lululemon

a day in the life: 

The Design Manager for Run, Train, and Outdoors at lululemon collaborates with the VP in leading the design process with the team you are working with.  You understand the brand essence and ethos and coach and lead it.   Under the mentorship & partnership of the VP, you create and develop the line from inception of ideas to production of garments.  You have experience embedding intuitive innovation into each product & find the blend of function and beauty.

You lead, inspire and coach. You manage the people and the process – creating structure for the design team. You will be overseeing a team of 6 designers ranging from assistant to senior.

You are part of the leadership team that recruits into the women’s design team.  You manage the workflow and workload of the team seasonally, allocating resources and support where needed.  You lead the designer’s day to day in collaborating across teams for a cohesive line. You are an expert in your technical knowledge and your role is a balance of leading and designing. 

As the Design Manager you will be part of the upfront work for the season, contributing to the build of our seasonal narrative and working closely with your design leaders to instill the vision into the team’s work. As a manager you are responsible for the performance of your subcategory. 

You excel at presenting your teams concepts and communicating seasonal direction and design to the design leadership team, as well as the design team.

You work closely with the Merchants on the assortment and the direction of the line, and with the Sourcing Director to ensure we have the right partners to innovate with.  You also partner with the Go To Market team on the seasonal calendar and workflow of major design events – strategy and solution-focused.

• You are responsible for overseeing the day to day of the design team to execute seasonal styles that reflect lululemon’s Women’s Design ethos.  You coach and inspire the design team in the work. You will have clear reference points in terms of understanding product storytelling, design and construction.
• You are responsible for understanding the impact of your decisions on timelines and margins and help install discipline to more junior designers on the team. You are accountable for the performance of your subcategories (run, train, and outdoors).
• You combine active product use experience, market knowledge, trend research, and collaboration between lululemon designers to create functional, innovative, quality designs. You will have a clear reference point in terms of understanding product storytelling, design and construction. 
• You understand female form, expert in how to drape, create and conceptualize during your design process.
• You partner with ambassadors and athletes to continually elevate and innovate our product.
• You will be allocated an assortment of styles in your given category, dependent on the level of complexity of the category.  
• Responsible for fitting styles to accurately communicate your design intent. Partner with the in-house workshop to create mockups and prototypes.
• Teamwork and clear communication are essential.  You work cross functionally within the pod, collaborating with product development, fit, merchandising, raw materials development and colour, sourcing and design operations ensuring your teams have the most up to date information on each style. 
• You have razor sharp attention to detail around product/process so that we build beautiful technical athletic apparel. You have an clear understanding of function and how to embed style, beauty and fashion where needed. Finding a balance in the product. 
• Awareness of how the line is currently performing in stores – join key meetings for downloads, lead design meetings, partner with your leaders to action feedback for continual innovation of product & to the junior members of the team.  

qualifications:

• 8-10 years minimum experience required, combination of industry experience and people management 
• BA, BFA or BS in Design required (or equivalent)
• Proficient in Adobe Illustrator
• Proficiency with Adobe Photoshop, Excel, Word, Mac platform
• An understanding in 3D design would be a benefit