Lead Product Development Engineer, Materials, Air MI

Nike • Beaverton, OR

1d

About The Position

The Lead Product Development Engineer, Materials works within the AirMI Materials Engineering organization, driving end to end innovation and manufacturing excellence in our extrusion business. This highly collaborative role partners with production, new product development, operations, and quality teams to solve problems, accelerate innovation, and deliver practical solutions that elevate manufacturing performance globally. We are looking for an experienced plastics process engineer with deep expertise in sheet extrusion who can lead materials, process and equipment innovation and manufacturing for AirMI. This individual excels at experimental design, root-cause analysis, and developing creative, data-driven solutions that advance both innovation and daily manufacturing performance. In this role, the ideal candidate elevates team capability through mentorship, cross-functional partnership, and clear communication. They thrive in ambiguity, set clear plans from loosely defined goals, and drive alignment across manufacturing, maintenance, safety, quality, and product development teams. As the Lead Materials Product Development Engineer on the Beaverton AirMI Extrusion team, you will drive materials innovation, commercialization, and scaled manufacturing for Nike AIR. You will lead technical problem‑solving, optimize production processes, and uncover opportunities to elevate both innovation readiness and factory performance. At NIKE, Inc. we promise to provide a premium, inclusive, compelling and authentic candidate experience. Delivering on this promise means we allow you to be at your best — and to do that, you need to understand how the hiring process works. Transparency is key.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Materials Science, or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.
• 6 years of relevant industry experience in process engineering within a high-volume manufacturing production or development environment.
• Experience with sheet extrusion processing and equipment is required.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, trouble shoot and resolve sophisticated problems using experimental design and root cause analysis.
• Ability to mentor and develop talent, fostering a high-performing team culture.
• Capability to function in an ambiguous innovation environment. This role requires the skill to take unclear goals and targets forward by formulating a plan which brings clarity and focus.
• Strong ability for cross team collaboration – cultural awareness required.
• Ability to dream, think, tackle, and grow.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with multi-layer sheet processing is preferred.
• Experience with LEAN manufacturing principles preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and collaborate with others to solve complex innovation and manufacturing problems, explain difficult issues, and work to build consensus through experimentation.
• Drive root cause analysis of extrusion manufacturing issues related to process, equipment and materials.
• Drive new materials and second source material commercialization.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to team members, influence global stakeholders, and elevate the standards and expectations of the department.
• Influence and drive materials development for AIR Innovation Programs to hit critical landmarks and gates.
• Thrive in an environment of ambiguity and support around-the-clock manufacturing, interpret internal/external business challenges, and recommend data-drive decisions to improve processes and equipment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees