Associate Technical Designer (Apparel)

At DICK’S Sporting Goods , we believe in how positively sports can change lives. On our team, everyone plays a critical role in creating confidence and excitement by personally equipping all athletes to achieve their dreams.  We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce, reflecting the communities we serve. If you are ready to make a difference as part of the world’s greatest sports team, apply to join our team today!

The Associate Technical Designer is responsible for managing the fit and construction of garments for a single category of DICK’s Sporting Goods vertical brand products (approximately 30-40 products/season).  It is the responsibility of the Associate Technical Designer to deliver high-quality products in alignment with the brand standards and our athlete’s expectations for aesthetic, quality and fit.  The Associate Technical Designer is responsible to ensure product maintains design intent while meeting all company margin targets and on time deliverables.  The Associate Technical Designers run fittings, create initial specs, make spec adjustments, and communicate to the Product Manager and Designers recommendations to ensure the best product is delivered. In this role, the Technical Designer will collaborate with Product Manager and the Design team to translate the product design and style vision into a consistent fit and quality level by the development of the technical specification. The ideal candidate for the role is an experience apparel technical designer, with relevant experience in the product categories he/she will lead (athletic, outdoor, golf) at a successful design firm or retailer.   In addition, the ideal candidate must in-depth knowledge of fit fundamentals including grading, patternmaking and apparel construction and manufacturing methods.  Job Duties & Responsibilities Fit Development Facilitate fit session to document technical adjustments to reflect creative design’s comments around aesthetic approval and to improve the garment as it relates to adherence to specification, construction, the overall appearance and fit enhancements.  Analyze all changes & how it relates to specification & pattern then translate information concisely to a technical package ensuring alignment from TD/Sr. TD. Develop block pattern & technical specifications by brand/classification in support of the brand profile, design vision & appropriate athlete base. Build technical specifications including technical illustration, construction details/seam specification, measurement spec, and trim requirements. Track, record and organize garments/information to ensure timely fit sessions from first proto to production approval; create and maintain fit matrix by brand and product type; organize pattern blocks; overlap and compare patterns in Optitex for manager; plot patterns for review and correction Work cross-functionally with the Design, Product management, Sourcing and Merchandising teams to align on strategic intent of the brand.  Actively participate in milestone development meetings to provide insight on measurement specifications and product history to engineer costs in development. Communicate with overseas vendors for tech pack and sample development questions; Make appropriate recommendations in collaboration with cross functional teams on matters pertaining to specs, patterns, construction and techniques to improve fit, balance and overall quality of garment. Partner with our HK office TD team for execution of product and problem solving; Participate in production quality issues escalated to QC and TD Directors by providing background information and recommending possible solutions in their product category Ensures that all time and action calendar deadlines are met; demonstrated understanding of the calendar, and is able to identify potential roadblocks and provide leadership with recommendation to navigate past roadblocks without impacting delivery time. Tech Pack