Design Director, Textiles and Concepts

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director, Textiles and Concepts

Company: Janie and Jack LLC

Location: San Francisco, CA, US

Job Type: Full Time

Category: Design & Creative Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-11T15:58:00

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic creative vision for seasonal trend development, encompassing color palettes, concept generation, and print/graphic direction within the children's apparel market.

• Drive line development from initial concept through to production, overseeing approximately 18-24 distinct product assortments annually to ensure brand coherence and commercial appeal.

• Foster strong cross-functional partnerships with Merchandising, Product Development, and Sourcing to balance creative innovation with business objectives and commercial viability.

• Mentor and manage a textile design team, providing clear creative direction, constructive feedback, and hands-on guidance throughout the design and development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role bridges creative design strategy with operational execution, requiring a leader who can translate market trends into actionable product lines while managing a team and collaborating across departments. The focus on "Revenue Operations" in the prompt is a misinterpretation; this role is firmly within the Creative/Design Operations domain. The emphasis on "concepts" and "textiles" points to a strong need for understanding material properties, print techniques, and overarching aesthetic themes that drive product success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Identify and forecast emerging trends in fabric, color, pattern, and graphics within the children's apparel market and broader fashion landscape.

• Develop and present compelling seasonal concepts, color palettes, and print/graphic directions that align with the Janie and Jack brand aesthetic and customer expectations.

• Oversee the end-to-end product development process for assigned assortments, ensuring design intent, quality standards, and commercial viability are maintained from concept to production.

• Conduct market research and competitive analysis through domestic and international travel to inform trend forecasting and identify new product opportunities.

• Collaborate closely with Merchandising to ensure assortments are well-balanced, commercially relevant, and support business growth objectives.

• Partner with Product Development and Sourcing teams to troubleshoot and resolve design and production challenges, ensuring quality and aesthetic integrity.

• Lead and mentor the textile design team, fostering a collaborative environment and providing clear creative direction and constructive feedback.

• Actively participate in the design process, including print development, pattern creation, and color refinement, while guiding the team's execution.

• Ensure a cohesive product vision by maintaining strong communication and collaboration across all design, development, and merchandising functions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for strategic planning, trend analysis, team management, and cross-functional collaboration. The emphasis on "18-24 distinct product assortments each year" highlights the fast-paced, high-volume nature of the role, requiring strong project management and organizational skills.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., Apparel Design, Textile Design, Fashion Merchandising).

Experience: Minimum of 10+ years of experience in apparel design, with a strong preference for experience within specialty retail or a major children's apparel brand. Minimum of 3+ years of experience in people management, leading and developing a design team.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in apparel design, with a specialization in textiles, prints, and graphics.

• Demonstrated ability in trend forecasting and translating market insights into cohesive design concepts and color palettes.

• Strong leadership and team management skills, with experience mentoring designers at various levels.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate creative vision to diverse stakeholders.

• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for design creation and presentation.

• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Experience with product lifecycle management and the connection between creative vision and commercial results. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with digital design tools such as Miro or Kaledo.

• Familiarity with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.

• Technical expertise in fabrication and production for knits, wovens, and sweaters.

• Experience in specialty retail.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required software proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator is a critical technical skill for this design-focused role. The preference for specialty retail experience and knowledge of specific tools like Miro and Kaledo suggests a desire for candidates who can hit the ground running with industry-standard workflows.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a strong understanding of textile design, including original prints, patterns, and graphic applications.

• Demonstrations of seasonal concept development, including mood boards, color palettes, and initial design sketches.

• Case studies illustrating the translation of trends into commercially viable product assortments for children's apparel.

• Examples of leadership and team management, perhaps highlighting how you've guided a team through the design process.

• Evidence of collaboration with cross-functional teams (merchandising, product development) to achieve product goals. Process Documentation:

• Showcase of your process for trend research, analysis, and concept ideation.

• Examples of how you've developed and managed seasonal color direction and print/pattern strategies.

