Apparel Technical Designer

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Technical Designer / Product Developer supports the product creation team across all USB brands, with a focus on protective apparel, protective equipment, and accessories.
This role is responsible for driving product from concept through production by owning technical execution, factory communication, fit, and construction—ensuring all products meet performance, quality, and cost targets.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Factory Communication & Development
Lead direct communication with factories to develop prototypes, test new materials and applications, and refine construction and fit.
Provide clear, actionable feedback to ensure alignment with design intent and technical requirements.
Fit & Product Validation
Own and lead all fit sessions; document and communicate fit comments to factories.
Maintain and enforce established fit standards and measurement specs across all stages.
Development Tracking & Organization
Manage and maintain WIP trackers and BOM indexes to ensure real-time visibility of product status.
Ensure all styles have accurate, up-to-date development status and documentation.
Tech Pack Ownership
Own and continuously update tech packs based on development feedback, fit changes, and construction updates.
Ensure all technical details are clearly documented for factory execution.
Product Commercialization
Translate design concepts and sketches into commercially viable products, balancing performance, cost, and manufacturability.
Identify and resolve construction or costing challenges early in development.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with design, sourcing, product management, and quality teams to resolve development and quality issues.
Act as the key liaison between internal teams and factory partners.
Custom Product Development
Support sales and team business by adapting existing styles into custom products for teams and athletes.
Sample Review & Execution
Review prototypes and samples with design; communicate detailed feedback to factories to ensure accurate execution.
Drive improvements across proto, fit, size set, and pre-production stages.
Timeline & Milestone Management
Ensure all development stages meet key milestone dates and approval gates.
Proactively manage risks to avoid delays in product launches.
Quality & Delivery
Ensure all prototypes and sales samples meet USB quality standards and are delivered on time for approvals.
Innovation & Material Development
Contribute to ideation, material selection, and construction innovation.
Support testing and validation of new materials and product concepts.
POSITION SPECIFICS:

This is a full-time position
Typical workdays are Monday – Friday
This position is based out of the Costa Mesa, CA office
This position requires in-office attendance at least 4 days per week (subject to increase in future).
This position is expected to travel approximately 1-2 a year to overseas factories.
PAY TRANSPARENCY:

The Company is committed to fair, equitable, and transparent compensation. Final compensation will be determined by various factors such as your relevant work experience, education, certifications, skills, and geographic location.
The salary range for this role in Costa Mesa, CA is $85,000.00 - $95,000.00.
In addition, you may be eligible for additional compensation, such as a bonus. Employees may also be eligible for a wide range of other benefits, including health & wellness benefits, retirement, time off, employee discounts, and others.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position does not have any leadership requirements and/or responsibilities.
REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

+7 years of product development or technical design of sports performance products with experience working with product manufacturers (international)
Degree in Technical Design highly desired.
Ability to produce tech packs with bill of materials, CADs and measurements.
Product development or tech design experience with soft goods (primary) and hard goods (secondary)
Extensive knowledge of soft goods construction, product end-use, fit, and garment costing
Skilled at costing and providing cost updates for their respective categories during the development phase
Excellent creative skills associated with innovative product design
Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator
Ability to work well under pressure, to anticipate and troubleshoot issues of consequence to quality and delivery with ease.
Proficiency in using MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint) is required
Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
Self-starter, team player, strong follow up skills, and sense of urgency
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to succeed within a team-driven business environment
Demonstrate strong work ethic, reliability, teamwork, and flexibility
Ability to manage multi-task requirements on a daily basis
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Must be available for a flexible schedule of domestic and international travel (about 10%)

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