Senior Technical Designer - Activewear

Build the Technical Foundation of a New Premium Activewear Brand At Rate Fit , we’re building a premium activewear brand from the ground up. This is a rare opportunity to help establish the technical standards, fit philosophy, development processes, and production infrastructure for a new business—not simply maintain an existing product line. We’re looking for an experienced Technical Designer who thrives in a builder environment and enjoys creating processes, solving problems, and bringing products from concept through commercialization. You’ll partner closely with Design, Product Development, Manufacturing, and Operations to ensure every product delivers exceptional fit, quality, performance, and consistency. This role will play a critical part in defining how our products are developed, how our garments fit, and how our technical standards scale as the business grows. Key Responsibilities Technical Design & Product Development Create, maintain, and update comprehensive technical packages (tech packs) for all product categories. Translate design concepts into production-ready specifications, ensuring product intent is maintained throughout development. Document product specifications, construction details, measurements, grading rules, fabrics, trims, artwork placement, and manufacturing requirements. Manage development records including lab dips, fabric approvals, trim approvals, sample comments, fit notes, measurement revisions, and production approvals. Partner closely with Design and Product Development to move products efficiently through the development calendar. Help establish and continuously improve Rate Fit’s technical development standards, workflows, and best practices. Fit, Measurement & Technical Standards Lead garment measurements and evaluate all development, sales, pre-production, and production samples. Conduct and lead in-person fit sessions, documenting corrections and ensuring all changes are accurately implemented before production approval. Develop and maintain measurement specifications, grading rules, fit blocks, and sizing libraries across all product categories. Establish consistent fit standards and sizing philosophies that will become the foundation of the Rate Fit brand. Ensure consistency of fit and quality across collections and future product launches. Fabric Performance & Quality Evaluate fabrics for performance, stretch, recovery, durability, shrinkage, hand feel, and overall suitability. Review testing results and ensure materials meet quality and performance expectations. Identify technical risks early in development and partner with suppliers to resolve issues before production. Support fabric sourcing decisions by providing technical input on material performance and construction. Production Readiness & Factory Partnership Own the technical transition from product development into production. Issue final production-ready technical packages and specifications to manufacturing partners. Coordinate pre-production approvals, including PP samples, TOP samples, size sets, and measurement reviews. Serve as the primary technical point of contact for factories, ensuring products are manufactured according to approved specifications. Troubleshoot fit, construction, quality, grading, and production issues throughout commercialization. Recommend construction improvements that enhance quality, manufacturability, and cost efficiency. Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with Design, Product Development, Production, Merchandising, and Operations to ensure successful product launches. Support production planning, raw material readiness, and delivery milestones as needed. Contribute to process improvements that increase speed, quality, and operational efficiency across the product lifecycle. Help build scalable technical processes that support future growth as Rate Fit expands. Qualifications 5+ years of experience in Technical Design, Apparel Development, Product Development, Production, or related functions. Strong knowledge of apparel construction, garment engineering, patternmaking, grading, fit evaluation, and manufacturing processes. Experience leading garment measurements and in-person fit sessions. Proven ability to create and manage detailed technical packages and specification documents. Experience developing measurement standards, grading rules, fit blocks, and sizing libraries. Strong understanding of performance fabrics, garment finishing, quality standards, and technical performance requirements. Experience working directly with domestic and overseas manufacturing partners. Proficiency with Adobe Illustrator, Excel, PLM systems, and apparel product development tools. Excellent organizational, communication, and project management skills. Comfortable working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment where processes are being built rather than inherited. Preferred Experience Experience in premium activewear, athletic apparel, performance apparel, outdoor apparel, swimwear, or other fit-sensitive product categories. Experience helping build or significantly improve technical development processes for a growing apparel brand. Consulting, startup, or high-growth brand experience is a plus. Why Join Rate Fit? This is an opportunity to do more than execute existing processes—you’ll help create them. You’ll have the chance to influence product quality, fit, sizing standards, technical development, and manufacturing strategy from the earliest stages of a premium activewear brand. If you’re energized by building something new, solving complex technical challenges, and leaving a lasting impact on a growing business, we’d love to meet you. #J-18808-Ljbffr Rate