Director, Design - Handbags

In 1858, a small dry goods shop opened its doors on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue in New York City. Over 150 years and 800 stores later, we’ve proudly grown into “America’s Department Store”, bringing our customers an experience that goes beyond just everyday shopping. For more than 160 years, Macy’s has served generations at every stage of their lives. Customers come to us for fashion, value, and celebration.

Our goal is to have a private brand portfolio that is differentiated, defendable, and durable, with distinctive brand identities that empower our customers to own their personal style.

If you join the Macy’s team, you will work in an inclusive, creative, and highly collaborative community that puts the customers at the forefront of every decision. We thrive on strong leadership to foster agility and focus within our organization. We celebrate diversity amongst our colleagues to create an atmosphere that encourages our employees to be their most authentic selves. Macy’s makes style accessible to all, designing high-quality fashion must-haves, season after season.

Do you have an eye for products and trends? Join Macy’s and create connections that will last a lifetime!

A role on the Design Team at Macy’s provides the opportunity to think, dream, and create. We seek designers who are visionaries and leaders. At Macy’s, we value original design and create products with intent. If you join Macy’s, you will be supported in a Design community that values innovation and teamwork.

The Design Director drives the brand's creative direction, managing all aspects of design, including development, materials, silhouettes, and colors. They are visionaries and can influence across the organization and external partners.

Assortment Vision, Strategy & Selection

• Anchor concepts in retail and trend marketplace, seeking out new design inspiration, product ideas, and trends for area of responsibility.
• Align with all pod partners on product direction and strategy, and create and manage open, inclusive, dialogue from all teams. The end goal is to be aligned on product assortment and have a “one-team” mindset.
• Set the brand's seasonal fashion direction and present at Color & Concept ensuring cohesive aesthetic integrity within the brands and interpreting seasonal fashion direction, assortment opportunities, and merchandise trends.
• Lead trend and category research inclusive of retail market identifying key action points and new ideas, with awareness of micro as well as macro trends
• Lead decision-making when identifying key programs within classifications.
• Modify the product line based on trends, sales, and customer input.
• Ability to pinpoint cultural trends and how this affects the fashion industry. Source inspiration from runway as well as unique outlets (museums, vintage, tradeshows, etc.)
• Maintain category expertise, constantly shopping the retail market seeking new merchandise/trend ideas and design inspiration (materials, fashion, color, trade shows)
• Travel to Europe/Asia/Domestic markets to identify emerging themes and new inspirations and to collaborate with vendor partners.
• Ensure development and execution of product designs achieve overall product strategy and merchandise objectives, meet merchant line plans and assortment strategies, and overall creative vision.
• Lead the Design Team in development and execution of product designs to achieve overall product strategy and merchandise objectives in a timely manner, ensuring aesthetic cohesion.
• Lead a strategic vision, with a progressive, customer-centric approach all while delivering on sales and profit objectives.
• Drive the design team to ensure that meeting deliverables and deadlines are achieved according to the calendar.
• Decide on in-season Design changes to react to sales, margin, and turn forecast in partnership with Product Development and Buying Team.
• Support all milestone meeting prep ensuring presentations showcase designs and strategy well. Ensure Line Development Meeting and Pre-line presentations explain the designs of the collection, align with Omni partners on assortment architecture, and provide any new updates in sample execution and include color boards, concept boards, print, and storyboards if needed.

Alignment with Cross-Functional Partners

• Communicate regularly with Omni partners to gather input and share line development direction.
• Maintain an industry presence that allows for connections, new business opportunities, and ideas at Macy’s. Represent and support the Macy’s brand while maintaining this presence and building relationships.
• Maintain relationships with technical designers, merchants, PD/Sourcing, and CAD to exchange ideas, leverage expertise, and streamline the process.
• Support design team by attending key fit sessions to review and approve counter samples for design silhouette as needed.
• Lead co-collaboration opportunities with vendors to ensure that all partners are aligned on brand DNA as well as expectations of vendor collaboration meetings.
• Collaborate across the organization to drive up standards of product design and presentation.

Leadership Profile

• Juggles multiple priorities independently, and able to pivot and refocus team, acting decisively when needed.
• Resilient, tenacious, and high energy. Able to rapidly bounce back from adversity.
• Encourages healthy work environment for team along with open and honest dialogue.
• Tracks and coaches the team’s development and talent. Meets with team members individually to discuss progress, opportunities, and wins.
• Ability to influence with vision across team and with internal and external partners, both up and downs
• Inspirational and adaptable leader with strong ability to coach and develop team members and build engaged, highly functional teams and partnerships.
• Collaborative style, adept at establishing trust and building relationships across all levels and functions of the organization.
• Comfortable with risk taking, and celebrates risk-taking regardless of outcome.

Education/Experience

• Ideally, 6-8+ plus years of industry experience
• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or Fine Arts preferred

Other Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work a flexible schedule based on department and Company needs
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Excel as well as Illustrator/Photoshop and PLM.
• Strong color sense/print sense
• Ability to view and differentiate the color spectrum