Senior Technical Designer - Women's & Men's Apparel

Pivot Apparel LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Pivot Apparel LLC is seeking an experienced Senior Technical Designer to lead fit, technical development, and team execution across Women’s and Men’s apparel. This role requires hands-on PLM experience and strong communication with overseas factories.

You will manage fittings, establish consistent fit standards, and create precise tech packs while partnering with Design, Merchandising, and Production to meet development calendars.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of apparel Technical Design experience across Women's and Men's categories.
• Strong knowledge of patternmaking, garment construction, fit, grading, fabrics, and manufacturing.
• Proven experience leading fittings and resolving complex fit and construction issues.
• Hands-on PLM experience, including tech pack management, specifications, BOMs, and workflow tracking.
• Experience communicating with overseas factories and managing technical approvals.
• Previous experience leading or mentoring a team and prioritizing daily workloads.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Excel; 3D apparel design is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, communication, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• Degree in Technical Design, Fashion Design.

Responsibilities

• Lead fittings and manage technical development from initial samples through production approval.
• Evaluate fit, patterns, construction, grading, and measurements to ensure quality and consistency across sizes.
• Create and maintain accurate tech packs, specifications, construction details, and fit comments.
• Partner with Design to achieve intended silhouettes while ensuring garments are commercially viable and manufacturable.
• Establish consistent fit standards, measurement specifications, and construction guidelines.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for overseas factories and vendors.
• Communicate fit corrections, pattern revisions, construction requirements, and technical approvals clearly and efficiently.
• Resolve technical issues proactively and ensure factories execute approved specifications.
• Partner with Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing, and Production to meet development calendars and deadlines.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Technical Design team.
• Establish daily priorities, assign workloads, and monitor progress against deadlines.
• Ensure timely completion of tech packs, fit comments, sample reviews, and approvals.
• Identify workload conflicts, address delays, and maintain accountability for deliverables.
• Review team output for accuracy, consistency, and completeness.
• Demonstrate hands-on experience with PLM systems in apparel product development.
• Maintain accurate technical data and ensure timely updates throughout the product lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to improve PLM workflows and reduce manual data entry.
• Utilize Adobe Illustrator and Excel for technical documentation, specifications, and tracking.

Skills

Patternmaking

Garment construction

Grading

Fit

Communication

Leadership

Education

Degree in Technical Design

Degree in Fashion Design

Tools

PLM

Adobe Illustrator

Excel

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Technical Designer to lead fit, technical development, and team execution across Women’s and Men’s apparel. This role requires strong expertise in patternmaking, garment construction, grading, and fit, along with hands-on PLM experience and the ability to communicate effectively with overseas factories.

The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader who can manage daily priorities, develop team capabilities, and partner cross-functionally to ensure accurate, timely, and production-ready product development.

Key ResponsibilitiesTechnical Design & Fit

• Lead fittings and manage technical development from initial samples through production approval.
• Evaluate fit, patterns, construction, grading, and measurements to ensure quality and consistency across sizes.
• Create and maintain accurate tech packs, specifications, construction details, and fit comments.
• Partner with Design to achieve intended silhouettes while ensuring garments are commercially viable and manufacturable.
• Establish consistent fit standards, measurement specifications, and construction guidelines.

Factory & Cross-Functional Communication

• Serve as the primary technical contact for overseas factories and vendors.
• Communicate fit corrections, pattern revisions, construction requirements, and technical approvals clearly and efficiently.
• Resolve technical issues proactively and ensure factories execute approved specifications.
• Partner with Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing, and Production to meet development calendars and deadlines.

Team Leadership & Workload Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Technical Design team.
• Establish daily priorities, assign workloads, and monitor progress against deadlines.
• Ensure timely completion of tech packs, fit comments, sample reviews, and approvals.
• Identify workload conflicts, address delays, and maintain accountability for deliverables.
• Review team output for accuracy, consistency, and completeness.

PLM & Technical Systems

• Demonstrate strong, hands-on experience with PLM systems in apparel product development.
• Manage tech packs, BOMs, specifications, fit comments, sample tracking, revisions, and approvals within PLM.
• Maintain accurate technical data and ensure timely updates throughout the product lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to improve PLM workflows, streamline processes, and reduce manual data entry.
• Utilize Adobe Illustrator and Excel for technical documentation, specifications, and tracking.

Qualifications & Experience

• 8+ years of apparel Technical Design experience, preferably across Women’s and Men’s categories.
• Strong knowledge of patternmaking, garment construction, fit, grading, fabrics, and manufacturing.
• Proven experience leading fittings and resolving complex fit and construction issues.
• Required hands-on PLM experience, including tech pack management, specifications, BOMs, and workflow tracking.
• Experience communicating with overseas factories and managing technical approvals.
• Previous experience leading or mentoring a team and prioritizing daily workloads.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Excel; 3D apparel design experience is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, communication, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• Degree in Technical Design, Fashion Design

Key Success Measures

• Consistent fit, grading, construction quality, and technical accuracy.
• Timely completion of development milestones and approvals.
• Accurate PLM data and effective communication with factories.
• Strong team performance and effective daily workload management.
• Reduced sample rounds, technical errors, and avoidable production issues.

Salary: $100k - $120k (can vary based on experience)