Leaders in Technology - Meet Kimberlee Weller

Kimberlee Weller is our Senior Technology Manager, Digital Content & Web Platform Engineering, who is based in Seattle, WA.

Kimberlee is sharing about her career journey, her favourite part about working on the tech team at lululemon, and the types of roles her team hires for in tech. Read on below!

1. Tell us about your background. What has your career journey been like?

 I didn’t study computer science or even software engineering in school. I majored in Psychology and French and thought I might work in social work, counseling or a similar clinical setting. I came to learn web development back in 2009 when I was working for a non-profit and they needed a website. I offered to take night classes and give building the new website a try. I knew from the first “Hello World” that I was hooked and wanted to pursue a career in tech.

I can think of numerous times throughout my career where I have felt imposter syndrome and doubts about whether I could do the job. I find that there are a lot of other people on the lululemon tech team with non-traditional backgrounds and it makes me feel a sense of belonging and community.

2. How does lululemon's IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action) approach and commitments show up in your work?

This is such a deep and important question, thank you for asking it! I have been on my own personal journey of understanding my privilege and the imbalance of equity within systems that I am complicit in. Through reading, journaling, seminars, introspective exercises and various activism activities, I am seeking to expand my perspective, learn, empathize and be part of the change.

At work, IDEA commitments show up for me in every interaction and every decision. I continually ask – who isn’t in the room to contribute to this decision? Whose voice isn’t represented? Inclusion begins there. I’m grateful to have many opportunities at lululemon to expand my growth and impact, including being a member of the IDEA Tech Council. I believe that lululemon is working hard to live into “A” in IDEA, which stands for Action. For example, over 100 people in different jobs and focus areas from across the company have now completed an Inclusive Design program that kicked off last year and the Learning & Development team is working to scale this to the whole organization. We just hosted our second “Welcome to Tech” informational panel geared towards a diverse community looking to enter the Technology industry from different fields. I joined the first one as a panelist – talk about reaching out of my comfort zone!

3. How do you grow together as a team?

I find that growth happens when I step outside my comfort zone. It’s a vulnerable act, but that’s where my team shows up for each other. For me and some of my teammates, public speaking is one of those areas that falls just outside our comfort zone. Every quarter, the organization holds AgileOpen sessions where anyone can pitch a topic for discussion, (technical or non-technical) like a collaborative TedX Conference. We team up and prepare together to bring forward topics, even if hosting a session can feel a bit scary. Afterwards, we’re always glad we did it.

4. What tech innovations at lululemon are you most excited about?

Two words. Module Federation. This relatively new, super slick JavaScript technology leverages Webpack and uses a compilation pattern similar to Node to modularize a website into a Micro Frontend. It’s made up of libraries that can be versioned and imported separately but enables those imports of code to be updated rapidly from the guest’s browser without any disruption to their shopping experience.

Code can be anything from a full feature (like the soon to launch product compare experience) or it can be as simple as a design change to a button or border style.

Not only does module federation change how developers work, but it also enables us to release changes, updates, features at the drop of a hat. It’s so fun geeking out about stuff like this!

5. What is your favourite part about working on the Technology team at lululemon?

The people! I get to work with intelligent and interesting people every day. We solve complex problems together and have fun along the way. It’s amazing to me how we’ve been able to develop such a connection even though so many of us work across different locations.  

6. What types of roles does your team hire for?

All levels of engineers with experience in all layers of a cutting-edge JavaScript stack. We look for both generalists and specialists. For example, someone with full stack JavaScript skills with an interest in DevOps would a be a great match for a role on my team, as would someone with deep knowledge of React and Node.js. I’m striving to grow a team with diverse backgrounds, skillsets and perspectives.