The Design Assistant is responsible for assisting the Senior Designer with the execution of all branded Cold Weather and Fashion Accessories for Steve Madden. The responsibilities described below are considered essential functions of the role. This position is based in our NYC office and requires working on-site.
Key Responsibilities
- Organizational Skills - needs to be able to keep track of samples, create and manage tracking sheets across multiple seasons at the same time
- Assist in the creative design of accessories for quality, pattern and color that follows trend direction given by the Senior Design Director
- Able to manage multiple projects and deadlines with support and resources as needed
- Strong Understanding of the brand aesthetic
- Understanding Technical Design to learn to create tech packs and measuring physical samples
- Perform other duties and special projects as assigned
Essential duties include
- Organizational Skills – will manage sample closet and responsible for pulling samples for customers
- Ability to create CADs using Illustrator and Photoshop
- Communication Skills - this role requires direct communication with the factories and internally with cross-functional teams.
- Experience with AI tools preferred
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in related field
- Minimum of 1 year in related field
- Proficient in Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), Microsoft Office Suite
- Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
The expected base salary for this position ranges from $26-28/hour. Ranges are based on various factors such as relevant skillset, training, years of experience related to the current job description, education, and our organizational structure. In addition to the base salary, Steve Madden offers a competitive benefits package that includes health and dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, 401K, paid holidays, a generous paid time-off policy, and career opportunities within a dynamic team.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in related field
- Minimum of 1 year in related field
- Proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
- Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and organizational skills
- Understanding of technical design to create tech packs and measure physical samples
- Ability to create CADs using Illustrator and Photoshop
- Manage sample closet and pull samples for customers (strong organizational skills)
- Experience with AI tools
Steve Madden Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Steve Madden and has not been reviewed or approved by Steve Madden.
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Healthcare Strength — Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage plus FSAs, an EAP, and wellness initiatives such as health fairs, flu shots, and Wellness Wednesdays. Feedback suggests these offerings are robust for eligible full-time employees.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) plan with company matching contributions is available. This provides structured support for long-term savings.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Employee merchandise discounts and extras like seasonal free shoes and third-party discount programs are emphasized. These lifestyle perks add tangible non-cash value to the total rewards package.
Steve Madden Insights
What We Do
Steven Madden, Ltd. is globally recognized as a leading company in the fashion industry. What began as a modest $1100 investment in 1990 has developed into one of the most iconic brands in footwear. From a factory in Queens, NY, Steve Madden has revolutionized the shoe industry, merging years of experience with unique and creative designs. Inspired by rock and roll and his NY roots, Steve’s vision to provide on-trend women and men with an outlet to express their individuality is innovative, daring, and inspiring. Steve’s innate understanding of trends and unparalleled willpower have resulted in millions of customers worldwide and propelled his designs to the forefront of fashion. In addition to marketing products under its own brands including Steve Madden®, Kurt Geiger London®, Dolce Vita®, Betsey Johnson®, Carvela®, Blondo® and ATM®, Steve Madden licenses footwear, handbags and other accessory categories for the Anne Klein® brand. In addition, Steve Madden designs and sources products under private label brand names for various retailers. Steve Madden’s wholesale distribution includes department stores, mass merchants, off-price retailers, shoe chains, online retailers, national chains, specialty retailers and independent stores. Steve Madden also directly operates brick-and-mortar retail stores and e-commerce websites. In addition, Steve Madden licenses certain of its brands to third parties for the marketing and sale of certain products in the apparel, accessory, and home categories. With an emphasis on retail, wholesale, licensing and international business, there's a constant need for new ideas and versatility. Our environment is extremely fast paced and requires associates to maintain a balance of energy and professionalism. Steve Madden is about fashion-forward product and great people. Our employees are energized, intelligent and passionate about our business and committed to providing excellent customer service.
