Designer II, Innovation Footwear Design
Brooks Running · US, Washington, Seattle ·
- Work mode
- Onsite
- Category
- Design
- Experience
- 4+ years
- Salary
- USD 104,217 – 156,325 / year
Designs innovative performance footwear through sketches and blueprints, collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop athlete-driven products and manufacturing processes.
Who We Are:
At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.
Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.
Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:
- Runner First
- We act in the best interest of the runner
- Word is Bond
- We do what we say we’ll do
- Champion Heart
- We give our all in everything we do
- There is no “I” in Run
- We stay generous with our humanity
- Keep Moving
- We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!
We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.
Your Job:
As a Brooks Designer II, Innovation Footwear Designer, you will execute with high design quality playing a key role in shaping the future of running footwear. You will drive innovation and elite athlete projects by delivering creative solutions to athlete-driven performance needs. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary innovation team focused on creating products that elevate athlete performance and fuel the future of the Brooks footwear pipeline, while also delivering the AESTHETIC READINESS of Brooks Running inline footwear product.
In this role, you will execute the DESIGN VISION by collaborating with Senior Designers and cross-functional partners to translate early-stage innovation concepts into tangible footwear designs. You will design with empathy for Brooks ELITE ATHLETES and runners, informing next-generation platforms, tools, and product ideas through thoughtful execution and iteration. You will design within the creative foundation CRAFTED BEAUTY – PERFORMANCE EXPRESSIONS, to keep the connection to the runner’s experience across Fit, Feel, and Ride, while maintaining brand direction and appropriate aesthetic appeal for a targeted consumer.
As a Designer II, Innovation Footwear Designer, you will partner closely with your teammates to bring idea and concept generation to support the innovation of shoe making methods and future manufacturing. In addition, you will work on projects in close partnership with the Advanced Research & Development Team ensuring that innovation concepts and solutions can be delivered at scale to our consumer whilst ensuring the integrity of the innovation.
As a Designer II, Innovation Footwear Designer, your role will deliver clear design communication to the Product Line Management Team, the Product Development Team, the Color & Trend team, and the Product Assessment Team. With your strong professional experience in designing footwear, you will play a supporting role within the footwear design team to ensure that Brooks is the most LOVED brand for runners worldwide.
Your Responsibilities:
DESIGN
- Create with high design quality key product designs of performance footwear by producing and presenting upper, midsole, and outsole sketches and tooling blueprints.
- Ensure that all product design meets organizational standards of quality, function/technology, and project timelines from concept through go-to-market - where it applies.
- Present briefs/concepts and CRAFTED BEAUTY – PERFORMANCE EXPRESSIONS design direction with your POV on story-telling, color, material, and finishes to grow the appeal of Brooks Running footwear.
- Partner with 3D / Computational Designers to increase the clarity and fidelity of design concepts.
- Deliver ideas and solutions answering the design brief, that potentially inform next-generation platforms and product ideas for the Brooks footwear pipeline. Participate in design reviews and presentations, contributing thoughtful input and clearly communicating design intent.
- Organize and deliver product design presentations, both physical and digital work including exploratory process, using your evaluation, judgement, and interpretation to select the right course of action.
- Respond to design critique with multiple design solutions.
CROSS TEAM COLLABORATION
- Collaborate closely with Senior Designers, Innovation teammates, and cross-functional partners including Run Research Lab, Engineering, Development, and Product Line and Product Operations Management.
- Partner and collaborate with the Advanced Design Team to ensure successful implementation of innovation projects.
- Collaborate with Inline Design and Color, Material & Trend teams to ensure strong alignment and integration of innovation product pipelines.
- Participate in innovation workshops, research activities, and prototype reviews, supporting the use of deep runner insights from the Run Research Lab.
- Learn from and seek mentorship from senior designers to continue developing technical and creative skills
- Work closely with the development teams in Asia and our oversea production sites.
ACCOUNTABILITY
- Manage calendar/timelines/deadlines that result in a timely completion of each project.
- Use your design knowledge to partner with your product teammates.
- Apply a curious mindset to problem solving, proposing multiple design options as concepts evolve.
- Build foundational knowledge of footwear prototyping methods, materials, and manufacturing processes.
- Knowledge of prototyping and ability to use handmade models to demonstrate proof of ideas.
- Conduct visits to our factories and material suppliers to gain insights and continue to grow a high level of understanding of the footwear manufacturing process.
- Travel as necessary to Asia, Europe, trade shows, races, retailers, or other external events.
Qualifications:
- 4 year college or university degree in industrial, graphics, apparel or footwear design, equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be substituted for degree
- 5+ years of experience producing color/material/textile programs and future vision in a retail/manufacturing environment.
- Thorough knowledge of art and design with clear understanding of visual design or any design related environment
- Proven experience supporting and executing vision and strategy
- Ability to understand design concepts and think conceptually
- Ability to understand design conceptually across product categories
- Ability to produce designs that meet category needs and commercial opportunities
- Ability to operate in a fast pace, ever changing work environment
- Ability to build and foster relationships in a team environment. This position requires employee to engage with many stakeholders, as well as support various information flows and relationships
- Ability and desire to push themselves, others, and the brand forward.
- Ability to support and collaborate with key business partners
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all the pieces fit together and affect one another.
- Demonstration of innovation and initiative – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and execute wherever necessary.
- Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
- Mastery with Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop
- Competent using Apple Mac Operating system
- Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.)
- 3D not required, but a plus
- Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
- Travel 10% (Domestically/Internationally)
At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.