Sr Designer - Men's Fleece, Tees and Polos

POSITION TITLE: Senior Designer, Men’s Fleece, Tees & Polos

REPORTS TO: Associate Design Director

Get to Know the Role:

What You’ll Do:

• Continuously identify and assess domestic and international market trends, ensuring their relevance to the AE brand identity.
• Collaborate with the Associate Design Director to define seasonal key ideas, prints, wash and color direction, ensuring alignment with leadership's overarching seasonal concepts.
• Maintain thorough knowledge of raw materials, partnering with the material team for seasonal fabric sourcing, managing requests and approvals in weekly meetings, and supporting the Design Director with fabrication needs.
• Partner with the Associate Design Director on seasonal presentations and key milestones, confidently addressing questions from executive leadership.
• Utilize excellent sketching and CAD skills to communicate proper proportion, details, and construction for presentation decks and tech packs.
• Ensure seasonal decks contain up-to-date information on details, wash, and color.
• Oversee tech pack creation, ensuring the design team accurately assembles information in PLM, proofing work, and providing an extra set of eyes across all styles, escalating questions to the Associate Design Director as needed.
• Partner with the production team to schedule hand-offs according to calendar deadlines
• Collaborate with the production team to achieve the highest quality product within the required cost structure.
• Oversee communication of spec and design intent to the technical design team. Attend and support all style fittings, guiding teams through fit comments, and supporting and proofing follow-up. Oversee trim, color, print, Gold tag, and shade band approvals with the design team.
• Partner with merchants to ensure design alignment on seasonal needs and changes throughout the season.
• Supervise and develop Assistant and Associate Designers, providing essential training and mentorship for their career advancement.
• Oversee the design team's daily operations and workload, prioritizing tasks across multiple, often overlapping seasons, and supporting daily vendor communications via email and mail.
• Partner with the Associate Design Director on seasonal calendar and category-specific deadlines to ensure their achievability.
• In person/in-office collaboration is required, the frequency of such in-person/in-office collaboration (e.g., portion of week, entire week) is dictated by business needs. Such collaboration includes work centralized around product development, milestone meetings, fittings, and approvals.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion or Art (or equivalent experience and education).
• Experience working in Apparel. Knits experience is a plus.
• 8+ years related experience
• Keen eye for color, trend, detail and construction.
• Able to multi-task and prioritize based on business objectives
• Working knowledge of Adobe Suite (Illustrator/Photoshop/Indesign) and Excel. PLM experience is a plus.
• Ability to act as liaison between many departments, excellent communication, and analytic skills.
• Must be detail oriented, computer literate and able to handle multiple tasks at once.

Why You’ll Love it Here

• Generous employee discount
• Summer Fridays
• Casual dress code
• Hybrid schedule
• FOMO events (Exciting company-wide events)

Pay/Benefits Information:

• Actual starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to relevant experience and location.
• Subject to eligibility requirements, associates may receive health care benefits (including medical, vision, and dental); wellness benefits; 401(k) retirement benefits; life and disability insurance; employee stock purchase program; paid time off; paid sick leave; and parental leave and benefits.
• Paid Time Off, paid sick leave, and holiday pay vary by job level and type, job location, employment classification (part-time or full-time / exempt or non-exempt), and years of service. For additional information, please click here.
• AEO may also provide discretionary bonuses and other incentives at its discretion.