Senior Designer

The Beaufort Bonnet Company•Lexington, KY

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Designer leads the creative development and execution of assigned product categories, translating seasonal brand direction into compelling, commercially successful assortments from concept through production. This role is responsible for driving category strategy, leading the seasonal design process, and ensuring products reflect The Beaufort Bonnet Company's brand identity, quality standards, and aesthetic while supporting business objectives. In addition to owning assigned product categories, the Senior Designer serves as a leader within the Design department. This role provides day-to-day leadership for assigned team members, overseeing priorities, workload, and project execution to ensure seasonal milestones are achieved. The Senior Designer partners closely with Product Development, Technical Design, Sourcing, Merchandising, Marketing, and Sales to drive the Concept-to-Customer process, proactively solve challenges, improve processes, and deliver exceptional product on time.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Apparel Design, Product Development, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
6+ years of proven fashion design experience.
Expertise in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
Working knowledge of CAD and PLM software.
Strong sketching, illustration, and design capabilities.
Thorough knowledge of silhouettes, fabrication, construction techniques, fit, garment engineering, and trims.
Demonstrated ability to translate consumer insights, fashion trends, and competitive analysis into commercially successful product assortments.
Strong understanding of merchandising principles, product lifecycle management, costing, and margin considerations.

Nice To Haves

Enjoy coaching, mentoring, and helping others grow.
Lead projects with confidence while balancing multiple priorities.
Build strong partnerships and influence others across teams.
Communicate ideas clearly through conversations, presentations, and collaboration.
Balance creativity with business goals without losing sight of the details.
Stay organized and keep projects moving forward in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Lead the creative development and seasonal design process for assigned product categories from concept through production, ensuring all milestones are achieved on time.
Develop category strategies and product assortments that are trend-right, commercially successful, and aligned with The Beaufort Bonnet Company's brand identity, customer needs, and business objectives.
Research and interpret market trends, consumer insights, competitive brands, and whitespace opportunities to inform seasonal product development and influence future assortments.
Lead the creative development of assigned seasonal prints, color direction, fabrics, trims, and product details while ensuring consistency with seasonal direction and brand standards.
Ensure the quality, consistency, and design integrity of all assigned product categories while balancing design intent, manufacturability, and cost objectives.
Own and maintain the seasonal design calendar for assigned categories, proactively identifying risks, driving solutions, and ensuring successful execution of key milestones.
Provide day-to-day leadership for assigned team members by prioritizing workload, delegating responsibilities, monitoring progress, coaching and developing designers, and ensuring accountability for deliverables.
Lead fit sessions with Product Development and Technical Design, driving decisions related to garment fit, construction, quality, customer experience, and overall design intent.
Lead seasonal design reviews and other design touchpoint meetings, presenting category vision and product strategy while ensuring meetings are well prepared, productive, and result in clear decisions and next steps.
Partner with Merchandising to influence assortment architecture, product positioning, and seasonal storytelling, ensuring design decisions support customer demand and financial objectives.
Partner with Sourcing to identify cost-effective fabrics, trims, and materials while maintaining product quality, margin objectives, and design integrity.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Product Development, Technical Design, Merchandising, Marketing, and Sales to ensure product is production-ready and delivered on time for key milestones, including sales meetings, photography, and product launches.
Represent Design throughout the Concept-to-Customer process, ensuring category readiness, cross-functional alignment, and execution against seasonal milestones.
Present seasonal product lines, category strategies, and design concepts during sales meetings and other cross-functional presentations.
Serve as the category expert by translating customer insights, fashion trends, and competitive intelligence into commercially relevant product opportunities.
Continuously identify opportunities to improve product quality, creative processes, and team efficiency, recommending solutions that strengthen the overall product development process.