Senior Design Manager, Apparel
About The Position
Pendleton has been woven in the West since 1863. Built on a legacy of craft, quality, and authenticity, our products are known for their timeless design and enduring stories. As we continue to evolve, we’re seeking a Senior Director of Product Development to lead and shape the future of our product creation across all categories. As Senior Design Manager, Apparel, you will lead the creative development and execution of Pendleton’s apparel categories across Women’s and Men’s product, ensuring a cohesive expression of the brand across knitwear, wovens, outerwear, and sweaters. Reporting to the Senior Director of Design, this role combines strong creative leadership with hands-on product execution, team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. You will oversee and mentor design teams while driving alignment across categories, elevating design quality, and ensuring product reflects Pendleton’s heritage, craftsmanship, and evolving consumer relevance. This role requires a leader who can balance vision, operational rigor, and team development while partnering closely with Product Management, Development, Materials, and Mill teams to deliver compelling, commercially successful collections.
Requirements
- 10+ years of apparel design experience with leadership responsibility across multiple categories
- Strong expertise across knitwear, woven, outerwear, and sweaters
- Proven experience leading and developing creative teams
- Strong technical design capability including advanced sketching, CAD, and tech pack oversight
- Deep knowledge of apparel construction, materials, trims, fit, and product development processes
- Strong understanding of calendar management, workflow prioritization, and cross-functional collaboration
- Exceptional organizational and communication skills with strong attention to detail
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution
- Collaborative leadership style with a proactive, solution-oriented mindset
- Passion for craftsmanship, heritage brands, and creating product with lasting value
Responsibilities
- Lead the design and execution of apparel categories across Women’s and Men’s product including knitwear, wovens, outerwear, and sweaters
- Translate seasonal vision and product briefs into cohesive, consumer-relevant assortments
- Drive silhouette, fabrication, color, and detail direction that reflects Pendleton’s heritage and evolving consumer
- Ensure all product aligns with brand standards of craftsmanship, quality, and timelessness
- Establish cohesive design language across categories while encouraging innovation and newness
- Lead, mentor, and develop apparel design teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performing creative culture
- Provide clear creative direction, feedback, and prioritization across seasonal workstreams
- Support team growth through coaching, collaboration, and skill development
- Partner with leadership on organization, resource planning, and team efficiencies
- Oversee sketches, sketch packets, and tech packs to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency across teams
- Ensure integrity and timeliness of all design deliverables in accordance with the product calendar
- Partner closely with Development to ensure accurate translation from design through proto and commercialization
- Participate in fittings and reviews, maintaining design intent and quality standards throughout development
- Manage design milestones and workflow to ensure on-time delivery across all phases of work
- Proactively identify risks to timelines, resources, or deliverables and drive solutions
- Partner with Product Management to ensure product fulfills briefs including cost, business goals, and consumer needs
- Collaborate with Materials, Development, and Mill Technical Design teams to innovate on fabrics, trims, and construction
- Work closely with Brand Creative to align seasonal storytelling and product expression
- Partner regularly with Home and Accessories teams to create cohesive brand expression across categories
- Maintain strong awareness of market trends, competitors, and consumer insights
- Conduct ongoing research in materials, construction techniques, and silhouette relevance
- Bring thoughtful innovation to the assortment while respecting and evolving Pendleton’s heritage
- Maintain strong connection to archive resources and champion brand DNA as the foundation for design direction
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
