WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

You will work collaboratively with key functional partners throughout the Product Development process, including: Product Management, Material Design and Development, Product Design, Sourcing and Costing, and Operations. You will help manage our relationship with our overseas partners – both internal and external to NIKE. You will report to the Sr. Director of Footwear for APLA (Asia-Pacific & Latin-America)  GEL (Geo Express Lane) based in WHQ and represent the team in key Global Development meetings.

You will need to navigate the Nike matrix to ensure that our processes model and match Footwear Development standards for product excellence. You are the key point of contact for our factory partners and ensure that communication during the product development process is clear and accurate.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for a Lead Developer, Footwear Express Lane in the Asia-Pacific & Latin America (APLA) to be an integral part of the APLA Express Lane Footwear Team, converting project briefs and 2D design CADs into actual product that serves our fast-moving consumers.  We are looking for candidates that are self-led, entrepreneurial, problem-solvers, and teammates that will contribute to our amazing team culture. We want passionate product creators who obsess product craft, push the boundaries of creation capabilities, all while moving with decisive speed.

The role reports to the Geo Express Lane (GEL) organization. The GEL team's purpose is to create inspiring products tailored to specific geographic consumers, capturing fast-moving trends and serving consumers with local executions for greater relevance and immediacy. We aim to amplify and incubate new ideas while driving and extending our consumer favorites. The focus of this role is creating inspiring product on a faster timeline and to serve consumers of a specific marketplace.  We are looking for someone who represents our values of authentic, accountable, collaborative, and courageous. This candidate should be looking to grow and challenge themselves and able to act independently and be self-driven.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Industrial Design, Engineering, Physical Sciences, or equivalent education and experience
• 6+ years of experience in Footwear Development or Engineering across diverse styles and sports
• Deep understanding of footwear creation tools and processes, including lasts, patterns, materials, tooling, costing, testing, and manufacturing
• Proven ability to lead product initiatives and strategy across footwear divisions
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, adept at engaging cross-functional teams and senior leadership
• Skilled in tailoring messaging to audience needs, balancing detail and clarity
• Highly organized, resilient, and adaptable to shifting priorities and ambiguity
• Collaborative leadership style that builds trust and empowers teams
• Knowledge of production planning, forecasting, and scheduling for timely, high-quality delivery
• Willingness to travel up to 10%

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

This role will be based in Seoul, Korea and part of a new extension of the APLA Express Lane Team. As a Lead Footwear Developer, you will help drive and lead our end to end (E2E) product creation process, including sampling and prototyping. You partner with WHQ to align and evolve processes that lead to on-time product confirmation and sample delivery. You'll execute development according to critical dates and performance/profitability goals. You'll ensure manufacturability of product concepts and utilize footwear knowledge and instruments to effectively and appropriately achieve project designs. You will recommend and specify material, component and construction options to meet key features and product performance goals. In addition, you'll engage in all phases of the product process to ensure projects are completed on time, can be commercialized, manufactured, while meeting design intent performance, costing and sustainability goals.