ABOUT SHANGHAI AUTEX USA LLC
Shanghai Autex USA LLC is the well-established USA arm of global Juslink Shanghai Autex home-textile company, employing more than 145 employees in 9 locations across 6 countries. In the USA market, we design, create and produce home-textile products across all categories to large retailers. Our product offering covers comforters, quilts, sheets, throws, decor pillows, blankets, kitchen textiles, floor coverings (rugs and runners), and bathroom textiles.
Our company's mission is to create beautiful home-textile products that will put a smile on customers' faces.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking an experienced Home Textiles Design & Product Consultant to serve as our US market design and product development lead, on an initial 1-year contract basis, with the opportunity to renew by mutual agreement.
This is an part time / contract arrangement of approximately 2.5 days per week, worked flexibly to suit your schedule. You will work remotely from anywhere in the United States and engage directly with our Director of International Markets, based in Shanghai as well as our customers in the US market.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Monitor, shop visit, and understand major market trends across multiple home-textile categories — actively tracking major retailers: Walmart, Costco, Target, TJX Homegoods and online channels including Instagram and Pinterest
- Work with our key customer's trend board to develop home-textile products, incorporating your understanding of major market trends
- Assist our key customer with input on their product collections, ensuring product design across the collection is cohesive and aligned with the brand vision
- Provide creative direction and feedback to our key customer, helping shape product aesthetics across categories
- Work closely with our Shanghai-based team on developing new products and product specifications
- Brief and review in-house artists and design team on creating specific patterns
- Review and provide critical feedback on developed products (including handling physical samples)
- Prepare and attend key customer meetings (half yearly or quarterly)
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Essential experience:
- Minimum 10 years of home-textile product development experience, gained within either a major US retailer or a significant supplier to a major retailer
- Strong understanding of how US big-box and mass retail buyers think, how ranges are built, and what drives sell-through at shelf
- Deep technical specification/product experience
- Proven ability to translate market and trend intelligence into commercially viable product concepts
- Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator or InDesign; able to review designs and print works and provide specific actionable feedback via email
- Excellent communication skills: direct, clear and effective across multiple time zones and cultures
- Self-directed — comfortable managing your own time and delivering key outcomes without day-to-day supervision
Personal qualities:
- Pragmatic and commercially grounded — you think about what sells and what the customer wants
- Collaborative and low-ego — receptive to ideas and changes, easy to work with
- Genuinely engaged and passionate about home-textile products
Contract Terms
- Initial term: 1 year, commencing by mutual agreement
- Renewal: subject to mutual agreement at end of term
- Engagement type: Independent contractor (you will invoice monthly) or can be part time salary arrangement too
- Work location: Remote (US-based)