Job Description
Job Title:
Associate Designer
Requisition Number:
5328
Posting Start Date:
9/14/26
Our values start with our people, join a team that values you!
Bring your talents to Ross, our leading off-price retail chain with over 2,200 stores, and a strong track record of success and growth. Our focus has always been bringing our customers a constant stream of high-quality brands and on-trend merchandise at extraordinary savings. All while providing a fun and exciting treasure hunt experience.
As part of our team, you will experience:
- Success. Our winning team pursues excellence while learning and evolving
- Career growth. We develop industry leading talent because Ross grows when our people grow
- Teamwork. We work together to solve the hard problems and find the right solution
- Our commitment to Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, and our community. We celebrate the backgrounds, identities, and ideas of those who work and shop with us because our differences make us stronger. We strive to be a positive force in our community.
Our Corporate headquarters are in Dublin, CA, we have 3 buying offices in key markets in New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, and 8 distribution centers nationwide. With 2023 revenues of $20.4 billion, we are a Fortune 500 company who is committed to providing an inclusive work environment with continuous learning opportunities and development for our teams.
Job Description:
About this opportunity...
The successful Associate Designer will:
- Deliver accurate, timely product development support throughout the design lifecycle.
- Demonstrate ownership and accountability for assigned styles, projects, and milestones.
- Contribute creative, customer-relevant design ideas that support business objectives and private-label brand development.
- Build strong relationships with internal partners and external vendors.
- Balance creativity with cost, value, quality, commercial viability, and on-time execution.
What you will do and what you will learn...
Design & Product Development
- Support the development and execution of seasonal Men’s apparel collections, private-label brands, and collaborative product initiatives.
- Contribute to seasonal concepts, color palettes, fabrications, prints, washes, and silhouettes that align with brand positioning, customer needs, and commercial objectives.
- Create and maintain technical sketches, design specifications, and tech packs using Adobe Illustrator and PLM systems.
- Assist with fabric, trim, color, wash, and construction development in partnership with Designers and cross-functional teams.
- Participate in fit sessions and product reviews, documenting revisions and ensuring accurate execution of design changes.
- Develop mood boards, concept presentations, line reviews, and seasonal storytelling materials; clearly communicate design thinking to Design leadership and cross-functional partners.
- Conduct ongoing trend, market, competitive, and consumer research to identify emerging shifts and translate insights into actionable product opportunities.
- Participate in regular competitive shopping, market visits, trade shows, and vendor research to identify new product, materials, innovation, and relevant market direction.
- Support the development and evolution of Men’s private-label brand identities, helping maintain consistency of customer positioning, product aesthetic, and seasonal storytelling.
- Develop a strong understanding of the Ross Men’s customer and translate customer needs, cultural influences, and market trends into compelling, commercially relevant product.
- Explore and leverage emerging AI and digital design tools to accelerate research, ideation, visualization, and product development.
Vendor & Sample Management
- Serve as the day-to-day Design contact for assigned vendors and product categories.
- Communicate design intent, product details, fit comments, and development updates clearly to vendors and factories.
- Coordinate and track samples, lab dips, approvals, and development submissions to ensure adherence to deadlines.
- Maintain sample libraries, design archives, market research, and development records.
- Own assigned styles through the development process from initial concept and sketch through sample approval, escalating issues as needed to protect design intent, quality, and timing.
Cross-Functional Partnership
- Collaborate with Merchandising, Technical Design, Production, and Sourcing teams to align product development with line plans, costing objectives, customer needs, and key milestones.
- Support seasonal calendars, adoption meetings, line reviews, and other cross-functional checkpoints.
- Ensure accurate and timely updates within PLM systems and internal tracking tools.
What you need to be successful...
- Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or a related field preferred.
- 1-3 years of apparel design or product development experience, including internships.
- Experience working with third-party vendors and overseas factories preferred.
- Apparel industry experience required.
- Portfolio required.
- Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; PLM experience preferred.
- Working knowledge of garment construction, fit, fabrics, trims, and apparel manufacturing processes.
- Strong technical sketching and product specification skills.
- Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, particularly when partnering with external vendors.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
- Experience leveraging AI and emerging digital design tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Vizcom) for research, ideation, concept development, and design visualization.
- Strong fashion awareness and product instinct, with the ability to interpret trend, market, and customer insights into commercially relevant apparel.
- Demonstrated attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and sound judgment.
- Collaborative, adaptable, and receptive to feedback.
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