Director, Design

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%)