Lead Materials Designer

Title: Lead Materials Designer – Footwear

Location: Beaverton, OR

Duration: 12 Months contract

Job Description:

• Degree preferred, not a hard requirement
• 2-5 years’ experience preferred in a mat design role (could be less if candidate has recent Client experience)

Top must-have skills include the following:

• Understanding of costing, how to navigate material library, negotiating pricing, working with vendors/material developers (footwear specifically)
• Adobe Illustrator expertise
• Aurora experience (uploading CADs)
• Miro experience

Desired soft skills:

• Good communication skills
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to take feedback in stride

LEAD DESIGNER, Footwear Materials Design

Client Design is where creative possibility meets purpose. It’s a place for builders, boundary-breakers, and vision-setters — people who move with conviction, think originally, and create work shaped by real experience and cultural depth. Our team thrives when imagination, discipline, and collaboration come together. We look for leaders who bring their full creative voice, who understand the communities that inspire us, and who are driven to shape the future for the next generation of Client athletes and fans.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

As a Lead Materials Designer in CLIENT KIDS CORE FOOTWEAR DESIGN, you’ll work closely with your design partners in product design, color design and graphic design. You will also work cross functionally with your technical and material development partners, product management and merchandising teams. This role reports directly to the Design Director, Color Materials Kids Core, Client Brand.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for an exceptional Lead Footwear Materials Designer to combine their experience, creative problem-solving abilities, and creativity to help create the future of Client Footwear Materials. The category you will be working in is the Kids Core Footwear team. This is a creative and collaborative partnership space that draws in our youngest athletes, drives energy and helps fuel the brand. Our consumers are fearless and wants product that match their attitude and style. They’ll be focused on elevating the consumer experience by creating materials that are performance and trend-relevant for a range of products while driving an emotional connection to materials for the consumer through the use of strong narrative and emotive storytelling and by pushing the edges of sustainable footwear material design.

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, art or related field;. 2 years’ additional experience crafting innovative products in lieu of a degree or equivalent combination of education, experience or training
• 5 years’ experience designing and developing innovative footwear and other products
• Passion for Design
• Knowledge of form, color, materials, human factors, trend, related to elevating the consumer experience
• Ability to translate consumer knowledge and insights into product solutions and narratives
• Fearless Calculated risk taker
• Experience in technical footwear or apparel design
• Experiencing building 3D samples and crafting mockup samples by hand
• Ability to present new insights or seasonal concepts to small and large groups
• Proficient in creating and editing files using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop skills.
• Adobe Creative suit is a plus
• Must be able to build accurate 2D technical drawings (tech packs)
• Cobbling and prototyping skills are a plus
• 3D design program experience is a plus
• Solid knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials
• Knowledge and experience with sustainable design and manufacturing are a plus
• Experienced with presentation programs: Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, etc.

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

You will be creating concepts and developments on a range of material designs for the KIDS CORE FOOTWEAR DESIGN segments of Client. You will work on elevating new technologies that influence brand-new models, as well as on seasonal narratives elevating existing materials for our classics and iconic products. Your goal is to aim for product excellence by partnering with key stakeholders cross-functionally on the product creations process, pushing the boundaries when it comes to new materials and new method of make and help bring the vision for the future of Client Kids Core products to life.