Director, Core Studio Color Design

Nike•Beaverton, OR

About The Position

The Director, Core Studio Color Design leads the color design direction and seasonal strategy for Core Footwear. The role combines creative direction, consumer and trend insight, color innovation, and product execution to build an emotional connection to footwear across performance, lifestyle, and solar product. The Director defines the future look of Core through color and develops cohesive color visions that bring together Nike innovation, athlete insights, and the Core consumer journey. The Director sets seasonal direction with Core Footwear design and materials leaders, develops narratives and palettes, and works with cross-functional partners to ensure color, materials, and product tell a compelling and consistent story. The role partners with innovation, materials development, vendors, merchandising, brand, and product teams to deliver culturally relevant products and support product and marketing success. The Director leads and develops a team of designers and has responsibility for performance management, pay, resourcing, succession planning, and hiring-related decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Design or a related field, or a suitable combination of education, experience, or training.
10+ years of relevant working experience in color design.
Ability to mentor staff, create development opportunities, make hiring decisions, and drive performance management, recognition, and rewards.
Ability to build seasonal concepts and explore color innovations, technologies, ideas, and short- and long-term vision.
Ability to translate consumer knowledge and insights into narratives and product executions.
Strong communication and relationship leadership skills.
Strong knowledge of fashion, design, youth culture, and current and past trends.
Clear, concise, and thoughtful presentation and communication style, with strong verbal and written skills.
Ability to present insights and seasonal concepts to small and large groups, including executive leaders and external partners or customers.
Passion for storytelling and the ability to translate narratives onto physical product.
Interest in sport culture, athlete insights, and street-style trends.
Ability to conduct in-depth research on athlete insights to drive innovative design solutions.
Ability to create and deliver presentations of seasonal design proposals that communicate concepts to internal and external audiences.
Ability to self-manage and lead a team through change and ambiguity.
High proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop) and Keynote on a Mac platform.
Positive mentality and proven ability to adapt to changing business needs while maintaining creative quality.
Passion for the Athlete, Sport, and Culture.

Nice To Haves

Two years in a management or leadership role preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead Core Expression color design direction and seasonal design strategy in partnership with the Material Director counterpart and Core Footwear Senior Director.
Build seasonal narratives and end-in-mind ideas that are culturally and consumer relevant.
Develop and deliver a strategic seasonal color palette that inspires and guides the Core materials team.
Create collections integrating street fashion, art, culture, and sports.
Partner with category design, merchandising, and brand teams to ensure consistency and authenticity.
Drive cross-category alignment between statement and core counterparts to support a cohesive Nike brand appearance.
Partner in “Bluesky” and longer lead-time development of opportunities in texture, finish, and graphic.
Identify new opportunities and translate them into consumer-relevant design direction.
Mentor and develop a high-performing team of designers and cross-functional collaborators.
Set seasonal direction with the Senior Design Director of Core Footwear and Footwear Materials Design Director, and oversee its execution for new creation model and seasonal expression footwear.
Collaborate with Innovation, Footwear Material, and Product Design teams to formulate ideas with impact on product, consumer, and brand.
Provide color solutions that support product and marketing success, including trend research, seasonal color palette selection, and application of color to product.
Plan and execute product color details, review samples, troubleshoot achievability issues, and communicate changes to support timely project completion.
Manage and provide input into succession planning and segmentation activities.
Make or contribute to performance management, pay, and resourcing decisions for direct and indirect reports.