Manager, Design

Are you a hands‑on design leader passionate about fostering team performance and strengthening execution? Do you thrive on driving strategic design execution for best‑in‑class hospitality spaces? If so, we are looking for you!

Earls Kitchen + Bar is seeking a strategic and empowering Manager, Design with 8+ years of experience, including a minimum of 2 years in a Senior role, to join our Store Development team in Vancouver, BC. This is a hands‑on leadership role focused on empowering team performance, strengthening execution, and elevating design outcomes.

The Manager, Design leads a team of designers focused on the successful delivery of Earls Projects. This role provides essential day‑to‑day leadership, project oversight, and technical and creative guidance to ensure all projects are executed in alignment with the design brief, brand standards, and operational requirements.

Working closely with cross‑functional partners, including Kitchen + Bar, Construction, and Facilities, this role plays a key part in aligning processes, refining standards, and supporting consistent, high‑quality project delivery.

• Lead, mentor, and support a team of designers, fostering a high‑performing and collaborative culture grounded in accountability, growth, and creative excellence.
• Lead onboarding and training of designers to Earls workflow, project life cycles, and technical platforms (CAD & Sketch Up).
• Provide ongoing coaching, performance feedback, and professional development planning, ensuring designers are progressing toward advancement milestones and key role competencies.
• Regularly assess technical and creative capabilities across the design team, providing targeted mentorship to strengthen skill development, creative confidence, and project execution.
• Maintain a consistent in‑person presence at the Vancouver Head Office to provide hands‑on mentorship, foster collaboration, and support real‑time project navigation.

• Oversee multiple projects, ensuring alignment with design intent, timelines, project scope, and budget.
• Guide designers through all phases of project execution from concept through construction.
• Ensure design solutions are delivered to a high standard, both creatively and technically.
• Provide strategic input and problem‑solving support on complex or high‑risk projects.
• Translate project learnings into actionable updates to design standards, details, and documentation to improve efficiency and consistency across future projects.
• Flexibility to work outside standard business hours as required to support installations, overnight work, and key project milestones.
• Ability to travel throughout North America in support of new store projects, site visits, and openings.

• Uphold and reinforce brand design standards across all projects.
• Support solutions for on‑site design conflicts through collaboration and negotiation with Earls PMs and General Contractors, balancing brand standards with site constraints.
• Ensure consistency across consultant drawing coordination and accuracy of information and specifications.
• Conduct critical design reviews at key project milestones to ensure quality assurance and cross‑functional alignment.

• Collaborate with Kitchen + Bar, Construction, and Facilities teams to align on project requirements and workflows.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of design processes and tools.
• Support and evolve systems and processes that enable consistent, high‑quality project execution.
• Ensure clear communication and coordination between design and cross‑functional partners.
• Contribute to resolving gaps or inefficiencies in project execution.

• Provide guidance on project timelines, workload planning, and resource allocation.
• Support designers in managing priorities and meeting key milestones.
• Identify risks to schedule or delivery and proactively address them.
• Work with the Director, Design on resourcing and capacity planning across all active & pipeline projects, ensuring projects are appropriately staffed and supported.
• Accountable for…