Senior Technical Designer
About The Position
The Senior Technical Designer leads the technical development of women’s dresses, sweaters, and ready-to-wear collections from concept through production. The role works closely with Design, Product Development, Production, Sourcing, and overseas vendors to turn creative concepts into production-ready garments while upholding standards for fit, quality, construction, and performance. The position calls for a women’s ready-to-wear technical expert with extensive knowledge of fit, pattern evaluation, fabric behavior, and garment construction. The Senior Technical Designer leads fit sessions, drives technical execution throughout development, mentors junior team members, and maintains consistency across styles and seasons. The role is based on-site in Newport Beach, California, and requires availability for calls with international vendors outside traditional office hours.
Requirements
- At least 9 years of technical design experience, with a strong focus on women’s dresses, sweaters, and ready-to-wear.
- Extensive knowledge of women’s apparel fit, construction, patternmaking, and grading.
- Expert understanding of woven and knit fabrics, including sweater knits, stretch textiles, linings, and specialty construction techniques.
- Proven ability to lead fit sessions and make technical decisions that balance fit, aesthetics, functionality, and manufacturability.
- Strong knowledge of garment grading, measurement standards, and pattern engineering.
- Experience working directly with domestic and international factories and pattern makers.
- Excellent technical communication skills, including communicating fit corrections using technical sketches, fit photos, and pattern diagrams.
- Strong understanding of the apparel product-development lifecycle from concept through production.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative, solution-oriented mindset and strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop.
- Must be a team player.
- Availability to join international vendor calls during non-traditional office hours.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with StyleCAD or similar pattern software.
- Experience with both domestic and international production.
- Knowledge of construction methods across women’s woven apparel, dresses, sweaters, and knitwear.
Responsibilities
- Lead technical development of women’s dresses, sweaters, and ready-to-wear collections from prototype through production.
- Create and maintain technical packages, including construction details, technical sketches, points of measure, grading, tolerances, and construction callouts.
- Manage prototype development and ensure samples are delivered and reviewed according to development calendars.
- Measure and evaluate prototype, fit, PP, and TOP samples for fit, construction, workmanship, and overall execution.
- Lead live-model fit sessions and work with Design to achieve the best-fitting product.
- Prepare and communicate detailed fit comments and construction revisions to domestic and international vendors within established timelines.
- Partner with Design to preserve design intent while achieving optimal fit, comfort, and manufacturability.
- Collaborate with Product Development, Production, and Sourcing to resolve fit and quality issues during development and production.
- Maintain consistent fit, grading, construction, and technical standards across women’s ready-to-wear categories.
- Analyze garment construction and recommend improvements to quality, durability, functionality, and cost efficiency.
- Build working relationships with overseas factories, pattern engineers, and cross-functional teams through clear technical communication and collaboration.
- Maintain development trackers, technical documentation, and sample status updates accurately.
- Support continuous-improvement initiatives for product quality, development efficiency, and technical processes.
- Meet project deadlines and expected fit-comment volumes while maintaining productivity.
- Mentor junior team members.
- Join calls with international vendors during non-traditional office hours.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
