Associate Designer Hardgoods

L.L.Bean•Freeport, ME

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

L.L.Bean is seeking an Associate Designer to join its Hardgoods Design team in Freeport, Maine. The role supports experienced designers in creating distinctive, brand-right outdoor products across Hunt Fish Apparel & Gear, Sporting Outdoor Equipment, and Travel Goods, including luggage, everyday bags, totes, and backpacks. The designer will collaborate with cross-functional partners and contribute to products designed for outdoor comfort and performance. Relocation to Maine is required. The position follows a hybrid schedule with at least four days per week at L.L.Bean’s Headquarters Building in Freeport, with the schedule flexing based on deliverables. The role involves helping translate seasonal trends into product designs, creating sketches and technical materials, researching the market, and partnering with Product Development, Merchandising, and Sourcing to refine and commercialize designs. The Associate Designer also supports color and materials work, product reviews, sample approvals, and milestone presentations. A bachelor’s degree is required, as is 1–3 years of relevant hardgoods experience. The anticipated starting base pay is $65,800–$82,200. L.L.Bean describes its benefits package as including programs and perks designed to support employees’ health, financial goals, and work-life balance, but does not specify individual benefits in the posting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) required.
1–3 years of relevant hardgoods experience required.
Strong communication and collaboration skills across global and cross-functional teams.
Ability to build strong partnerships with internal teams, vendors, and sourcing partners.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment while balancing multiple priorities and evolving business needs.
Consumer-focused mindset and passion for creating functional, timeless products that enhance outdoor experiences.
Curious, collaborative, and solution-oriented approach, with appreciation for L.L.Bean’s heritage, quality standards, and target consumer.
Self-starter who takes initiative and contributes positively to a team-oriented culture.
Commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and customer experience.
Knowledge of Microsoft 360 tools, Co-Pilot, Teams, Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign), FlexPLM, CLO, and Mural.
Basic knowledge of AI tools.
Must relocate to Maine.
Must work at least four days per week at the Headquarters Building in Freeport, Maine, under the hybrid schedule.

Responsibilities

Support the team in translating seasonal trend direction into compelling, brand-right outdoor gear.
Identify relevant outdoor trends and support the design team in creating designs aligned with L.L.Bean’s brand identity.
Assist in creating sketches, renderings, prototypes, and detailed tech packs using Adobe Illustrator and FlexPLM to communicate design intent.
Explore silhouette, materials, color, construction, and function while balancing creativity, cost, and manufacturability.
Help prepare design presentations, including creating color cards and uploading them to the collaborative shared space.
Research the market and competitive brands; domestic travel may be required for inspiration and trade shows.
Partner with Product Development, Merchandising, and Sourcing to refine, test, and commercialize designs.
Use consumer insights, market research, and wear testing to improve comfort, performance, and relevance.
Present clear, compelling design renderings at milestone meetings.
Create and update pre-production bill-of-material images and data-entry details in FlexPLM.
Ensure milestones and deadlines are achieved successfully.
Attend meetings to learn and align on M2M key strategies, initiatives, and actions.
Create color-ups of pattern work using seasonal color direction.
Prepare handoffs to the Graphics team and Colorists for production artwork requests and lab-dip requests, as applicable to product type.
Review and approve lab dips, strike-offs, knit-downs, samples, and trim colorways to ensure they meet color standards and product aesthetics.
May attend fit meetings for Hunt Fish Functional Apparel.
Contribute to a safe and healthy workplace by following safety policies and procedures, reporting unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors, and working safely.