Assistant/Associate Designer, Girl's Footwear

About Us

American Exchange Group is an industry leader in fashion accessory products and brand management. By facilitating distribution to major retailers internationally for their globally recognized brands, custom private label brands, and exclusive licensed brands—including footwear, tech wearables, watches, jewelry, handbags, fashion accessories, home, and beauty—American Exchange Group raises the bar by disrupting the status quo with value and quality, while staying at the forefront of trends.

Joining American Exchange Group means being part of a dynamic and diverse team where your contributions drive real impact—and where there’s always room to grow. If you're looking to be part of a company that blends heritage with hustle, we’re excited to meet you.

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Job Title: Assistant/Associate Footwear Designer - Kids / Girls — Little Soles, AXNY, and ECKO Red

Location: Onsite 5 days a week at our NYC HQ

Summary: American Exchange Group is seeking an Assistant or Associate Footwear Designer to support the design and development of Girls footwear across licensed brands and private label programs for the off-price market. We are open to interviewing both Assistant level and Associate level candidates for this role.

Responsibilities:

• Takes direction from Design Team and expands on direction/inspiration. It is important that the designer have a voice and vision of their own.
• Takes trend and market research and works innovative designs into brand appropriate styles.
• Creates viable/appropriate designs through CADs.
• In-charge of sample check in as well as working with the appropriate groups to resolve any issues pertaining to samples.
• Uses Illustrator/Photoshop to create artwork for development.
• Participates in seasonal trend presentation using Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign with the Design Team.
• Prepare presentation decks and present design ideas to leadership and customers.
• Prepare development packages for the Footwear Collection.
• Assist in sourcing materials, managing design libraries, and preparing samples.
• Effectively manage time and ability to multi-task
• Ability to create tech packs including specs, technical information and sample/proto design comments.
• Able to quickly adapt, meet deadlines and work in a high paced environment.
• Basic knowledge in footwear construction
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate with our China team, clients, and factories.
• Detail oriented and highly organized
• Review development samples in a timely manner and update tech packs to reflect agreed upon changes and modifications.
• Desire to learn, acquire new skills and take on new challenges.
• Other related job functions are at the discretion of the manager as needed.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Footwear Design, Industrial Design, Accessories Design, or similar
• Highly skilled in PhotoShop and proficient in Illustrator
• Experience with Adobe InDesign preferred
• Ability to research market trend information
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Organized, dedicated and process-driven team player with heavy attention to detail
• Self-motivated with ability to work in fast-paced environment, prioritize workload successfully and execute projects with fast-turnaround, under budget, ahead of tight deadlines.
• High energy level and a passion for your work and the overall business
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to be flexible for business needs

What We Offer

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness Benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with company match
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holidays
• Half Day Fridays with shortened hours during both Summer and Winter seasons
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Tax-free commuter benefits
• Exclusive employee merchandise discounts

Salary: The anticipated base salary is $67k-$70k for Assistant and $70k-$80k for Associate annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, internal equity, and location.

This position description is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, skills or working conditions associated with this position. While this description is intended to accurately reflect the position's activities and requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties as necessary. The compensation package is dependent on a number of factors, including, for example, experience, education, market data, and business needs.