Associate Project Leader - Retail (Stores) Division

At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome-both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive.

L.L.Bean's Retail Store Operations group is looking for an Associate Project Leader based in our Corporate Headquarters located in Freeport, ME.

Position Purpose: The Associate Project Leader plays a key role in store development initiatives through planning, coordination, and execution, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned to business priorities. As a member of the Retail Project Team, this role will manage workstreams, drive execution readiness, and support successful delivery of new store openings, remodels, refreshes, and capital projects. Responsible for smaller-scale projects, defined workstreams within larger initiatives, or short-term efforts with moderate complexity and impact. Applies foundational project management practices, analytical thinking, and independent judgment to enable consistent, high-quality execution.

This is an in-office role based at our Corporate Headquarters in Freeport, ME (not remote).

Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Execution

• Plan, coordinate, and execute assigned project workstreams in support of retail store development initiatives.

• Build and maintain project timelines, milestones, and deliverables; track progress and ensure execution readiness.

• Apply project management methodologies to organize work, assign tasks, and monitor completion against timelines.

• Identify risks, dependencies, and execution gaps; assess impact and proactively recommend mitigation strategies.

• Own and deliver smaller-scale projects or components of larger projects from initiation through completion.

• Keep stakeholders informed of progress, escalations, and changes to timelines or scope.

• Program & Operational Enablement

• Support operational execution of store development programs through structured coordination, planning, and tracking.

• Manage financial, budget, and resource tracking for assigned initiatives to support informed decision-making.

• Translate project goals into actionable plans, ensuring alignment with business priorities and operational needs.

• Partner with internal teams and external vendors to ensure timely and accurate delivery of milestones.

• Contribute to execution readiness by validating that all inputs, materials, and stakeholders are aligned prior to project launch.

• Process & Continuous Improvement

• Create, maintain, and enhance project tools, templates, dashboards, and reporting used across store development initiatives.

• Analyze project performance data and outcomes to identify trends, gaps, and improvement opportunities.

• Lead or support continuous improvement efforts to increase efficiency, scalability, and execution consistency.

• Facilitate post-project reviews to evaluate results, capture learnings, and recommend actionable improvements.

• Support documentation of processes, playbooks, and standards for repeatable execution.

• Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as a liaison across internal teams (store operations, design, construction, merchandising, finance) to align project objectives and deliverables.

• Coordinate communication, timelines, and dependencies across stakeholders to drive execution consistency.

• Support design review and value engineering processes through organization, documentation, and follow-ups.

• Build relationships across functions to foster collaboration and shared accountability.

• Retail Field Support

• Provide on-site support for new store openings, remodels, refreshes, and major project milestones as needed.

• Represent project standards, timelines, and expectations in the field, ensuring alignment with plan execution.

• Identify real-time issues and partner with teams to resolve and maintain project momentum.

• Travel up to 50% based on project scope and business needs.

Health and Safety Requirement

Every employee is responsible for contributing to a safe and healthy workplace. Employees are expected to be active participants in health and safety by following all safety policies and procedures, reporting unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors to leadership, and conducting work in a safe manner. Those in a leadership role are also expected to model safe behaviors, evaluate risk, and ensure that risks are reduced to acceptable levels.

Education Level

4-Year Bachelors Degree in business, management, or a related field

Skills and Qualifications

• Location: This is an on-site position based in Freeport, Maine. Candidates must live within a reasonable commuting distance and have reliable transportation to and from the Corporate HQ.

• Drive execution: Deliver against timelines by organizing work, managing details, and following through on commitments; ability to use and apply independent judgment and thinking

• 3+ years of experience in retail operations, project coordination, or project support environments

• Communicate effectively: Clearly convey information, expectations, and updates across diverse stakeholder groups

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% based on business needs

• Collaborate cross-functionally: Build alignment and shared understanding across teams and disciplines

• Analyze and problem-solve: Evaluate data, identify risks, and recommend practical, timely solutions

• Influence outcomes: Partner with stakeholders to drive decisions and maintain project momentum

• Manage priorities: Balance multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced retail environment

• Apply project management fundamentals: Plan, schedule, track, and report on project activities with discipline

• Improve continuously: Identify inefficiencies and implement solutions that enhance execution quality

• Operate with a bias for action: Take initiative to resolve issues and move work forward

• Leverage tools and systems: Use project tracking and reporting tools (Excel, project systems, dashboards) effectively

If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.

If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you! At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote belonging.