Newark Auto

Pattern Maker

Newark Auto · East Orange, NJ (in person) · Full-time, Monday–Friday

ABOUT NEWARK AUTO

Since 1907, Newark Auto has built interior parts for vehicle restoration. Every piece is made to order in East Orange, NJ, using traditional cut-and-sew craft. We sell to restoration enthusiasts, trade shops, and parts retailers, direct, wholesale, and through marketplaces like eBay.

We're growing. We've acquired several heritage brands, each with decades of patterns to digitize and bring back to market, and we're moving into premium materials like leather. We run on EOS, so the team works from clear priorities and a weekly scorecard. Product development sits at the center of all of it, with real room to grow.

WHERE WE'RE HEADING

Over the next three years we're doubling the business and building the team and systems to support it. That looks like:

• Our acquired brands fully consolidated under newarkauto.com, with a unified catalog and automated order entry
• Average order turnaround under 7 business days, with capacity for 10 or more seat kits a day
• The right people in the right seats, with core processes documented and followed
• The largest catalog in classic car interior restoration, with every brand's patterns digitized and production-ready

OUR CORE VALUES

These are the three values we hire and work by:

• Work smart. Do it right the first time, no cut corners.
• Be a team player. Listen, respect good ideas, and help improve the product and the process.
• Sweat the small stuff. Care about the details of everything we make.

THE ROLE

We're looking for an experienced Pattern Maker to own product development from physical template to shop floor. You'll convert templates and samples into digital files, write sewing and assembly specs, document materials and components, and make sure everything is right before production starts. You'll work with CAD digitization and automated cutting, alongside experienced sewing and assembly operators. Your standard is simple and measurable. Every new product reaches the floor with complete specs and a bill of materials, and builds right the first time.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

• Digitize templates. Convert physical templates and samples into digital files using CAD/nesting software, optimized for automated cutting.
• Write the specs. Sewing specs, assembly sequences, and fabrication notes the shop floor can follow without hand-holding.
• Build the BOMs. Determine the materials, trim, hardware, and processes for each product, and set up product structures in our inventory system.
• Verify first builds. Walk each new product through with operators, monitor initial builds against spec, and troubleshoot fit, material, or process issues.
• Own the pattern library. Keep the digital template library organized and current, so the whole team works from one source of truth.
• Fix it at the source. Collect operator feedback, track recurring issues, and refine templates and processes to cut rework.

HOW WE RUN: EOS

We run the whole company on EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. It keeps a growing company simple: every team works from a weekly scorecard, meets weekly to solve issues, and commits to quarterly priorities called rocks. Every seat owns its numbers and raises its issues.

This seat owns the product development numbers on our scorecard, and most quarters you'll carry a rock of your own, like bringing an acquired brand's pattern library back to market. When something blocks your numbers, you'll surface the issue instead of working around it. If you know EOS you'll feel right at home. If you don't, you'll pick it up fast, because it's how we keep the team aligned and accountable.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

First 30 days

• You've learned our products, materials, and workflow from the operators who build them.
• You've digitized templates end to end using our CAD and cutting workflow.
• You've released your first product to the floor with complete specs and a bill of materials.
• Contribute and participate in our weekly Level 10s in a meaningful way.

By 90 days

• You own the pattern library, and it's organized and current.
• Operators cut and sew from your step-by-step documentation without coming back with questions.
• New products move from template to first approved build without rework.
• You've fixed at least one recurring source of rework at its root.
• You’ve completed at least one quarterly rock as part of our EOS cadence.

By one year

• Pattern development is a strength of the business, not a bottleneck.
• New products launch on schedule with documentation that holds up on the floor.
• Throughput is up and rework is measurably down.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Strong background in sewing, upholstery fabrication, and soft-trim manufacturing.
• At least 2 years in a product development, pattern-making, or technical role within upholstery, soft goods, marine, furniture, aviation, or garment manufacturing.
• Experience digitizing templates using CAD or nesting software (Gerber, Lectra, Optitex, or similar).
• The ability to write production specs operators can follow without hand-holding.
• A sharp eye for detail: you catch missing components and process gaps before the shop floor does.
• Hands-on experience alongside sewing and assembly operators is a plus, as is familiarity with inventory or ERP systems, automated cutting equipment, and automotive or specialty products.

COMPENSATION & DETAILS

• Pay: $30–$42 per hour, depending on experience.
• Schedule: Full-time, Monday–Friday, 8-hour day shifts.
• Benefits: 401(k) with company match, monthly stipend toward health insurance or other benefits, paid time off, and performance-based bonus opportunities.
• Location: In person at our shop in East Orange, NJ.