Design Director

About the role

The Design Director is responsible for overseeing the design process, leading a team to deliver two robust, timely, and cohesive collections each year, along with additional capsule collections as needed.

Responsibilities

• Directing Designers
• Foster strong relationships, provide ongoing feedback, and advocate for the team across the organization.
• Coach prioritization and time management to ensure timely, high-quality delivery aligned with the Design & Development Cadence Calendar and budget.
• Creating Conditions for Innovation
• Enable experimentation and cross-functional collaboration within a structured design process.
• Balance creativity with delivery deadlines and business priorities.
• Scaling processes thoughtfully as the business grows, increasing efficiency and focus amid added complexity.
• Providing strategic oversight with strong big-picture and systems thinking.
• Developing a Commercial Mindset
• Inspire a commercially driven approach while preserving the brand's creative identity.
• Conduct market and competitor research to identify whitespace and growth opportunities.
• Equip the team with tools and frameworks that strengthen commercial awareness in design decisions.
• Producing Design Briefs
• Partner with the Chief Brand Officer, Design Assets Manager, and Design team to create two annual Design Briefs, plus additional capsule briefs as needed.
• Develop overarching themes, storyboards, mockups, and proprietary in-house artwork to guide seasonal storytelling and execution.
• Ensure briefs inspire internal teams, vendors, and agents across future seasons.
• Oversee development of in-house proprietary artwork that reinforces seasonal narratives and a distinctive brand aesthetic.
• Designing New Products
• Lead the Design team in developing two annual collections plus additional capsule collections aligned to the Master List.
• Ensure all deliverables follow the Design & Development Cadence Calendar.
• Building Design Assortments
• Support the Chief Brand Officer and Product Development team to build two annual product plans.
• Ensure assortments balance commercial performance, thematic cohesion, and the ongoing evolution of the brand toward a more modern MacKenzie-Childs aesthetic.
• Participate in Edits, Product Previews, New Product Meetings, and other key decision forums.
• Drive alignment to support annual revenue goals.
• Hosting Cross-Functional Ideation Meetings
• Between Design and Product Development
• Facilitate seasonal ideation sessions following Planning’s assortment planning process.
• Leading collaborative discussions between Design and Product Development focused on category-based product concepts.
• Visualizing Category Potential
• Champion new product initiatives that drive incremental revenue while maintaining brand integrity.
• Identify emerging concepts that expand and evolve the brand.
• Clearly communicate creative vision to help cross-functional partners understand product potential.
• Developing Annual Budget
• Own planning, management, and delivery of the Design budget within approved fiscal parameters.
• Review and approve department purchases and employee expense reports.
• Monitor and adjust spend throughout the fiscal year to ensure alignment with financial targets.
• Supervisory Responsibilities
• This position supervises Designers and Design Assets Manager.

Requirements

• Education and Experience:
• A high school diploma or GED.
• 8-10 years previous experience in Creative leadership, management and product design.
• Excellent organizational skills, coupled with strong intuition and a creative brain.
• Creative leadership skills, balanced with solid commercial awareness and curiosity.
• Diplomacy in communication, giving and receiving effective feedback, developing strong relationships.

Qualifications

• Computer proficiency including Adobe, Illustrator, InDesign for advanced Design and technical documents.
• Highly organized and proactive about making and maintaining order in materials and information.
• Ability to clearly and diplomatically communicate verbally and in writing.
• Manage own time effectively and motivate others to meet deadlines effectively in a high pressure, deadline driven environment.
• Ability to think with both right and left brain, drawing basic conclusions from data to apply to creative decision making.

Special Requirements

• Location: Aurora, NY
• Travel: Required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Computer proficiency including Adobe, Illustrator, InDesign for advanced Design and technical documents.
• Highly organized and proactive about making and maintaining order in materials and information.
• Ability to clearly and diplomatically communicate verbally and in writing.
• Manage own time effectively and motivate others to meet deadlines effectively in a high pressure, deadline driven environment.
• Ability to think with both right and left brain, drawing basic conclusions from data to apply to creative decision making.

Physical and Mental Requirements

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, reach, push, pull, lift, crouch, use fingers to grasp, handle, feel, and perform repetitive motions of hands or wrists.
• Close mental and visual attention required to plan or direct fairly complex work methods or operations that obtain size, shape, or physical qualities of product.

Environmental Conditions

• Work is performed in a typical office environment with occasional exposure to outside environmental conditions when photographing at outdoor locations.

Salary Range

Competitive salary commensurate with experience

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401K Retirement Savings + Company Match.
• Paid Vacation, PTO and Holidays.
• Company sponsored life insurance and LTD.
• Health Savings Account + Company Match.
• Generous Employee Discount.
• Verizon Discount.
• Referral Bonus Program.
• Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.

MacKenzie-Childs is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates.