--- title: 'Technical Design Manager at The People Brand' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/technical-design-manager-the-people-brand-newport-beach-he9jec1crr2f' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-19' --- # Technical Design Manager at The People Brand - **Company:** The People Brand - **Location:** Newport Beach, CA - **Compensation:** $120k–$150k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-09-22 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand/5bcf9706-c5d7-4b20-8d48-59a45ca30d1c ## Job description Technical Design Manager Location: Orange County, CA | On-site We are partnering with a growing Southern California lifestyle brand to identify a Technical Design Manager to lead technical execution across swim, active, and lifestyle apparel. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for driving fit, construction, quality, and technical consistency from tech pack handoff through production. The Technical Design Manager will work closely with Design, Product Development, Production, domestic patternmakers, and international vendors while also managing and mentoring the Technical Design team. ## Key Responsibilities - Lead technical development across swim, active, and lifestyle categories from prototype through production. - Manage prototype development and ensure samples, fittings, comments, and approvals stay aligned with seasonal calendars. - Develop and maintain comprehensive tech packs, including technical sketches, POMs, grade rules, tolerances, construction details, and callouts. - Measure and evaluate prototype, SMS, PP, and TOP samples for fit, workmanship, construction, fabrication, and overall execution. - Lead fit sessions across multiple product categories and drive fit and construction corrections. - Ensure consistency in fit, grading, and construction across the assortment. - Communicate detailed fit comments and technical direction to domestic and international vendors. - Partner closely with Design, Product Development, and Production to resolve fit, construction, and quality challenges. - Establish and maintain block libraries and standardized grade rules. - Work closely with domestic patternmakers to create, update, and grade patterns. - Build and improve technical processes that increase consistency, efficiency, and product quality. - Manage and mentor the Technical Design team, including seasonal priorities, workflow, and deliverables. - Develop the team's technical expertise around construction and brand fit standards. - Maintain accurate tech packs, development trackers, fit comments, and sample status. - Build strong relationships with vendors, pattern engineers, and cross-functional partners. ## Qualifications - 7+ years of Technical Design experience. - 5+ years of people management experience. - Strong experience across swim, active, knits, wovens, sweaters, dresses, and/or coverups. - Experience with kids' fit. - Expert knowledge of garment construction, grading, fit, and measurement standards. - Strong understanding of fabric behavior, draping, graphics, dye techniques, and multiple fabrication types. - Ability to independently lead fit sessions across multiple product categories. - Strong technical communication skills, including pattern diagrams, technical sketches, fit photos, and construction comments. - Experience working directly with domestic and international patternmakers, factories, and pattern engineers. - Comprehensive understanding of the apparel product lifecycle from development through production. - Patternmaking experience is a plus. - Experience with international production required; domestic production experience is a plus. - Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop. - Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment. - Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills. ## About The People Brand ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: The People Brand is a female-founded, owned, and operated talent acquisition agency specializing in executive and professional placements within the outdoor, lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and CPG industries. - **Entity Type**: Private (Bootstrapped) - **Headquarters**: Carson, California, United States - **Founded**: Not publicly available - **Founders**: Tiffany and Angella (both former HR executives from Nike, Hurley, and Fox Racing - last names not publicly available) ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Talent Acquisition & Recruitment (niche focus on lifestyle, outdoor, beauty, wellness, and CPG) - Target customers: Startups to Fortune 500 companies across outdoor, lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and CPG sectors; mid-to-executive level job seekers in those industries - Mission or purpose statement: To connect exceptional talent with leading brands that share their values, prioritizing cultural alignment, work-life balance, competitive compensation, DEI initiatives, and sustainability goals. ## Products & Services - **Executive & C-Suite Recruitment**: Headhunting and placement for senior leadership roles within target industries. - **Functional Recruitment Services**: Specialized placements across Marketing/Communications, Design/Graphic Design, Pattern Making/Technical Design, Product Development/Production, Merchandising, Sales, eCommerce/Digital, Finance/Accounting/Planning, Supply Chain/Operations, Human Resources/Talent Acquisition, Customer Service, Retail Stores and Operations, and Technical/Engineering. - **Consultative Talent Strategy**: A collaborative approach with clients to define and strategize roles before initiating a search, leveraging the founders' HR leadership experience. