Technical Apparel Designer Senior

Johnson Outdoors - Scubapro Durban; KwaZulu-Natal; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Management bonus program

Tuition assistance

Work‑life balance

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Endless Summer Technologies, a manufacturing division of SCUBAPRO within Johnson Outdoors, seeks a Technical Apparel Designer to lead end-to-end creative design of performance apparel. You will shape fashion-forward products while ensuring brand standards, regulatory and performance requirements, and manufacturability.

Collaboration with engineering and cross-functional teams is essential to translate vision into production-ready concepts.

Qualifications

• Typically requires 5 years of experience designing performance apparel.
• Strong foundation in fashion design principles with attention to trend and materials.
• Ability to translate consumer insights and performance requirements into innovative concepts.
• Experience partnering with domestic and/or overseas manufacturing partners.

Responsibilities

• Leads the creative design vision for performance apparel reflecting brand identity and consumer appeal.
• Develops technical specs including materials, construction, fit, trims, colorways and artwork placement across tech packs, CADs, BOMs, and size specs.
• Partners cross-functionally on innovation, product concepts, and launches to drive brand and commercial results.
• Estimates production costs and identifies cost-saving opportunities while considering manufacturing impact.
• Manages vendor and external partner relations to ensure targets, timelines and quality are met.

Skills

Apparel design

Cross-functional collaboration

Trend analysis

Autonomous contributor

Communication skills

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

PLM systems

CAD software

Job description

Endless Summer Technologies, a manufacturing division of SCUBAPRO, a Johnson Outdoors company, is one the most respected and recognized brands in the global diving industry. The brand is trusted by recreational and professional divers for more than 60 years. We are seeking a Technical Apparel Designer who will lead the end to end creative design of performance apparel products with a focus on fashion-forward design while also ensuring products meet brand standards, regulatory requirements, functional performance requirements, and manufacturing feasibility. You will be required to partner on a cross-functional team to provide design vision and leadership and to provide input into the product development plan, product concept development, innovation strategy, and product launch. In collaboration with engineering, you must ensure that products are designed based on the brand strategy, design specifications and product plans to ensure product success.

Johnson Outdoors operates globally with 1,300 employees across 18 facilities and a portfolio of market-leading brands in fishing, watercraft, camping, and diving. Together, we create amazing outdoor experiences for adventurers around the world in more than 80 countries.

Help Shape the Future of Diving

What you will do:

Fashion Design & Creative Direction

• Leads the creative design vision for performance apparel, ensuring products reflect brand identity, aesthetic direction, and consumer appeal while maintaining functional intent.
• Applies strong fashion design principles, including silhouette, color, trend, and storytelling to create innovative, commercially compelling products.
• Leads the design and cosmetic development of performance apparel from concept through production.

Concept Development

• Partners cross‑functionally on innovation, product concepts, and launches to drive brand and commercial results.
• Executes product development initiatives, and translates brand vision, consumer insights, and performance requirements into innovative apparel concepts that balance style and performance.

Technical Design Execution

• Develops detailed technical and cosmetic design specifications, including materials, construction, fit, trims, colorways, and artwork placement to support design intent. Creates and maintains tech packs, CADs, sketches, BOMs, and size specifications to clearly communicate intent to manufacturers.

Costs and Production Planning

• Estimates production costs, identifies cost saving methods, and makes design decisions with a clear understanding of their impact on manufacturing cost and required investments.

Competitiveness Analysis

• Analyzes/researches competitor products, fashion trends, and leading practices to provide recommendations on new design direction, materials, finishing, assembly, size/weight and performance.

Vendor and External Partner Management

• Manages relationships with external vendors and partners to ensure targets, timelines and quality are achieved. Provides direction to vendors in prototype manufacturing, runs vendor inspections to streamline production processes and maintain expenses.

Engineering and Product Quality

• Partners closely with internal teams on technical processes and testing to ensure products align with design intent, specifications, timelines, and budgets while meeting quality/compliance requirements. Reviews prototypes, samples, pre-production units and provides test feedback.
• Uses consumer feedback and performance insights to improve designs, address technical issues, and enhance efficiency and market impact.

What you need to succeed:

• Typically requires 5 years of experience designing performance apparel, preferably outdoor which includes leading end-to-end design and cosmetic development , developing detailed technical specifications and partnering cross-functionally to deliver high‑quality, market‑completive products.
• Strong foundation in fashion design principles (silhouette, color, materials, and trend application) combined with an understanding of performance apparel design, construction methods, and fit.
• Ability to translate consumer insights and market trends into commercially successful product designs, balancing aesthetics with functional requirements.
• Hands‑on experience creating technical specifications and working directly with domestic and/or overseas manufacturing partners. Ability to balance fashion trends with technical performance and manufacturability.
• Experience operating as an autonomous individual contributor with ownership for design decisions.
• Proficiency in design and technical tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, PLM systems, and CAD software.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to collaborate effectively with diverse individuals and effectively present to multiple teams, and to clearly convey design intent and specifications to manufacturers.
• Excellent cross‑functional collaboration skills with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent product development projects on schedule, within budget, and to defined quality standards.
• Detail‑oriented with a strong commitment to product quality and consistency.
• Skills and proven success in executing product development plans and strategies to support the development of innovative and profitable products. Understanding of product margins/financials and significant analytical ability.

A few pointers about our culture:

• Entrepreneurial spirit and innovation are in our bones! We authentically innovate trusted equipment that gets people out in the great outdoors.
• We are laser‑focused on our consumers, and passionate about providing superior solutions flexible to meet any event’s needs or mission requirements.
• We strive to create meaningful, healthy change in the world as individuals and as a family of brands.
• We value team members who are willing to wear many hats; who take personal initiative, anticipating what needs to be done, and figuring things out to make them happen; but who are also willing to ask help, to assist others and work together.

What you will receive:

• Share in the company’s success with competitive base salary with additional earning potential through participation in the management bonus program, and eligibility for annual pay increases.
• Find work/life balance
• Further your career with performance development and training opportunities, including our tuition assistance program.
• Have fun at work, enjoying a collaborative and casual work environment.

Business & Brand Snapshot

• Business Unit: Diving
• Products: Dive Computers, Regulators, BCDs, Dive Instruments, Underwater Equipment and Accessories
• Key Skills: Global Trade Show Management, Retail Merchandising, POP/POS Display Development, Sales Enablement, Dealer Marketing, Brand Activation,Sales Enablement, Field Marketing Leadership, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Go-to-Market Strategy, Marketing Analytics, Event Marketing
• Technology Focus: Dive Computers, Wearable Technology, Underwater Electronics, Pressure Systems, Life‑Support Equipment, Connected Devices

JOHNSON OUTDOORS is a leading global innovator of outdoor recreation equipment and technologies that inspire more people to experience the awe of the great outdoors. The company designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of winning, consumer-preferred brands across four categories: Watercraft Recreation, Fishing, Diving and Camping. Johnson Outdoors' iconic brands include: Old Town® canoes and kayaks; Ocean Kayak™; Carlisle® paddles; Minn Kota® fishing motors, batteries and anchors; Cannon® downriggers; Humminbird® marine electronics and charts; SCUBAPRO® dive equipment; Jetboil® outdoor cooking systems. Founded in 1970 by Samuel C. Johnson, the Company has delivered double-digit compound annual growth over its history, evolving from a single brand into a nearly $592.8 million global enterprise with around 1,300 employees across 20 countries.

Check us out at SCUBAPRO or find us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube!