Director of Store Planning – Americas

Position

Created in Spain in 1846, LOEWE has been one of the world’s major luxury houses for 175 years. Since 2013, under LOEWE’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, the brand has started a new chapter, presenting itself to the world as a house focused on craft and culture; evidenced through an intellectual yet playful approach to fashion, bold and vibrant Spanish lifestyle, and unmatched expertise with leather.
LOEWE has a rich legacy of craftsmanship dating back to its beginnings as a collective workshop and has long valued artisanal techniques in its approach to design and manufacture. These core values are reflected in the brand’s belief in the importance of craft in today’s culture, its modern interpretations of historical artistic achievements and its commitment to supporting contemporary art, craft and culture around the world.

MAIN PURPOSE:
It’s an exciting time to join LOEWE as we go through a period of rapid growth. In collaboration with global Architecture team, the Director of Store Planning, Americas will provide overall management direction on projects across the Americas to ensure on time delivery within capex budgets. This includes new free standing stores, concessions, franchises, wholesale Shop-in-Shops, pop-ups, special projects and renovations/punch lists for existing stores.

This role also oversees the facilities team, following punchlists, maintenance and repairs of store environments including structure, MEP, millwork, furniture and facades. Constant vigilance on expenses while always working towards greater efficiency and cost savings while maintaining quality of work.

This position will report to the President, Americas and a dotted line to the Global Director of Architecture and Visual Merchandising.

Job responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supervise the entire “life” of the project, from collecting all necessary documentation to start the design (CAD files, etc…), through layout approval to final delivery and punch list (pre-construction, construction, post-construction)
• Due diligence on potential store locations before lease signature
• Prepare estimated and final budgets together with central team in Madrid. Ensure budget adherence with focus on efficiencies throughout the project for cost savings.
• Collect info from local LOEWE operation and transmit to HQ to finalize the design of each store
• Liaise with partners in internal departments including IT, Retail, Wholesale, Finance, Logistics, VM, etc. to ensure continuity of responsibilities through project completion
• Share HQ layout with NY team and collect comments
• Submit design to Landlord (or Dept Stores) if needed
• Oversee bidding process (Consultants, GCs, MW etc)
• Manage contacts with external vendors, and assigning the job to local consultants (Architect of records, lighting consultant, Code consultants etc)
• Review construction drawings and shop drawings to ensure continuity and compliance from concept to codes; Track costs and time schedules, visiting the construction site and prepare periodic reports
• Monitor construction sites thru local consultants and periodic site visits and update local LOEWE stakeholders and HQ on status.
• Perform quality control and confirm quality of store delivery and finalization of punch list through completion within capex budget.
• Coordinate all operations prior to turnover to store opening
• Empower facilities team to delivery best in class services to the stores
• Challenge and assess facilities function for ongoing efficiencies and cost effectiveness and timely turnaround.
• Monitor and evaluate repairs and maintenance of facilities team in structure, MEP, millwork, furniture and facades.

Profile

QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate for this role will possess the following skills and expertise:

•    10+ years of experience in retail construction industry
•    Degree in Architecture or a related Engineering field (Bachelor’s degree or similar)
•    Expertise in CAD and other architectural and design programs including Photoshop & all Microsoft Office programs
•    Familiarity developing and maintaining project schedules, budgets and contracts
•    Experience managing luxury and specialty Retail and Wholesale projects
•    Hold previous relationships with vendors such as Architects and Engineers
•    Detail oriented, proactive and highly organized
•    Able to quickly shift from design creativity to management
•    Skilled at making decisions and solving problems when necessary
•    Comfortable working in fast-paced collaborative environment with changing priorities.
•    40% travel (domestic and international). Ability to travel at short notice on an adhoc basis.
•    Ability to work closely across global teams and local teams. Strong and effective interpersonal and communication skills. Highly collaborative and supports Managing Director to foster a team environment amongst cross functions.

Additional information

LOEWE is an equal opportunity employer. We want to offer an inclusive environment of mutual respect where we welcome diversity and all our employees feel included, developed, and heard.

We are committed to the prevention of all discrimination, providing equal opportunities to all applicants irrespective of gender, gender expression, disability, origin, background, religious beliefs or sexual orientation or any other basis protected by law.

LOEWE recruits and recognizes all types of talent and singularities.

The compensation for this position ranges from $185,000 - $205,000 Annually. The rate of pay offered will be dependent upon candidate’s relevant skills and experience. In addition, there is a comprehensive benefits package including: medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, various paid time off programs, employee discount/perks, and a retirement plan with employer contribution.