Design Associate, Footwear

Design Associate, Footwear Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in. Coach 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. ASSOCIATE DESIGNER – Women’s Footwear Work within team and assist senior team to design and develop footwear for women’s casual and dress shoes category that not only meet our customer’s needs but fit within the Coach aesthetic and the brand’s larger design goals. This role may grow to include independently managing areas of design and development or specific categories or relationships within the scope of the design team’s responsibilities. The successful individual will leverage their proficiency to…

• Contribute seasonally appropriate concept development and trend research.
• Communicate designs through well executed hand or digital sketches.
• Work with team to thoughtfully present concepts and designs to cross functional partners and senior design team.
• Collaborate with cross functional partners to ensure footwear concepts and designs sit within the greater seasonal direction for the brand and address our customer’s needs.
• Assist senior team in being responsible for timeline adherence; ensure all design documentation are delivered to development partners on time and remain organized throughout the season.
• Utilize and develop technical knowledge of footwear construction to communicate specifications for designs and pattern layouts to partners.
• Partner with material team to identify trends and consider sustainability while sourcing seasonal materials. This may grow to include travel to leather fairs.
• Partner with technician in New York to correct prototypes. This may lead to accompanying senior team members on travel to Asia to review and correct samples.
• Efficiently CAD final designs for line opening presentations and specs.
• Work within design team and with cross functional partners to detail the line as a design forward but well merchandised collection. Along with team, responsible for insuring the design integrity is met throughout the entire product development process from concept through manufacturing.

Runway:

• Contribute seasonally appropriate concept research with an understanding of vintage footwear.
• In addition to the design development of Runway footwear, assist team in partnering and coordinating with ready to wear at key styling points throughout the season.
• Must be available to work for all days during show styling; be on hand while looks are being assigned, keep track of footwear allocation, run errands and make last minute modifications to footwear as needed.

The accomplished individual will possess...

• 3+ years of equivalent or relative experience in footwear
• Ability to sketch both technical drawings and freeform sketches and renderings
• Experience in working with cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Microsoft Excel
• Ability to handle multiple priorities quickly and efficiently and with tight deadlines
• Team player with strong communication and organization skills
• Understanding of the Coach aesthetic.

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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. Coach. 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 View phone number on fashionunited.com or View email address on fashionunited.com Visit . Base Pay Range$70,000.00-$80,000.00 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.