Senior Design Director

Groupe Dynamite Inc. (GDI) is a Montréal-based, public company of integrated omni-channel brands, designing and distributing accessible, trend-forward fashion for women since 1975.

Our mission of "Empowering YOU to be YOU, one outfit at a time" is brought to life through the GARAGE and DYNAMITE banners and represents the consumer-centric core of GDI's long-standing success as a leading retailer in North America.

Today, GDI operates nearly 300 stores across Canada and the United States, as well as shoppable brand experiences at Garageclothing.com and Dynamiteclothing.com.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Vice President, Merchandising, this key role will lead all facets of product design.

Main Responsibilities:

• Provide brand direction to the Design Leadership teams to ensure the development of outstanding, commercially sound products aligned with brand filters and customer needs;
• Ensure that the Design teams adopt a proactive approach to product development and sourcing and respect internal processes, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to drive great product offerings and meet our business objectives;
• Ensure that the Design teams proactively assess global fashion trends, understand key competitors’ offerings, identify opportunities, “design to fabric”, and drive commercially sound product offerings;
• Work closely with Merchandising partners, Design Directors, and the Concept Lead to connect this identity to the overall brand vision;
• Partner with all relevant Production and Sourcing team members to develop technical aspects for the collections;
• Lead the Design team for their banner;
• Build collections with an understanding of the brand aesthetic, consumer market needs, and budget and price constraints;
• Provide inspirational leadership to the respective teams while ensuring that they have clear work objectives and targets established;
• Keep abreast of best practices in the areas of product development.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or Master’s degree in Design/Fashion;
• 15+ years of experience in fashion design and product development in a large-scale design leadership capacity, with experience managing multi-disciplinary and design-driven teams in a global market context;
• 8 years + of experience in roles with apparel manufacturers to “design to fabric” and shorten the production lifecycle;
• 8 years + of experience  in a large-scale global organization servicing multiple countries due to Groupe Dynamite’s market footprint and future expansion plans;
• 8 years + of understanding of the product development cycle to include various sourcing strategies and production capabilities in a global market context;
• Proven track record of driving innovative product development strategies that generate bottom line results while meeting a customer-centric vision;
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build relationships both internally and externally;
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial, and extremely driven and efficient.

At GDI, you will be part of a growing organization that understands the importance of investing in people and offers you:

• A comprehensive compensation package that includes performance-driven bonuses;
• A group retirement savings program with employer matching;
• Flexible group insurance with personalized coverage that meets your needs;
• An employee discount at Garage and Dynamite;
• Exclusive private sample sales;
• A flexible vacation policy;
• And more!

GDI has been repeatedly voted one of Montréal’s Top Employers and one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

Our promise…
No day will be like the last—we aim to be better today than we were yesterday. We are committed to employment equity.

Candidates that are retained will be called for an interview.

Business address: 5592 Ferrier Street, Montréal, Quebec, H4P 1M2
Location of work: 5592 Ferrier Street, Montréal, Quebec, H4P 1M2
Wage range: $175,000 to $250,000
Terms of employment: Permanent, full-time
Language of work: Bilingualism (French and English) is required for daily communication with buyers, suppliers, employees, and stakeholders, both within and outside of Quebec.
Contact information: 514-733-3962, talent@dynamite.ca
Hiring for 2 job vacancies.

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