Direct-Hire- Sr Designer & Merchandiser -Onsite- New York

A growing women's apparel company is seeking a highly experienced Senior Merchandiser & Designer to lead end-to-end merchandising, product development, sourcing, and design across key women's apparel categories. This is a high-impact leadership role for someone with deep industry expertise, strong fashion sensibility, and the ability to drive product from concept through production while balancing commercial strategy and creative vision. The ideal candidate brings extensive experience across woven tops, knits, sweaters, bottoms, and dresses , with strong knowledge of trend forecasting, sourcing, garment construction, fit, costing, and private label / branded product development. Key Responsibilities Merchandising / Product Development

• Lead end-to-end merchandising and product development across women's apparel categories
• Develop seasonal assortments based on market trends, customer demand, and business objectives
• Partner with buyers, sales teams, vendors, factories, and production teams to execute product strategy
• Manage costing, price negotiations, margin analysis, and sourcing strategy
• Oversee production timelines, shipment schedules, and delivery execution
• Maintain purchase orders, sampling approvals, tech packs, and production documentation
• Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and category trend analysis
• Ensure product quality, compliance standards, and production accuracy
• Monitor inventory flow, production status, and key business milestones Design / Trend Direction
• Lead seasonal concept development and product direction across key women's categories
• Research global fashion trends, fabrics, color direction, silhouettes, and consumer insights
• Develop mood boards, color palettes, design concepts, and collection presentations
• Partner closely with technical design, patternmakers, and sample teams on fit and garment construction
• Select fabrics, trims, washes, embellishments, and materials aligned with collection direction
• Review and approve proto samples, fit samples, sales samples, and final production approvals Qualifications
• 15+ years of experience in women's apparel merchandising, product development, sourcing, and/or fashion design
• Deep category expertise in woven tops, knits, sweaters, bottoms, and dresses
• Strong understanding of garment construction, fit, fabrics, trims, sourcing, and apparel manufacturing
• Proven experience developing both private label and branded collections
• Strong trend forecasting skills and elevated fashion sensibility
• Experience managing vendor relationships, production execution, and cost negotiations
• Excellent communication, organizational, leadership, and negotiation skills
• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, Merchandising, Textiles, or related field preferred