WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH

The candidate will report directly to the Korea Innovation Director of Product Development, located in Busan, Korea. They will work alongside Innovation leadership to identify and drive key initiatives that strengthen the organization. They will also work with individual contributors with expertise in various engineering disciplines, including Tooling, Pattern, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Costing, Sustainability, Knit Engineering, Robotics, Process Optimization, and Product Development. Primarily, the candidate will collaborate with Nike and its manufacturing partner teams in Korea, while also having opportunities to work with teams across Asia and the USA.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

NIKE, Inc. is searching for a curious and driven Principal Innovator, NXT Footwear to join their team in Busan, South Korea. The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience and a thorough understanding of Footwear Development & Manufacturing processes as experts level program leaders. They should also be adept at thinking outside the box to develop innovative solutions that streamline manufacturing and enhance performance and footwear fit. A self-starter, flexible thinker, and effective communicator, the candidate must be comfortable working cross-functionally and capable of influencing diverse personalities and perspectives. These skills are essential for collaborating across the Innovation team and various functions within Nike's matrixed organization to resolve complex issues. Proficiency in program leadership, an innovation mindset, data-driven decision-making, creativity, and the ability to challenge conventional methods are highly valued.

• Bachelor's degree in an Business, Design, Engineering, or related field with a minimum of 8 years of experience in footwear product development, engineering or manufacturing.
• In addition to skills in program leadership, effective communication, material knowledge, fundamentals in footwear manufacturing, and understanding of footwear testing, we look for candidates who are strong team players, creative problem solvers, agile learners, strategic mindset and people leaders who can work through ambiguity and competing priorities to successfully deliver results.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple development work streams simultaneously.
• Experience in using software in Microsoft Office, Adobe, 3D viewer, Air Table, Miro etc.
• Demonstrated verbal and written English communication and storytelling skills to clearly articulate goals and objectives and facilitate meetings. Proven storytelling and influencing skills to engage and influence others, create impact, drive consensus, and align stakeholders.

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON

As a Principal Innovator, you will be responsible to:

• Navigate ambiguity and deliver disruptive innovations that bring new performance benefits within our goals for performance, manufacturability, cost, and sustainability.
• Be the connective voice across multi-functional teams from WHQ, development centers, and manufacturing centers.
• Work with these multi-functional teams to drive product and process excellence from initial idea to into physical samples, inclusive of performance and manufacturing validation, while maintaining the vision and design intent.
• Collaborate with product development, functional engineering, material and chemical teams to commercialize product innovations.
• Collaborate with engineers and visual communicators to create comprehensive presentations and documentation.
• Develop, lead, and implement high-profile program development initiatives and processes.
• Drive new initiatives and contribute to the development of NXT FW strategy.