J.McLaughlin · 1 day ago
Technical Design Director, Women's Apparel
Brooklyn, NY
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$140K/yr - $155K/yr
10+ years expJ.McLaughlin is a well-established brand known for its commitment to personal style and community engagement. They are seeking a Technical Design Director to lead the Women's Technical Design function, ensuring fit, quality, and construction across all product categories while fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
FashionRetail
Responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Women’s Technical Design function, ensuring consistent fit, quality, and construction across all Woven & Knit product categories
Own and evolve the brand’s fit standards, grading rules, block patterns, and size specifications, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, brand positioning, and external fit data
Partner closely with Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Fabric, Production, and Sourcing to translate creative vision into technically sound, production-ready garments
Establish and enforce vendor fit processes, technical standards, and execution expectations, ensuring consistent compliance across internal teams and factory partners
Set the technical design strategy and seasonal priorities, aligning fit, construction, and quality execution with calendar milestones, margin goals, and go-to-market timelines
Lead and guide fit review and fitting processes, ensuring clear decision-making and timely communication of all fit, construction, grading, and detail requirements to vendors
Review and approve key samples, including Proto, Fit, PP, TOP, identifying risks early and driving resolution to maintain development timelines
Direct the development, documentation, and maintenance of technical specifications, grading, fit comments, and construction details within the PLM system
Develop and maintain a block pattern library in partnership with suppliers to support standardized fits, scalability, and consistency across styles and categories
Establish and uphold quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) standards for fit of finished products, partnering with Production and Compliance to ensure consistent execution
Maintain strong, proactive vendor and factory partnerships, resolving complex fit, construction, and quality challenges efficiently and collaboratively
Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing Technical Design team, fostering technical excellence, accountability, and strong cross-functional collaboration
Set clear performance expectations, provide ongoing coaching, and support professional growth through training and development
Establish and continuously improve best practices, workflows, and processes within the Technical Design function to drive efficiency and quality
Support quality assurance, testing, and compliance standards in partnership with Production and Compliance teams
Contribute to vendor strategy and evaluation from a technical capability and execution standpoint
Participate in cross-functional leadership forums
Support continuous improvement initiatives across the product lifecycle
Travel occasionally to vendors, factories, or other business locations, as required
Perform other related duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
10+ years of experience in technical design within women's apparel, with leadership and people management experience
Deep expertise in women's garment construction, grading, fit, and size standards across multiple categories
Knowledge and proficiency with patterns and execution of pattern adjustments
Proven ability to lead teams and influence cross-functional partners
Strong understanding of overseas manufacturing and production realities
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
Proficiency in PLM systems and Adobe Illustrator
Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple seasons and priorities
Preferred
Bachelor's degree in Fashion, Technical Design, or a related field preferred
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
401(k) retirement plan with company match (eligibility based on hours worked)
Generous paid time off and paid holidays
Hybrid or flexible work environment (role-dependent)
Company-paid life insurance and disability coverage
Optional Critical Illness and Accident insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Clothing allowance and generous discounts on J.McLaughlin merchandise
Discretionary bonus opportunities (role-dependent)
Employee referral incentives and commuter benefits
Company
J.McLaughlin
J.McLaughlin is a retail firm that offers clothing and accessories.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2015-11-16Acquired
2011-12-13Debt Financing
2011-11-22Private Equity
Leadership Team
Greg Unis
Chief Executive Officer
Kevin McLaughlin
Co-founder
Recent News
Company data provided by crunchbase