Position Overview

Pep Boys is seeking an inspiring and strategic Director of Design to lead our Store Design team through a new chapter of transformation and growth. This role is responsible for developing and executing a compelling design vision while fostering a strong internal culture that aligns with broader organizational goals. The ideal candidate is not only a talented design leader, but also a passionate people leader - someone who thrives on mentoring talent, enhancing communication, and building high-performing, engaged teams that drive innovation and deliver results.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

Serve as a culture carrier and team builder, dedicated to developing a positive, high-performance environment.

Mentor, coach, and grow a diverse team of designers and support staff; instill a strong sense of purpose, ownership, and accountability.

Align team structure, goals, and processes with broader enterprise strategies and priorities.

Champion a collaborative team culture focused on transparency, cross-functional alignment, and continuous feedback.

Drive communication and engagement strategies that build trust and improve coordination across departments and stakeholders.

Design Strategy & Execution

Establish and evolve Pep Boys' store design strategy to support customer experience, operational efficiency, and brand consistency across all retail formats.

Oversee the creation, development, and management of design standards, templates, and prototypes.

Translate business requirements into innovative and scalable design solutions across ground-up builds, remodels, and special projects.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner closely with Construction, Real Estate, Operations, Facilities, and Marketing to ensure alignment of design vision with operational and brand goals.

Serve as the design team's key representative in enterprise-wide initiatives, planning sessions, and leadership discussions.

Build strong relationships across departments to elevate the voice and value of the Store Design team.

Project Oversight & Quality Control

Oversee design reviews, drawing production timelines, and documentation standards.

Ensure all designs meet code compliance, ADA, brand standards, and jurisdictional requirements.

Balance design integrity with cost-effectiveness and feasibility through value engineering and vendor alignment.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

Proactively identify opportunities to streamline design processes, implement new tools or technologies, and improve design-to-construction workflows.

Stay current with retail trends, evolving customer expectations, and best practices in store layout, visual branding, and design technology.

Education and Experience

Proven experience (10+ years) in leading high-performing teams, preferably in multi-unit, operations, retail, or customer-facing environments

3-5+ years in a senior leadership role with direct accountability for team development, communication strategy, and cross-functional collaboration

Familiarity with retail design, construction, or operations environments

Experience collaborating with or managing creative or technical teams (e.g., design, architecture, engineering, marketing, etc.)

Exposure to tools such as AutoCAD, Revit, project management platforms, or workflow systems

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Demonstrated ability to drive alignment across departments and translate business goals into actionable team priorities

Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with a track record of process improvement and delivering results

Excellent interpersonal, communication, and change management skills

Ability to lead with empathy, foster a positive team culture, and motivate others toward shared goals

Comfortable managing creative teams, technical deliverables, and unfamiliar subject matter by leveraging subject-matter experts

Willingness to travel as needed to the corporate office in Bala Cynwyd, PA (approx. 10-20%)

Willingness to travel as needed to visit project sites and support teams (approx. 25-50%)

Physical Demands/Work Environment

Repetitive movement of hands and fingers, typing or writing.

Occasional standing and walking

Talk and hear.

Pep Boys is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.

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