Store Development Director(店舗設計・施工管理・メンテナンス)

Position Summary

The Director, Store Development and Store Maintenance is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of all store development, construction, design, facilities maintenance, and capital investment activities across Gap Japan brands. This role oversees new store openings, remodels, relocation projects, maintenance programs, and store environment initiatives while ensuring that every store reflects the brand vision, delivers an exceptional customer experience, and supports long-term business growth. The Director serves as a strategic leader and key member of the Japan Real Estate & Store Development leadership team, partnering with senior leaders across the organization to shape the future store portfolio, elevate brand presence, and deliver sustainable business growth. The successful candidate combines deep technical expertise, strong business acumen, outstanding leadership skills, and a genuine passion for retail. This individual proactively identifies opportunities, solves complex business challenges, develops high performing teams, and champions Gap Inc.’s values through every aspect of the store experience.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute long-term Store Development and Store Maintenance strategies aligned with Gap Japan's business objectives.
• Create and manage multi-year capital investment plans supporting new stores, remodels, maintenance programs, and portfolio optimization initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer experience, store productivity, operational efficiency, and return on investment.
• Partner with Real Estate leadership on market planning, relocations, rightsizing initiatives, and portfolio transformation projects.
• Lead innovation and continuous improvement efforts related to design, construction, maintenance, sustainability, and cost management.
• Champion the evolution of Gap Japan's physical brand experience, ensuring stores remain relevant, compelling, and differentiated in an increasingly competitive retail environment.
• Translate business strategy into store environments that strengthen customer engagement and brand loyalty.

Store Development

• Lead all new store openings, remodels, relocations, and major capital projects across all brands.
• Ensure global brand standards are effectively adapted and executed within the Japanese market.
• Provide executive oversight for design, construction, budgeting, scheduling, and quality control.
• Manage architects, consultants, contractors, and vendors to ensure successful project execution.
• Establish and maintain best-in-class development and project management standards.

Store Maintenance

• Develop and lead maintenance strategies that ensure stores consistently meet brand, operational, and safety standards.
• Implement preventive maintenance programs to maximize asset life and reduce repair costs.
• Oversee maintenance budgets, vendor performance, and service quality.
• Ensure stores remain in excellent condition and provide a best-in-class customer experience.
• Proactively identify and resolve operational and facilities-related risks.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing Store Development and Store Maintenance team.
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession plans and future leadership capabilities within the organization.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and development opportunities.
• Foster an environment where team members take initiative, embrace challenges, and drive results.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with Brand, Real Estate, Operations, Finance, Asset Protection, Visual Merchandising, and Global teams.
• Influence decision-making through strong business analysis, communication, and leadership.
• Build productive relationships with landlords, developers, architects, contractors, consultants, and vendors.
• Present recommendations, investment strategies, and business cases to senior leadership.
• Serve as a trusted business partner and advisor to executives and key stakeholders.

Financial Management

• Manage capital expenditure and maintenance budgets.
• Ensure disciplined investment decisions supported by strong financial analysis and ROI evaluation.
• Identify opportunities to optimize costs while maintaining brand standards and store performance.
• Oversee procurement strategies, contract negotiations, and vendor management practices.
• Drive financial accountability across all development and maintenance activities.

Qualification

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.

Experience

• 15+ years of experience in retail store development, construction, architecture, facilities management, or related fields.
• 7+ years of leadership experience managing teams, managers, and cross-functional projects.
• Proven experience developing and executing large-scale retail development and maintenance programs.
• Strong experience managing capital budgets, project portfolios, and strategic initiatives.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership and external business partners

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Deep expertise in retail design, construction, maintenance, and project management.
• Strong strategic planning and business management capabilities.
• Excellent financial, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change and influence across multiple functions and organizational levels.
• Ability to balance long-term strategic thinking with strong operational execution.
• Business-level English communication skills preferred.

Ideal Candidate Profile We are looking for a leader who:

• Is passionate about retail and believes that great stores build great brands.
• Demonstrates strong ownership and takes initiative without waiting for direction.
• Acts as an owner and consistently moves the business forward.
• Thinks strategically while executing with discipline and urgency.
• Is energized by solving complex business challenges and driving change.
• Inspires, develops, and leads high-performing teams.
• Builds strong followership through credibility, trust, and leadership.
• Builds trust and strong relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Understands that stores are one of the most important expressions of the brand.
• Balances creativity, operational excellence, and financial discipline.
• Balances strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Leads with humility, courage, and accountability.
• Has a genuine passion for retail, customer experience, and brand building.
• Represents and champions the values, culture, and spirit of Gap Inc.
• Acts as a role model who embodies the brand through leadership, decision-making, and commitment to excellence.

Closing Statement

This role is not simply responsible for developing and maintaining stores.

• Shape how customers experience our brands every day.
• Translate brand vision into compelling and effective retail environments.
• Combine business leadership, technical expertise, and commercial thinking to support long-term growth.
• Build and develop teams that deliver operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Drive the future evolution of Gap Japan's store portfolio and customer experience. The successful candidate will combine business leadership, technical expertise, and a passion for retail to help shape the future growth of Gap Japan

Gap Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination.

We are committed to recruiting, hiring, training and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status.