About Us:
Earthbound is a leading product design, licensing and brand growth company that expands the reach of brands in the market on a global scale. With 20 years of expertise in retail licensing, product development, and product design, Earthbound augments brand potential by offering unprecedented growth for powerhouse brands. For more information, please visit www.earthboundbrands.com.
We work in a Hybrid work environment, where are teams are in the office Monday- Wednesdays and working remotely Thursday and Fridays. Our office is located in the Flatiron District NYC.
About You:
- Are a strong team leader, capable of delivering feedback, driving a design vision, and meeting deadlines
- Love to work collaboratively in a group and have an innate willingness to dig in and contribute with your team.
- Are driven and motivated by the possibilities ahead.
- Think innovation is critical in a business environment and support others in creative thinking.
- Pride yourself on the quality of work and are a stickler for the details.
Overview of Position:
The Design Director will oversee a team of designers and associates dedicated to Baby, Infant, Toddler (all genders), Boys 4-16 and Basics categories for the WonderNation kids brand at Walmart. They will work closely with the Design leadership team and be responsible for translating the larger seasonal brand vision to the categories they are responsible for. They will oversee a design team of 4 and manage workload, set and manage deadlines, and mentor and coach the design team to execute high quality design.
Expertise in the design for Baby, Infant, Toddler Categories is most critical for this role.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the Design and development of the Baby, Infant, Toddler (all genders) and Boys 4-16 categories for the WonderNation brand.
- Work closely with the Senior Director, Vice President of Apparel, Vice President of Design, Cad Manager, Technical Design, and Product Development Team to ensure the products are designed in accordance with the calendar, quality, and cost parameters
- Prepare seasonal inspiration decks & internal presentations
- Research trend references to coincide with seasonal concepts
- Create and maintain seasonal design line sheets in PowerPoint
- Possess ability to multi-task and prioritize projects during busy periods and when faced with last minute requests
- Attend fittings and manage design changes from fit
- Ability to troubleshoot and think creatively to find appropriate solutions that resolves problems in a timely manner.
- Lead Design meetings and communicate design revisions to cross-functional team members
- Oversee tech pack developments and ensure proper execution/efficiency before hand-off. (i.e. gather inspirational garments, fabric info., trims, fit references for development)
- Partner with cross functional team members to achieve all design calendar deadlines and milestones
- Build volume driving programs and trend right items for a well-balanced assortment that caters to both a core and trend oriented demographic.
- Partner with merchant team in building assortment based on sales objectives and customer needs
- Demonstrate understanding of the WonderNation aesthetic with an eye for detail and quality execution
Qualifications and Requirements:
- This candidate should be highly organized and able to work in a deadline driven environment.
- Experienced in managing design teams and collaborating with product development/sourcing and merchant teams
- Strong organizational skills
- Strong hand and illustrator sketching skills
- Proficiency in Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and PowerPoint
- Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design or related field preferred
- Highly detail oriented with the ability to handle multiple tasks in a deadline driven environment.
- Excellent time management skills
- Strong presentation and communication skills
- Extensive design and managerial experience in baby, infant, and toddler design categories across gender. Boys and Basics experience a plus
Salary Range- $110,000 - $140,000- specific salary aligned with work experience