• Documentation of your approach to overseeing product development from concept to production, including problem-solving for design and manufacturing challenges.

• Articulation of your team leadership and mentorship methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a design leadership role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not just creative talent but also strategic thinking, process management, and the ability to deliver commercially successful product lines. The emphasis on "process" within the portfolio should highlight how the candidate approaches their work, not just the final output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $170,000 - $190,000 annually.

Benefits:

• Employee discount at Janie and Jack.

• Paid holidays and flexible time off.

• Generous Health Savings Account (HSA) employer contributions for individuals and families.

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care.

• Commuter benefits.

• Pet benefits.

• Tuition reimbursement.

• Life insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.

• Extensive 401(k) plan with company matching.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering resources like financial and legal assistance, emotional work/life counseling, health and wellness resources, and travel assistance.

• Annual discretionary bonus plan (for Brand Support Center employees).

Working Hours: Standard 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility to meet project deadlines and business needs, typical for a leadership role in a creative industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Design Director role in San Francisco. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on health and wellness, retirement savings, and employee well-being, which are attractive to experienced professionals. The mention of a discretionary bonus plan indicates a performance-driven component to compensation.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Specialty Children's Apparel Retail. Janie and Jack operates within a competitive market that values quality, classic styling, and attention to detail. The company positions itself as a premium brand offering approachable luxury.

Company Size: Janie and Jack is part of Ascena Retail Group, a larger retail conglomerate, but operates as a distinct brand. Ascena Retail Group's size suggests access to significant resources and infrastructure, while Janie and Jack maintains its unique brand identity.

Founded: Janie and Jack was founded in 2002. This history indicates a mature brand with established processes and a defined market presence.

Team Structure:

• The Design Director will report to the Head of Design, indicating a clear reporting hierarchy within the design department.

• The role involves managing a textile design team, suggesting a functional team structure focused on specific design disciplines.

• Close collaboration with Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing, and potentially Marketing teams is expected, highlighting a matrixed or project-oriented approach to cross-functional work. Methodology:

• Trend Analysis & Concept Development: A structured approach to identifying, analyzing, and translating fashion and cultural trends into cohesive design concepts and product lines.

• Data-Informed Design: While creative-led, the role requires balancing artistic vision with commercial viability, informed by market research, sales data (implicitly), and merchandising input.

• Collaborative Product Lifecycle Management: A process that involves close partnership between design, merchandising, development, and sourcing to ensure efficient and effective product creation.

• Mentorship & Skill Development: A focus on nurturing talent within the design team through clear direction, feedback, and hands-on support.

Company Website: https://www.janieandjack.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Janie and Jack's brand positioning as "Iconic. Approachable. Connected." is crucial for candidates. This implies a blend of timeless style with modern relevance and a focus on customer experience and internal relationships. The company's context as a specialty brand within a larger group provides insights into potential resources and operational scope.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership position within the Design department, responsible for strategic creative direction and team management. It sits at a Director level, indicating significant autonomy and impact on the brand's product offering.

Reporting Structure: The Design Director reports directly to the Head of Design, providing a clear line of authority and mentorship. The role also involves managing direct reports within the textile design team.

Operations Impact: The Design Director's work has a direct and significant impact on the brand's revenue and market perception. By setting the creative vision and leading product development, this role influences sales performance, brand equity, and customer engagement. Success is measured by the commercial success of the product lines, the team's output quality, and the cohesive execution of the brand's aesthetic.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Expansion: Potential to influence broader design strategy for the brand or take on more comprehensive creative leadership roles, possibly overseeing multiple design categories.

• Cross-Functional Development: Opportunities to deepen understanding and influence in areas like merchandising, marketing, or retail operations through continued collaboration.

• Mentorship & Team Building: Developing leadership skills by growing and scaling the textile design team, potentially building out new specializations.

