Senior Design Manager - Johnston & Murphy

The Ideal Candidate

The Senior Design Manager supports the growth and profitability of the Johnston & Murphy men’s footwear business by leading the design and development of key categories aligned with business objectives and brand strategy. This highly creative and collaborative leader works in close partnership with Product Line Management and Development, as well as cross-functional teams across Retail and Wholesale Merchandising, and our Supply Chain.  This role ensures the delivery of cohesive, compelling, and commercially successful men’s footwear collections.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Partner with the Design Director and Product Line Manager to execute the strategic and creative vision for the men’s footwear line each season.


• Help lead the seasonal design direction of key categories, informed by consumer insights, fashion forecasts, and market trends, from initial inspiration to commercialization hand-off.


• Ensure timely execution and delivery of new concepts, from initial ideation through sample development and commercialization handoff.


• Partner with product development and costing to ensure new concepts are interpreted correctly by the factory, any issues are resolved, and meet target pricing and margin requirements.


• Build strong cross-functional partnerships within the PD team, commercialization/sourcing, with our suppliers/factory partners, and with adjacent teams across the brand.


• Support the selection of seasonal lasts, materials, components, and color palettes to meet design, performance, and commercial goals.


• Help drive innovation across product design and development—advancing comfort technologies and constructions, while also continuously improving team processes and ways of working.

Experience and Skills You'll Need to Have 

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design or related field of study.


• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in men’s fashion footwear design and development.


• Proven expertise managing the end-to-end product creation lifecycle, including product briefs, ideation, design execution, technical packages, cost management, prototyping, and overseas development.


• Comprehensive working knowledge of modern footwear manufacturing methods, with the ability to oversee and direct all design and development processes.


• Highly creative with a passion for fashion design and a deep understanding of leather, textiles, components, and color concepts.


• Demonstrated success building effective partnerships across an organization, with factory partners, and with suppliers.


• Experience leading a footwear design team, balancing structured process management with a creative culture that encourages innovation and new ideas.


• Excellent communication and organizational skills with the ability to adapt quickly and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.


• Strong blend of analytical, decision-making, and creative problem solving skills.


• Domestic and international travel required.

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