Supplier Quality/Development Engineer – Technical Soft Goods

Job Description

Identify, qualify, and develop suppliers across technical soft goods material categories including elastomers and knit, woven, and nonwoven fabrics, as well as assembled goods, with rigorous attention to quality capability and process control

Qualify materials and assemblies through standard and custom testing protocols including abrasion, tensile/elongation, colorfastness, and wash durability

Develop inspection criteria, AQLs, and in-line quality checkpoints in collaboration with manufacturing partners.

Investigate quality escapes through structured root cause analysis and drive corrective action to closure

Travel to support prototype builds and production ramps, resolving issues that impede build progress

Assist in translating design intent and engineering specifications into manufacturing requirements; assist with review and redlining of tech packs with factory technical teams

Serve as primary point of contact for all supplier communication, reporting regularly on capability, risk, and development status to the remote team

Required Qualifications

5+ years of experience in soft goods product development, supplier quality, or manufacturing engineering, with demonstrated ownership of quality systems and supplier quality outcomes from prototype through mass production

Proven technical depth in soft goods material categories and construction techniques (woven, knit, and nonwoven textiles; integrated hardware and trims; cut-and-sew, bonding, welding, and thermoforming processes)

Applied experience with GD&T, tolerance analysis, and statistical process control

Working knowledge of soft goods testing standards and familiarity with soft goods reliability test equipment

Strong communication skills; ability to independently drive suppliers and cross-functional partners on design, schedule, and quality

Native or professional Mandarin fluency. Professional English competency.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working on wearable products

Experience with 3D knitting processes and equipment

Experience with textile-elastomer overmolding

Experience with small form-factor soft goods