• Industry Influence: As a leader in a respected children's brand, there may be opportunities for industry engagement or thought leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a significant opportunity for a seasoned design professional to shape the creative direction of a well-established brand. The growth potential lies in expanding strategic influence and leadership scope within the organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role, indicating a need for physical presence at the company's San Francisco office. This suggests a traditional office setting designed for collaborative work.

Office Location(s): San Francisco, CA, 94104. This location implies working within a vibrant urban environment with access to a diverse talent pool and potential for market inspiration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role necessitates close interaction with design teams, merchandising, product development, and other cross-functional partners, suggesting an open and collaborative office layout.

• Creative Resources: Access to design software, trend resources, and potentially a physical library of materials and samples would be expected.

• Team Interaction: Daily interaction with direct reports and frequent meetings with stakeholders are integral to the role, emphasizing the importance of physical proximity for effective communication and brainstorming.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, leadership roles in creative industries often require flexibility to meet project deadlines, attend market events, or address urgent production issues. Travel is also a component of the role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in San Francisco suggests an environment that values in-person collaboration, creative synergy, and the tangible exchange of ideas typical in design-centric organizations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of applications and portfolios to assess qualifications, experience, and creative alignment with the brand.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the Head of Design to explore creative vision, leadership style, and strategic approach to textile and concept design.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Merchandising, Product Development, and potentially other departments to evaluate collaboration skills and understanding of business objectives.

• Presentation/Portfolio Review: A formal presentation where candidates showcase their portfolio, discuss case studies of past work, and articulate their design philosophy and approach to trend development and team leadership.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to confirm cultural fit and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Brand Alignment: Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates an understanding of the Janie and Jack brand aesthetic and how your work aligns with it.

• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Present not just finished designs but also the thought process behind them – trend research, concept development, and commercial considerations.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of how you've led teams, mentored designers, and driven projects to successful completion.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, provide context on the commercial success or impact of the designs you've developed.

• Tailor Your Presentation: Focus on the most relevant projects for textile and concept direction within children's apparel.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss your process for identifying and interpreting trends.

• Articulate your approach to developing cohesive seasonal themes and color palettes.

• Have examples ready to illustrate how you've managed design teams and resolved production challenges.

• Be ready to discuss your leadership philosophy and how you foster creativity and collaboration.

• Research current children's apparel market trends and Janie and Jack's competitive landscape.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely be rigorous, focusing heavily on creative capability, strategic thinking, leadership, and the ability to translate vision into tangible, marketable products. The portfolio presentation is a critical component.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Adobe Photoshop: Essential for image manipulation, digital painting, and creating detailed textile designs and graphics.

• Adobe Illustrator: Crucial for creating vector-based prints, patterns, and graphic elements, ensuring scalability and clean lines.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a direct "operations" tool in the traditional sense, proficiency in understanding and utilizing market data, sales reports, and trend forecasting tools (e.g., WGSN, Fashion Snoops - though not explicitly mentioned) will be important for informing design decisions. CRM & Automation:

• PLM Systems (Preferred): Product Lifecycle Management systems are often used to manage product data, track development progress, and facilitate collaboration across departments. Experience here is a plus.

• Miro (Preferred): A collaborative online whiteboard platform useful for brainstorming, mood boards, concept development, and team collaboration, especially in a hybrid or remote context, but valuable for on-site teams too.

Other Potentially Relevant Tools:

• Kaledo (Preferred): A specialized textile design software, particularly for creating and managing colorways and prints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technical requirements are Adobe Creative Suite. Experience with PLM, Miro, and Kaledo are significant advantages, indicating a desire for candidates familiar with integrated design and product development workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Creativity & Innovation: A drive to push creative boundaries while staying true to the brand's core aesthetic.

• Quality & Detail: A commitment to excellence in product design, materials, and execution.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Valuing strong working relationships across departments to achieve shared goals.

• Customer Centricity: Understanding the target customer and designing products that resonate with them.

