Lead Innovation Materials Designer

Role: Lead Innovation Materials Designer Team: Advanced Concept Design Scope: Individual Contributor (P5) Experience: 10+ years Location: Ventura, CA - Hybrid

At Patagonia, our purpose is clear: We’re in business to save our home planet. Product sits at the heart of that mission- and how we innovate is just as important as what we create. As performance expectations evolve and new challenges emerge, we are called to think radically, act boldly, and push beyond incremental improvement to imagine entirely new possibilities.

This role challenges conventional thinking and drives the identification, research, design, and development of innovative materials across Patagonia’s product ecosystem.

As the Lead Innovation Materials Designer, you will lead the creation of sustainable, high‑performance materials and ensure their seamless integration into product lines. Working closely with Materials Development, Design, Product Impact, Advanced Concepts, and Commercial Production teams, you will translate cutting‑edge research into scalable material solutions. Projects will span both soft goods and hard goods, leveraging deep academic knowledge, industry experience, and hands‑on experimentation.

You will identify and evaluate emerging material technologies, manage partnerships with research institutions, startups, and suppliers, and oversee rigorous testing and validation processes. By presenting findings and strategic insights to senior leadership, you will help shape Patagonia’s long‑term materials innovation strategy.

What You’ll Do

…