OpenAI · 2 days ago
Technical Soft Goods Designer
San Francisco
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$342K/yr - $399K/yrOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. They are seeking a Technical Soft Goods Designer to lead the design, prototyping, and integration of soft goods for robotic systems, working closely with engineers to develop components that interface directly with hardware. This hands-on role involves sourcing materials, prototyping, testing, and iterating designs to enhance the performance and usability of robotic systems.
Agentic AIArtificial Intelligence (AI)Foundational AIGenerative AIMachine LearningNatural Language ProcessingSaaS
Responsibilities
Design soft goods that integrate seamlessly with robotic hardware, sensors, and actuators
Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, and robotics engineers to define requirements and interfaces
Source, evaluate, and test materials for durability, flexibility, environmental resistance, and manufacturability
Prototype soft components using a range of fabrication methods (cut-and-sew, lamination, molding, bonding, etc.)
Build and iterate on prototypes to support testing in varied operating conditions
Document designs, material choices, and test results to support iteration and handoff
Provide technical feedback to engineering teams based on real-world performance and failure modes
Qualification
Required
Experience designing and prototyping technical soft goods for hardware products or systems
Comfortable working closely with hardware and robotics engineers to solve interface and integration challenges
Understand material properties and tradeoffs across textiles, elastomers, foams, and flexible composites
Enjoy hands-on prototyping and are energized by fast iteration cycles
Can translate functional requirements into physical designs that perform under real-world constraints
Organized, detail-oriented, and thoughtful about documentation and repeatability
Curious, experimental, and excited to help define best practices in a still-emerging design space
Preferred
Experience designing soft goods for robotics, wearables, medical devices, or outdoor/industrial products
Familiarity with environmental testing, abrasion testing, or durability validation
Experience working with contract manufacturers or specialty fabricators
Comfort iterating between early exploratory prototypes and more production-oriented designs
Company
OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that develops advanced AI models, including ChatGPT. It is a sub-organization of OpenAI Foundation.
Founded in 2015
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
OpenAI has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2024 (1)
2023 (1)
2022 (18)
2021 (10)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$79BKey Investors
The Walt Disney CompanySoftBankThrive Capital
2025-12-11Corporate Round· $1B
2025-10-02Secondary Market· $6.6B
2025-03-31Series Unknown· $40B
Leadership Team
Fidji Simo
CEO, Applications
Sam Altman
CEO & Co-Founder
Recent News
The Motley Fool
2026-02-09
2026-02-09
2026-02-09
Company data provided by crunchbase