Associate Designer Textiles Bath & Fabric Development - West Elm

The Associate Bath Designer will create, develop, and assist in the managing the Bath and Fabric Development categories. Reporting into the Senior Design Manager, Textiles - this role is a distinct opportunity to provide a visionary design point of view on the solid textiles and bath categories for the West Elm brand that reflects market trends, drives innovation, and meets customer needs.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Working closely with the Senior Design Manager, the associate designer will assist with design and development of Bath Textiles, as well as helping to develop new and innovative materials for other textile categories.

• Assist in working closely with sourcing and product development teams to create new, innovative, price-friendly and additive pre-development fabrics in an ongoing rolling calendar for both bedding and bath.
• Assist in designing bath and textile product based on seasonal concepts and merchant needs.
• Communicate effectively and efficiently with factories and work closely with our overseas WSGO partners to ensure accurate product development and on-time deliveries.
• Develop digital presentation boards for presenting new product to senior management.
• Create specs for bath towels, bath mats, shower curtains, and solid bedding fabrics in an accurate, efficient, and detailed manner.
• Develop designs from initial concept to approval through sketching, CAD, and product mock-ups.
• Own the development process through daily communication with the product development team and vendors
• Adherence and accountability to the brand calendar ensuring all deadlines are met in a timely manner
• Create product specifications, comment on product samples, issue product approvals, and maintain an organized sample and swatch system.
• Maintain awareness of new and emerging trends through competitor shopping and market research.
• Design product based on thoughtful consideration of "big picture" content, including; sales and demographic information, existing in-line product of both textiles and furniture, assortment white space, marketing stories, and emerging trends.
• Work closely with the Senior Design Manager to expand the West Elm bath assortment, fill white-space opportunities, and establish West Elm as a leader in innovative textiles.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must provide Portfolio link (including password) on resume - or link to PDF work samples with application
• 2-5 yrs experience in bath textiles, bedding textiles, or similar field
• Bachelors degree in textile design or similar field.
• Experience in bath design or development strongly preferred.
• Experience in fabric research, development and sourcing a plus.
• Ability to prioritize ongoing developments and design needs within a rolling calendar.
• Demonstrate an ability to design into various aesthetics and styles and identify emerging trends.
• Expertise in Adobe Suite, primarily Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
• Excellent sense of color and style
• Clear understanding of and ability to execute repeat pattern and basic CAD design.
• Ability to spec detailed product and communicate with vendors.
• Experience and expertise developing product directly with factories; understanding of development process from concept through commercialization
• Extensive experience and technical knowledge of textiles, fabrications, construction, printing and manufacturing techniques
• Excellent time management skills
• Understanding and enthusiasm for West Elm brand
• Extremely organized and highly detail-oriented – excellent calendar adherence and ownership

Benefits:

Once you are here, you can look forward to a wide variety of benefits designed to help you grow, personally and professionally, to keep you healthy, to prepare you for the unexpected, to care for your family and to build a secure future. Depending on your position and your location, here’s a look at what you might be eligible for:

• A generous discount on all Williams Sonoma Inc. brands through multiple shopping channels
• A 401(k) plan and other investment opportunities
• Paid vacations, holidays and other time-off programs
• Health benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance; health and dependent care tax-free spending accounts; medical, family and bereavement leave; same-sex domestic partner benefits; short- and long-term disability programs; life and travel insurance; an employee assistance program
• Tax-free commuter benefits
• A wellness program that supports your physical, financial and emotional health
• In-person and online learning opportunities through WSI University
• Cross-brand and cross-function career opportunities
• Location specific sample sales
• A business casual work environment
• San Francisco based bike share program
• Time off to volunteer
• Matching donations to qualifying nonprofit organizations
• Company-sponsored community involvement
• Various discounts on local businesses

WSI will not now or in the future commence an immigration case or "sponsor" an individual for this position (for example, H-1B or other employment-based immigration

This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.

FOR SF ONLY:

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, or other applicable state or local laws and ordinances.

Our Company

Founded in 1956, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the premier specialty retailer of high-quality products for the kitchen and home in the United States. Our family of brands are Williams Sonoma, Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn teen, pottery barn kids, Rejuvenation, Mark & Graham, west elm, or Outward. These brands are among the best known and most respected in the industry. We offer beautifully-designed, stylish and functional products for every area of the home, including the kitchen, living room, bedroom, home office, closet, laundry room and even outdoor spaces. We've seen some big changes since our first brick-and-mortar store opened more than half of a century ago. What hasn't changed is our passion for high-quality products, functional design, outstanding customer service, and enhancing the lives of our customers and the communities where we operate. Today, we're a multi-brand, multi-channel, global enterprise supported by state-of-the-art technology and some of the most talented teams in retailing - and we're always looking for new energy and ideas.