Lead Creative Designer – Pro Sports

Unrivaled Teamwear; Lenexa (KS); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Unrivaled Teamwear seeks a Lead Creative Designer-Pro Sports to shape graphics across print and embroidery for licensed professional sports apparel. You will lead concept development, guide production-ready art, and support seasonal wholesale lines while partnering with leadership.

The role requires a strong understanding of team identity and sports culture, with mentorship to the design team and collaboration with cross-functional partners to ensure brand and cost objectives are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or equivalent experience.
• 3–6 years of professional graphic design in licensed apparel or related fields.
• Strong design principles: composition, typography, color, balance.
• Advanced proficiency with Macintosh systems and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Experience producing for print and embroidery.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to new graphic concepts for seasonal lines.
• Provide art direction and feedback to the design team.
• Collaborate with Creative Leadership on direction and alignment.
• Research market trends and apply insights to brand-right designs.
• Support development of sales materials and presentations.
• Travel for retail research, trade shows, client meetings.

Skills

Graphic design

Typography

Adobe Creative Suite

Macintosh

Production design

Education

Bachelor's degree in graphic design

Equivalent experience

Tools

Print production

Embroidery design

Job description

Brief Description

Lead Creative Designer-Pro Sports plays a critical role in shaping the creative direction of licensed professional sports apparel across print and embroidery and other mediums. This position leads the development of high-impact graphic concepts from early ideation and sketch through final production-ready art; supporting seasonal wholesale lines, quick-turn opportunities, special collections, sales presentations, and key brand moments.

Overview

This role requires a deep understanding of licensed fanwear, professional sports culture, and team identity across major leagues including the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. The Lead Graphic Designer brings strong creative point of view, production fluency, and trend awareness, while ensuring all work aligns with brand standards, attribution requirements, and manufacturing realities.

As a senior creative contributor, this role provides art direction, mentorship, and strategic support to the design team, translating vision into executable creative solutions. The Lead Graphic Designer serves as a trusted partner to Creative Leadership and acts as second-in-command when the Senior Creative Manager is unavailable.

About Unrivaled Teamwear

Unrivaled Teamwear serves as the parent company of Gear for Sports and Knights Apparel, each as an industry leader in the sports and team apparel space. Our family of brands know what goes into great decorated garments, using top-quality fabrics and offering creative decoration options. Each brand offers customers a premier selection and exceptional service for all their sportswear needs, from T-shirts and caps to fleece, performance wear, and outerwear.

Essential Duties

• Owns and contributes to a significant portion of new graphic concepts selected for seasonal sample lines through both hands-on design and art direction.
• Develops elevated print and embroidery artwork that balances creativity, brand integrity, attribution accuracy, and production feasibility.
• Partners closely with Designers and Graphic Artists to guide execution, provide creative feedback, and elevate overall design quality.
• Collaborates with Creative Leadership on art direction, design critiques, and seasonal creative alignment.
• Demonstrates strong cultural awareness of professional sports, fan behavior, retail trends, and evolving aesthetics in licensed apparel.
• Actively research market trends through retail, digital platforms, and industry events; apply insights in a brand-right, commercially relevant way.
• Serves as a creative liaison in cross-functional meetings when Creative Leadership is unavailable.
• Supports the development of graphic tools, seasonal presentations, and sales materials that clearly communicate creative intent.
• Maintains working knowledge of decoration costs and production methods; partners with internal teams and Manufacturing to evaluate feasibility and cost impact.
• Leads factory R&D initiatives in collaboration with Merchandising and Brand teams, driving innovation while maintaining cost-conscious execution.
• Adapts quickly in fast-paced, high-volume environments, delivering creative solutions under tight timelines.
• Travels as needed for retail research, internal collaboration, trade shows, and client presentations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related field, or equivalent industry experience
• 3 to 6 years of professional graphic design experience, preferably in licensed apparel, sportswear, or consumer product environments
• Strong foundation in design principles including composition, typography, color, and balance
• Advanced proficiency in Macintosh systems and Adobe Creative Suite
• Experience designing for production, including print and embroidery

EOE/AA: Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the associate. Other duties will be assigned as needed.

We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing as well as participate in E-Verify.