Design Manager - Home Textiles

About Al-Karam

We are a large-scale, vertical textile mill with global headquarters in Asia and North American HQ in Midtown, NYC. We provide a wide range of Home Textiles for the retail marketplace. Our customers range from direct to consumer to big-box retailers & high-end brands / retailers. Our product categories include bedding, bath, window, decorative pillows, throws, and kitchen textiles.

Duties & Responsibilities

We are seeking a Design Manager - Home Textiles with approximately 8 – 10 years of experience in the soft home category, including top of bed, sheets, bath (Shower Curtains), window, and table linens. In this role, you will work closely and under direction of the Creative & Design Director on the development and execution of textile designs for our bi-annual Market Week “open line” collections (March and September).

In addition to seasonal collections, the role will be responsible for developing design concepts, specifications, and product execution across multiple customer accounts and product categories. The position will also support the design management of assigned accounts, ensuring design development, artwork, and specifications are aligned with customer requirements and project timelines.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced development environment, is highly organized and detail-oriented, and is comfortable managing multiple projects and timelines simultaneously. Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate with both domestic teams and overseas partners are essential. Experience across woven, knit, and print development is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities but not limited to would include:

• Design and develop soft home textile products including bedding, bath, window curtains, decorative pillows, throws, and kitchen textiles.
• Shop the market and stay informed on trends, color direction, and product developments relevant to the North American home textile market.
• Work closely with our overseas Mills' Product Development & Design teams to leverage mill’s key fibers, techniques, and innovations for both customer projects and seasonal collections.
• Collaborate with the Sales team in the New York office regarding customer projects, development needs, and presentations.
• Communicate effectively with overseas mill teams to guide development and maintain status checks through sample approvals.
• Maintain ownership of assigned customer accounts and projects, managing developments from concept through final execution.
• Participate in seasonal Market Week preparation, including concept development, sample coordination, and showroom setup.
• Lead or support meetings and product presentations with retail partners via email, Zoom, and in-person meetings when required.
• Create seamless repeat patterns both by hand and digitally, including recoloring artwork, indexing, and color reduction using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Prepare design specifications and technical files for sample development.
• Prepare artwork for CAD printing, including repeat setup, color indexing, and file preparation.
• Operate CAD printers when needed, including paper roll handling, ink management, and sample output.
• Maintain organized archives of artwork, development files, and fabric samples.
• Support internal design initiatives and additional projects as needed.
• This role requires some travel.

Education / Skills / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in Textile Design, Surface Design, Illustration, or related field strongly preferred.

• 8–10 years of experience in home textile design, preferably within a vendor, mill, or retail environment. (Must have)

• Strong textile design background with experience in repeat pattern development and production-ready artwork.

• Experience working with woven and knit textile constructions (such as jacquards, dobby, matelassé, knits, and other engineered fabrics) in addition to print-based design preferred.

• Highly organized and detail-oriented with strong project management skills.

• Ability to manage multiple projects and development timelines simultaneously.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Comfortable collaborating with cross-functional teams including overseas partners.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator required.

• Strong presentation skills (PowerPoint or Keynote).

• Familiarity with Excel, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

• Experience preparing artwork for CAD printing and operating CAD printers.

• Hand illustration and painting skills.

• Maintain developments and emails when Design & Creative Director is away from office for any reason.

Salary Range

$90,000 - $105,000

Benefits

• Paid Time Off
• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Job is based in our Midtown NYC office, with potential for some remote, although not guaranteed. Candidate must be able to commit to full time in-person Monday- Friday 9am- 5:30pm.
• Please send examples of your work (portfolio) along with your resume. Ability to show your thought process in creation of designs is a bonus.
• *At any time, the exact roles and responsibilities may be edited or changed.
• **This position is subject to all of the Company Policies and Procedures.