Senior Product Designer, Bags & Soft Goods

TOM BIHN designs and manufactures thoughtfully engineered bags for travel, work, and everyday life. Since 1972, we have built a loyal following by creating products that are exceptionally functional, durable, and considered down to the smallest detail. We operate our own factory in Seattle, where our designers work closely with pattern makers, sewing teams, production leaders, and customers. We also work with carefully selected manufacturing partners to expand our capabilities while maintaining our standards for materials, construction, and quality. We are growing, but we do not want to become a company that prioritizes launch volume over great product. Product obsession remains central to who we are. The Role We are looking for an experienced product designer with a strong background in backpacks, bags, or technical soft goods to join our product team. This person will help us increase our design capacity while preserving the rigor and attention to detail that define TOM BIHN. You will work across both established and new categories—from everyday backpacks and travel bags to more transformative or experimental product concepts. You will also work closely with the CEO to help shape TOM BIHN’s product roadmap for the coming year. You will bring forward product opportunities, contribute design and development expertise, and help translate broader company priorities into a realistic pipeline of projects. This is a hands‑on design role. You should be comfortable moving between early‑stage concept development, detailed construction decisions, prototype evaluation, material selection, user testing, and production refinement. You will not simply create renderings and hand them off. You will stay closely involved as products move from idea to physical prototype to production. What You’ll Do Design original backpacks, travel bags, work bags, accessories, and other soft-goods products from concept through production Explore new and potentially transformative product categories while maintaining a clear connection to the TOM BIHN brand Translate customer needs and use cases into thoughtful product architecture, organization, access, carry comfort, and construction Create sketches, technical drawings, specifications, construction details, and other documentation needed to communicate product intent Work directly with pattern makers, sample makers, sewing teams, sourcing partners, and production leaders Build, review, test, and refine multiple rounds of prototypes Evaluate fit, carry comfort, weight distribution, pocket placement, access, usability, durability, and manufacturability Select and develop materials, hardware, foam, webbing, zippers, and other components Balance product performance, manufacturing complexity, target cost, quality, and commercial opportunity without compromising the product’s essential purpose Conduct competitive research and identify meaningful opportunities rather than following short‑lived trends Participate in wear testing, field testing, and post‑launch product reviews Contribute to the development of TOM BIHN’s annual and rolling product roadmap Work with the CEO and cross‑functional team members to identify and evaluate potential new products, product improvements, category opportunities, and experimental concepts Help assess proposed projects based on customer need, brand fit, design opportunity, development complexity, manufacturing feasibility, and commercial potential Translate roadmap priorities into clear product briefs, development plans, and realistic project timelines Bring forward original product opportunities based on customer observation, competitive research, material developments, and gaps in the existing assortment Help improve our product‑development process, documentation, and design standards Support and contribute to a collaborative, highly opinionated, detail‑oriented product culture What We’re Looking For Approximately 5+ years of professional experience designing backpacks, bags, luggage, outdoor equipment, or other sewn soft goods Direct experience developing commercially produced backpacks A portfolio demonstrating commercially produced products, not only concepts or school projects Strong understanding of bag construction, sewing methods, pattern development, materials, hardware, and manufacturing Experience taking products through the full development cycle, from initial concept to production Ability to evaluate a physical prototype and identify subtle usability, proportion, construction, and comfort issues Strong sketching and visual communication skills Proficiency with relevant design and development tools, such as Adobe Illustrator and 3D or CAD software Experience creating technical drawings, specification packages, and construction documentation Ability to work collaboratively with highly skilled pattern makers and sewing professionals Experience contributing to a product roadmap, seasonal line plan, category plan, or multi‑product development pipeline Ability to identify promising product opportunities and articulate the customer need, product purpose, and potential differentiation Strong prioritization skills and an understanding that not every good idea should immediately become a development project Curiosity about how people actually use products in daily life High standards, strong judgment, and a willingness to revise a design repeatedly until it is right Comfort receiving direct feedback and explaining design decisions with clear reasoning Ability to manage several projects at different stages without sacrificing attention to detail Especially Helpful Experience Designing technical, travel, outdoor, cycling, military, or performance‑oriented backpacks Developing suspension systems, shoulder straps, back panels, framesheets, or structured carry systems Working directly with factories, pattern makers, sample makers, and production teams to develop and commercialize sewn products Collaborating with domestic and/or overseas manufacturing partners through sampling, revisions, costing, production preparation, and quality review Understanding how design decisions affect construction difficulty, production efficiency, cost, consistency, and quality Designing rolling luggage or products that combine soft‑goods and hard‑component construction Conducting customer research, ergonomic testing, or wear testing Working with premium nylon textiles, technical laminates, foam systems, molded components, or custom hardware Improving an existing product without losing the qualities customers already value How We Work We believe good products come from close observation, rigorous iteration, and respect for the people who make and use them. Our development process is collaborative and physical. Designers spend time with prototypes, materials, machines, production teams, and finished products. Small decisions matter here: the angle of an opening, the position of a seam, the stiffness of a foam, the direction of a zipper, and how a bag feels after several hours of use. We are not looking for someone who measures success by the number of products launched. We are looking for someone who wants to make products that deserve to remain in the assortment for years. At the same time, we want to expand what TOM BIHN is capable of creating. The right person will respect the principles behind our existing products while bringing new ideas, experience, and points of view. What Success Looks Like During your first year, you will: Develop a strong understanding of TOM BIHN’s design language, customers, materials, construction standards, manufacturing capabilities, and existing assortment Build trusted working relationships with our design, development, production, sourcing, operations, and marketing teams Contribute thoughtful recommendations to TOM BIHN’s next 12‑month product roadmap Help turn the selected roadmap into a clear and achievable development pipeline Take ownership of several product‑development programs at different levels of complexity Contribute at least one production‑ready product that meaningfully strengthens or expands our assortment Establish a credible pipeline of concepts across core, adjacent, and experimental categories Improve the clarity and consistency of product briefs, design documentation, development milestones, and prototype reviews Help us increase product output without lowering our standards or losing our product obsession To Apply Please submit: Your résumé A portfolio showing relevant backpacks, bags, luggage, or sewn soft‑goods work A brief explanation of your personal role in each featured project Examples showing how a product evolved from initial concept through prototypes and production A short note describing a bag or soft‑goods product you believe is exceptionally well designed and why Please clearly distinguish between products you personally designed, projects you led, and projects to which you contributed as part of a larger team. Equal Employment Opportunity TOM BIHN is an equal‑opportunity employer. We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. #J-18808-Ljbffr TOM BIHN