Associate Designer, Functional Accessories - Pottery Barn

Williams-Sonoma•San Francisco, CA

2h•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Designer will support new product lines and product development processes for each season for specific departments that reflect mood, market trends and business needs. This role assists product development meetings and participates as one of the communicators for agents, merchants, sourcing, and color teams. The Associate Designer will work with Senior Management to ensure all deadlines and key calendar dates are met and will support the Director with the rest of the team.

Requirements

Must provide a portfolio or website of current and past experience
Minimum 2 years retail product design experience
Degree in Design or equivalent experience.
Experience designing (category specific product); keeping materials and pricing in mind.
Experience in identifying and contributing trends and inspiration based on the given concept direction.
Must have an aspirational taste-level with passion for interiors, home furnishings, color, designer aesthetic, and industry trends.
Understanding and enthusiasm for the brand
Must have an aspirational taste-level with the willingness to learn and passion for interiors, home furnishings, color, designer aesthetic, and industry trends
Ability to work independently as well as with a team in a fast-paced environment
Ability to prioritize, multi-task and adapt to change
Extremely organized, efficient and detail-oriented – excellent calendar adherence and ownership
Excellent time management and communication skills
Excellent cross functional skills and partnership with merchandisers and product development team
Design Skills, creative and inspirational thinker, deadline driven.
Must be technically versed in (category specific product), creating detailed specs, 3d renders, product reviews and feedback to vendors.
Full proficiency in Mac operating systems with skill excellence in Adobe Creator Suite, Illustrator (plus for Studio), Photoshop, Computer-aided design, and work management system, 3D modeling skills (rhino, key shot) are required.
High aptitude and agility to organize communications
Proactive when making strategic decisions; engage in the process
Understand calendar and deliverables, sense of urgency for deadlines
Confidence in cross-functional collaboration and teamwork through each season and process

Nice To Haves

Domestic and overseas experience collaborating with factories, understanding price adjustment to reflect brand aesthetic
Mass manufacturing experience in retail environment
Knowledge of constructions and technical design

Responsibilities

Assist category Designers to prepare for the weekly Product Development meetings and Work Sessions
Understand business results and support changes that arise from weekly Monday Business Review meetings
Assist and support seasonal product presentations to the team and senior management
Design and develop specs and concept boards while help Senior Designers manage concept all the way through product approval
Ability to provide insights that aligns with team objectives
Contribute effective processes and procedures to improve workflow and results
Proactively support calendar to recognize milestones and key dates
Develop strong business acumen to support each season; understand brand and financial goals, support business and seasonal strategy
Recognize key fashion trends and analyze what competition is doing to bring new business opportunities or trends to the team
Utilize Product Lifecycle Management shared with cross-functional teams to review status of development process
Has strong cross-functional partnership with Williams Sonoma Global Operations country partners, merchants, sourcing, engineering, and color team.
Has ability to clearly communicate the needs with Williams Sonoma Global Operations vendor partners and sourcing in order for vendors to execute design vision
Support department business needs and ability to bring new ideas for specs and concept board
Have problem solving skills to identify existing product issues that may arise
Maintain and organize development samples both physically and digitally

Benefits

A generous discount on all WSI brands
A 401(k) plan and other investment opportunities
Paid vacations, holidays, and time off to volunteer
Health benefits, dental and vision insurance, including same-sex domestic partner benefits
Tax-free commuter benefits
A wellness program that supports your physical, financial and emotional health
In-person and online learning opportunities through WSI University
Cross-brand and cross-function career opportunities
Resources for self-development
Advisor (Mentor) program
Career development workshops, learning programs, and speaker series