Technical Developer

OAK + FORT is a fashion and lifestyle brand that provides attainable luxuries consisting of modern essentials in full collections of womenswear, menswear, accessories, jewelry, beauty, and homeware. We are a female-founded and led business that is brought together by a passionate group of people with a natural bond over an aesthetic vision that radiates throughout our collections. From our first studio that opened in 2010 in Vancouver, BC, we now have 30+ locations across North America with a global e-commerce presence.

At the heart and core of it all, it’s our people that matter most. We offer a work ethos that is driven by endless passion, intellectual curiosity, and perennial creativity. Here you get the opportunity to influence our global strategy and growth, while working alongside incredibly talented people.

As the Technical Developer, you will play a key role in the development of quality products, ensuring all styles meet the fit, construction, and aesthetic standards of the OAK + FORT brand. Working closely with the Design and Production teams, you will bring both technical expertise and a strong design sensibility to the development process — from first proto through to final approval.

This is a mid-level role suited to a candidate with a solid foundation technical design and fit, ideally with experience in tailored constructions, who is ready to take ownership of their category and contribute meaningfully to the brand’s evolution.

This will be an on-site position in our Vancouver office.

• Develop on-the-body fits with the design team for seasonal product
• Develop spec packages, measurements and grading for all styles
• Create a block library for all product categories
• Work directly with factories on style development
• Communicate the fit and construction requirements and corrections clearly to factories, anticipating potential production issues, and work out any problems that arise
• Problem solve fit and fabric issues as they arise
• Coordinate approval of garments and specs
• Maintain production deadlines and the organization/logistics of samples
• Review each sample for quality, construction, and OAK + FORT standards, with a strong understanding of fit and finish requirements
• Continuously develop, maintain and elevate fit standards
• Support in the development of process and procedures for the Technical Development team
• Support in the creation of standards manual for product categories, labels placement and QA testing

• Continuously develop, maintain and elevate fit standards
• Keep design concept in mind throughout the fitting process from the first proto through all stages of pre-production samples, to the final size sets and top of production samples
• Support the Senior Manager, Technical Development in fittings and day-to-day work
• Work closely with Design team from first proto fitting stage to establish desired look and fit of garment on model.
• Develop on-the-body fits with the design team for seasonal product
• Active participation in the fit sessions - give feedback on fit improvements

• Attain departmental goals for self
• Support the Senior Manager, Technical Development in mentoring junior team members and contribute to the development of training resources
• Improve and maintain departmental process Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to drive process consistency in the department as well as provide training documents for new hires

• Meet technical design timelines for development and production
• Manage technical design timelines and prioritize workload
• Create partnerships with cross-functional partners to ensure the collection is delivered on time and design direction is clear

• Other projects and responsibilities as assigned