Head of Design

Location: Must be based in Victoria, BC
Hybrid: 3 days a week in office, 2 days remote
Salary Band: $120,000 - $160,000K CAD

 

The Head of Design will play a critical leadership role in shaping and evolving the future of Left On Friday product across swim, apparel, active, and future categories. Reporting to the Co-Founder / Chief Innovation Officer, this role will bring the brand vision to life through exceptional creative execution, innovative thinking, and world-class product development.

This leader will oversee the design organization, ensuring strong execution, elevated product standards, operational excellence, and cross-functional alignment from concept through commercialization. The ideal candidate combines strong creative instincts with deep technical product knowledge, trend awareness,  team leadership experience, and the ability to execute at a high level within a fast-paced growth environment. This role is instrumental in shaping the future of the brand and scaling the product organization through its next phase of growth.

Creative Leadership & Brand Vision

●      Lead the creative execution of seasonal collections across swim, active, apparel, and future product categories

●      Translate brand vision and creative direction into commercially successful, innovative, and elevated product assortments

●      Drive a strong and consistent design point of view across silhouette, fit, fabrication, color, trim, and product storytelling

●      Maintain a deep pulse on emerging trends, consumer behavior, innovation, performance product, fashion, travel, wellness, and cultural shifts to help shape the future direction of the brand

●      Identify whitespace opportunities and future category expansion opportunities that align with the Left On Friday ethos

●      Champion innovative thinking while protecting the integrity, aesthetic, and positioning of the brand

●      Bring a highly refined creative eye and elevated taste level to every stage of the product process

Product Excellence & Innovation

●      Champion exceptional fit, functionality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail across all products

●      Own and elevate product standards across design, fit, construction, fabrication, and overall user experience

●      Partner closely with Product Development, Technical Design, Commercialization, and Production to ensure design intent is executed at the highest level

●      Drive innovation across materials, fabric platforms, construction techniques, performance functionality, and product solutions

●      Maintain impeccable standards for fit and wearability across all categories

●      Continuously identify opportunities to improve product quality, consistency, and operational execution

●      Lead product reviews, fittings, and approvals with strong decisiveness and clarity

Design Team Leadership

●      Lead, mentor, and inspire the design organization across swim, active, apparel, and innovation

●      Build and develop a high-performing, collaborative, and accountable team culture

●      Provide clear direction, coaching, and ongoing development to designers and cross-functional partners

●      Create strong team structure, workflows, communication rhythms, and operational clarity across the department

●      Foster an environment that encourages creativity, innovation, curiosity, and continuous improvement

●      Partner closely with leadership to support organizational growth, hiring, and long-term team development

●      Thrive in people leadership while balancing high-level creative strategy with detailed execution

Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution

●      Partner closely with Merchandising, Product Development, Production, Commercialization, Brand, and Operations teams to ensure alignment across the full product lifecycle

●      Drive strong execution from initial concept through development, fittings, commercialization, and final production handoff

●      Support seasonal calendar management, milestone tracking, and overall product readiness

●      Balance creative ambition with operational realities including costing, margins, timelines, sourcing capabilities, and manufacturing constraints

●      Ensure cross-functional teams remain aligned, accountable, and moving forward against key deliverables

●      Act as a key strategic thought partner to the executive team on product direction, innovation, and growth opportunities

Operational & Business Partnership

●      Support the continued scaling and evolution of the product organization and overall business

●      Help establish scalable design processes, tools, and operational workflows that support future growth

●      Contribute to category growth strategies, assortment planning, and long-term product vision

●      Partner with leadership to ensure product strategy aligns with broader business goals and market opportunities

●      Bring both creative and business-minded thinking to decision-making and prioritization

Who You Are

●      12+ years of experience in apparel design, with significant leadership experience within premium, technical, performance, or lifestyle brands

●      Deep expertise in swim, activewear, technical apparel, and/or lifestyle product categories

●      A highly refined creative eye with exceptional taste level and a strong understanding of modern consumer expectations

●      Obsessed with trend, innovation, and the future of product, with a natural curiosity around fashion, culture, movement, travel, wellness, and performance

●      Proven ability to build commercially successful product assortments while maintaining strong brand integrity

●      Deep understanding of fit, fabrics, garment construction, technical product development, and the full product lifecycle

●      Impeccable standards for fit, quality, and detail

●      Exceptional people leadership skills with experience building, mentoring, and scaling creative teams

●      Highly organized and detail-oriented with strong operational and project management instincts

●      Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills

●      Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and high-growth environment with evolving priorities

●      Passionate about creating beautiful, functional, innovative product that elevates how women move through the world

 

Interested?

Send your application here. Application close date is June 30, 2026.