Sr. Designer, Knitwear

kate spade new york•New York, NY

3d•$115,000 - $135,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Designer will work with the Senior Director, Design – RTW to initiate concepts each season that are fashion driven, reflective of the creative vision and Coach aesthetic. You will be a part of a dynamic, creative environment where you will collaborate with talented designers and cross-functional partners in the business. The successful candidate will bring exceptional design expertise to craft elevated knitwear that blends modern design with the heritage and sophistication of the Coach brand.

Requirements

Must possess a strong fashion sense and have the ability to interpret trends
Must have knowledge in knitwear design and yarn technology
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to interact with a diverse group at all levels
Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-up
Must be flexible and adapt easily to change
Passion for RTW and a thirst for knowledge
Minimum 7 years’ design experience, preferably in knitwear
Bachelor’s Degree in Design or related field
Excellent hand sketching skills; ability to create both freeform garment renderings and renderings on figure drawings
Ability to CAD technical drawings and strength in image manipulation
Experience developing product directly with factories; understanding of knitwear development from concept through commercialization
Understanding of materials, and garment construction & performance (i.e. strong knowledge of fabric, material quality, and how it will perform as a garment)
Understanding of garment fit & and ability to independently conduct fittings on a model
Strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Microsoft Office

Nice To Haves

Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Senior Director to refine knit designs from initial idea to show sample across Women’s and Men’s Collection and Multi channels.
Lead design research for knitwear from initial concept stage.
Research and develop stitch and garment concepts for both seasonal collections and special projects.
Conduct seasonal research—visual, vintage, and trend-based—to inspire and inform design direction.
Create mock-ups for stylist meetings, both in 3D and digitally rendered formats.
Research seasonal yarns and collaborate with knitwear vendors to drive innovative fabric development.
Create a knitwear assortment across collection and multi-channel, leveraging shared design concepts and materials for greater cohesion.
Mentor and manage junior designers, providing guidance, feedback, and clear delegation.
Oversee team output and ensure deadlines and business objectives are met through collaborative leadership.
Ensure product is created that protects brand integrity.
Ongoing research to develop and pitch new branding concepts.
Collaborate with the design team on concept boards, concept styling and seasonal color direction.
Work closely with design, merchandising, product development and technical design teams to align creative vision with business objectives and deliver cohesive, market-right product.
Partner with merchandising to analyze market trends and align designs with business needs.
Engage cross-functionally with Merchandising, Concept, Print, and Product Development teams; actively participate in category meetings.
Present design work to internal partners, maintaining strong relationships throughout the process.
Solve design challenges with a balance of creativity and product knowledge; confidently push back on ideas that don’t align with brand right decisions.
Ensure timeline adherence to calendar by completing design cards accurately and delivering to development on schedule.
Manage development to ensure all samples are received for product presentations.
Uphold design integrity, quality, and timeliness throughout the entire development cycle—from concept through commercialization.