Retail Development & Construction Manager

About Topologie

Topologie has 50 shops globally. We are entering a phase of hyper-growth. Over the next three years, we are executing an ambitious pipeline to open 100 new retail stores globally, representing a $25M to $30M USD capital investment. To fuel this expansion, we are establishing a Retail Development & Construction department.

The Role

The Retail Development and Construction team will engineer and manufacture our physical stores. The role includes coordinating design, construction, procurement, budgeting, stakeholder communication, and site delivery across multiple regional markets.

We are looking for a highly operational Retail Development & Construction Manager to lead this new function. You will take finalized 3D concepts from our Store Design team and figure out how to build them smarter, faster, and more cost-effectively at a global scale. This is not an interior design role; this is a manufacturing, construction, and supply chain role. You will be responsible for value-engineering our store fixtures, standardizing a modular "kit-of-parts," managing East Asian manufacturing partners, and overseeing local General Contractors (GCs) to deliver 100 stores globally on time and under budget.

Key Responsibilities

Value Engineering & Prototyping

• Collaborate with the Store Design team to translate aesthetic concepts into scalable, manufacturable, and structurally sound physical fixtures.
• Lead the value-engineering (VE) process: optimize materials, structural joints, and dimensions to reduce manufacturing costs, shipping weights, and on-site assembly time.
• Develop and maintain a standardized, modular "kit-of-parts" fixture library that can be efficiently adapted to various global floor plans.

Global Sourcing & Vendor Management

• Identify, vet, and onboard specialized retail fixture manufacturers, primarily across East Asia.
• Negotiate master service agreements, bulk pricing, and lead times for high-volume fixture production.
• Build a reliable network of regional General Contractors (GCs) across our target expansion markets (APAC, Europe, North America).

End-to-End Project Management

• Own the physical build-out timeline for all new stores and renovations, from factory production to site handover.
• Coordinate global logistics, ensuring flat-packed fixtures clear customs and arrive on-site precisely when the local GC needs them.
• Oversee local GCs during the construction phase to ensure strict adherence to our brand’s quality standards, safety protocols, and timelines.

CapEx & Budget Control

• Establish, track, and strictly manage the CapEx budget per store.
• Implement cost-tracking systems and report directly to the CEO on budget variances, factory performance, and timeline adherence.

Team Building (Future Phase)

• Build and manage a lean team of regional project managers to oversee localized execution.

Who We Are Looking For

• Experience: 8–12 years in retail store development, physical production, or architectural project management, specifically handling multi-market rollouts.
• Industry Background: Previous experience at rapidly scaling, hardware-focused, or modular retail brands is highly preferred.
• Skillset: You are an expert in reading CAD/technical drawings, understanding manufacturing constraints (metalwork, joinery, glass), and managing commercial construction. Note: Pure interior design candidates will not be considered.
• Financial Acumen: Proven track record of managing multi-million dollar CapEx budgets and successfully implementing value-engineering initiatives.
• Language: Fluency in English and Mandarin (essential for direct factory communication).
• Drive: You thrive in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment and have the operational rigor to build a department from the ground up.

What We Offer

• Highly competitive base salary commensurate with Hong Kong market standards for senior talent.
• The opportunity to build a department from scratch and directly shape the global physical footprint of a rapidly expanding brand.