THE MODERN HIERARCHY OF JOBS IN FASHION

When people search for new jobs in fashion, or a new role more broadly, they’re often trying to answer a simple career ladder question: where do I currently sit and what comes next?

Whether you are exploring your fashion career in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland or beyond, most fashion businesses follow a similar structure of progression. Titles may vary slightly across brands, but the growth framework is generally consistent.

The General Hierarchy of Role Titles in Fashion

Assistant

Often an Assistant level role is the entry point into your fashion office career. This includes entry level fashion jobs and support positions across buying, ecommerce, marketing, finance, customer service… You name it, most entry level roles will end with Assistant.

Brands will generally consider candidates looking for their very first office role, through to candidates with internship, graduate or 1 – 2 years experience for an Assistant level vacancy.

Coordinator

A Coordinator level role is the promotion or level up from an Assistant. Most Coordinators have 1 – 2 years experience and are working more autonomously than an Assistant level employee. Some Coordinators will have worked in their department for longer depending on how robust the org chart and employee matrix is across the brand.

Executive or Specialist

At this level, you are an independent operator responsible for defined outcomes. You know your trade, can operate in a highly skilled way and generally have more 3 - 4 years of Assistant/Coordinator level experience as a minimum.

These two titles are sometimes used interchangeably or depending on company structure, one may be more senior than the other. We see this level of role sit across socials, marketing, paid media and ecommerce departments, but it is not uncommon for the title to be used across all departments in the business more widely.

Senior Executive or Senior Specialist

Here you’ll experience broader ownership, offer deeper expertise and will often find yourself mentoring junior team members while contributing at a higher level, spending time working on projects and bigger picture deliverables, rather than the day-to-day work. Say hello to a juicier pay packet and a more advisory seat at the table.

Manager

Managers in the fashion office space have a responsibility for not only their own performance, but also the performance the wider Department. Common across retail positions and of course the fashion head office too. You’ll often be leading most of the department and reporting into a ‘Head of.’ Some fashion brands operating at a boutique scale have this level of team reporting into the executive suite in lieu of a Head of Department.

Head Of or Senior Manager

You’re really working the ladder now. Head of departments have ownership of one or multiple departments with strategic influence across the business.

Director or C Suite

And finally, the crem de la cream, executive leadership and commercial accountability sits alongside wider organisational management at a director or C Suite level.

The structure of progression in our fashion world looks familiar across most Head Office spaces. What has changed is the pace at which people move through it. In our next blog in the series, we’ll share how long you should stay in a role before seeking that next role title.

With Love,

Lauren x