Store Design, Planning & Construction Project Manager

Watchfinder; West Malling; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Watchfinder is seeking a Store Design, Planning & Construction Project Manager to shape the next phase of its global retail expansion. You will lead store design, planning function, and delivery of development projects across markets, ensuring brand standards and customer experience are met.

In this role you will collaborate with senior stakeholders, manage external partners, and drive programs from concept through execution within budget and timelines, supporting Watchfinder’s growth journey.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in Construction Project Management or Store Design & Planning.
• Experience delivering international retail projects with design, store planning and construction knowledge.
• Experience managing external partners (architects, contractors, consultants).
• Strong procurement, tender management, negotiations and budget maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate design development from concept to construction documentation, ensuring brand alignment.
• Lead budgeting, CAPEX, and construction planning across markets.
• Manage external partners including architects and consultants.
• Drive procurement, change orders, and project financial reporting.
• Coordinate permitting, landlord approvals, and local authority relations.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to quality standards.
• Provide progress reporting to senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.

Skills

Project management

Store design

Budget management

Stakeholder management

AutoCAD

SketchUp

English fluency

Tools

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office

Job description

HOW WILL YOU MAKE AN IMPACT?

As Watchfinder’s Store Design, Planning & Construction Project Manager, you will play a key role in shaping the next phase of Watchfinder’s global retail expansion. This is a foundational role within the business, responsible for helping define, build, and lead the store design and planning function as Watchfinder continues to refresh and grow its physical retail footprint internationally.

HOW WILL YOU MAKE AN IMPACT?

As Watchfinder’s Store Design, Planning & Construction Project Manager, you will play a key role in shaping the next phase of Watchfinder’s global retail expansion. This is a foundational role within the business, responsible for helping define, build, and lead the store design and planning function as Watchfinder continues to refresh and grow its physical retail footprint internationally.

The role will lead the planning, design coordination, and delivery of retail store development projects across markets, ensuring every new opening, refurbishment, or store evolution reflects Watchfinder’s brand standards, commercial objectives, and customer experience ambitions. Working at the heart of a high-growth and high-visibility function, this individual will be actively involved in building the framework, processes, and ways of working that will support Watchfinder’s long-term, sustainable retail expansion strategy.

This position offers significant exposure to senior stakeholders and cross-functional leadership teams, with responsibility for driving projects from concept through execution while balancing design quality, operational needs, timelines, and budgets. The ideal candidate will bring a strong combination of project management expertise, retail design and space planning knowledge, construction coordination experience, and the ability to influence and collaborate across a global stakeholder network.

Key Responsibilities

Store Design and Bluebook Management

• Coordinate design development from concept to construction documentation, ensuring consistency with Watchfinder’s Retail Bluebook and Brand identity.
• Manage external design specialists (Design agencies, architects and other consultants).
• Collaborate with Marketing, Retail, Merchandising and Commercial Operations teams to optimize retail experience and operational efficiency.
• Drive the continuous evolution of Watchfinder’s Retail Bluebook including retail concepts, design standards, and technical guidelines

Budgeting, Planning & Construction Project Management

• Lead projects from investment validation through construction and close-out, developing and controlling budgets, CAPEX and construction planning.
• Collaborate with internal project stream leads and ensure they have all relevant information available to deliver on their activities.
• Drive tendering, technical evaluations / levelling, commercial negotiations, and contract awards for all external suppliers required on the project – eg. Architect of Record, Millworkers, Local Consultants etc.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement to promote operational efficiency, value engineering and customer experience enhancement.
• Manage procurement, Purchase Orders, Change Orders, and project financial reporting.
• Partner with local project architects to coordinate permitting, landlord approvals, and local authority relations.
• Validate architectural proposals and shop drawings from external partners, ensuring adherence with Watchfinder’s design principles, Retail Bluebook and compliance with Richemont guidelines.
• Act as a key stakeholder with Group Procurement, Security, Real Estate, Legal, and external partners throughout the project.
• Manage all construction phases, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to Watchfinder’s quality and operational sustainability standards.
• Identify risks to project & budget and associated mitigation plans
• Lead project progress reporting across different cadences and audiences at Watchfinder

Maintenance

• Coordinate maintenance and post-opening programs, including snagging, retrofit projects, and minor works.
• Create a BAU maintenance management framework and governance structure.
• Act as the primary HQ interface for all markets for boutique construction and maintenance.

Other Transversal Projects

• Lead other retail, design and construction related ad-hoc improvement or exploratory projects.
• Support markets for ad-hoc operational issues and coordinate with stakeholders in HQ to provide solutions.
• Support Commercial Operations team and CCO for any other project requests.

HOW WILL YOU EXPERIENCE SUCCESS WITH US?

• 4+ years of experience in Construction Project Management or a Store Design & Planning function
• Proven track record of delivering international retail projects with a solid understanding of design, store planning and construction processes
• Experience in managing external partners such as Architects, Quantity Surveyors, General Contractors, Millworkers and other consultants
• Strong knowledge of procurement and tender management, commercial negotiations, and budget maintenance

Technical Competencies

• Exceptional problem solving, analytical, planning and project management skills.
• Outstanding communication, presentation, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and advanced Microsoft Office Suite knowledge.
• Professional fluency in English, French is plus.
• Strong commercial awareness, proven negotiation skills, and construction cost expertise.

Soft Skills

• Creative, solution-oriented, and passionate retail environments.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, effective in multicultural teams.
• Agile, adaptable, and adept at managing changing priorities and complex stakeholder landscapes.
• Strong decision-maker with a high sense of ownership, accountability, and a results-oriented, continuous improvement mindset.
• Highly organized, proactive, and capable of simultaneously managing multiple strategic projects.

HOW DO WE KEEP YOU SMILING?

As a significant member of the Watchfinder community, you are also part of a much bigger family at Richemont. We strongly believe in internal development, mobility and offering various opportunities to enhance both your personal and professional development. You will have the opportunity for your voice to be heard, drive change, and make a real impact from day one. This is a fast-growing company, going through an exciting period of change from a UK centric business to an international company. Giving you the opportunity to gain experience and gain further opportunities in the future.

YOUR INTERVIEW JOURNEY

Our aim is to provide you a transparent interview process from the moment you apply for the role. It is important for us that you get to know us to ensure the role aligns to your future career objectives. We provide all candidates with open-door access to key people across the business so they can discuss opportunities, get a feel for our culture, and better understand how they can make an impact and be part of Watchfinder’s exciting trajectory.

Recognizing we are all different, if you need us to adapt the process, please get in touch via [e-mail].

1st Stage – After your application has been selected, our Talent team will reach out to you within two weeks to conduct an introductory call.

2nd Stage – Video / in-person interview with the Senior Manager Commercial Operations to understand your skills and experience in more detail.

3rd Stage – Video / in-person case interview with Senior Manager Commercial Operations and a Store Design & Planning SME to assess your problem solving and technical skills.

4th Stage – Video / in-person interview with the Director of Commercial Operations & HRBP for the area.