WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

This is a creative design and management opportunity reporting to the NA Footwear Design Director and involves working directly with the NA Footwear Design Team including Color, Graphic and Material teammates and the NA Footwear Product Management and Development teams. The Footwear Color & Material Design Manager will also collaborate with Apparel counterparts to concept head-to-toe Footwear and Apparel expressions. The candidate will work with other Geo Express Lane Design counterparts in the other Geographies, as well as Global Material, Color and Graphics designers. They will also be accountable to Express Lane Design and Business Leadership, Nike Creative Leadership, and Nike Business stakeholders.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for a Footwear Color & Material Design Manager, who will lead Color & Material Expression Excellence with a team of Color & Material Designers across various NA Consumers in Sport & Lifestyle business opportunities. They are great collaborators who will work also with a cross-functional team of design, product management, and development partners. They hold partnership, diversity of thought and concept exploration at the center of their creative and team values. The ideal candidate is a creative who understands how to inspire a creative vision and influence a team to deliver story and style. Through Color and Material Design and narrative on Footwear product, this role will create industry leading Footwear designs that connect with local Athletes*. The Footwear Color & Material Manager will be a versatile creative problem solver who can manage multiple workstreams, excels under tight deadlines, has a strong understanding of sport, emerging design and fashion trends, and extensive knowledge of footwear construction, color theory, material creation and trims to create highly covetable product that connects to the consumer in their local market. They have an eye for detail and motivation to craft premium product. This Design Manager will be an active and energetic participant in the creative process, an inspiring leader and Color & Material specialist. They will have excellent cross-functional communication skills, and experience in presenting design concepts to internal and external audiences and executing complex deliverables in a fast-paced environment.

Experience:

• TO BE CONSIDERED, YOU MUST SUBMIT A CREATIVE DESIGN PORTFOLIO. PLEASE PROVIDE WEBSITE LINKS OR ATTACH PDF FILES WHEN YOU APPLY
• +7 years relevant work experience in Color Design, Material Design, Graphic Design, Product Design in agency or in-house setting.
• BA/BFA/MA/MFA preferred in graphic design, fashion design, industrial design, material design, textile design or a related field or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Foundational understanding of Footwear construction, color and material and trim development, schematic development and tech pack creation
• Understanding and ability to create Footwear Color & Material concepts that coordinate with a holistic head-to-toe design expression
• Strong leadership skills with ability to mentor and inspire other functional designers
• Effective communicator and collaborator with cross-functional partners
• Strategic thinker that can organize and inspire creative initiatives, and influence others
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and timelines

• Passion for the Sport, Culture and Fashion
• Connection to contemporary art & design and streetwear trends
• Strong passion for research and gathering trend, cultural and market insights, and ability to translate consumer and Athlete* insights into thoughtful narratives and graphic storytelling
• Proven ability to create concepts, iterate and collaborate with a multi-disciplinary product and creative team in a fast-paced environment
• Creates Color and Material designs that are industry leading, trend right and that consistently incorporate consumer/athlete insights through powerful storytelling, emotional connectivity and relevance
• Produces presentation materials in conjunction with design and category teams that effectively communicate the concept behind the line for internal and external audiences
• Proficient ability to apply and perform color and graphic design skills, including drawing/sketching, typography, ideation, color theory, use of texture, spacing, and scale, visual presentation development and layout that is supported by a portfolio of non-computer-based creative art and graphic design
• Uses advanced design skills to create original color, material and/or textile designs that appropriately reflect Nike Brand design ethos
• Computer literate using Mac platforms with a high digital design acumen in design-based software (Creative Suite)
• Experience with 3D and AI Design tools is not required, but is a plus

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

If this is you, you will be leading a Footwear Color & Material team in creating strategic Footwear Expression Color & Material best-practices and execute unique color and material designs that enhance collections across Men’s, Women’s and Kids Footwear product on a seasonal basis. This will include setting distinct color and material palette direction in conjunction with the FW Design Director, crafting hyperlocal narratives in the voice of the Nike Brand, and executing highly crafted expressions on footwear product. As a highly experienced Footwear Expression Designer, they will mentor and manage a team of Graphic Designers to support Footwear Color & Graphic Design for the NA Express Lane business. The Footwear Color & Material Design Manager will work closely with Product Management teams to build engaging trend and sport-driven narratives that meet the needs of target consumers, and partner regularly with Development teams to develop palettes, communicate design intent, help with schematic creation and review and workshop prototypes. The ideal candidate will also be responsible for managing and designing presentation materials and presenting concepts to internal and external partners, teams and leadership.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.