Vp, Design - Mark's

Mark’s is one of Canada’s leading and most successful specialty retailers with 380 stores coast to coast. Reporting to the President, this role is designed and focused on making life in Canada better by keeping Canadians warmer, dryer, safer and more comfortable.

The Vice President of Design will lead the Mark’s Design team in building assortments that support the product strategy to broaden the appeal of the Mark’s brand, increase the customer base, and reinforce Mark’s dominance in the specialty retail segment.

We are looking for a leader with an established track record in successfully managing cross-functional relationships, building high performing teams and managing a large portfolio of owned brand products. The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to build relationships, conceptualize and implement strategy, collaborate across various workstreams, and manage a team who oversee a large and diverse portfolio of Owned Brands with more than $1B in sales.

The VP of Design works in collaboration with the Product and Merchandise divisions, inspiring creative collaboration to build effective and profitable assortments with their combined teams, and creating a product strategy that will focus on the growth and expansion of the Owned Brand assortment. The VP is responsible for outlining brand guidelines and acts as a gatekeeper for the product assortments, ensuring that they continue to advance the company goal - to be the destination for casual and industrial footwear and apparel.

What you’ll do

• International and domestic travel is required
• Establish seasonal collections, themes, design and color use for the apparel divisions
• Lead the research of seasonal trends and design direction for Casualwear Owned Brands
• Manage the design direction for the $1B owned brand portfolio
• Ensure the creation of presentation boards of colour and trend direction seasonally and timeously
• Oversee designer’s work in conjunction with the Merchant strategy team to ensure sales and profit goals are met on seasonal basis.
• Manage approval process of fabric quality, color, components (trims/findings), lab dips, hand looms, strike offs and knit down submissions
• Manage and continue to build a high-performing design team
• Establish protocols to manage the quality, fit and innovation of the Owned Brands
• Manage the Design team through the product development cycle
• Establish Owned Brand guidelines for each Owned Brand and act as gatekeeper for the brands ensuring that each brand manifesto is managed and developed appropriately
• Set direction for all packaging to ensure brand correct hangtags, labels and trims for all Owned Brands

What you bring

• Proven history of building collaborative relationships and ability to function across all levels of the organization
• Post-secondary degree in Fashion or related field preferred
• Strong technical skills; including Adobe Illustrator, CAD, PLM and 3D design software
• Senior level Owned Brand design experience in a large organization
• Commercial understanding of garment measurements, specifications, construction and terminology
• 15+ years of related work experience, 7+ years of experience in a senior leadership role
• Knowledge in garment manufacturing procedures
• Experience and/or education in the garment manufacturing industry is an asset
• Ability to build and lead high-performing teams
• Experience dealing with overseas vendors
• Must have an eye for detail, colour, and creativity combined with fashion industry insight.
• Knowledge in pattern drafting and grading is an asset
• Strategic mindset focused on profitable growth
• Ability to conceptualize product lines with strong understanding of design

About Us

At Marks, we want you to experience an extraordinary career in helping to lead our brand's evolution to be Canada’s number one destination for industrial and casual apparel and footwear. As one of Canada’s leading apparel retailers, and a valued part of the Canadian Tire family of companies, Mark’s stands out for its commitment to comfort, quality and style. Mark’s is a leader in product development, innovation and quality through its assortment of industrial apparel, footwear and accessories, with strong private and exclusive brands. Join us, where there's a place for you here.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

We are committed to fostering an environment where belonging thrives, and diversity, inclusion and equity are infused into everything we do. We believe in building an organizational culture where people are consistently treated with dignity while respecting individual religion, nationality, gender, race, age, perceived ability, spoken language, sexual orientation, and identification. We are united in our purpose of being here to help make life in Canada better.

Accommodations

We stand firm in our Core Value that inclusion is a must. We welcome and encourage candidates from equity-seeking groups such as people who identify as racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, women, people with disabilities, and beyond. Should you require any accommodation in applying for this role, or throughout the interview process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to help meet your needs.