Lead Designer, Speed Apparel Color Design, Global Jordan

Nike•Beaverton, OR

About The Position

This role brings color design, creative problem-solving, and exceptional product craft to focused, high-priority opportunities across Jordan apparel. You will report to the Senior Director, Speed Design, Global Jordan and collaborate closely with a multidisciplinary design team across apparel, footwear, color, materials, graphics, print, and digital design. You will also partner with Product Management, Merchandising, Color/Material/Trim Development, Technical Development, Innovation, and other cross-functional teams to turn opportunities into compelling product solutions. We are looking for a Lead Apparel Color Designer who combines strong color expertise with curiosity, adaptability, and a highly collaborative approach. You can move confidently through ambiguity, frame the creative challenge, and translate consumer, cultural, sport, and marketplace insights into clear color direction and exceptional product. You are a hands-on designer and strategic thinker who can shift between exploration and execution. You build strong narratives, invite diverse perspectives early, challenge ideas constructively, and align teams around a focused creative direction. You bring urgency without compromising craft, quality, or the integrity of the final product.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Design or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
Minimum 4-6 years of technically challenging color design experience, preferably within apparel, sport, footwear, or consumer product.
Advanced understanding of color theory, palette building, color mixing, compatibility, placement, and application across apparel collections.
Strong knowledge of apparel design and development processes, including materials, trims, graphics, print, and product construction.
Ability to translate consumer, cultural, sport, competitive, and marketplace insights into original color concepts and product stories.
Experience creating high-quality color mood boards, seasonal narratives, presentation tools, and detailed color specifications.
Strong visual, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to present creative direction to diverse and senior audiences.
Ability to identify the core creative problem, develop focused responses, work independently, and know when to engage or elevate partners.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines, influence without authority, and use internal and external resources effectively.
Comfort working across changing priorities, accelerated timelines, and new or undefined spaces while maintaining attention to detail.
A deep passion for sport, culture, design, and the Jordan consumer.
Submit a color focused portfolio (PDF or URL with password provided if applicable)

Responsibilities

Develop original color palettes, color narratives, and product-specific color solutions that connect to the Jordan consumer and strengthen the overall product expression.
Apply color across apparel line art and product concepts with precision, balancing storytelling, commercial relevance, and design intent.
Research and synthesize consumer behavior, cultural signals, sport insights, market trends, competitive products, materials, and color direction.
Partner with designers across disciplines to explore, make, test, learn, and refine ideas quickly while protecting product quality and craft.
Translate broad or ambiguous opportunities into clear creative briefs, visual direction, and actionable product recommendations.
Build compelling presentations, mood boards, prototypes, and storytelling tools that help teams evaluate possibilities and make informed decisions.
Collaborate with Product Management, Merchandising, Development, and Innovation partners to ensure creative solutions are relevant, feasible, and executable.
Contribute color expertise beyond a single category or project, sharing learning and helping strengthen future ways of working.
Manage multiple workstreams and communicate progress, decisions, risks, and required inputs with clarity.
Deliver exceptional product at pace. The speed of the process should never lower the standard of the outcome.