Design Director – Mexico City Design Office.
Position Summary
The Design Director oversees the entire Mexico City Design Office, leading a high-performing team responsible for licensed sports product execution across multiple leagues and 150+ team identities. This role focuses on strategic leadership, organizational oversight, and design operations at scale, ensuring the team delivers accurate, compliant, and high-quality design assets that meet business, licensing, and brand requirements. The Design Director partners with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to shape design strategy, optimize processes, and drive the long-term growth of the design function.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Oversight
- Provide overall leadership for the Mexico City Design Office, setting vision, priorities, and standards for the design team.
- Partner with executive leadership to align design strategy with broader company objectives, licensing requirements, and business growth plans.
- Oversee multiple Design Managers and Senior Designers, ensuring clarity of roles, responsibilities, and project ownership across the team.
- Represent the Mexico City design organization in senior leadership discussions, providing updates on progress, challenges, and resource needs.
Organizational Development
- Build and scale a high-volume design team capable of executing licensed sports product rollouts across all major leagues.
- Define talent development strategies, including recruiting, training, succession planning, and mentorship for Managers, Seniors, and emerging designers.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable culture that balances creativity with operational excellence.
- Conduct annual and mid-year performance reviews, ensuring structured, constructive, and transparent evaluation of all team members
- Establish feedback loops between Mexico City and New York offices, creating consistent channels for input, recognition, and improvement.
Process & PLM Optimization
- Serve as the executive sponsor of PLM system adoption, driving continuous improvement in workflows, approvals, and data integrity.
- Partner with Design Managers to enforce process consistency, ensuring scalable and efficient workflows across multiple capsules and deadlines.
- Evaluate and implement tools, platforms, and systems that improve design efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.
- Champion a culture of operational discipline, reducing errors, minimizing rework, and increasing speed-to-market.
Compliance & Quality Assurance
- Oversee compliance across all leagues and licensors, ensuring every product meets strict licensing and brand standards.
- Partner with senior stakeholders and licensing representatives to address escalations and resolve high-level approval challenges.
- Implement checkpoints and governance structures to maintain quality, accuracy, and compliance across all design outputs.
Cross-Functional & General Collaboration
- Act as the primary liaison between the Mexico City design organization and cross-functional teams in New York and other offices.
- Partner with Product Development, Licensing, Merchandising, and Production to align priorities and ensure seamless execution.
- Contribute to long-term business planning, assortment strategies, and market expansion initiatives by providing design insights and operational perspectives.
- Serve as a global thought leader, influencing best practices across multiple offices and business units.
Team Leadership & People Management
- Serve as a trusted leader and resource for the Mexico City team, with the ability to troubleshoot personal and interpersonal issues that may impact performance.
- Champion a culture of feedback, ensuring Managers and Senior Designers are equipped to give and receive constructive input regularly.
- Demonstrate both data-driven decision-making (left brain) and empathetic, creative problem-solving (right brain) to support team growth and well-being.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Product Design, Fashion Design, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 12+ years of design experience in apparel, accessories, or consumer products, with at least 8+ years in a leadership role overseeing more than 20 employees.
- Proven track record of managing large-scale licensed product rollouts across multiple categories or leagues.
- Strong expertise in PLM systems, design operations, and approval workflows.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire diverse design teams across multiple levels and geographies.
- Exceptional communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence executive decision-making.
- Skilled in conflict resolution, employee coaching, and supporting both professional and personal growth within teams.
- Exceptional English speaking and writing required.
- Advanced level of Illustrator knowledge is required.