Lead Materials Designer, Energy - Converse
About The Position
The Lead Materials Designer, Energy will be part of the Converse Global Trend & Expression Design team, working at the intersection of trend, material innovation & craftsmanship, global sport wear and fashion culture. This role collaborates closely with cross-functional partners across Footwear Design, Color Design, Graphic Design, Product Marketing, and Footwear & Material Development to deliver industry-leading product expressions. The role involves researching trend insights on an ongoing basis to inform and drive the seasonal creative direction, as well as the material design vision for Energy, partnering closely with the category director to bring expression concepts to life through material design, veneering & innovation. The role reports directly to the Senior Manager, Materials & Graphic Design Global. The ideal candidate is an independent creative leader with a strong point of view on material innovation, consumer needs, cultural relevance, and footwear material design and construction. Through ongoing research, deep consumer connection, and a strong understanding of fashion industry trends, this designer balances the art and science of material design and trend forecasting to identify meaningful patterns that inform global direction. They thrive on solving complex design challenges, translating insights into compelling product narratives and material solutions that elevate the consumer experience, deliver both performance benefit and emotional connection, and bring a keen eye for detail to premium expressions on existing silhouettes. The role involves leading the curation and development of innovative material concepts across key collaborator and licensing lifestyle products, spanning the full product creation journey from concept development and material storytelling through commercialization and manufacturing execution. Materials created will address consumer needs while elevating product expression through texture, finish, construction, and innovation. A typical day may include trend research, material concept development, cross functional team collaboration, sample reviews, prototype evaluations, narrative development, and cross-functional working sessions with design and development teams.
Requirements
- 4+ years of relevant experience in material design, textile design, footwear design, or a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.
- Demonstrates a deep understanding of fashion trends, footwear and fashion culture, consumer insights, and lifestyle product creation
- Has experience developing innovative material concepts from ideation through commercialization
- Translates consumer insights into compelling narratives and product solutions
- Understands how manufacturing processes can unlock new opportunities for material innovation
- Demonstrates strong craftsmanship through material exploration, sample creation, and prototyping
- Operates as a proactive and highly collaborative partner across functions
- Is highly organized, self-directed, and able to effectively prioritize across multiple work streams
- Thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
- Brings a passion for sustainability, innovation, and the future of sport
- Must submit a design portfolio that demonstrates excellence in material design, textile design, footwear design, or related product design disciplines
Responsibilities
- Create original, industry-leading material concepts for lifestyle footwear collections
- Develop material trend insights into seasonal narratives, consumer insights, and product performance goals
- Translate consumer, athlete, and cultural insights into innovative material solutions
- Explore and implement new material constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques
- Build and refine material palettes that elevate product expression across multiple franchises and product tiers
- Partner with Design, Colour, Graphics, and Development teams to ensure cohesive product storytelling
- Collaborate directly with manufacturing partners to achieve material quality, feasibility, and execution excellence
- Create, evaluate, and refine physical prototypes, mock-ups, and material samples
- Drive innovation through material exploration while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability goals
- Contribute to both immediate seasonal product creation and long-term material innovations
- Lead presentations and communicate design intent to internal and external stakeholders
- Influence and align cross-functional teams around material strategy and creative direction
Benefits
- Information about benefits can be found here.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
