Director of Design

Role Overview

The Director of Design will lead the full design organization and shape commercially strong, inventive product directions across travel, luggage, and soft goods. This position combines creative vision with operational discipline and business thinking to ensure the work supports company goals, market demand, and financial performance. Trend research, competitive review, and consumer insight will play a central role in guiding design decisions and category expansion.

This role reports to the VP of Product Development and Design.

Design Leadership and Product Strategy

• Set the direction for product concepts that reflect market needs, brand positioning, and business objectives, using trend research, forecasting inputs, and competitor analysis.
• Shape both seasonal and core assortments with attention to innovation, function, cost control, and scale.
• Evaluate sales performance, market conditions, and competitive references to identify growth opportunities and potential risks.
• Work closely with Merchandising, Product Development, and Marketing to keep product strategy aligned and support successful launch execution.
• Help the team turn insights into practical product guidance rather than purely conceptual ideas.

Category Expertise: Cut-and-Sew and Luggage

• Use strong knowledge of cut-and-sew construction, luggage, and travel goods to guide product development at a high standard.
• Direct design decisions related to materials, construction methods, hardware, and finishing, with attention to durability and technical performance.
• Collaborate with factories and suppliers to support product feasibility, quality, and innovation.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and grow a full design team, including designers and technical design support.
• Create a collaborative, accountable environment that encourages innovation and ongoing improvement.
• Provide clear direction, coaching, and performance feedback to strengthen both creative and technical capability.

Operational and Administrative Leadership

• Oversee the design function’s operating needs, including budget planning and tracking, resource allocation, prioritization, and schedule management.
• Manage relationships with vendors, external partners, and suppliers, including negotiations and ongoing coordination.
• Supervise freelance and contract support to ensure quality, efficiency, and fit with business needs.
• Streamline processes by spotting inefficiencies and building scalable ways of working that improve team productivity.

Execution and Quality Standards

• Ensure products satisfy design integrity, cost expectations, quality standards, and delivery timelines from concept through commercialization.
• Resolve development and production issues with a practical, solution-focused approach.
• Maintain adherence to originality requirements and brand design standards.

Experience and Qualifications

• At least 8 years of experience in Product Design or Industrial Design focused on cut-and-sew, bags, or luggage.
• Background in building and scaling design teams, including technical design functions.
• Experience overseeing at least 3 direct reports.
• Strong commercial and financial judgment, with the ability to connect design choices to business results.
• Track record of managing budgets, external partners, and contractor relationships.
• Deep understanding of materials, construction, pattern making, and product engineering for soft goods.
• Experience working with factories and global supply chains.
• Comfort with trend analysis tools, forecasting methods, and competitive benchmarking.
• Strong trend and color forecasting ability using multiple information sources.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Strong planning and prioritization skills, with the ability to balance creativity and commercial needs.
• Advanced ability in Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Fashion design education is an advantage.
• Graphic design and/or rendering capability is a plus.

Compensation

The annual base salary for this role is $170,000 to $180,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

About Beach House Group

Beach House Group is an innovation-focused brand incubator working across beauty and lifestyle. The company develops thoughtful products and bold strategies, with capabilities spanning brand and product development, design, licensing, and procurement. It continually looks for open white space in the market to create brands that meet unmet consumer needs.

Additional Terms

Beach House Group may update or revise the job description at any time, either verbally or in writing, during employment. Employees may also be asked to take on duties beyond their usual responsibilities.

Beach House Group is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. The company is committed to maintaining an inclusive workplace for all employees.

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