Sr Designer, Recover

About the Role

At Athleta, we're more than a performance and lifestyle brand – we’re a diverse community who creates for women with women. We are looking for a Senior Designer to lead and design our "Recover" business, which includes our fleece, sweatshirt, and cozy collections. This position will play a critical role in developing comfortable and trend-forward pieces that embody our commitment to style, comfort, and sustainability.

As a Senior Designer for Recover, you will work in our San Francisco headquarters, where you will manage the end-to-end design process – from concept to final product - while ensuring the highest level of quality, innovation, and design integrity. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, bring an entrepreneurial spirit, and have a passion for creating beautiful, high-quality products. You will report to the Senior Director of Design and have one direct report.

What You'll Do

Design Leadership:

• Lead the design direction for Athleta's "Recover" collections, focusing on fleece and cozy apparel, ensuring alignment with the brand’s aesthetic and customer needs.
• Develop and manage the creative execution of Athleta products within brand guidelines.

Material Expertise:

• Leverage a deep understanding of materials to identify innovative and sustainable fabrics that enhance comfort and performance.
• Offer direction on yarn qualities and trims to ensure optimal product development.

Creative Vision:

• Develop seasonal concepts, color direction, and silhouettes that align with Athleta's brand & customer values, while balancing fashion trends, core items, and emerging opportunities for Merchant and Product Development review.

Product Development:

• Collaborate closely with product development and technical design teams to ensure impeccable fit, construction, and attention to detail across all collections.
• Oversee the creation of tech packs, dimension specs, and first proto sample evaluations.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Work with Merchandising, Marketing, and Production teams to ensure cohesive, on-trend, and commercially successful designs.
• Collaborate with Merchants on classification merchandising and trend messaging timing.

Trend Research:

• Stay ahead of fashion, lifestyle, and performance trends through competitive shopping and market research, ensuring Athleta remains a leader at the intersection of style and performance.

Innovation in Design:

• Bring a fresh, forward-thinking approach to fleece and cozy collections, focusing on novelty fabrics, construction techniques, and unique styling elements.
• Guide the concept board and CAD development process for line review presentations.

Proactive Problem Solving:

• Drive results in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, finding creative solutions and proactively managing the design process from concept to execution.
• Communicate regularly with vendors on design details.

Entrepreneurial Spirit:

• Be a self-starter with ownership of the "Recover" category, consistently pushing design boundaries to elevate product offerings.

Mentorship:

• Mentor and provide design expertise to the team, fostering growth and development to build the brand's creative vision.

Who You Are

• Minimum of 7 years of design experience, preferably in the performance, lifestyle, or athleisure categories.
• High level of taste and design acumen with a proven ability to translate trends into commercially successful products.
• Expertise in materials, fabric construction, fit, and garment construction, with a strong emphasis on knit, sweatshirt, and fleece categories.
• CAD proficiency - Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and/or CAD software - 3D knowledge a plus.
• Hand illustration also a plus - croquis creation / key looks sketching.
• Strong organizational skills - proficiency in Microsoft applications.
• Proactive, entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong team player who thrives in a collaborative setting and demonstrates excellent communication skills.
• Passion for Athleta’s mission of empowering women and promoting sustainability in fashion.