Senior Director, Raw Materials Innovation in Vancouver

lululemon is an innovative performance apparel company for yoga, running, training, and other athletic pursuits. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional design, we create transformational products and experiences that support people in moving, growing, connecting, and being well. At lululemon, we set audacious goals, nurture big growth, and engineer products that help our guests feel and perform their best. Leadership is more than a role or title here - it is a way of being. We are all leaders, committed to growth, results, and creating a future that would not exist without us.

The Raw Materials Innovation team shapes, surprises, and engineers delight into the future guest experience through advanced innovation principles, material science, manufacturing knowledge, and deep supply‑chain partnership. We go beyond traditional research and development. We innovate early in the value chain - across monomer, fiber, yarn, fabric, textile construction, machinery, manufacturing process, and commercialization pathways - to create materials and experiences our guests may not yet know they want.

We create new materials that did not exist. We enable new manufacturing techniques. We engineer new sensations, performance benefits, and functionality into our materials. We lead the industry in bringing sustainable solutions to the materials that we use. Our work spans short-, mid-, and long-term horizons by defining the state of the art, leading research, building insight, generating unique points of view, creating prototypes, proving principles, protecting intellectual property, and taking innovation all the way to commercialization.

We are looking for a visionary innovation leader, technical expert, and organizational builder to shape the future of Raw Materials Innovation at lululemon. This role is accountable for establishing lululemon's long-term Raw Materials Innovation strategy, advancing next-generation materials and manufacturing technologies, and building the organizational capabilities that will sustain our leadership in performance apparel for years to come.

As the senior leader for Raw Materials Innovation, you will oversee a multi-horizon innovation portfolio spanning near‑term commercialization opportunities, mid‑term material platform developments, and long‑term breakthrough technologies. You will guide how we explore emerging technologies, invest in innovation capabilities, develop strategic partnerships, and create differentiated materials and manufacturing solutions that deliver meaningful guest benefits.

This role will also lead the creation and evolution of a world‑class Raw Materials Prototype Innovation Lab, accelerating experimentation, learning, prototyping, testing, and commercialization readiness across the innovation ecosystem.

Success requires a unique blend of strategic thinking, technical expertise, business acumen, and people leadership. You understand how fiber, yarn, fabric structure, machine parameters, manufacturing processes, and supply chain capabilities come together to create differentiated product experiences. You are equally comfortable working through complex technical challenges, influencing executive decision‑making, and building high‑performing teams.

You will collaborate with global suppliers, mills, machinery manufacturers, technology companies, research institutions, startups, and cross‑functional partners to identify future opportunities, shape innovation roadmaps, and translate emerging technologies into scalable business impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead innovation across fiber, yarn, fabric construction, textile manufacturing, machine process development, and scalable material platforms.
• Translate guest needs, athlete insights, business opportunities, and technical constraints into material innovation platforms.
• Create new material concepts from early hypothesis through proof of concept, prototype, pilot, and first commercial production.
• Develop innovation roadmaps that connect short‑term product opportunities with mid‑ and long‑term technology platforms.
• Identify and solve technical problems at the source by working directly with suppliers, mills, machinery partners, and technology companies.
• Build material platforms, not only one‑off developments, so innovation can scale across multiple product lines and franchises.
• Lead platform‑level projects from idea through trialing, testing, validation, costing, commercialization, and post‑launch learning.
• Collaborate with global machinery manufacturers and technology companies.
• Build and lead a global ecosystem of machinery manufacturers, technology companies, research institutions, suppliers, mills, startups, universities, laboratories, and technical experts to accelerate innovation and unlock future material capabilities.
• Represent lululemon externally through industry forums, innovation consortiums, research collaborations, and executive‑level partner engagements.

What Success Looks Like:

• A robust multi‑year innovation portfolio consistently delivers both near‑term business impact and long‑term strategic differentiation.
• Raw Materials Innovation is recognized as a strategic capability that influences enterprise decision‑making and future product strategy.
• Material innovations are supported by strong data, clear testing, well‑managed risk, and appropriate IP protection.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD preferred in Textile Engineering, Materials Science, Fiber Science, Textile Manufacturing, Polymer Science, Mechanical/Textile Process Engineering, Manufacturing Science, or a related technical field.
• 10-15+ years of experience in textiles, materials innovation, textile manufacturing, fiber/yarn/fabric engineering, advanced materials development, or manufacturing process innovation.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify failure modes, and make clear technical recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex material and manufacturing concepts to scientific and non‑scientific audiences.

You are the right person if:

• You are a hands‑on material innovator who loves turning scientific curiosity into real products.
• You understand that breakthrough materials come from the relationship between structure, processing, performance, and scale.
• You are comfortable with ambiguity and skilled at turning uncertainty into structured experiments.

Must Haves:

• Acknowledges the presence of choice in every moment and takes personal responsibility for their life.
• Possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovates to achieve great results.
• Communicates with honesty and kindness, and creates the space for others to do the same.

Additional Notes:

• Immigration support is potentially available for this role.

Compensation and Benefits Package:

• The typical hiring range for this position is from $225,800 - $296,300 CAD annually.
• As part of our total rewards offering, permanent employees in this position may be eligible for our competitive annual bonus program and equity offerings.

Workplace Arrangement:

• Hybrid: In‑person collaboration and/or office‑based work is necessary or important for the role.