Assistant Product Designer

We are a female-founded business that designs and crafts smart watch bands and leather accessories from vintage designer goods and beautiful leather hides. We promote creativity, empowerment, and growth in a beautiful studio environment. We are built on quality, authenticity, sustainability, and philanthropy, and we provide a unique white glove customer experience as an industry leader.

We foster a culture of appreciation, productivity, respect, growth, and reward. We provide a beautiful artisan environment with music, snacks, and employee discounts. We do because we place a high value on the happiness and success of each employee. As a creative company, we thrive and grow by constantly evolving to meet the changing trends in our industry. This translates to continuous shifts and improvements in our practices and methods throughout all phases of our business, requiring our staff to remain open-minded and eager to embrace change as we evolve.

As the industry leader, we continue to innovate, try new methodologies and quickly pivot based on analytics, customer feedback and market trends. We continue to innovate every day, creating the highest value for our customers, which not only allows for Spark*l to have over 72% repeat customers, but a growing reach every day.

Spark*l does just that, sparkles every day, to be the best. The best employer, the best value for our customers, and the best leader for our industry - not only in products, but in how to invigorate change for the betterment of our community and our world. 

Summary:

Under the guidance of our lead designer, assist in the creation and completion of our Spark*l product designs. Identify trends in accessories and leather goods and ideate new concepts in leather and upcycled accessory designs, from materials and construction to function and ease of manufacturing. Present design concepts monthly in design meetings, complete with diagrams and storyboards. Assist artisan production team on any unique construction techniques needed to recreate your designs. Assist the design department in achieving all deadlines and producing prototypes and patterns. Recommend new leathers, materials and hardware. Collaborate across departments to achieve optimal results in bringing new Spark*l products to life, and to market. 

Responsibilities:

  • Assist and support our founder & Lead Product Designer in creating innovative styles and designs in artisan leather and upcycled goods. 
  • As we evolve, embrace the opportunity to expand the scope of your design work to include jewelry, larger leather goods, lifestyle products, and more. 
  • Monitor and scan key trendsetting sources and stay timely and relevant on fashion and lifestyle trends. Design in alignment with these trends and continuously work to capture the interest of our current and future customers
  • Assist the Lead Product Designer with tasks. 
  • Conduct research and surveys on current fashion trends. Surveying includes but is not limited to engaging customers through social media via the Marketing Team.
  • Commit to identifying incoming trends and leading the way with your design concepts.
  • Collaborate with the Production team. Offer training as requested on creating unique elements of your designs for larger scale production. 
  • Develop and create accurate spec packs and detailed layouts, color boards, CAD concepts, and prototypes.
  • Coordinate with sales, design and production teams.
  • Document and preserve all illustrations, detailed layouts, design works and sheets for future references.
  • Support the Design team by ensuring all designs are developed and delivered in accordance with the new product design calendar, referred to internally as ‘the drops calendar’. 
  • Adjust and modify your designs without personal attachment, as we collect and respond to customer feedback, company production limitations, or sales trends. 
  • Translate physical measurements of prototypes into proper software programs for future use.

Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in a logistics related field.
  • Minimum of 2 years working in a textile, leather, or jewelry design environment assisting or leading the design and innovation process. 
  • Present a well-developed portfolio, representing your exceptional innovative design concepts in leather accessories, luxury goods, or lifestyle accessories. 
  • You are a good listener. You take direction well, even when you would have chosen to create the design or project differently. 
  • You have natural problem solving skills and you seek uncommon and unexpected solutions, bringing ingenuity to your role. 
  • You are well-organized and you naturally keep a clean, organized workspace.
  • Firm adherence to policy, knowing when to request an exception
  • You are an articulate and poised communicator. Your verbal and written communication style is clear and concise 
  • You are approachable and a patient listener 
  • Efficient time manager. You use your time wisely and get things done. 
  • You demonstrate a high level of integrity.
  • You learn quickly and adjust to change without resistance. 
  • You love to collaborate with your peers in a fun and positive work culture.
  • You adhere to our safety policies at all times without exception. 

Other Responsibilities 

Support all company objectives. Embrace opportunities to collaborate, assist, and learn new skills in other departments with a smile. See and understand the big picture, and resist siloed thinking. Contribute where contribution is needed, regardless of your job description.

All staff members will be asked to participate in the production phase of creating and shipping our products during peak seasons. Between Thanksgiving and our shipping deadline in mid-December, no vacation time will be granted and all staff members will be asked to accept overtime requests. Please be prepared to accept overtime during these and other times of high demand for our spectacular products, and join your teammates as we appreciate working together through another wonderful season of Spark*l.

Job Specifics

  • Full-Time position ON SITE our Headquarters in San Luis Obispo, CA (onsite position) 
  • Sick and Holiday Pay available upon start date
  • Generous Health, Dental, and Vision Benefits available after initial waiting period
  • 10 days paid vacation after 1 year of continuous employment.

Spark*l is committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals. We believe in personnel processes that are merit-based and applied without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, or military service status, or other protected characteristic, making us an equal opportunity employer beyond what is required by law. We do this because it’s the right thing to do. It’s just who we are.  All staff members will be asked to participate in the production phase of creating and shipping our products during peak seasons. Between Thanksgiving and our shipping deadline in mid-December, no vacation time will be granted and all staff members will be asked to accept overtime requests. Please be prepared to accept overtime during these and other times of high demand for our spectacular products, and join your teammates as we appreciate working together through another wonderful season of Spark*l.