Job Abstract

Job Summary

The mission of the Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center (PA FDC) housed within Drexel’s Center for Functional Fabrics (CFF) is to advance the design and manufacturing of integrated textile systems that will transform the way we work, live, and interact with the world. The PA FDC’s vision is to help lead innovation and fuel economic expansion in advanced manufacturing of functional fabrics across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and more generally across the entire country. The PA FDC is a transdisciplinary center where teams from academia and industry work together to address the grand challenges of advanced manufacturing, digital fabrication, modeling, design, and rapid prototyping. This in turn will lead to the pilot production of new products that will stimulate the creation of a new industry: textiles that see, hear, emit, and transmit.

Reporting to the Director of the Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center (PA FDC) and the Center for Functional Fabrics (CFF) and part of the Innovation Team, successful candidates for the Product Development Designer II role should be highly motivated and have professional experience and/or training in design thinking, design and user research, prototyping, and product design for funded functional fabric and e-textile projects. This position works in transdisciplinary teams consisting of, but not limited to, industrial designers, material scientists, computer scientists, engineers, sociologists, mathematicians, physicists, students, and commercial partners for the development of the next generation of textiles with enhanced functionality. The Product Development Designer II is a project team lead and works collaboratively on funded research projects with subject matter experts to develop and iterate design concepts from project requirements in collaboration with the larger team, producing sketches and sample designs, investigating appropriate materials and production processes, testing product designs using models, prototypes, and user testing, and clarifying and solving design issues and prototype faults. In addition, the designer will also organize and facilitate internal and external project meetings, lead project progress updates and reports, and present to stakeholders. Although this position is highly collaborative, candidates should be able to work independently with limited oversight.

Essential Functions

• Act as team lead for design concept development and prototype iteration for functional fabric components and systems from project requirements
  • Work with team to identify requirements, research existing and emerging technologies, and ideate potential solutions
  • Lead development of project plans for assigned projects, coordinating input from Innovation team, internal and external collaborators, and subject matter experts
  • Plan and facilitate project meetings
  • Coordinate prototype development and production to meet project deadlines
  • Build and iterate prototypes in collaboration with Innovation Team and subject-matter experts
  • Research state-of-the-art functional fabric and e-textile products relevant to current and future projects
  • Produce sketches and sample designs by hand and/or CAD software
  • Investigate appropriate materials and production processes
  • Test and validate product designs using models, prototypes, and user testing
  • Troubleshoot design issues and prototype faults
  • Understand and contribute to technical specification documentation

• Lead team development of project presentations and preparation of progress reports for funders and stakeholders, facilitating meetings, and leading presentations
• Lead proposal development
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Design Research, or other design- or engineering-related fields or the equivalent combination of education and work experience.
  • Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.
• 10 Years of Experience
• Experience as a project team lead, coordinating completion of deliverables for multiple projects with strict deadlines.
• Ability to understand technical specifications for prototype design and production.
• Specialized rapid prototyping skills like 3D printing, laser cutting, and model making.
• Extensive experience with CAD software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Rhino, and Solidworks including ability to troubleshoot issues and learn new techniques/features.
• A flexible approach to new design concepts.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to facilitate meetings, make effective presentations, and take a leadership role in the development of reports, proposals, and presentations.
• Self-starter with ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment, both within projects and internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to listen to and communicate with differing stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to be professional, courteous, and tactful under pressure.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Design Research, or other design- or engineering-related fields with five to seven years of related professional; or equivalent combination of experience, education, and training.
• Demonstrated experience leading successful functional fabric R&D project teams.

Physical Requirements

• Typically sitting at a desk/table
• Typically standing, walking
• Lifting demands = 25lbs

• Lifting demands > 50lbs

Location

• University City – Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt, grade N. Compensation for this grade ranges from $90,430 - $135,640. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

We encourage you to explore Drexel's Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on our compensation framework.

You can also find valuable information about our benefits in the Benefits Brochure.

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.