• Strategic Vision: The ability to think long-term and align design initiatives with business objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands seamless collaboration with Merchandising, Product Development, and Sourcing to ensure designs are feasible, commercially viable, and meet production timelines.

• Mentorship-Driven: A culture that supports the growth and development of its team members through constructive feedback and guidance.

• Agile & Responsive: Adapting to market shifts and business needs while maintaining creative integrity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes a blend of creative excellence, quality, and commercial acumen. Collaboration is key, with a focus on building strong internal relationships to drive product success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Trend with Brand Identity: Navigating the ever-changing landscape of fashion trends while ensuring designs remain consistent with Janie and Jack's classic and approachable brand identity.

• Managing High Volume of Assortments: Overseeing the development of 18-24 distinct product assortments annually requires exceptional organizational skills and efficient workflow management.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring all stakeholders (Merchandising, Development, Sourcing) are aligned on creative vision and can effectively execute it within business and production constraints.

• Global Trend Translation: Adapting international trends to be relevant and appealing to the US children's market.

• Team Development: Continuously mentoring and developing a design team to meet evolving creative and technical demands.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Design Leadership: Opportunities to influence broader brand strategy and product vision.

• Cross-Category Exposure: Gaining deeper insights into merchandising, marketing, and retail operations.

• Mentorship & Executive Presence: Developing advanced leadership and communication skills.

• Industry Trend Immersion: Staying at the forefront of children's fashion and textile innovation through travel and market research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenges revolve around strategic creative leadership within a defined brand framework and managing the operational complexities of a high-volume product cycle. Growth opportunities focus on expanding leadership scope and strategic influence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for identifying and translating emerging fashion and cultural trends into actionable design concepts for a specific market segment, like children's apparel." (Focus on methodology, trend sources, and strategic application).

• "How do you ensure a cohesive brand aesthetic across numerous product assortments throughout a year, especially when managing multiple deliveries?" (Highlight organizational skills, vision casting, and quality control).

• "Walk us through a time you successfully partnered with merchandising and product development to bring a commercially successful product line to market. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?" (Demonstrate collaboration, problem-solving, and commercial awareness). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about the Janie and Jack brand, and how do you see your design philosophy aligning with our 'Iconic. Approachable. Connected.' ethos?" (Showcase brand research and personal connection).

• "How do you foster a collaborative and innovative environment within a design team, and how do you approach mentoring and developing junior designers?" (Discuss leadership style, team dynamics, and mentorship strategies).

• "Describe your experience with market research and trend shopping, both domestically and internationally. How do you synthesize this information into actionable design direction?" (Highlight research skills and strategic interpretation). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Flow: Structure your presentation to tell a story – from trend identification and concept development to final product execution and commercial outcome.

• Visual Storytelling: Use high-quality images and clear visuals to showcase your designs, mood boards, and color palettes.

• Process Emphasis: Explain the "why" behind your design choices, detailing your research, inspiration, and decision-making process.

• Leadership Examples: Integrate examples of your leadership, team management, and cross-functional collaboration within your case studies.

• Brand Relevance: Clearly articulate how your past work demonstrates your ability to succeed within the Janie and Jack brand context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of creative vision, strategic thinking, leadership capability, and commercial acumen, all tailored to the specific needs of Janie and Jack.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Director position:

• Submit your application through the provided ADP link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select your strongest work that showcases textile design, concept development, print/graphic direction, and leadership experience. Ensure it highlights your understanding of the children's apparel market and the Janie and Jack brand.

• Tailor Your Resume: Emphasize your 10+ years of apparel design experience, 3+ years of management, proficiency in Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, and any relevant experience in specialty retail or children's wear. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Rehearse your portfolio presentation, focusing on clear storytelling, strategic insights, and your leadership approach. Be ready to discuss your process and impact.

• Research Janie and Jack: Understand the brand's history, current collections, target audience, and competitive landscape. Familiarize yourself with their values and aesthetic to articulate your alignment.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.