Associate Creative Director

Permanent Full-Time

Vancouver, BC

*Native Shoes is a hybrid organization based in Vancouver, BC and this role is expected to be in the office 2 days per week. 

Why Native Shoes?

It seems the heavier the world gets, the more it needs lightness. At Native Shoes, we’ve made lightness our life’s work with our purpose: to make it easy for all to live lightly.

To achieve this, our team is an embodiment of our values:

• Design:We consider aesthetics and functionality in all we do.
• Possibility: We explore and achieve higher dreams by leaving constraints at the door.
• Integrity:We do what we say we do.
• Accountability:We take personal responsibility for our actions.
• Love:Leading with kindness, we love those around us enough to have truthful conversations.
• Light:Above all else, we choose to live lightly.

Plus, other great perks!

• Generous annual vacation entitlement
• Annual paid sick, personal and volunteerism days
• Company bonus program
• Extended health and dental benefits plus a health/lifestyle spending account
• Continuous development program to strengthen both personal and leadership skills
• and free shoes!

Native Shoes strives to embody each of these words in all aspects of our brand. We engage in a fast paced, ever-evolving working environment with plenty of room for innovative thinking — encouraging honesty and challenge in a collaborative workplace. If any of the above words resonate with you, this is the place to be.

Who is Native Shoes looking for?

As the Director of Product for Native Shoes, you will lead a lean but mighty team through the entire product lifecycle, from conceptualization and design to development and commercialization. Experienced working at both the strategic and operational level, you possess a collaborative leadership style and are ready to roll your sleeves up to get the job done. You combine your wealth of experience as a designer to inform your point of view on how to build a seasonal collection of functional, innovative, quality designs that resonates with our consumers. Passionate about people, you lead with humility and recognize the importance of balancing leadership by influence and leadership by authority to create a legacy admired for innovation, design, function, fit and quality.

Why should I apply?

Joining Native Shoes as the Director of Product Design & Development is an opportunity for high impact as we care not only about what we’re doing but how we’re doing it. Here, you will be guiding a team to create a legacy admired for innovation, design, function, fit and quality. Your passion for serving the consumer outweighs all else. 

What would I be responsible for?

Design Leadership: 

• Lead the design process for new footwear collections, ensuring they align with our brand's aesthetic, target audience, and market trends. 
• Collaborate with internal design teams or external design agencies to create innovative and appealing footwear designs. 
• Conduct market research, trend analysis, and consumer insights to inform design decisions and product development strategies. 

Product Development: 

• Oversee the end-to-end product development process, from ideation to production, ensuring timelines, quality standards, and budget constraints are met. 
• Work closely with internal and external teams to translate design concepts into feasible and market-ready products. 
• Oversee prototyping, testing, and refinement phases to ensure product performance, durability, and comfort. 

Commercialization and Merchandising: 

• Support in cross-functional delivery of go-to-market strategies for new footwear collections, including pricing, distribution channels, and marketing campaigns. 
• Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to create compelling product narratives, marketing assets, and retail displays that drive consumer engagement and sales. 
• Utilize merchandising skills to optimize product assortments, inventory management, and SKU planning for maximum profitability and customer satisfaction. 

Team Leadership and Collaboration: 

• Lead and mentor a team, fostering a creative and collaborative work environment. 
• Work closely with senior leadership to align product strategies with overall business objectives, revenue targets, and brand positioning. 
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as sales, marketing, supply chain, and finance to ensure seamless execution of product plans and initiatives. 

The role will involve occasional travel to factories in Asia, company meetings or consumer insights gathering in North America.

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Merchandising, Business, or related field; MBA or relevant advanced degree is a plus. 
• Proven experience (12 years) in design leadership, or related roles within the footwear or fashion industry. 
• Strong understanding of design principles, material science, manufacturing processes, and footwear construction. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and deliver results within tight deadlines. 
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, with a strategic mindset and a customer-centric approach. 
• Familiarity with market trends, competitive landscape, and retail dynamics in the family footwear segment. 
• Experience with merchandising, assortment planning, retail analytics, or sales forecasting is highly desirable. 

Accommodations and Accessibility: Native Shoes provides employment accommodation during the recruitment process. Should you require any accommodation, please indicate this on your application and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs. For any questions, suggestions, or required documents regarding accessibility in a different format, please contact us at people@nativeshoes.com

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:At Native Shoes, we are committed to building an environment where everyone feels included, valued, and heard. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an important part of our everyday work, and it is our belief that they enable us to reach our goal of providing excellent quality and care in our products. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities.