Retail Design Development Lead

lululemon; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 116,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health and dental benefits

Paid time off

Retirement plan matching

Parenthood top-up

Development course offerings

Mentorship programs and leadership系列

Job summary

lululemon is seeking a senior leader for Retail Design Development in Canada. The role oversees technical design standards, construction documents, and consultant coordination for North America, leading a small team and partnering with Global Store Design and Construction.

Strong architecture background and people leadership are essential. The position emphasizes buildability, design intent, and adherence to brand standards across high-profile projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Architecture, Architectural Technology, Industrial Design, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in architecture, technical design, retail design, or commercial project delivery, with experience leading complex projects from concept through construction.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, and team development.
• Strong expertise in architectural detailing, construction documentation, building systems, and consultant coordination.
• Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and other industry-standard design and documentation tools.
• Thorough understanding of building codes, accessibility standards, life safety requirements, and retail construction practices.
• Proven ability to establish and evolve technical standards, processes, and design documentation frameworks.
• Demonstrated success partnering with cross-functional teams and external consultants to deliver projects on schedule and within budget.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence decisions across multiple levels of the organization.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on technical leadership in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment.

Responsibilities

• Owns the planning, prioritization, and distribution of project workload across the Retail Design Development team, effectively managing team capacity and resources in partnership with the Senior Manager, Retail Creative & Design Development.
• Leads team in developing design strategies and deliverables that translate concepts into innovative design and experiences for implementation.
• Leads and mentors team members in collaborative design processes and development methodologies, ensuring a clear understanding of the design intent (“why”) and its translation into technically sound, constructible solutions (“how”).
• Champions excellence in technical detailing, documentation, and execution, providing leadership on Tier 1, Tier 2, and other high-profile North America projects to ensure design concepts are accurately translated into buildable construction documents.
• Coaches and develops the broader Store Design team on best practices for buildability, technical design, documentation standards, and drawing accuracy through ongoing design critiques, studio reviews, and drawing reviews.
• Fosters a Design Studio environment and delivers critical feedback as well as encouragement and celebration.
• Manages and develops a team of 2+ direct reports responsible for quality assurance, technical design development, materials research and specification management across high-profile projects, custom storefronts, millwork programs, and net-new design initiatives throughout the North American region.
• Provides technical leadership and quality oversight to ensure consistency, accuracy, and adherence to brand standards, design intent, and construction requirements across all project deliverables.
• Partners cross-functionally with Global Store Design, Retail Creative, Mainline, Construction and external consultants to proactively identify technical risks, resolve design challenges, and support successful project execution.
• Develop, maintain, and evolve lululemon's retail technical design standards, prototype details, documentation processes, and design systems to drive consistency, efficiency, and quality, fostering innovation in tools, processes, and technical execution.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Strategic thinking

Mentoring

Design leadership

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree or diploma in Architecture/related discipline

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

Bluebeam

Job description

lululemon is seeking a senior leader for Retail Design Development in Canada. The role oversees technical design standards, construction documents, and consultant coordination for North America, leading a small team and partnering with Global Store Design and Construction.

Strong architecture background and people leadership are essential. The position emphasizes buildability, design intent, and adherence to brand standards across high-profile projects.