelines.

• Drive cost engineering initiatives to optimize margins without compromising product integrity.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Help assess proposed projects based on customer needs, brand fit, design opportunity, and market demand. 

• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Operations to ensure successful product launches and market alignment.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of professional experience designing and developing soft goods such as backpacks, bags, outdoor gear, automotive accessories, or similar sewn products.

• A portfolio demonstrating produced products. 

• Specific expertise in the outdoor, automotive, or van conversion industries.

• Strong expertise in at least one major soft-goods 3D design platform (Blender, CLO, Browzwear, Rhino, Fusion, or equivalent) 

• Strong Expertise in at least one 2D design platform (Adobe Illustrator, or equivalent) 

• Experience creating tech packs and working with overseas factories 

• Strong proficiency in technical project management, resource allocation, and workflow optimization.

• A problem-solver who is resourceful, persistent, and comfortable navigating ambiguity to get problems resolved.

• A small-business mindset that enjoys being close to the work. You're comfortable shifting between strategy and execution, collaborating across functions, and helping shape processes as the company grows.

• Ability to travel internationally and obtain required passports, visas, and other travel documentation, including background check.

• Most importantly, we're looking for someone who takes ownership, stays curious, and gets excited about building something—not simply maintaining it. 

How We Work

We're an entrepreneurial team, which means ideas are welcomed, tested, refined, and sometimes changed quickly. You'll have a voice here and a real opportunity to influence the growth of the business.

We also believe great work doesn't necessarily require being at work five days a week.

Our team generally works 8:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and whenever business needs allow, we enjoy flexible Fridays off. Because we're a growing company, there will occasionally be Fridays when work needs our attention, so flexibility goes both ways.

This is an in-office position in Boulder, Colorado. We value working together, solving problems in real time, and building strong relationships as a team.

Compensation

The base salary for this position is $75k annually.

This position is also eligible for a company-wide performance bonus program, with individual goals established collaboratively with executive leadership after hire.

Benefits

We offer:

• Employer-paid Anthem BCBS HSA medical coverage for the employee

• 50% employer-paid dental and vision coverage

• 3% employer 401(k) contribution

• 10 days of accrued PTO

• 6 days of accrued paid sick leave

• Paid birthday off

• Flexible Fridays whenever business needs allow

• Paid company holidays, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving

• Future eligibility for participation in our long-term profit-sharing program

Why VanEssential?

You'll join a small team where your work is visible, your ideas matter, and your decisions can have an immediate impact. If you know textile product design and development, and like the idea of helping grow a brand built around adventure, we'd love to hear from you.        

Application deadline: September 8, 2026

 

About VanEssential

VanEssential is a growing Boulder-based company creating thoughtfully designed gear that makes van life simpler, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. We’re a small, entrepreneurial team where ideas are welcomed, collaboration matters, and everyone has an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

As a leading provider in the van industry, we proudly offer an unparalleled range of products tailored to meet the diverse needs of customers worldwide. With our customer-focused approach, we prioritize identifying and addressing gaps in the market. VanEssential is a vertical manufacturer, which means we maintain complete control over the production process, guaranteeing exceptional quality and attention to detail.

We value people who take ownership, communicate openly, stay curious, and enjoy being part of a close-knit team. We work hard, but we also believe work should leave room for life and adventure. If you want to help build a growing brand rather than simply work for one, you’ll fit right in.