Senior Knitwear Technical Designer - Sweaters & Cut & Sew

J.Crew Factory; New York (NY); On-site; USD 86,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Well-being

Associate discount

Summer Fridays

Community impact

Winter break

Job summary

J.Crew Factory in New York City is seeking a Senior Technical Designer to lead the technical development of Women’s Knits and Sweaters, ensuring fit, construction, and quality from concept to bulk production. The role partners with Design, Production, and Merchandising, leads live-model fittings, creates technical packages, and drives process improvements while mentoring junior designers.

Applicants should have 7+ years in technical design, strong PLM skills, knit expertise, and the ability to

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience as a technical designer, including leadership of technical development for a major category independently.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel, and Flex PLM (or equivalent PLM systems).
• Expert-level understanding of yarn types, gauges, stitch formations, and knit construction.
• Proven ability to manage a full seasonal calendar across multiple styles and categories in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Advanced knowledge of garment construction, patternmaking, grading, draping, and technical sketching.
• Strong command of fabric properties and their impact on fit, drape, and performance.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and development process for Women’s Knits/Sweaters, from concept through bulk production (TOP), setting the standard for fit, construction, and quality across the category.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for Design, Merchandising, and Production leadership, translating design intent into technically sound, cost-effective, and manufacturable solutions.
• Lead fit sessions on live models, diagnosing complex fit and construction issues and directing corrective action across the development calendar.
• Architect and maintain technical packages and construction standards, ensuring precision and consistency across multiple categories and driving process improvements.
• Oversee sample tracking, fittings, and approvals across a full seasonal calendar, proactively identifying risks to key milestones and resolving bottlenecks before they impact the line.
• Act as technical lead in factory partner relationships, delivering detailed written feedback, technical sketches, and visual references, and coaching vendors on capability building and problem resolution.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior technical designers, reviewing their work and helping build their skills in construction, grading, and fit evaluation.
• Partner with Production and sourcing on new vendor onboarding, evaluating factory technical capability and machinery for knit construction.
• Maintain and evolve technical records, sample history, and best-practice documentation to drive consistency and continuous improvement across the team.

Skills

Technical design

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Excel

Flex PLM

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design/Technical Design

Tools

Flex PLM

Job description

J.Crew Factory in New York City is seeking a Senior Technical Designer to lead the technical development of Women’s Knits and Sweaters, ensuring fit, construction, and quality from concept to bulk production. The role partners with Design, Production, and Merchandising, leads live-model fittings, creates technical packages, and drives process improvements while mentoring junior designers.

Applicants should have 7+ years in technical design, strong PLM skills, knit expertise, and the ability to