[Travel Retail APAC] - Retail Design Manager

Job Mission & Purpose

The Retail Design Manager plays a pivotal role in bringing our brands to life in some of the world's most dynamic and high-traffic retail environments. You will be responsible for designing, adapting, and executing cutting-edge retail environments—including free-standing stores, counters and personalized spaces—across the Asia Pacific Travel Retail network.

By translating global brand design guidelines into highly localized, high-performing commercial spaces, you will elevate the consumer experience, drive brand equity, and ensure flawless operational execution. This role requires a unique blend of creative design excellence, robust technical expertise, rigorous project management, and strong negotiation skills with regional operators and suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

1. Retail Design Concepts & Localization

• Brand Strategy Translation: Adapt global brand design guidelines to suit the specific physical, commercial, and regulatory constraints of diverse travel retail channels (airports, downtown duty-free malls and border shops).
• Space Planning & Layout Design: Create optimized, customer-centric floor plans, zoning, and 2D/3D counter layouts that maximize retail space, ensure intuitive shopper navigation, and drive commercial productivity.
• O+O Integration: Seamlessly incorporate digital and interactive technologies (online-to-offline elements, virtual try-ons, QR integrations) into physical store designs to create a cohesive omni-channel consumer journey.
• Creative Innovation: Bring fresh ideas and innovative materials to local designs while strictly maintaining brand consistency and luxury positioning.

2. Project Management & Execution Excellence

• End-to-End Project Ownership: Manage retail design projects from initial brief, layout approval, and technical drawing review to final installation and handover.
• Tendering & Supplier Management: Lead the bidding process for local production. Select, brief, and manage external design agencies, contractors, and manufacturers to ensure competitive pricing, high-quality fabrication, and timely delivery.
• On-Site Supervision & Quality Control: Perform or coordinate site surveys and inspections during construction and installation phases (frequently outside standard working hours due to airport restrictions). Ensure the final counter execution meets L’Oréal’s premium quality standards.
• Timeline & Budget Control: Formulate, monitor, and manage the CAPEX budget for retail installations. Maintain strict project timelines to guarantee openings coincide with commercial launch dates.

3. Strategic Stakeholder Collaboration

• Operator Negotiation: Partner with commercial teams to present and negotiate design proposals with airport authorities and duty-free operators, ensuring compliance with strict technical guidelines and safety regulations.
• Global Alignment: Act as the primary bridge between the regional team and the Global Brand Design team in Paris to obtain approvals for local adaptations and share regional feedback.
• Cross-functional Teamwork: Work closely with the Visual Merchandising (VM) team to ensure that the physical counter architecture perfectly accommodates changing VM plans, product tester units, and seasonal launch zones.

4. Sustainability & Eco-Design (L'Oréal for the Future)

• Sustainable Material Sourcing: Drive the transition toward sustainable retail design by selecting eco-certified, recyclable, and low-environmental-impact materials.
• Circular Design Principles: Ensure counter designs favor modularity, easy dismantling, and recyclability in line with L’Oréal’s "Eco-Design" guidelines and CO2 reduction targets.
• Energy Efficiency: Implement low-consumption LED lighting systems and optimize electrical layouts to minimize the carbon footprint of retail spaces.

Key Requirements & Profile

Education & Experience

• Academic Background: Bachelor’s degree or higher in Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Retail Design, or a closely related creative field.
• Professional Experience:
  • A minimum of 7 years of proven experience in retail design or store planning, preferably within the prestige beauty, luxury goods, or FMCG sectors.
  • Prior experience in Travel Retail is highly advantageous, with a strong understanding of airport regulations and the regional APAC operator landscape.
  • A strong portfolio showcasing successful 3D spatial designs, technical drawings, and completed physical retail projects.

Technical Skills

• Design Software Proficiency: Advanced mastery of AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, or other 3D modeling tools, alongside rendering software (e.g., V-Ray, Keyshot).
• Creative Tools: High proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of construction details, technical drawing standards, lighting design, materials (acrylics, glass, metals, wood finishes), and manufacturing/printing processes.

Soft Skills & Competencies

• Agility & Resilience: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment with changing priorities and tight deadlines.
• Strong Communication & Negotiation: Excellent presentation and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence internal business leaders and external operators.
• Detail-Oriented: A perfectionist eye for quality, finishing, and execution of luxury retail environments.
• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Ability to navigate and work effectively with diverse teams across different geographies and cultures in the APAC region.
• Mobility: Willingness to travel across the APAC region for site assessments and installation oversight, as required.