Vice President Design

Express•New York, NY

17d•$259,900 - $402,500

About The Position

The Vice President of Design for the Express brand is a highly collaborative partner and inspiring leader who communicates effectively with the team and key Go-to-Market functional leaders. This leader possesses a strong financial acumen, excellent analytical skills, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills with creativity and passion for product. They are responsible for ensuring that the product is consistent with market trends as well as business strategy. They interpret international/domestic concepts and fashion trends as it relates to market demands company brand and business strategy. They will oversee the designer team responsible for conceptualizing and developing new collections, drawing inspiration from current trends, vintage influences, and trend forecasting. Express designers are responsible for setting the tone for the concept of each season by developing color palettes, prints, sketches, fabrication, and fit guidelines for the product line assortment that is sold in Express Stores, Factory Outlets, and our eCommerce website.

Requirements

BFA degree in design or equivalent work experience
Proven leader with 15+ years of experience
Possess a relentless focus and passion for the product and customer with the ability to surprise and delight by exceeding expectations and continuous improvement
Ability to travel domestically and overseas
Strong presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills
Understands Company objectives and goals – and translates to measurable goals for the Team
Holds themselves to a high standard, and accountable to achieving results
Collaborative. Ability to manage up, down, and across multiple levels
Elevated taste level and fashion sense within the context of the brand
Ability to identify and incorporate trends into clothing lines
Ability to work independently and lead a team
Ability to understand financial metrics

Responsibilities

Identify direction on trend, color, fabric, trim, and concept for each season, including identifying samples that can be adapted to represent trends for the brand
Develop initial merchandise line concept
Maintains a pulse on the competition to ensure company’s relevance in the marketplace and to identify new areas of opportunity
Present complete concept to Merchandising, Marketing, and Sourcing through design-owned milestone meetings
Coordinate with the Product Development Team to ensure timely execution of seasonal development that achieves key strategic business goals
Lead and grow design efforts and efficiencies, promoting cross-functional relationships
Responsible for managing time and action of development
Direct, manage, mentor, and develop the Design team
Define career paths to help designers identify opportunities for growth and achieve measurable goals
Manage Design budget, including travel for domestic and international shopping, travel to factories for development and troubleshooting, and manage subscriptions and trend services
Negotiate, maintain, and optimize strategic vendor partnerships