Founding Textile Engineer (Equity + EXIST Funding) (m/f/d)

Tasks

• Work directly with knitting, dyeing, finishing, and quality control operations in industrial textile manufacturing environments •
• Identify, classify, and document textile defects including needle-related defects, needle breaks, elastane and Lycra failures, vertical needle lines, oil stains, stitch irregularities, holes, line defects, and machine-process anomalies •
• Analyze root causes of production issues and support the development of corrective and preventive actions •
• Support the creation and validation of textile defect datasets used for AI model training •
• Collaborate with AI engineers to translate textile production challenges into machine learning and computer vision applications
• • Define textile-specific defect taxonomies, quality standards, and production workflows
• • Support the development of machine-level quality and sustainability KPIs
• • Analyze dyeing and finishing processes, including shade deviations (ΔE), color consistency issues, re-dye risks, and process instabilities
• • Participate in pilot deployments and industrial validation projects at partner factories
• • Work closely with textile manufacturers, machine manufacturers, operators, production managers, and the NexTex AI team
• • Help shape the textile knowledge foundation and product strategy of NexTex AI

Requirements

• Degree in Textile Engineering, Textile Technology, Textile Management, or a related field •
• Strong understanding of knitted fabric production and circular knitting processes •
• Knowledge of fabric structures including Single Jersey, Rib, Interlock, French Terry, and elastane-containing fabrics •
• Understanding of textile quality control and defect analysis •
• Knowledge of dyeing, finishing, and fabric inspection processes
• • Experience identifying and troubleshooting textile defects and production issues
• • Understanding of shade deviations (ΔE), color consistency, and dyehouse quality challenges
• • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• • Ability to work independently and communicate with technical and production teams
• • Fluent English

Nice to Have

• Experience working in knitting, dyeing, finishing, or fabric production facilities •
• Experience with quality assurance and textile testing •
• Knowledge of GOTS, OCS, OEKO-TEX, or sustainability-related textile standards •
• Interest in AI, Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing, and digital transformation •
• Previous startup experience

We offer

• Founding team position from day one •
• Equity participation of up to 15%, depending on experience, commitment, and long-term involvement •
• Monthly compensation of approximately €2,500 through the German EXIST Startup Grant program •
• Full health insurance coverage through the EXIST funding program •
• Opportunity for increased compensation following successful completion of the EXIST funding phase and future financing milestones
• • Opportunity to grow into a future Head of Textile Technology or senior leadership role
• • Access to the Berlin startup ecosystem through the EXIST and PRO FIT funding programs
• • Direct access to pilot factories, industrial production environments, and machine manufacturers from day one
• • Collaboration with leading textile manufacturers and machine technology partners
• • Gym membership support
• • Flexible working arrangements, with Berlin preferred and Europe considered for exceptional candidates
• • High ownership and direct impact on company strategy and product development
• • Opportunity to help build a category-defining Industrial AI company for textile manufacturing
• Benefits
• BENEFITS
• • Founding team position from day one
• • Equity participation of up to 15%, depending on experience, commitment, and long-term involvement
• • Monthly compensation of approximately €2,500 through the German EXIST Startup Grant program
• • Full health insurance coverage through the EXIST funding program
• • Opportunity for increased compensation following successful completion of the EXIST funding phase and future financing milestones
• • Opportunity to grow into a future Head of Textile Technology or senior leadership role
• • Access to the Berlin startup ecosystem through the EXIST and PRO FIT funding programs
• • Direct access to pilot factories, industrial production environments, and machine manufacturers from day one
• • Collaboration with leading textile manufacturers and machine technology partners
• • Gym membership support
• • Flexible working arrangements, with Berlin preferred and Europe considered for exceptional candidates
• • High ownership and direct impact on company strategy and product development
• • Opportunity to help build a category-defining Industrial AI company for textile manufacturing

We are looking for a Founding Textile Engineer who understands both the technical realities of textile manufacturing and the challenges that arise across the production process. You will work directly with our AI team, pilot factories, and machine partners to help translate textile expertise into scalable industrial AI solutions. A strong understanding of knitted fabrics is essential. Our initial focus includes circular knitting production, dyeing, finishing, and fabric inspection processes. Key manufacturing challenges include needle-related defects, needle breaks, vertical needle lines, elastane and Lycra-related distortions, oil stains, stitch irregularities, holes, line defects, machine start-stop anomalies, and other quality deviations that impact fabric performance and production efficiency.