Senior Retail Experience & Store Designer- BEAUTY

Aquent Studios is looking to add to our team! This is role is with a Global Beauty Brand on the Expeirnce and Store design team! This innovative company is at the forefront of creating transformative consumer experiences, known for its commitment to excellence and pioneering spirit in the market. Join us in supporting a brand that shapes the future of beauty and retail, delivering unparalleled quality and innovation to its global audience. This role is mostly remote but will require you to be onsite on occasion at the companies headquarters in NYC. You must live in a commmutable distance to be considered for this opportunity

Are you a visionary designer passionate about crafting unforgettable physical spaces? We are seeking an exceptional individual to join our team, where you will be instrumental in bringing a premium skincare brand to life through immersive and captivating retail environments. This is an incredible opportunity to blend architectural expertise with compelling storytelling, directly impacting how consumers engage with a beloved brand. You will be at the heart of designing experiences that are not just visually stunning but also deeply resonate with the brand's science-backed, clinical-luxury positioning, leaving a lasting impression on every visitor.

As a key contributor, you will drive the conceptualization and execution of premium retail environments, from intimate boutiques to large-scale experiential activations. Your designs will define the physical presence of the brand, ensuring every touchpoint reflects its sophisticated aesthetic and innovative spirit. You will collaborate across diverse teams and external partners, translating creative visions into tangible, impactful spaces that delight consumers and achieve business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Design immersive retail environments for permanent boutiques, pop-up stores, shop-in-shops, experiential events, and branded activations.
• Translate the brand's essence into compelling three-dimensional environments that create memorable, premium consumer experiences.
• Develop innovative spatial concepts that balance architectural thinking, storytelling, functionality, and commercial objectives.
• Design environments that enhance the guest journey while reflecting the brand's science-backed, clinical-luxury positioning.
• Ensure consistency across all physical brand touchpoints while maintaining flexibility for local market adaptations.

Concept Development & Visualization

• Create concept presentations, mood boards, floor plans, elevations, renderings, and presentation decks that effectively communicate design intent.
• Develop detailed design packages from initial concept through production-ready documentation.
• Produce high-quality 3D visualizations and renderings that effectively communicate spatial experiences to stakeholders.
• Present design concepts and rationale to cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Creative, Retail, Visual Merchandising, Product Development, Architecture, and Global Brand teams to execute integrated retail initiatives.
• Collaborate with external agencies, architects, fabricators, production vendors, and contractors throughout project execution.
• Support photoshoots, retail installations, and on-site activations as needed to ensure design integrity.
• Balance creative vision with operational, construction, budget, and timeline considerations.

Project Execution

• Manage multiple retail design initiatives simultaneously from concept through installation.
• Prepare production files, specifications, fixture drawings, and documentation for fabrication partners.
• Conduct design reviews throughout fabrication and installation to ensure quality and brand consistency.
• Stay informed on emerging retail, hospitality, luxury, and experiential design trends to continuously elevate the consumer experience.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Environmental Design, or a related discipline.
• 5-8+ years of experience designing luxury retail environments, experiential activations, boutiques, or branded spaces.
• Portfolio demonstrating exceptional retail, experiential, hospitality, or luxury spatial design.

Technical Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Rhino, SketchUp, Cinema 4D, or comparable 3D modeling software.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign).
• Strong rendering, visualization, and presentation skills.
• Experience producing technical drawings and fabrication-ready documentation.
• Familiarity with AI-powered visualization, rendering, and creative tools, with a willingness to continuously adopt new technologies and workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in both agency and in-house creative environments.
• Experience working with premium beauty, skincare, fashion, hospitality, or luxury consumer brands.
• Background from luxury beauty, retail, hospitality, architecture, or experiential design firms, with experience creating branded environments for premium consumer brands, including boutiques, flagship stores, pop-ups, exhibitions, showrooms, or immersive retail experiences.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is an exceptional spatial designer who combines architectural thinking with creative storytelling and a passion for building premium consumer experiences. Success in this role requires someone who:

• Thinks conceptually while maintaining exceptional technical execution.
• Is passionate about retail, experiential design, architecture, and environmental storytelling.
• Has strong visualization and presentation skills, bringing ideas to life through compelling renderings and design narratives.
• Thrives in environments with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and evolving business needs.
• Is curious about emerging technologies, AI, and new design tools that improve creative workflows.
• Adapts quickly as software, production methods, and project priorities evolve.
• Is proactive, resourceful, and enjoys solving complex design challenges.
• Maintains exceptional attention to detail while balancing creativity with functionality and execution.
• Collaborates effectively across creative, marketing, retail, architecture, and production teams.
• Stays calm under pressure and delivers high-quality work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Brings a growth mindset, embraces feedback, and is excited to help shape the future of a growing global brand.

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