Become a Part of the NIKE, Inc. Team
NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It’s a place where passionate individuals come together to create the future of sport. We are unapologetic about who we are and what we’re after—bringing innovation and inspiration to every athlete* in the world. We look for athletes who can push boundaries, elevate our potential and continue leading us to greatness. The next tastemakers, playmakers, risk takers and glue players. Are you game?
At Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI), we deliver on Nike's most daring dream: giving every athlete the unparalleled sensation of walking on air. Since Nike introduced the Air sole in 1979, no technology has become more synonymous with Nike than Air. Our teams engineer, make, and perfect Nike's most advanced footwear components. Masters of teamwork, we challenge assumptions in order to get faster, drive efficiency and fine-tune technology to deliver quality performance plastic. At our state-of-the-art facilities located globally, Air MI is taking Air to places that we never thought possible.
WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH
As a Lead Product Development Engineer, the candidate will join the Design Engineering team at Air Manufacturing Innovation as an individual contributor and report to the Senior Manager, Global Design and Development. The role influences technical outcomes across the function without people management authority. The Lead collaborates with Tooling, Manufacturing Engineering, and Manufacturing Operations, Materials, Project Management, Supply Chain, and other partners, and provides technical coaching to Engineer I and Engineer II teammates.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for a Lead Product Development Engineer to join engineers commercializing and manufacturing Nike Air products. This individual contributor role works cross functionally on new products, processes, materials, and continuous improvement while helping less experienced engineers grow their technical skills.
The candidate needs deep expertise in project management, product development, tool design, materials, and machine safety, plus the ability to influence peers and partners without formal authority. The ideal candidate guides Engineer I and Engineer II teammates on methods and priorities, drives alignment on complex work, and communicates clearly to senior stakeholders. This role has no direct people leadership responsibilities: no performance management, staffing decisions, or team management
What You Bring:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering or other manufacturing related degree, or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training
- Minimum 6 years of related manufacturing experience within a high-volume manufacturing production environment
- Proficiency using CAD for complex product and tooling design. CAD Automation experience is strongly preferred
- Experience using PDM software configuration and in depth understanding of revision control. Teamcenter experience is preferable
- Experience with programming languages for scripting and developing applications for NX Open API sets you apart
- Rhino/Grasshopper experience is preferred
- Validated project management skills and proven ability to influence cross-functional partners without formal authority
- Great teamwork and communication skills; proven ability to coach Engineer I and Engineer II engineers on technical work
- Experience with Six Sigma Tools, Lean Manufacturing methods, and industrial equipment safety is preferred
- A demonstrated understanding of fabrication and tolerancing for machined and additive tooling
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally on occasion
WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON
You will deliver complex part and tooling design while influencing how the team works, without managing people. You will coach Engineer I and Engineer II engineers, drive computational design practices, and partner across Air MI to align technical priorities on your programs and shared team initiatives.
- Lead part and tooling design for new product development and continuous improvement programs
- Drive computational design best practices and contribute to design and tooling operational excellence
- Guide Engineer I and Engineer II engineers on CAD, PDM, tolerancing, and technical problem solving (coaching, not people management)
- Collaborate with Tooling, Manufacturing Engineering, and Manufacturing Operations, Materials, Project Management, Supply Chain, and other partners to align tasks, projects, and technical decisions
- Support development of new Air products and daily manufacturing operations
- Solve problems using limited information and implement solutions while anticipating downstream impacts
- Contribute to documenting and maintaining standard work instructions for the design team
- Influence Air MI partners and leaders on project direction through technical expertise and relationship building, not formal authority
- Use a collaborative approach to build alignment on tough technical and organizational topics (escalate people decisions to people managers)
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.
OUR HIRING GAME PLAN
01 Apply
Our teams are made up of diverse skillsets, knowledge bases, inputs, ideas and backgrounds. We want you to find your fit – review job descriptions, departments and teams to discover the role for you.
02 Meet a Recruiter or Take an Assessment
If selected for a corporate role, a recruiter will reach out to start your interview process and be your main contact throughout the process. For retail roles, you’ll complete an interactive assessment that includes a chat and quizzes and takes about 10-20 minutes to complete. No matter the role, we want to learn about you – the whole you – so don’t shy away from how you approach world-class service and what makes you unique.
03 Interview
Go into this stage confident by doing your research, understanding what we are looking for and being prepared for questions that are set up to learn more about you, and your background.