Head of Development

We're so happy you're curious about our Head of Development role! When you click apply, you will have various steps to complete, you must complete the all the steps to be considered for the position.

We are seeking a powerhouse design guru to be our Head of Development. This individual will lead the end-to-end store design strategy for Ocean Basket globally- crafting, developing, and evolving physical environments that bring our brand to life across restaurant formats, markets, and customer journeys. This role is at the intersection of creative vision, operational excellence, and commercial strategy.

Responsibilities: 

Concept Development & Brand Experience Leadership

• Translate the Ocean Basket brand world into scalable, locally relevant, and globally consistent store design concepts.
• Identify and integrate design and hospitality trends through ongoing benchmarking and market immersion.
• Develop interior architecture and in-store experiences that balance brand storytelling, customer behaviour, and operational realities.
• Set and evolve the visual language of the brand across all physical touchpoints—dining rooms, kitchen interfaces, entryways, digital integrations, and more.
• Partner with Marketing, Culinary, Operations, and Franchise to co-create future-forward experiences.

Store Design Execution & Project Oversight

• Oversee all new store layouts, remodels, flagship rollouts, and new market entries from concept through to implementation.
• Manage the design development pipeline, ensuring projects meet brand standards, budgets, and timelines.
• Review and approve technical drawings, architectural plans, material specifications, and equipment design.
• Own the store design playbook and ensure its consistent application across all current and future formats (e.g. dine-in, express, delivery-forward, international).

Cross-functional & Agency Collaboration

• Lead collaboration with architects, engineers, procurement, and contractors to bring designs to life.
• Build and manage relationships with third-party design firms, local agencies, and creative vendors.
• Ensure strong alignment with internal teams including VM, Operations, Real Estate, and the Out-of-Restaurant (OOR) division.
• Represent design in leadership meetings—advocating for the customer journey and creative quality in every business decision.

Global Scalability & Local Relevance

• Adapt global design systems to local market needs, including regulatory, cultural, and spatial constraints.
• Support international franchisees and master licensees with tailored design solutions while upholding brand integrity.
• Lead post-launch assessments and continuous improvement processes through site visits, performance reviews, and stakeholder feedback loops

Requirements:

•  10+ years in store/retail/hospitality design with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role
• Experience working in global, multi-market environments preferred
• Ability to balance creativity and pragmatism—designs for beauty and flow
• Collaborative leader and strong communicator who can influence at C-suite level
• Passion for building restaurants that feel human, warm, and unforgettable
• Exceptional 2D/3D design and visualization skills (AutoCAD, SketchUp, Enscape, Revit or equivalent)
• Strategic thinker with high commercial awareness
• Deep knowledge of F&B or QSR design operations
• Strong understanding of customer experience and behavioural design principles
• Ability to brief, review, and guide architects and shopfitters
• Visual storytelling and design system creation
• Project management across multi-site and international environments
• High taste level and design discernment

You have to:

• Think like an architect, dream like a brand builder, and execute like an operator
• Believe great seafood deserves great spaces
• Love turning customer insights into creative environments
• Can work on five projects at once without losing sight of the brand north star