Director, Design – Men's Apparel - Arc'teryx, North Vancouver

About this Opportunity

Join Arc'teryx in North Vancouver as the Director, Design for Men's Apparel, focusing on Climb and Snow product categories. This pivotal role involves leading the creation of innovative and exceptional consumer product concepts, aligning with the brand's vision and product merchandising strategy. You will provide strong creative leadership to design teams, delivering world-class product and an exceptional consumer experience for mountain athletes.

The Arc'teryx team is comprised of builders, problem solvers, and passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Fueled by curiosity, they take an immersive approach to identifying future needs, then build, test, and validate products that solve real functional challenges. This is a collaborative environment focused on innovative solutions.

Key Responsibilities and Future Focus

As Director, Design, you will guide the strategic direction and execution for men's apparel, specifically within the climb and snow segments. Your daily activities will include:

• Building design direction that delivers against the brand vision, product strategy, and company goals.
• Providing direction to product design teams to enable successful execution of seasonal range plans, as prepared by and aligned with the Merchandising team, that deliver against the Design vision, product strategy, and company goals.
• Leading and empowering the product design team to identify and create comprehensive and innovative design solutions, technologies, construction methods, and components that are in-line with Arc’teryx design values by providing high level design direction.
• Solving for a wide range of environments and climate conditions that allow the user to move at their peak performance as a mountain athlete.
• Participating in broader organisational strategy and planning as a key member of the Design leadership team.
• Collaborating and aligning with Women's apparel counterparts in Climb & Snow on Arc’teryx product strategy in line with the Design vision.
• Collaborating with Advanced Concepts in the creation of innovative platforms to support Men’s Climb & Snow.
• Presenting product direction at seasonal stage gates.
• Traveling globally to research product, participate in activities, and attend industry events.

Looking ahead, your contributions will also shape the future of Arc'teryx by:

• Creating a culture of unmatched climb and snow product excellence and consumer knowledge.
• Hiring, coaching, and inspiring a team of talented designers to drive innovation and creative vision.
• Continuously innovating and evolving our climb and snow product to meet and exceed the needs of the guest.

Required Skills and Experience

To excel in this Director, Design role, Arc'teryx is looking for a leader with a strong background in technical apparel design and a deep understanding of outdoor activities, particularly climb and snow sports.

• A degree in Apparel Design, Industrial Design, or Textile Engineering.
• 12+ years of industry experience in technical apparel and/or performance hardgoods design and/or production, including 5+ years leading design teams.
• Excellent softgoods knowledge of technical garments, footwear, and gear construction, fit, and materials.
• A relationship with and knowledge of both climbing and snow cultures, and a deep understanding of the activity-specific needs of the athlete.
• A keen interest in technical product and its application to a variety of outdoor activities.
• Proactive in identifying the root cause of issues, seeking the best (sometimes not the easiest) solutions with an unwavering commitment to do what is right.
• Highly flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity.
• Effectively balance autonomy and collaboration.
• Inspire breakthrough thinking and continuous improvement.
• Passion for your work paralleled by a passion for getting outside and living it.
• Ability to travel internationally as required.
• A portfolio or relevant work examples (required for application).

Total Rewards and Benefits at Arc'teryx

Arc'teryx is committed to fair, equitable, and competitive pay, offering a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support both work and life. In addition to a competitive base salary, benefits include:

• Health & wellbeing: Extended health, dental, and vision coverage, including mental health support, fertility benefits, gender-affirming care, and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Financial wellbeing: RRSP matching and eligibility for Arc'teryx Annual Incentive Plan and access to Employee Stock Purchase program (ESPP) where applicable.
• Time & Flexibility: Paid time off, wellness time, and No Wasted Day program (dedicated paid days to get outside & explore).
• Family support: Parental leave top-up and a nesting period for new parents.
• Growth, community & gear: Professional development opportunities, Arc'teryx Academies (outdoor skill-building events), Employee Belonging Councils, and access to employee discounts and Pro Deals (exclusive discounted pricing on gear).