Altra: Footwear Designer II

VF • Denver, CO

239d • $96,768 - $120,960

About The Position

At Altra, we are on a never-ending journey to seek out opportunities to unlock potential in ourselves and others and to create a more diverse and inclusive runningmunity. When we're all working together as the best versions of ourselves, we can feel empowered both individually and as a community. The Footwear Designer II will play a critical role in generating functional and aesthetically appropriate footwear for the Athletic, Outdoor, and Casual categories. This position involves participating in the creative direction for all footwear design projects, maintaining consistent and relevant design language, and providing industry insight and recommendations in creating elite technical products that align with the merchandising vision and overall brand strategy. The designer will work alongside innovative leaders to create footwear that pushes boundaries and challenges old paradigms to innovate and discover solutions for Altra customers.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in footwear design
• Strong knowledge of foot anatomy
• Knowledge of how to design with biomechanics in mind
• Skilled in art direction and production, visual design, motion design, and experiential design
• Excellent rendering and presentation skills
• High level of materials knowledge
• In-depth experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop)
• Sound understanding of footwear manufacturing processes and technologies
• Ability to read and generate blueprints and tech packs
• ATHLETIC and ACTIVE technical footwear design experience

Nice To Haves

• Experience or interest in running
• Knowledge of 3D software such as SolidWorks, Rhino, Keyshot, Modo

Responsibilities

• Daily management of assigned projects and workload
• Liaison with other departments including Development, Marketing, and Sales
• Coordinate design deadlines to ensure on-time delivery of design projects
• Participate in product strategy meetings to ensure competitive product design and successful products for the Altra brand
• Develop concepts and creative strategies that fulfill objectives of category, concept, briefs
• Collaborate with cross-functional team members to ensure consumer and brand focus
• Participate in creation of short-term and long-term creative direction strategies
• Identify opportunities for improvement and change, and initiate own proposals/projects
• Seek out new design resources, materials, and technologies to assist in the development of leading-edge products
• Partner with Marketing and Product Line Manager to develop and sharpen briefs and lead collaborative idea generation with cross-functional teams
• Translate briefs and marketing plans into creative concepts that are clearly articulated in mood boards, interactive prototypes, then develop presentations and storytelling vehicles to socialize and gain buy-in on ideas
• Learn new skills and stay abreast of technical and digital design developments and successfully apply these to work practices
• Verbally present concepts and design solutions to mid and senior level managers
• Manage multiple projects, with sensitivity to department priorities and deadlines
• Willingness and ability to travel to sourcing countries (China) to drive team projects
• Perform other duties as required/assigned by manager

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) plan
• Extensive development and growth opportunities
• Competitive compensation package

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Apparel Manufacturing
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree