Pivot Apparel
Design Coordinator at Velvet by Graham & Spencer
Pivot Apparel, California, Missouri, United States, 65018
Design Coordinator at Velvet by Graham & Spencer
We are seeking a highly organized, detail‑oriented
Design Operations Coordinator
to support the Design Team. This person will serve as the central hub — tracking styles from inception through Salesman Samples (SMS), managing the Time & Action calendar, coordinating with factories, and facilitating smooth hand‑offs between creative, production, and wholesale/showroom teams. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast‑paced fashion environment, juggling overlapping seasonal calendars and multiple stakeholders while ensuring deadlines are met and samples/products are tracked, stored, and delivered on time.
Key Responsibilities
Time & Action / Calendar Management
Build, update, and maintain the Time & Action (T&A) / style‑tracking spreadsheet or calendar from concept through SMS, production, and showroom delivery.
Monitor and manage all key milestones (design hand‑off, proto samples, SMS arrival, factory assignments, showroom drop, etc.).
Proactively alert relevant teams when deadlines are at risk and help coordinate contingency plans.
Style Tracking & Sample Coordination
Track each style through development stages: concept → proto → SMS → bulk → finished goods. Maintain accurate records of which factories are assigned to which styles.
When SMS arrives, coordinate receipt, QA check (with design/tech team if needed), and liaise with Wholesale / Showroom teams to ensure timely distribution and setup.
Maintain a well‑organized sample room or design‑room environment, including documentation of sample history, hand‑offs, returns, and storage.
Act as the main point of contact between Design, Technical Design, Product Development, Production, and Wholesale/Showroom teams. Facilitate communication, coordinate hand‑offs, and ensure alignment on deadlines, sample status, and deliverables.
Help coordinate with domestic and international factories, vendors, and suppliers as needed (for SMS, bulk production, trims/fabrics, etc.) — ensuring clarity on timelines, quality standards, and expectations.
Seasonal Calendar & Capacity Management
Oversee overlapping seasonal development calendars; ensure no conflicts and that all styles across seasons are properly scheduled and tracked.
Help prioritize workload, manage overlapping deadlines, and maintain visibility on season‑to‑season transitions.
Design Room / Sample Room Management & Documentation Control
Maintain organization of the design/sample room — ensuring all product (fabrics, trims, samples, tech packs, SMS, bulk, etc.) is well documented, easily retrievable, and accurately logged.
Ensure all documentation (style sheets, factory assignments, sample history, approvals, deadlines) is up‑to‑date, accessible, and audited regularly.
Support Wholesale & Showroom Coordination
Upon SMS or bulk arrival, coordinate logistics with Wholesale / Showroom team to deliver product on time.
Help prepare and send out showroom drops: ensure samples/products are organized, labeled, packaged as needed, and shipped timely.
Problem‑Solving, Follow‑Through & Continuous Improvement
Identify potential bottlenecks, delays, or risks (e.g., factory delays, sample re‑works, overlapping deadlines) — elevate issues or help coordinate solutions.
Suggest and implement process improvements to streamline style tracking, sample flow, calendar management, and cross‑team coordination.
Required Skills & Qualifications
3–5 years (or more) experience in fashion/apparel design operations, product development, production coordination, or sample room/atelier coordination (or equivalent). Roles like Product Development Coordinator, Production Coordinator, or Fashion Operations Coordinator at contemporary apparel brands preferred.
Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail. Ability to manage many moving parts — multiple styles, factories, deadlines, and teams — simultaneously.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to liaise with designers, technical design, production, factories (domestic and international), and wholesale/showroom teams.
Strong proficiency with spreadsheet tools (Excel / Google Sheets) and calendar management; familiar with Time & Action calendars or similar project‑tracking tools. Experience with PLM or product tracking tools a plus. This kind of data‑driven tracking and documentation is core to product lifecycle management.
Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, fluid environment; able to prioritize, flag risks, meet tight deadlines, and adapt to shifting priorities.
Ability to coordinate logistics: receiving SMS/bulk, organizing showroom deliveries, liaising with internal stakeholders, and ensuring on‑time execution.
Self‑starter, proactive, with strong follow‑through, sense of urgency, and collaborative mindset.
Optional / Desired Qualifications
Experience working in a contemporary lifestyle/apparel brand environment (especially brands with seasonal collections, showroom/wholesale distribution, and high sample turnover).
Familiarity with sample rooms, or production processes, even at a basic level.
Experience with PLM systems, sample‑tracking software, or other product data management systems.
Understanding of seasonal product development cycles, sourcing, vendor/factory coordination, and wholesale/showroom logistics.
Ability to handle overlapping seasons and product categories, managing timelines and sample flows for multiple seasons simultaneously.
Why This Role Matters & What Success Looks Like The Design Operations Coordinator ensures that nothing “falls through the cracks.” By managing timelines, tracking styles, coordinating between the various teams, and keeping the design/sample room organized — they enable the creative and technical teams to focus on design, fit, quality, and creativity, rather than logistics. Success in this role means: all seasonal styles move smoothly from concept → sample → SMS → production → showroom; factories receive clear assignments and deliver on time; showroom/wholesale shipments go out punctually; cross‑team communication is seamless; and the design room remains organized, efficient, and scalable across seasons.
Because modern contemporary brands emphasize both high aesthetic standards and timely delivery to market — this role is vital to maintain brand integrity, meet retail/showroom deadlines, and keep operations running smoothly.
Seniority level Entry level
Employment type Full‑time
Job function Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology
Industries Apparel & Fashion
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Design Operations Coordinator
to support the Design Team. This person will serve as the central hub — tracking styles from inception through Salesman Samples (SMS), managing the Time & Action calendar, coordinating with factories, and facilitating smooth hand‑offs between creative, production, and wholesale/showroom teams. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast‑paced fashion environment, juggling overlapping seasonal calendars and multiple stakeholders while ensuring deadlines are met and samples/products are tracked, stored, and delivered on time.
Key Responsibilities
Time & Action / Calendar Management
Build, update, and maintain the Time & Action (T&A) / style‑tracking spreadsheet or calendar from concept through SMS, production, and showroom delivery.
Monitor and manage all key milestones (design hand‑off, proto samples, SMS arrival, factory assignments, showroom drop, etc.).
Proactively alert relevant teams when deadlines are at risk and help coordinate contingency plans.
Style Tracking & Sample Coordination
Track each style through development stages: concept → proto → SMS → bulk → finished goods. Maintain accurate records of which factories are assigned to which styles.
When SMS arrives, coordinate receipt, QA check (with design/tech team if needed), and liaise with Wholesale / Showroom teams to ensure timely distribution and setup.
Maintain a well‑organized sample room or design‑room environment, including documentation of sample history, hand‑offs, returns, and storage.
Act as the main point of contact between Design, Technical Design, Product Development, Production, and Wholesale/Showroom teams. Facilitate communication, coordinate hand‑offs, and ensure alignment on deadlines, sample status, and deliverables.
Help coordinate with domestic and international factories, vendors, and suppliers as needed (for SMS, bulk production, trims/fabrics, etc.) — ensuring clarity on timelines, quality standards, and expectations.
Seasonal Calendar & Capacity Management
Oversee overlapping seasonal development calendars; ensure no conflicts and that all styles across seasons are properly scheduled and tracked.
Help prioritize workload, manage overlapping deadlines, and maintain visibility on season‑to‑season transitions.
Design Room / Sample Room Management & Documentation Control
Maintain organization of the design/sample room — ensuring all product (fabrics, trims, samples, tech packs, SMS, bulk, etc.) is well documented, easily retrievable, and accurately logged.
Ensure all documentation (style sheets, factory assignments, sample history, approvals, deadlines) is up‑to‑date, accessible, and audited regularly.
Support Wholesale & Showroom Coordination
Upon SMS or bulk arrival, coordinate logistics with Wholesale / Showroom team to deliver product on time.
Help prepare and send out showroom drops: ensure samples/products are organized, labeled, packaged as needed, and shipped timely.
Problem‑Solving, Follow‑Through & Continuous Improvement
Identify potential bottlenecks, delays, or risks (e.g., factory delays, sample re‑works, overlapping deadlines) — elevate issues or help coordinate solutions.
Suggest and implement process improvements to streamline style tracking, sample flow, calendar management, and cross‑team coordination.
Required Skills & Qualifications
3–5 years (or more) experience in fashion/apparel design operations, product development, production coordination, or sample room/atelier coordination (or equivalent). Roles like Product Development Coordinator, Production Coordinator, or Fashion Operations Coordinator at contemporary apparel brands preferred.
Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail. Ability to manage many moving parts — multiple styles, factories, deadlines, and teams — simultaneously.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to liaise with designers, technical design, production, factories (domestic and international), and wholesale/showroom teams.
Strong proficiency with spreadsheet tools (Excel / Google Sheets) and calendar management; familiar with Time & Action calendars or similar project‑tracking tools. Experience with PLM or product tracking tools a plus. This kind of data‑driven tracking and documentation is core to product lifecycle management.
Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, fluid environment; able to prioritize, flag risks, meet tight deadlines, and adapt to shifting priorities.
Ability to coordinate logistics: receiving SMS/bulk, organizing showroom deliveries, liaising with internal stakeholders, and ensuring on‑time execution.
Self‑starter, proactive, with strong follow‑through, sense of urgency, and collaborative mindset.
Optional / Desired Qualifications
Experience working in a contemporary lifestyle/apparel brand environment (especially brands with seasonal collections, showroom/wholesale distribution, and high sample turnover).
Familiarity with sample rooms, or production processes, even at a basic level.
Experience with PLM systems, sample‑tracking software, or other product data management systems.
Understanding of seasonal product development cycles, sourcing, vendor/factory coordination, and wholesale/showroom logistics.
Ability to handle overlapping seasons and product categories, managing timelines and sample flows for multiple seasons simultaneously.
Why This Role Matters & What Success Looks Like The Design Operations Coordinator ensures that nothing “falls through the cracks.” By managing timelines, tracking styles, coordinating between the various teams, and keeping the design/sample room organized — they enable the creative and technical teams to focus on design, fit, quality, and creativity, rather than logistics. Success in this role means: all seasonal styles move smoothly from concept → sample → SMS → production → showroom; factories receive clear assignments and deliver on time; showroom/wholesale shipments go out punctually; cross‑team communication is seamless; and the design room remains organized, efficient, and scalable across seasons.
Because modern contemporary brands emphasize both high aesthetic standards and timely delivery to market — this role is vital to maintain brand integrity, meet retail/showroom deadlines, and keep operations running smoothly.
Seniority level Entry level
Employment type Full‑time
Job function Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology
Industries Apparel & Fashion
#J-18808-Ljbffr