Tapestry Footwear Technical Manager
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Manager
- Compensation
- $85,000–110,000/year
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- Apr 7, 2026
About Tapestry
Tapestry is a global house of accessible-luxury lifestyle brands that includes Coach and Kate Spade New York. Known for a design-driven, entrepreneurial culture, Tapestry operates globally with an emphasis on creativity, inclusion, and cross‑brand collaboration. The organization combines heritage craft with commercial rigor and supports employee development across a matrix of design, product, sourcing and retail teams.
Tapestry seeks a Footwear Technical Manager in New York to lead footwear development and commercialization for Coach and Kate Spade New York.
Role & Responsibilities
- Own communication and operational alignment between New York Product Development, cross‑functional partners (Design, Merchandising, Materials, Quality) and Asia PD and factory/service providers.
- Manage development and fit specifications from concept through final delivery, creating, updating and distributing Construction Review Forms (CRF) and Tooling Review Forms (TRF).
- Coordinate prototype and final sample reviews; capture comments and translate them into actionable CRF/TRF notes.
- Administer the New York wear test (WT) program: manage charts, sample distribution, comment forms and archive files.
- Maintain Product Development Timeline (PDT) milestones, sample shipping/tracking, fitting schedules and fit model coordination.
- Create and organize development forms/charts and centralize comments and documentation on SharePoint/Teams.
- Support research and development of new techniques, fits and materials to drive product innovation and resolve technical challenges.
Qualifications
- Minimum 5+ years' experience in footwear technical development, preferably within luxury fashion footwear.
- Demonstrated knowledge of fit, lasts, paper patterns, materials, footwear constructions and size systems.
- Practical hands‑on ability to perform minor pattern/fit corrections during prototype reviews (masking tape, marker, scissors, craft knife).
- Proven ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize work independently and deliver to deadlines.
- Strong written and oral communication skills in English and capability to engage in video meetings with South Asia teams and factories.
- Willingness and ability to travel internationally as required.
Skills
Experience
5+ years of hands‑on footwear and technical development experience, ideally within luxury footwear; prior collaboration with factories (domestic or international) and global cross‑functional teams; experience managing wear tests, prototype cycles and PDT milestone delivery.
Education
Diploma in Footwear Fashion & Technology or equivalent footwear manufacturing experience; bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field is a plus.
Workplace
The role is situated in New York, New York, USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 85,000 to USD 110,000 per annum.
Benefits
Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401(k), Paid paternity and maternity leave, Commuter benefits, Disability insurance, Tuition assistance.
Culture
Tapestry cultivates an inclusive, design‑led culture that prizes individuality, creativity and collaboration across its Coach and Kate Spade New York brands. Employees are encouraged to bring diverse perspectives, take calculated risks, and pursue development within a supportive global matrix.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Tapestry, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Footwear Development Manager», «Footwear Technical Lead», «Footwear Product Development Manager», «Footwear Technician Manager», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.