Altra: Footwear Developer

VF Corporation•Denver, CO

2d•$86,400 - $108,000

About The Position

The Footwear Developer will be responsible for driving the development, engineering, fit, margin adherence and specifications for new and existing Footwear from Final Design Review to Commercialization with a focus on Project based management. Drive footwear product development from seasonal kickoff to confirmation for production. You will be responsible for collaborating with and supporting overall footwear cross-functional teams to create best in class performance footwear. You will do this by focusing on footwear best practices/standards, fit and comfort, providing technical solutions, building product at cost and ensuring product quality.

Requirements

Self-driven and able to independently manage products through the Development cycle
Detail oriented with strong project management, organizational, work ethic and teamwork skills
Strong problem solving and decision-making skills
Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
Demonstrates a complete understanding of the development process from brief hand-off to production
Demonstrates a complete understanding of tooling processes including 2D/3D CAD and CAM processes
Demonstrates a complete understanding of materials, pattern engineering, tooling processes and mold construction
Demonstrates a complete understanding of product categories, materials, and product development cycle
Competent in Adobe Illustrator, Product Management/Development systems and Microsoft Office program suite

Nice To Haves

4+ years of experience and professional achievements
Formal education in a related field is great to have
Contributes to and leads special/long-term projects as they arise

Responsibilities

Manage the development of products from kickoff to production ensuring triad adherence to the product creation calendar milestones through pro-active follow ups.
Initiate and lead meetings with product teams during various phases of development to review, evaluate, update and ultimately drive the decision-making process that leads to on time Buy Ready and achieves margin goals.
Confirm final development samples on time and ensure samples meet expected quality and accuracy standards.
Manage retention and storage of samples in coordination with the Commercialization Manager.
Work with VF Asia Development and factory Costing, Development, Engineering and Manufacturing teams to identify and leverage potential manufacturing efficiencies to drive reduced product cost.
Evaluation and review of tooling including but not limited to reading 2D blueprints, reviewing 3D CADs and printing 3D components for physical review prior to approval to opening sample molds.
Collaborate with VFA Asia development and the Materials Developer to recommend materials and provide technical expertise on constructions that meet Design intent without risking product integrity/quality, while meeting or exceeding gross margin targets.
Provide the Commercialization Manager and Senior Product Developer product information needed to execute the wear testing of their projects from early prototypes to final confirmed sample testing.
Collaborates with design team on the creation of technical packages (CADs, Shell Patterns, Tooling Artwork, Product Details, etc) which are used to build BOMs/specifications in Flex PLM.
Publish the complete tech pack to factories and VFA development and maintain all records, files and samples associated with the products development.
Ensure execution of fit through clear analysis, documentation, communication, adherence to fit standards, and partnering with the US Commercialization Manager, VF Asia Development and Commercialization teams.
Address quality issues as they arise and collaborate with the US product team, VF Asia Product Supply, Quality Assurance, Marketing, Planning and Sales to ensure the accuracy and integrity of all product performance claims.
Attend VF Asia collaborative meetings with Development, Global Material Sourcing and Global Product Costing.
Perform these and other duties as assigned.