Director of Technical Design

Key Responsibilities: Strategic Technical Leadership Serve as the senior technical authority ensuring product integrity, fit consistency, construction quality, and manufacturability across all programs. Act as a strategic partner to Design and Product Development, balancing design intent, function, cost, and durability appropriate for children’s apparel. Lead complex fit approvals, grading challenges, and construction problem-solving, particularly where escalation or cross-functional alignment is required. Proactively identify and resolve systemic technical issues that impact speed, quality, or scalability. Cross-Functional Partnership & Influence Partner closely with Design, Product Development, Sourcing, Production, and Quality to ensure seamless execution from concept through production handoff. Serve as a key troubleshooting resource across departments, stepping in where bandwidth, experience, or complexity exceeds team-level capabilities. Establish and cascade structured communication and meeting cadences to ensure clarity, accountability, and alignment at program and team levels. Advocate for Technical Design priorities and risks at the leadership level with clear, solution-oriented recommendations. Operational Oversight Oversee New York Technical Design managers, ensuring effective prioritization across competing business needs. Balance timelines, quality expectations, and capacity constraints to support seasonal calendars, special projects, and urgent development needs. Enable rapid prototyping and iteration through 3D capabilities, reducing dependency on overseas sample transit where appropriate. Ensure Technical Design operations run efficiently, consistently, and in alignment with broader organizational objectives. Systems, Process & Innovation Leadership Play a central role in the evolution and optimization of Technical Design systems, including internal and external PLM systems. Identify gaps in data flow, visibility, and process consistency; advocate for and help implement scalable solutions. Partner with internal teams and external vendors to enhance system functionality and adoption. Champion best practices, standardization, and continuous improvement across global Technical Design workflows. Special Projects & Business Enablement Lead or support special projects critical to corporate initiatives, particularly those requiring deep technical expertise and cross-functional coordination. Manage the onboarding of new programs, retailers, or business models, ensuring Technical Design readiness and alignment. Anticipate technical risks related to new categories, fabrics, constructions, or sourcing strategies and proactively mitigate them. Team Leadership & Talent Development Lead, mentor, and develop Technical Design leaders and high-potential team members, fostering strategic thinking and ownership. Establish clear competency expectations and support consistent technical proficiency across the team. Provide coaching, feedback, and development plans to strengthen leadership capability and succession planning. Build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and solution-oriented problem solving.

Qualifications: 10+ years of Technical Design experience within apparel, with a strong preference for children’s apparel and/or mass/value retail. Proven experience leading Technical Design teams and influencing cross-functional partners at a senior level. Deep expertise in garment construction, fit, patternmaking, grading, and production troubleshooting. Demonstrated ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on in complex technical problem-solving. Strong understanding of global production workflows and factory collaboration. Experience leading or supporting system implementations (PLM, BeProduct, or similar).Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence without authority. Highly organized, adaptable, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, calendar-driven environment.