Generative AI Lead Designer

Nike•Beaverton, OR

About The Position

Nike's Design Generative Studio is exploring the future of footwear design at the intersection of creativity and AI technology. You'll partner with world-class designers and engineers globally, reporting to the Generative Studio leadership. Your work will directly impact design teams worldwide as you help build and implement AI-augmented workflows that empower our creative community. You'll collaborate closely with AI/ML engineers, footwear designers, and global technology teams to help transform how Nike approaches product creation.

Requirements

4–5 years of experience in design, with clear steps toward creative technology and tool-building
Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Architecture, Fashion Design, or a related creative discipline. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training
Hands-on experience with node-based, visual coding environments for generative AI creative tooling, and a track record of building custom workflows within them
Solid working knowledge of 2D and 3D design workflows and software, with an understanding of footwear design principles (or the ability to quickly pick this up)
Awareness of additive manufacturing and 3D printing, and how AI-generated concepts can move into physical prototypes.
Portfolio showing both creative output and technical/tool-building work

Nice To Haves

experience with spatial computing (AR/VR)
web development for rapid prototyping
active participation in the AI/design community

Responsibilities

Build and refine AI-augmented workflows that fit naturally into our creative process.
Create custom tools and support adoption across the design community.
Contribute to defining a new creative discipline at Nike.
Partner with footwear designers to understand existing 2D and 3D creative workflows, and identify high-value opportunities for AI augmentation.
Design and prototype clean, modern generative AI workflows using node-based visual coding environments, tailored to footwear design challenges.
Collaborate with global AI/ML engineers to accelerate the development and deployment of generative AI solutions.
Act as a link between creative and engineering teams and translating design needs into technical requirements.
Help scale prototypes from proof-of-concept toward enterprise-grade tools that serve designers worldwide.
Support AI adoption by contributing to training materials, workshops, and demonstrations.
Stay close to developments in generative AI, evaluating and integrating new models and techniques.
Help build a culture of experimentation on the team.
Share learnings and best practices across the organization.
Provide hands-on support to design teams during key moments such as Creative Launch, Creative Direction Week, and other design reviews.