City : Toronto, Ontario

Category : Full time

Industry : Product Development

Employer : Shoppers Drug Mart®

Referred applicants should not apply directly to this role.

All referred applicants must first be submitted through Workday by a current Loblaw Colleague.

Founded in 2006, Joe Fresh is a leading source for modern style and accessible design, offering comprehensive lifestyle collections for men, women and children. Joe Fresh delivers quality and compelling value in categories spanning in apparel, accessories, and footwear. Joe Fresh collections are polished and sophisticated, with a focus on essential designs that appeal to a broad range of style-savvy consumers. With more than 350 Joe Fresh departments from coast to coast, the Joe fresh network is more than a great place to shop, it’s a great place to work. We’re committed to building our talented team who champion collaboration, kindness, and inclusivity. We are looking for innovative, hardworking, and collaborative team members for our Joe Fresh team. Join our team in our goal of helping Canadians Live Life Well®.

In addition, we believe that compliance with laws is about doing the right thing.  Upholding the law is part of our Code of Conduct – it reinforces what our customers and stakeholders expect of us.

Design Director, Women’s Wear

Job Summary:

The Design Director of Women’s Wear will execute the strategies for product design and ensure the teams execute their ideas. The individual will oversee all the design details of physical and digital products. They will lead the design process and articulate their visions to creative teams from research and development, design trends, fabric knowledge, colour sensibility, product fit and esthetic, and garment construction. This individual will bring a high degree of creativity, along with in depth product knowledge in women’s apparel. They will collaborate with cross functional partners to bring forth an assortment that meets our corporate needs, and will help to define KPI’s, set goals, establish guidelines and timelines, collaborate with key external and internal partners, and address any issues and concerns, resolving them efficiently.

What you'll do:

• Responsible for the product lifecycle including market research, identifying market opportunities, product development, portfolio strategies and management, product launches, product positioning, and competitive analysis
• Understands how to research market trends and interpret how those trends potentially grow the business
• Manages the budget allocated to the team to shop for inspiration samples
• Works very closely and communicate constantly with the lead of the women’s buying team
• Partner with buying teams to understand how the line is currently performing in stores – quarterly stores, lead design meetings, and action feedback for continual innovation and/or improvement of product
• Responsible for understanding the impact of the designer’s decisions on timelines and margins
• Understands how to build a great assortment that is Brand right and meets our business needs
• Must be able lead and manage a design team and inspire team unity and creativity
• Ensure the teams are developing to a specific number of style ideas that correspond to the line development plan set each season with the Joe Fresh design sensibility in mind
• Accountable for the creation and management of the product roadmap/timelines and resources in getting things done (working with all departments to execute)
• Collaborate with the design director for licensees to provide a cohesive message within the women’s assortment

Management:  

• Manage, motivate, and grow direct reports
• Drive the department forward through process improvement and best practices
• Lead with the Corporate values and principles in mind / Buddy Values
• Leadership skills that motivate, educate, and empower direct and indirect teams
• Participate in weekly Cross Functional Meetings, Detail Meetings, Milestone Meetings

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Apparel Design
• 10+ years’ experience in women’s wear
• Strong product sense, acute understanding of the marketplace, proven experience combined with an analytical, strategic mind
• The ability to grasp and enrich the Joe Fresh lifestyle brand vision
• Seasoned forward-thinking leadership with proven abilities to successfully execute and bring product to market
• Proven managerial experience that includes both developing a team and individuals

• Must be proficient Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.  CLO 3D software knowledge preferred and considered an asset

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• High level of organizational skills
• Capable of evaluating and changing priorities on an as-needed basis
• Must be able to perform efficiently within a fast-paced team environment
• High attention to detail with a focus on multiple deliverable deadlines

How You will Succeed:

At Joe Fresh, we seek great people to continually strengthen our culture. We believe great people model our values, are authentic, build trust and make connections.

If that sounds like you, and you are open-minded, responsive to change and up to the challenges provided in a fast-paced retail environment, apply today.

Employment Type: Full time

Type of Role: Permanent

Location: 2 Fraser Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M6K 1Y6

How You’ll Succeed:
At Joe Fresh, we seek great people to continually strengthen our culture.  We believe great people model our values, are authentic, build trust and make connections. 

If that sounds like you, and you are open-minded, responsive to change and up to the challenges provided in a fast-paced retail environment, apply today.

Joe Fresh recognizes Canada's diversity as a source of national pride and strength. We have made it a priority to reflect our nation’s evolving diversity in the products we sell, the people we hire, and the culture we create in our organization. Accommodation is available upon request for applicants with disabilities in the recruitment and assessment process and when hired.