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private, no disclosed funding) - **Key Metric**: 9 out of 10 success rate in hiring; maintains a low attrition rate for placements. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly available (no disclosed investors). Partner brands span startups to Fortune 500 companies in their target sectors. - **Growth Signals**: Expanding job postings via their Lever careers page ([jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand](https://jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand)), indicating active recruitment for their own team. ## Competitive Advantages - **Industry Specialization**: Deep domain expertise in outdoor, lifestyle, and CPG sectors, which they call being "outdoor, lifestyle & CPG EXPERTS." This niche focus differentiates them from generalist agencies. - **Founder-Led Experience**: Founded by former HR executives from top lifestyle brands (Nike, Hurley, Fox Racing) with 20+ years of in-house HR experience, giving them insider knowledge of both client and candidate needs. - **Transparency**: Unique in the agency space for sharing salary information and company names upfront with candidates, a stated departure from typical industry practices. - **Cultural Fit Emphasis**: Invests significant time understanding company culture and candidate values, with a stated policy: "If we wouldn't place our own loved ones in a role, we certainly wouldn't place you there either." - **Personalized, Low-Volume Approach**: A "do things the right way" mentality that avoids rushing placements, resulting in high success and low attrition rates. ## Strategic Focus - Deepening partnerships with forward-thinking brands that prioritize work-life balance, DEI, and sustainability. - Leveraging their consultative HR background to provide high-touch, strategic talent solutions rather than transactional recruitment. - Utilizing AI tools to support parts of the hiring process (reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, identifying verification signals). - Building on their reputation as a female-founded, owned, and operated firm to attract mission-aligned clients and talent. ## Why Work Here - **Culture & Values**: The agency itself prides itself on being a culture-first organization, emphasizing trust, mutual respect, and true partnership. They seek to work with brands that share these values. - **Work Environment**: Based in Carson, CA, with a mix of on-site and hybrid roles posted for their own team. Positions include full-time roles in locations like Carson, CA and Detroit, MI. - **Transparency**: As an employer, they use AI tools to support hiring but also tout radical transparency (sharing salary and company names) as a core principle, suggesting a straightforward, honest internal culture. - **Team & Leadership**: Founded and led by two experienced, purpose-driven HR leaders with a “do the right thing” mentality. You'd be learning from veterans who deeply understand the talent landscape. - **Impact**: Work directly with top-tier lifestyle and CPG brands, placing talent that drives those industries forward. The agency's small, specialized nature means your work has a direct impact on client success. ## Sources 1. [The People Brand - Official Website](https://thepeoplebrandusa.com/) 2. [The People Brand - About Page](https://thepeoplebrandusa.com/about) 3. [The People Brand - Candidates Page](https://thepeoplebrandusa.com/candidates) 4. [The People Brand - Careers Page (Lever)](https://jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand) 5. [The People Brand - Job Board Portal](https://jobs.thepeoplebrandusa.com/) ## Other roles at The People Brand - [Senior Manager of International Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-of-international-marketing-the-people-brand-carlsbad-zpn4x9h9bzt6) — Carlsbad, CA - [Merchandise Planner](https://feeny.ai/job/merchandise-planner-the-people-brand-carlsbad-atmfa23pgq49) — Carlsbad, CA - [Head of Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-supply-chain-the-people-brand-st-paul-e0cgedtcckbf) — St Paul, MN - [Assistant Technical Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/assistant-technical-designer-the-people-brand-newport-beach-d33axa9vh84w) — Newport Beach, CA - [Senior Swim Technical Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-swim-technical-designer-the-people-brand-newport-beach-77n0yww0g8kb) — Newport Beach, CA - [Talent Acquisition Partner](https://feeny.ai/job/talent-acquisition-partner-the-people-brand-irvine-416zgaca2z6z) — Irvine, CA - [Global Head of Sales](https://feeny.ai/job/global-head-of-sales-the-people-brand-manhattan-beach-56jfre309bas) — Manhattan Beach, CA - [Senior Web Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-web-developer-the-people-brand-compton-bpnwmdwvtkwn) — Compton, CA - [Senior Graphic Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-graphic-designer-the-people-brand-compton-vd2ccz5pdhz2) — Compton, CA - [SIOP & Sourcing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/siop-sourcing-manager-the-people-brand-rigby-1wf3dxxx7dar) — Rigby, ID