Lead Designer, Kids Footwear Product Design, Global Jordan

Nike•Beaverton, OR

About The Position

The Lead Designer will lead and develop seasonal design concepts for Jordan Kids Footwear, creating innovative products from concept through final design. The role spans the Jordan Kids Footwear landscape, including sport performance and sport lifestyle, and requires translating consumer knowledge, cultural insights, and creative direction into compelling product solutions for young athletes, consumers, and communities. Working with the Jordan Kids Footwear Design team, the Product Director, Kids, and category Product Management partners, the designer will contribute to footwear across running, basketball, training, classics, modern lifestyle, and sandals. The role champions culturally connected design, product integrity, innovation, quality, and performance, while developing future-forward trends and seasonal creative direction. The designer will collaborate on research, insights, and problem-solving related to style, performance, manufacturing, cost, and accessibility; engage with young athletes and consumers; and develop a broad range of creative solutions. They will participate in and present work at informal and formal design reviews, driving concepts from early exploration through execution. The role also calls for positive team contribution, cross-functional collaboration, and an interest in mentoring fellow designers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design or a related field; a suitable combination of education, experience, and training will also be accepted.
5–7 years of relevant experience designing and developing innovative footwear and other products.
Previous footwear design experience.
Ability to create accurate 2D technical drawings and tech packs.
Ability to translate consumer knowledge and insights into meaningful product solutions and narratives.
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and comfort working in new digital spaces.
Strong sketching, illustration, and rendering skills.
Solid knowledge of footwear manufacturing processes and materials.
Ability to generate a broad range of concepts and solutions for each project.
Experience with presentation programs including Keynote, PowerPoint, and Acrobat.
Positive, collaborative approach and ability to build connections across design and cross-functional partners.
Interest in mentoring and supporting fellow designers.
Ability to listen, receive candid feedback, consider diverse points of view, and speak up with courage.

Nice To Haves

Performance footwear design experience.
3D design skills using Gravity Sketch, Rhino, Blender, or other 3D software.
Cobbling and prototyping skills.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop seasonal design concepts for Jordan Kids Footwear.
Create footwear design solutions across sport performance and sport lifestyle, including running, basketball, training, classics, modern lifestyle, and sandals.
Work with the Product Director, Kids, and category Product Management partners to create footwear across Jordan Kids.
Lead or participate in Brand and Footwear initiatives from design through execution.
Champion culturally connected design, product integrity, innovation, quality, and product performance.
Bring seasonal creative direction, future-forward trends, and innovation to life through Kids Footwear design.
Collaborate with project teammates on research, insights, and problem-solving around style, performance, and manufacturing.
Engage with young athletes and consumers and develop creative solutions that consider cost and accessibility.
Participate in and present work during informal and formal design reviews, helping move concepts from early exploration through execution.
Contribute to a strong, collaborative team environment and support or mentor fellow designers.