Lead Product Designer, Palo Alto

Lead Product Designer
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.
Submit resume to ******
No 3rd party agencies or no C2C
Abel Lara
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Type:
Fulltime
Location:
Palo Alto, CA (Hybrid Schedule)
Salary Range:
$300k - $350k/y (DOE) Offers equity + bonus