Assistant Retail Store Designer

Assistant Retail Store Designer - CONTRACT

#1430

About Designer Brands

At Designer Brands, we are the proud parent company of DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, The Shoe Company, and Rubino, operating nearly 675 stores across North America and a billion-dollar digital commerce business. We lead the footwear industry with a diverse portfolio of iconic brands, including Topo Athletic, Keds, Vince Camuto, Kelly & Katie, Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand, Mix No. 6, Crown Vintage, and others.

With expertise in design, production, and sourcing, we create on-trend footwear and accessories, delivered through a robust omni-channel infrastructure and national wholesale distribution. At Designer Brands, we are committed to fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity, where each employee’s unique perspective contributes to our success. Anchored by our core values of “We Love What We Do,” “We Own What We Do,” “We Do What’s Right,” and “We Belong,” we continuously drive forward together, building a future where everyone can put their best foot forward.

At Designer Brands, our stores are more than places to shop. They're spaces that bring our brands to life and create meaningful experiences for customers. As an Assistant Retail Store Designer (CONTRACT), you'll play an important role in helping shape and maintain those environments across our North American retail fleet.

In this position, you'll combine design expertise, project coordination, and cross-functional collaboration to support everything from new store openings and remodels to ongoing floor plan updates. You'll help ensure our stores are operationally ready, thoughtfully designed, and aligned with business needs.

This role is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys both the creative and operational sides of retail design. You'll work closely with teams across Store Operations, Construction, Marketing, Store Planning & Allocation, and Field Leadership to bring store concepts to life while maintaining consistency and accuracy across hundreds of locations.

If you're highly organized, passionate about retail environments, and energized by managing multiple projects in a fast‑paced setting, we'd love to hear from you.

• Own and maintain store floor plans for North American retail locations, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with operational requirements.
• Create, update, and manage the store floor plan database for field teams and internal business partners.
• Review and validate floor plans with cross‑functional stakeholders to ensure stores can effectively support capacity and operational needs.
• Serve as backup Designer for New Store, Remodel, and Capital Projects as needed.

• Support floor plan layouts and implementation of new fixtures on plans for new store openings, remodels, and refresh projects across North America.
• Ensure fixture plans meet North America‑specific requirements and operational standards.
• Partner with teams throughout the design and execution process to support successful project delivery.
• Lead new store feasibility readiness activities to ensure stores are fully equipped and operational by key deadlines.

• Coordinate day‑to‑day activities for floor plan initiatives across North America.
• Manage project timelines, readiness checklists, status updates, and supporting documentation.
• Track project milestones and deliverables, proactively identifying potential risks, delays, or gaps.
• Escalate issues appropriately to help keep projects on track and moving forward.
• Conduct post‑project follow‑up with field leadership to gather feedback, confirm completion, and document lessons learned.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for fixture plan updates and validations.
• Collaborate closely with Store Design, Store Operations, Construction, Marketing, Store Planning & Allocation, and Field Leadership to support project success.
• Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Communicate project expectations, timelines, updates, and…