Principal Environmental Designer

Summary

The Principal Environmental Designer sets the creative direction and strategic vision for environmental design across Nordstrom stores. This role leads large-scale design initiatives, translating brand narratives and seasonal strategies into compelling customer experiences while ensuring alignment with business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the creative vision for store concepts, scaled events, and brand activations.
• Partner with senior teams across Visual Merchandising, Brand Creative, Marketing, and Store Operations to align design strategies with business goals.
• Develop design systems, standards, and scalable solutions across physical and digital environments.
• Mentor designers, present concepts to executive stakeholders, and evaluate high-impact proposals and executions.
• Advance innovation in materials, sustainability, and production methods while partnering with engineers and project managers on feasibility, budgets, and delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor\'s or master\'s degree in Environmental Design, Architecture, Industrial Design, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of experience in retail design, visual merchandising, or experiential design, with a strong portfolio of large-scale work.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of 3D spatial design, materials, fabrication methods, and retail environments.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, CAD, and other 3D modeling or rendering tools.
• Experience with sustainability practices and scalable design systems is a plus.