Sr Footwear Designer (Women's & Juniors)
About The Position
American Exchange Group is seeking a creative, trend-focused, and detail-oriented Senior Footwear Designer to lead the design and development of women’s moderate and juniors footwear for the off-price and private label market. The ideal candidate understands the fast-paced nature of the off-price business and has a strong ability to translate current fashion and footwear trends into commercially relevant product at the right price point. This role will be responsible for creating trend-right, market-driven footwear collections across multiple classifications while balancing design, cost, quality, and speed to market. The Senior Footwear Designer will partner closely with Merchandising, Sales, Product Development, and overseas vendors to bring concepts from initial inspiration through production. This is a fully onsite position based at our NYC headquarters in the Garment District.
Requirements
- 5+ years of footwear design experience, preferably within women’s moderate, juniors, private label, off-price, or value-focused footwear.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating commercial footwear design, trend interpretation, and product development.
- Strong understanding of footwear construction, materials, components, and manufacturing processes.
- Highly proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Illustrator and Photoshop.
- Experience creating footwear CADs, technical drawings, colorways, and production-ready specifications.
- Strong understanding of price points, cost considerations, and designing for margin.
- Ability to translate fashion and footwear trends into commercially successful product while maintaining brand/customer relevance.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven with excellent follow-through.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively under tight deadlines.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work cross-functionally with Merchandising, Sales, Product Development, and Production.
- Entrepreneurial, energetic, and adaptable with a strong sense of urgency.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment with quick turnaround times.
Nice To Haves
- Experience working directly with overseas factories and vendors is strongly preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Footwear Design, Product Design, or a related field preferred.
Responsibilities
- Conceptualize and design trend-right women’s moderate and juniors footwear for off-price and private label customers.
- Research current fashion, footwear, color, material, and consumer trends to identify commercial opportunities.
- Translate market trends and customer direction into compelling, commercially viable footwear designs.
- Develop seasonal footwear collections across multiple classifications, price points, and retail channels.
- Create detailed sketches, CADs, colorways, and technical drawings for production.
- Spec proposed product and provide detailed design direction to support accurate product development and production.
- Select and develop appropriate materials, components, trims, colors, and construction details while maintaining target costs.
- Work closely with Merchandising and Sales to understand customer needs, competitive product, pricing, and market opportunities.
- Collaborate with Product Development and overseas factories throughout the development process to ensure design intent, quality, cost, and timelines are achieved.
- Review samples, provide revisions and approvals, and ensure final product meets design and commercial objectives.
- Participate in line reviews, presentations, market research, and customer meetings as needed.
- Maintain awareness of competitive products and emerging trends within the moderate, juniors, private label, and off-price footwear markets.
- Manage multiple projects and seasonal deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Assist with additional design projects and responsibilities as needed.
Benefits
- Comprehensive Health & Wellness Benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with company match
- Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holidays
- Half Day Fridays with shortened hours during both Summer and Winter seasons
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Tax-free commuter benefits
- Exclusive employee merchandise discounts
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
