Sr. Technical Designer, Footwear (Fit & PD)

OUR STORY

Quince was started to challenge the existing idea that nice things should cost a lot. Our mission was simple: create an item of equal or greater quality than the leading luxury brands and sell them at a much lower price. 

OUR VALUES

Customer First. Customer satisfaction is our highest priority.

High Quality. True quality is a combination of premium materials and high production standards that everyone can feel good about.

Essential design. We don’t chase trends, and we don’t sell everything.  We’re expert curators that find the very best and bring it to you at the lowest prices.

Always a better deal. Through innovation and real price transparency we want to offer the best deal to both our customers and our factory partners.  

Environmentally and Socially conscious.  We’re committed to sustainable materials and sustainable production methods. That means a cleaner environment and fair wages for factory workers.

OUR TEAM AND SUCCESS 

Quince is a retail and technology company co-founded by a team that has extensive experience in retail, technology and building early stage companies. You’ll work with a team of world-class talent from Stanford GSB, Google, D.E. Shaw, Stitch Fix, Urban Outfitters, Wayfair, McKinsey, Nike etc.

We’re hiring a senior footwear development and fit expert to lead the reset and build the foundation of quality and fit across men’s and women’s footwear at Quince. This role combines hands-on product ownership with system-level improvements: you’ll directly run fit cycles for select priority silhouettes while establishing scalable standards and tools that ensure consistency across vendors, categories, and materials.You’ll define a footwear fit block and last library, reset tolerances and grading logic, and establish construction and material standards that raise the bar for quality. Your work will align Merchants, Product Development, and Footwear Sourcing teams, streamline tech packs, and result in a footwear fit system that reduces returns, improves comfort, and enables faster development as we scale.

• Set direction: Define what “good fit” means in footwear at Quince and ensure teams are aligned on the same standards
• Drive alignment: Partner with Merchants and Footwear Sourcing so fit, construction, and quality expectations are consistent across vendors.
• Use data to solve problems: Leverage returns, wear tests, and customer feedback to identify issues and drive lasting fixes.
• Build for the future. Document blocks, lasts, tolerances, construction, standards and and testing procedures so future teams can work faster and more consistently.

• Create 20–25 validated core fit blocks across men’s and women’s footwear.
• Build and maintain a digital last library by vendor and silhouette.
• Reset and document fit tolerances, grading rules, and fit intent by category.
• Lead the fit cycle from proto pullover through production: run fit sessions, evaluate construction, and establish wear test protocols.
• Identify fit outliers in the current assortment and propose corrections.
• Partner with Footwear Sourcing teams to update measurement charts and specifications in PLM.

• Define construction techniques, quality standards, and material performance requirements by silhouette.
• Develop a materials standards library with minimum testing criteria for leather and other key materials.
• Own Build Sheet creation with Merchants, ensuring construction, tolerances, BOMs, and testing callouts are included and accurate.
• Support reset of existing Build Sheets with updated fit blocks and specifications.
• Manage development timelines in partnership with Footwear Sourcing to ensure timely vendor submissions and on-time launches.
• Partner cross-functionally with Merchants, PD, and Sourcing teams in weekly syncs to drive execution and alignment.

• 8+ years in footwear fit, development, or technical design
• Proven experience fitting and developing men’s and women’s footwear across multiple categories
• Deep understanding of last grading, sizing systems, construction, and fit wear testing
• Strong technical knowledge of footwear construction and material standards, especially leather
• Skilled at running effective fit sessions and communicating issues clearly to vendors
• Experience translating wear test and customer feedback into lasting improvements
• Proven ability to align cross-functional teams (PD, Merch, Footwear Sourcing, vendors)
• Detail-focused, proactive, and motivated to build scalable tools and systems

*Please note that this role works in our SF office 5 days per week. We offer relocation.