PBS Technical Design Manager

Job Title: Technical Designer Manager  

Department: PBS (Private Label & Brand Services)   

Reports to: Director, Product Development   

Location: In-Office.  Zumiez Home Office, Lynnwood, WA   

Effective Date: 06/17/2026  

Position Summary 

The Technical Design Manager is responsible for leading the Technical Design function within Product + Brand Services (PBS), with a primary focus on people leadership, process excellence, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement. This role develops and sustains a high-performing team through coaching, mentorship, training, and clear execution standards, while building scalable systems that enable consistency, efficiency, and long-term capability growth. 

The position requires proficient working knowledge of technical design, apparel construction, fit, garment manufacturing, and the full product development lifecycle; with a working understanding of patternmaking and grading. Rather than owning a product category directly, this role elevates team performance by providing or connecting technical guidance, removing obstacles, and establishing frameworks that support subject matter expertise and consistent execution across categories. 

As a strategic partner, the Technical Design Manager collaborates across Design, Product Development, Production, Sourcing, Materials, Compliance, Buying, vendor partners, and executive stakeholders to align priorities, improve processes, and drive informed decision-making. This role is accountable for identifying gaps, implementing scalable solutions, and ensuring Technical Design resources, priorities, and workflows support departmental and organizational objectives. 

Success in this role is measured by the strength and development of the team, the effectiveness of systems and processes, and the ability to foster collaboration, elevate technical expertise, and deliver consistent, high-quality product outcomes. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

Team Leadership & Development 

• Lead, manage, coach, and mentor Technical Design employees across all levels. 

• Empower subject matter experts while fostering ownership and accountability across the team. 

• Establish and maintain a team structure that supports subject matter expertise, collaboration, accountability, continuous learning and knowledge sharing. 

• Facilitate training and learning opportunities through structured sessions and real-time development. 

• Identify development opportunities and succession planning strategies that strengthen organizational capability. 

• Provide performance feedback, coaching, and career development guidance. 

• Set clear expectations and ensure accountability through consistent follow-up and measurable goals. 

• Provide clear direction, prioritization, and decision-making support to help teams navigate competing business needs. 

Technical Design Guidance & Support 

• Demonstrate strong working knowledge of technical design, apparel construction, fit, garment manufacturing, and the full product development lifecycle, with an understanding of how patternmaking and grading impact product quality, consistency, and execution. 

• Partner with internal and external subject matter experts, including Technical Design and Pattern specialists, to support accurate fit, pattern, grading, and size standards while creating learning opportunities that elevate team capability. 

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve Technical Design standards, including core fit blocks, fit expectations, graded specifications, documentation practices, and category-level consistency. 

• Support team members through complex or high-risk technical situations, including escalated vendor issues, calendar risks, fit challenges, product execution concerns, and cross-functional problem solving. 

• Drive clear fit approval expectations from design inception through bulk production, ensuring timelines, quality standards, and cross-functional requirements are understood and met. 

• Lead product comparison work, including competitor and internal product analysis, to identify fit, construction, quality, and execution opportunities that support product improvement and informed decision-making. 

Strategic and Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Represent Technical Design as a strategic partner within PBS leadership, ensuring priorities, resources, and workflows align with department strategy and company objectives. 

• Lead cross-functional alignment across PBS departments, Buying, and vendor partners to support decisions related to fit, construction, cost, calendar, quality, and execution. 

• Provide clear, business-focused recommendations to leadership and executive stakeholders by communicating priorities, risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities that impactproduct execution and organizational goals. 

• Facilitate alignment between departments by balancing business priorities, timelines, technical requirements, resource needs, and long-term process impact. 

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships that improve issue resolution, strengthen decision-making, and support consistent product outcomes across teams. 

• Thrives at working as part of a highly collaborative team, contributing excellent analytical and critical thinking skills 

Operational Oversight, Process Improvement & Workload Management 

• Oversee Technical Design workload, priorities, capacity, sample flow, and resource planning to ensure business needs, calendar deadlines, and product execution expectations are met. 

• Identify resource gaps, workload risks, and operational needs, and provide prioritization, budget, or resource recommendations aligned with PBS priorities and company objectives. 

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve Technical Design standards, SOPs, vendor-facing expectations, documentation, tools, and training resources to support consistency, scalability, and team effectiveness. 

• Use data, feedback, and cross-functional input to identify risks, process gaps, and operational opportunities; implement sustainable solutions that improve efficiency, quality, and execution. 

• Lead change management efforts related to new processes, tools, technologies, and ways of working, including training strategy, adoption planning, and operational support. 

• Lead CLO implementation and ongoing optimization as the primary Technical Design point of contact for goal setting, training, troubleshooting, contract renewal input, usage evaluation, and ROI assessment. 

Skills and Abilities 

Leadership and Communication 

• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop employees. 

• Strong communication skills across technical, cross-functional, and executive audiences. 

• Ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across teams. 

• Demonstrated ability to provide clear feedback and maintain accountability. 

• Demonstrated judgment to proactively identify concerns, speak up on behalf of the team when appropriate, and escalate issues early to prevent avoidable downstream impacts to product execution, timelines, quality, or cross-functional alignment. 

• Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced and high-pressure environments. 

Technical and Product Knowledge 

• Strong knowledge of apparel construction, fit, patternmaking, grading, and manufacturing. 

• Comprehensive understanding of the full product development lifecycle. 

• Ability to evaluate and guide solutions balancing quality, cost, and timeline. 

• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Office, Airtable and technical tools; CLO3D preferred. 

• Ability to interpret data to track existing goal(s)progress, identify trends, risks, and opportunities. 

Preferred Experience and Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design, Technical Design, Product Development, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• Minimum 10 years of experience in apparel, with at least 5 years in Technical Design or Product Development. 

• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated people management experience, including coaching, development, and direct management of a small to mid-sized team. 

• Proven experience operating at a cross-functional and executive level, with the ability to influence decision-making, align priorities across departments, communicate complex technical and business considerations, and drive strategic outcomes in support of organizational goals. 

• Demonstrated ability to drive process improvements, implement scalable solutions, and support organizational change. 

• Experience working in fast-paced, cross-functional environments with diverse internal and external partners. 

Physical Demands  

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.  

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required touse hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to fifteen pounds, occasionally lift and/or move up to thirty pounds.  
• Standing at a workstation/measuring table to review garments. 
• Lifting or moving ofgarments or materials up to 20 pounds.   
• Work is performed in an office environment with a moderate noise level.  
• This is an in-office position, Hybrid or Remote is not available. Office is located in our Lynnwood, WA location. 

Benefits:   

• Salary Range: $95k-$110k annually 
• Bonus Eligible  
• Medical, Vision, and Dental Insurance following an initial wait period  
• 401(k) plan after meeting eligibility requirements  
• Basic life insurance and supplemental voluntary life insurance  
• Disability insurance  
• Paid Parental Leave  
• Paid Sick Leave, following an initial wait period  
• Paid Vacation, following an initial wait period  
• Employee Assistance Program  
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA)  
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)  
• Employee Discount on Zumiez product  
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) after meeting eligibility requirements