Head of Textile Engineering

unspun™•Emeryville, CA

31d•Onsite

About The Position

unspun is seeking a Head of Textile Engineering to lead our Textile Engineering (TE) team and drive excellence in our fabric development and production processes. This role offers the opportunity to lead a crucial technical team and work cross-functionally across our hardware and software development as well as our commercialization efforts and textile product development, contributing to unspun's mission of reducing global carbon emissions by 1% by enabling on-shore and on-demand production. Join us in revolutionizing a massively wasteful industry. As unspun’s Head of Textile Engineering, you will be responsible for managing and developing our TE team while overseeing all production and testing activities across our facilities. This role combines technical expertise with strong leadership skills to ensure the successful execution of textile engineering projects, resourcing decisions, and team development. This is an in-person role, 5 days per week at our Emeryville Microfactory & HQ.

Requirements

4+ years of team management experience
Strong background in textile engineering, particularly in woven fabrics
Experience with engineering processes including experiment design, FMEA/RCA, and prototyping
Knowledge of textile/apparel industry standards and requirements
Understanding of mechanical engineering fundamentals
Demonstrated experience mentoring teammates and supporting technical skill development
Experience with apparel/textile prototyping, production, and QC processes

Nice To Haves

Excellent people management and leadership abilities
Strong prioritization and decision-making skills in ambiguous environments
Strong communication skills, particularly in translating between strategic and technical information
Proven project management capabilities
Data-driven decision-making and risk management expertise
Bias toward action—comfortable making decisions quickly and iterating

Responsibilities

Lead and manage the Textile Engineering team, providing technical leadership, mentorship, and career development support
Partner directly with our Hardware and Operations Org Leaders on daily factory floor prioritization decisions and capacity planning
Define and maintain clear prioritization across the TE team, making timely decisions in ambiguous or rapidly changing situations
Oversee production and testing activities across all machines in our Emeryville microfactory
Establish and implement processes for project planning, root cause analysis, documentation, and knowledge transfer
Lead the development and review of testing plans, fabric development rounds, and production runs
Manage project timelines and resource allocation to ensure on-time delivery
Apply industry best practices to support unspun's scaling and commercialization goals
Provide hands-on technical guidance and mentorship, acting as a thought partner on problem-solving, test planning, and execution