Director of Design

THE OPPORTUNITY

We have an exciting opportunity for a Director of Design to join an emerging and growing company that is becoming a leader in athletic apparel in Canada and the United States.   As Director of Design, you will champion the creative development of Bomber’s athletic and lifestyle apparel, building on our established product foundation and bringing fresh perspective to future collections. You will guide collections from the first idea to production-ready designs, working closely with leadership, manufacturers, and commercial and operations colleagues. There is room to elevate the product, explore new opportunities, and grow the design team as Bomber expands across North America.

Based in Edmonton, you will influence products worn across North America and see your ideas become finished apparel. You will join a company with an established foundation and ambitious plans, with the creative scope to elevate our collections and grow alongside the team you help lead.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

We are looking for someone who can take ownership of Bomber’s athletic and lifestyle apparel collections, with both the creative ability to develop distinctive products and the technical experience to get them manufactured properly. This is a hands-on leadership role, so the candidates need to be comfortable personally designing, developing tech packs, reviewing samples, and working through fit and construction issues with overseas manufacturers. Much of the required communication with the factories will occur during odd hours due to time zone conflicts. For someone who is industry experienced, this should not come as a surprise. Nevertheless, it's an important aspect of the role that should be mentioned during candidate discussions. 

The key qualities we’re looking for are:

Relevant product experience: A strong background in premium athletic, active, or lifestyle apparel, with a practical understanding of performance fabrics, fit, construction, and quality.

Original design ability: Someone who can build cohesive collections with recognizable signature details and bring fresh ideas that fit Bomber’s identity.

Proven execution: A portfolio of products that actually reached production, with clear evidence of what they personally designed and how they managed development.

Commercial judgment: They need to understand the customer and balance creativity with wearability, pricing, margins, and manufacturing realities.

Leadership and ownership: Someone organized and self-directed who can manage the design calendar, work closely with our leadership team, and help build the design team as we grow.

THE ORGANIZATION

Bomber is a premium performance apparel company focused on delivering elevated athletic essentials designed for modern performance, versatility, and everyday confidence.

Built around the philosophy of Never Lay Up™, Bomber combines technical performance with refined design to create apparel engineered for movement, competition, travel, and everyday life.

As one of North America's emerging premium athletic apparel brands, they are building more than exceptional products.  They are building a community driven by ambition, discipline, and continuous improvement.

Mission

To redefine ‘Bomber’ as a universal adjective to describe and represent those who embrace risk, welcome adversity, are indifferent to accolades, and demonstrate laudable resilience to achieve their goals.

For more information, please visit www.bombershop.ca and www.bomber.com

RESPONSIBILITIES

Creative Scope

• Lead seasonal concepts, silhouettes, colour palettes, fabric selections, and signature details that give each collection a clear point of view and a recognizably Bomber identity.
• Build cohesive assortments that balance proven products with new ideas. Use customer insight, market research, and sales performance to guide category priorities and design decisions.
• Develop original designs for core collections, collaborations, and special releases, respecting applicable brand guidelines and approval requirements.
• Present concepts with a clear design rationale, intended customer, and product purpose. Bring the Never Lay Up™ philosophy to life through thoughtful, distinctive apparel.

Product Development

• Guide designs through technical flats, tech packs, sampling, fittings, revisions, and production handoff, with clear specifications, approvals, and version control.
• Work with manufacturers and development contributors on fabric and trim selection, fit, construction, grading, and performance requirements. Resolve sample issues and communicate changes clearly.
• Balance creative ambition with product quality, target costs, supplier capabilities, and delivery timelines. Carry approved design details consistently through to production.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Build on existing design standards, give clear briefs and constructive feedback, and help grow the team’s capabilities as Bomber develops.
• Manage the design and sampling calendar, coordinate reviews and approvals, and address development risks early to support on-time launches.
• Work with operations and finance on costing, margin objectives, and practical product trade-offs. Partner with marketing and sales to communicate product features and collection stories accurately.
• Use sell-through, returns, fit feedback, and customer reviews to refine future collections. Bring product opportunities and resource recommendations to leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Preferred 8 or more years of apparel design experience, including responsibility for leading collections and guiding designers, development partners, or manufacturers.
• A portfolio of commercially produced apparel showing a strong creative point of view and clear ownership from concept to finished product, including work you personally designed and collections you led.
• Experience in athletic, active, or lifestyle apparel, with a practical understanding of performance textiles, trims, garment construction, fit, grading, and production processes.
• Confidence creating technical flats and detailed tech packs in Adobe Illustrator or comparable tools, supported by hands-on design and problem-solving skills. Experience with 3D apparel design or product lifecycle management systems is an asset.
• Experience taking products through sampling, fit reviews, and production with manufacturers, including decisions that balance design intent, quality, cost, and timing.
• Clear communication, sound commercial judgment, and experience developing creative talent. A relevant design qualification or equivalent practical experience is welcomed; collaborative or licensed apparel experience is an asset.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

SANDY JACOBSON | T: 780.944.1327| E: [email protected] | www.richardsonsearch.ca