Materials Developer II, Jordan Footwear

Nike•Beaverton, OR

About The Position

The Materials Developer II will support Jordan Footwear by developing and implementing materials for footwear products. The role collaborates with cross-functional footwear teams, material vendors, and other key functions to establish seasonal material direction, support on-time delivery, and ensure product excellence for athletes and consumers. The developer serves as the primary contact for material vendors on category-specific topics such as pricing, technical specifications, performance standards, and material lead times, and works with the innovation team to scale relevant ideas for market. The position drives functional excellence across materials creation, sourcing, costing, quality, and sustainable solutions. It manages complex footwear projects, translating 2D design renderings into 3D samples that balance athlete needs and business priorities. The developer participates throughout product creation, managing projects to critical dates and ensuring they meet design intent, quality and performance standards, margin targets, and sustainability goals. The role also helps prepare projects for commercialization and manufacturing scale, and builds toolkits and material palettes to optimize material selection.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Materials, Chemistry, Product Development or Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Design, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, or training.
Minimum of 2 years of directly applicable work experience.
Strong communication and influencing skills, including the ability to interact with leadership and cross-functional product creation team members.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of footwear material types, including fibers, yarns, textiles, leathers, synthetic leathers, components or trims, manufacturing technologies and equipment, tooling, and materials.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with cross-functional footwear teams, material vendors, and key functions to establish seasonal material direction and support on-time delivery.
Serve as the primary contact for material vendors regarding category-specific issues, including price, technical specifications, performance standards, and material lead times.
Collaborate with the innovation team to scale and deliver relevant ideas to market.
Provide tools, guidance, and data analysis across multiple material types to support effective material selection.
Present facts and solutions that balance athlete needs and business priorities to help cross-functional teams make informed decisions.
Drive materials creation, sourcing, costing, quality, and implementation of sustainable solutions.
Convert project briefs and 2D design renderings into 3D samples that balance athlete and business needs.
Engage in all phases of product creation and manage projects according to critical dates, ensuring timely completion and alignment with design intent, quality and performance standards, margin targets, and sustainability goals.
Ensure projects are ready for commercialization and can be scaled for manufacturing.
Build toolkits and material palettes to optimize material choice.
Interpret design intent and offer alternative solutions.