Tapestry Senior Manager, Technical Design

Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always been colorful, bold, and optimistic. Today, it is a global lifestyle brand that designs extraordinary things for the everyday, delivering seasonal collections of handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, home décor, and more. Known for its rich heritage and unique brand DNA, Kate Spade New York offers a distinctive point of view and celebrates communities of women around the globe who live their perfectly imperfect lifestyles.

Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio - a global house of brands committed to stretching what's possible.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Primary Purpose

The Sr. Manager of Technical Design is responsible for leading the technical development and execution of RTW product from concept through final fit approval. This role partners closely with Design, Product Development, Raw Materials, and regional teams to ensure fit, construction, quality, and brand standards are consistently achieved across categories. The Sr. Manager also drives team performance, process improvements, and technical excellence throughout the product lifecycle.

Location:

New York, New York
Hybrid role, minimum 3 days per week in office (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Flexibility required.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the Technical Design team across RTW categories, ensuring strong execution and alignment with business priorities
• Directly manage and develop Technical Designs , including performance management, coaching, and goal setting
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners including Design, Product Development, Raw Materials, and regional RTW teams
• Ensure key calendar milestones and deliverables are met
• Oversee and complete tech packs from proto development through fit approval
• Partner with regional teams for PPS approval and production readiness
• Ensure brand aesthetic and fit intent are maintained throughout the approval process
• Own and maintain established brand fit, sizing, grading, and construction standards
• Ensure consistency and accuracy of fit across product categories and seasons
• Troubleshoot pattern and garment construction issues with internal and external partners
• Identify opportunities to improve garment construction, fit, and technical processes
• Lead fit sessions and own fit approval for assigned categories , serving as an escalation point for complex issues
• Support fit session scheduling and seasonal workflow management
• Act as a key cross-functional leader , aligning Design, Product Development, and Sourcing to ensure product integrity, quality, and on-time delivery
• Act as a technical liaison between internal teams and overseas factories to collaboratively solve technical and production challenges
• Partner with factory technical teams to support continuous improvement initiatives
• Drive and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, consistency, scalability and technical execution: including Clo Set Implementation and or AI tools.
• Lead seasonal quality and risk management efforts with RM and cross-functional partners to proactively mitigate product risks

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Technical Design, including people management;
  an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered
  
• Strong knowledge of pattern making, garment construction, fit, sizing, and grading
• Experience managing product development through overseas production
• Proven experience managing or developing team members
• 3D Design experience preferred (e.g., Clo3D)

Capabilities

• Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional influencing skills
• Excellent organizational and project management abilities
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Collaborative mindset with a proactive approach to continuous improvement

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Our Competencies for All Employees

Courage : Doesn't hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and "actionable" positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity : Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus : Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity : Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn't upset when things are up in the air; doesn't have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results : Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy : Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly : Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Our Competencies for All People Managers
Strategic Agility : Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others : Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams : Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Kate Spade. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant's or employee's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or [email protected]

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Base Pay Range
$105,000.00-$120,000.00

Here are some of the benefits that we offer: Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401 (K), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits.