Vice President, Distribution Jobs

COMPANY BACKGROUND
lululemon's purpose - to elevate the world by realizing the full potential within every one of us - is as dynamic as the company's history and current momentum.
Founded in Vancouver in 1998 with the intent to bring technical athletic fabrics to yoga, lululemon's first office was a product design studio by day turned yoga studio at night. What was then a very practical solution to paying the rent has ultimately come to define what differentiates lululemon. What has made the company wildly successful has been its steadfast focus on empowering its stores to become community hubs for lululemon's consumers (Guests) to live the Sweatlife--a combination of sweating, growing and connecting together--as well as participate in lululemon sweaty activities.
Today, lululemon is a publicly traded (LULU) $8.1B global business with more than 30,000+ employees and over 650+ stores across four continents and 17 countries. lululemon's products include Performance Apparel for women and men (pants, shorts, tops, jackets) for healthy activities such as yoga, running, training, and most other sweaty pursuits, On the Move Apparel (OTM) for women and men (RTW tops, bottoms, outerwear, knits and wovens), Accessories (bags, socks, underwear, yoga mats/equipment, and water bottles), and most recently, footwear.
2022 was an exceptional year from a product newness and innovation standpoint, fueled by the Science of Feel with women's revenue increasing 30%, men's growing 22%, and accessories up 70%, versus 2021. Our results were driven by expansion within our core categories with the launch of our Senseknit fabric technology and cold weather run styles, and we grew our Play categories with our golf, tennis, and hike capsules. And while footwear remains a test and learn for us, we're pleased with our results and are thrilled to bring head-to-toe solutions to our guests.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, net revenue increased 30% to $2.8 billion, and we saw a nearly 30% increase in transactions by new guests, and a more than 35% increase in transactions by existing guests. Ecomm increased 39% compared to the same quarter last year.
The power of our brand translated to growth across regions in 2022--North America grew 29% and International increased 35% compared to last year. As the impacts of COVID-19 normalize, we expect our momentum to accelerate, and we are excited for the opportunity in China in 2023 and beyond. In Q4, revenue in China increased over 30% versus the same period last year. We opened 29 new stores this year, our largest annual number ever in China Mainland.
Inclusion & Diversity / lululemon has made a series of commitments to ensure the company fully reflects the communities it serves and has established its IDEA team, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action. The company stands with employees, ambassadors and guests around the world who have been deeply impacted by the acts of violence, xenophobia and racism. Through commitment from the senior leadership team, dedicated resources, company-wide impact, sustainable HR programs, in-depth reviews and real accountability, the organization is focused on driving positive change in its communities every day.
Power of Three x2 / Calvin McDonald (CEO), the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Board remain committed to growth. We recently announced our next five-year growth plan, which builds upon the success of the Power of Three. Our plan calls for doubling our Men's business while delivering double-digit growth in Women's, doubling our digital business while also achieving double-digit growth in stores, and quadrupling our International business. And we intend to double our total revenue - from $6.25B to $12.5B - by the end of 2026, with an annual EPS growth greater than sales growth.
Impact / In 2021, lululemon also advanced an Impact Agenda and multi-year commitments to drive meaningful, positive change in the world. lululemon made inspiring progress across our three core pillars--Be Human, Be Well, and Be Planet--addressing pressing social and environmental issues that impact our people, communities, and the planet.
DISTRIBUTION AS A DRIVER OF lululemon
The global distribution network is an integral part of lululemon's success & continued growth. The success of our vertically integrated retail model is integrally tied to a streamlined & effective distribution network on a global scale.
The VP of Distribution will develop, lead & execute the Distribution strategy under continued hyper-growth, where our Supply Chain Leadership team sees a need to elevate & organize the distribution function on a global scale. Joining lululemon now, offers the VP of Global Distribution an Opportunity to Enhance & Strengthen a Strategic Global Distribution organization that supports our fast moving and rapidly expanding business.
The right VP of Distribution will be a Strategic Thought Partner within the Supply Chain team, ensuring our teams are a dynamic extension of each other. Equally as important is to Lead & Empower our Distribution team & network, focused on developing the team towards new heights.
The ideal candidate will be both a Global Distribution Expert - who will help commercialize lululemon's vision, develop a clear product development strategy and oversee its execution.
TITLE
VP, Distribution
LOCATION
The VP, Distribution could be based in Vancouver, Columbus, Los Angeles, or Mississauga.
REPORTING STRUCTURE
Reporting + Direct Reports: The role is a direct report into the SVP, Global Fulfillment and will oversee a team of 650+ FTEs including distribution centers in Columbus, Sumner, Mississauga, Delta, and Melbourne.
Peer Relationships: The VP, Distribution will sit on the Distribution & Logistics Leadership Team and work closely with all of its members: Vice President, Fulfillment Engineering; Senior Director, Fulfillment Planning; Senior Director, Inbound Logistics; and Senior Director, International Fulfillment.
OVERSIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The VP of Distribution leads our North American distribution network to enable and support lululemon's growth and financial objectives. The individual has full operational responsibilities for multiple fast paced, high volume distribution centers in the US and Canada with process oversight for Australia.
This person is key to ensuring we achieve the service and financial expectations of lululemon's distribution network and enabling global growth, today and in the future. The VP is responsible for strategic planning to meet business demands, service level agreements, and company objectives in regard to cost, productivity, and guest experience. This role is highly collaborative working across our region and global functional experts in Vancouver. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of inspiring and developing people to deliver exceptional results.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Direct and oversee all aspects of North America (NA) Distribution operations:

• Responsible for budgeting and reporting efforts including labor, operating expenses, and P&L oversight
• Establish, evaluate, and maintain performance standards for all areas of operations to ensure performance targets are achieved while continually looking for ways to enhance service and reduce costs
• Manage NA regional 3PL relationships, ensuring expected performance is achieved
• Partner with global and regional functional experts to accelerate operational performance, set performance targets and ensure effective product flow through the DCs to optimize overall fulfillment
• Drive the NA team to achieve targeted performance, including growth expectations

Provide functional process and performance oversight for distribution centers in Australia:

• Work closely with the Australian team to support performance expectations, people development and process/WMS alignment with other company-operated distribution centers
• Provide oversight for budgeting and reporting efforts including labor, operating expenses, and P&L oversight
• Partner with regional functional experts to accelerate operational performance, set performance targets and ensure effective product flow through the DCs to optimize overall fulfillment

In partnership with key stakeholders, create and implement the distribution strategy to enable North American growth and achieve performance expectations; ensure global distribution strategy is aligned with regional fulfillment strategies:

• Build and maintain the distribution roadmap to achieve the 5-year plan. Develop and execute plans for continual growth and peak season support
• Manage the department's initiative portfolio as well as selected initiatives ensuring initiatives achieve expected performance targets
• Translate the distribution strategy into a multi-year initiative roadmap. Drive the initiatives to achieve targeted results

Develop effective management routines and partnership to help achieve targeted performance and drive continuous improvement:

• Establish effective working relationships with key leaders and stakeholders as well as global teams in the SSC
• Build, deploy and maintain a regional continuous improvement program that drives YOY performance improvements
• Develop a robust metrics portfolio that measures daily/weekly operational performance and monthly executive-level dashboards
• Grow and develop your team through inspirational leadership, education, and accountability. Achieve greatness and have fun doing it

Create a motivational and supportive environment in which employees are challenged, coached, trained, and provided with career opportunities; build a culture of continuous improvement

• Assess staff development needs, design a plan to address these needs, and execute the plan
• Establish a formal succession plan based on potential and performance to support future business needs
• Develop and sustain strong, collaborative working relationships with key stakeholders and global partners

Other Duties

• Develop and deploy business continuity and disaster recovery plans
• Other duties as assigned

YEAR ONE DELIVERABLES Desired achievements in first 12-months in the role. (in priority)
Onboard Thoughtfully. Listen + Learn from lululemon's culture. Build relationships within Supply Chain and with cross-functional partners. Understand the why behind our current operations to inform our future.
Build Cross-Functional Relationships within the Supply Chain team. Listen & collaborate with Supply Chain leadership peers based on trust & personal responsibility. Enable Global Distribution effectiveness through collaborative working strategies.
Build Strong Relationships within the Global Distribution team. Direct report relationships based on trust and support. Build a confident team around you that enables change & growth.
Deliver on FY23 Priorities and Update the Global Blueprint for the Distribution Function. Drive excellence in the team that enables continued global growth at lululemon. Take the time to understand how lululemon currently holds the function of distribution, team structure & outputs, & key global partnerships. Review our current strategy and build upon it to enable our growth. Shape & adjust this strategy on an ongoing basis.
Elevate and Build a World Class & Growth Oriented Distribution Team. Lead & empower the team and align with leaders towards future forward strategic investments including tools, resources, team structure & development.
CANDIDATE CRITERIA - "Must-Haves"
Distribution Expertise. Deep knowledge of distribution operations and technology in vertical retail and ecommerce operations. A background in performance apparel would be an asset.
A Strong People Leader. You have 10-15 years of progressive leadership working in a fast faced, high-volume operation with a focus on high seasonal activity in a direct-to-consumer environment. You have proven leadership success and ability to manage people through change, and have clear communication skills to inspire, motivate, and provide cross-functional leadership.
Leading High Impact & Complex Programs. You have strong experience with automated MHE and Manhattan WMS, have the ability to think "outside of the box", enjoy challenges, and are solutions oriented. You are results-oriented with a focus on execution to meet business requirements.
Global in Outlook. You have experience implementing change across international organizations. You understand the challenges within global frameworks, enrolling stakeholders across the globe towards a common goal.
Who Wins With Others. The ability to exhibit leadership within the VP+ community. You are skilled at building relationships. You connect easily with people, are authentic and do what you say you are going to do. You connect with your team, internal & external stakeholders naturally. You effectively and concisely communicate up, identifying opportunities, risks, and solutions. You have strong collaboration skills and have the ability to find common ground.