Senior Manager, Technical Design — Petite Fit Leader

Shortstory; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Paid Time Off

401k with company match

Healthcare, dental and vision benefits

Opportunity to work with founding team

YC-backed startup environment

Catered lunch on Fridays

Job summary

Short Story, a fast-growing petite fashion retailer in San Francisco, seeks a Senior Manager of Technical Design to lead our design team and drive market-leading fit and quality. You will set standards, mentor experts, and partner with vendors to scale workflows while aligning with product strategy.

You will champion talent development, leverage data insights, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to push innovative design and efficient production in a growing, YC-backed startup.

Qualifications

• BA or BS preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in technical design and product development within Women’s apparel.
• 8 years of management experience, setting strategies and leading teams.
• Growth mindset.
• Petites experience required.
• Expert on the product creation lifecycle, specifically in fit and patternmaking.
• Passionate about developing your team’s knowledge and skillset in fit, patternmaking, quality and overall product knowledge.
• Process architect and demonstrated success leading teams through times of significant change.
• Strategic problem solver - situational analysis, scenario planning, weighing risk/reward, AB testing, evaluating, taking action, and open to iteration.
• You have a strong aptitude for data, metrics, reporting and analysis.
• Ironclad industry relationships and you value vendor partnerships.
• Never satisfied with average and are known to look for ways to improve/innovate to maximize team’s impact & effectiveness.
• You can operate comfortably and lead your team through ambiguity and change.
• Clear and influential communicator with both internal & external partners.
• Excellent identifier and developer of talent, to ensure your team has the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of an evolving business.
• You are able to travel (domestically and internationally).
• This role is onsite in our San Francisco Office full time.

Responsibilities

• Lead the growing Technical Design team, specializing in petite fit expertise.
• Establish processes to maintain industry-leading fit and quality.
• Educate and coach the Technical Design team to enhance skills.
• Evaluate and stabilize processes and tools to execute product strategies.
• Drive innovation with best-in-class tools and resources aligning with product vision.
• Streamline development process to increase speed, bandwidth and accuracy.
• Champion product excellence in fit and quality for client delight.
• Hold partners accountable for excellence across fit and quality metrics.
• Partner with vendors to meet fit goals and quality standards in bulk production.
• Collaborate with product development and merchandising to achieve performance goals.
• Foster vendor co-creation partnerships with clear standards.
• Introduce innovations and leverage supplier expertise for improved production.
• Leverage internal and external data to strengthen technical decisions.
• Prioritize talent development.
• Evolve team structure and external partnerships with Head of Product Development and Sourcing.

Skills

Petites experience

Data-driven mindset

Leadership

Communication

Strategic thinking

Patternmaking

Product lifecycle

Team development

Education

BA or BS preferred

Job description

Short Story, a fast-growing petite fashion retailer in San Francisco, seeks a Senior Manager of Technical Design to lead our design team and drive market-leading fit and quality. You will set standards, mentor experts, and partner with vendors to scale workflows while aligning with product strategy.

You will champion talent development, leverage data insights, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to push innovative design and efficient production in a growing, YC-backed startup.