Performance Sport Footwear Designer II

New Balance • Lawrence, MA

5d • $99,700 - $158,300 • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Performance Sport Footwear Designer II with a focus on Golf, you will play a key role in shaping the future of New Balance performance footwear. You’ll design the next generation of golf shoes and performance cleats, blending innovation, functionality, and style to elevate athletes’ performance on and off the course. Working within a highly collaborative, cross-functional team, you’ll create forward-thinking designs driven by athlete insights, performance data, and a deep understanding of the game. While golf will be your primary focus, this role also offers opportunities to contribute to other performance sport categories across New Balance’s global portfolio.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in footwear design, with strong preference for performance categories; experience in golf or cleated footwear design is highly valued.
• Industrial Design or Product Design degree.
• A strong portfolio showcasing innovation, storytelling, and functional design solutions that merge performance and style.
• Deep understanding of athlete needs, sport-specific performance requirements, and consumer behavior — especially within the golf space.
• Strong Sole/Tooling design development experience.
• Excellent conceptual and visualization skills — ability to bring ideas to life through sketches, 3D modeling, renderings, and physical prototypes.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Gravity Sketch, Vizcom, or similar digital design tools.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to inspire and align cross-functional partners.
• Passion for innovation, experimentation, and continuous learning in footwear design.
• Solid knowledge of technical footwear construction, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally for athlete feedback sessions, testing, and factory visits.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation of fresh, performance-driven design language for golf and other sport categories.
• Push the boundaries of innovation through new materials, construction techniques, and sustainable approaches that enhance athletic performance and elevate design aesthetics.
• Reimagine heritage and trend-relevant lifestyle models as high-performance golf footwear , blending iconic New Balance DNA with modern golf-specific innovation to deliver products that perform on the course and resonate off it.
• Develop a deep understanding of the golf athlete — from swing dynamics and stability needs to comfort and traction — to design products that perform under pressure.
• Translate insights into footwear that delivers confidence, control, and all-day comfort across conditions.
• Partner closely with design peers, developers, engineers, and product management to drive concepts from initial sketch through final production.
• Stay ahead of the curve in both sport and lifestyle trends — with a particular eye on golf’s evolving aesthetic and crossover culture.
• Balance technical performance with a modern, authentic design language that connects with today’s athletes and consumers.
• Adopt a mindset of continuous exploration.
• Prototype, test, and refine ideas through athlete feedback and performance validation.
• Challenge convention to create products that redefine expectations for golf footwear.

Benefits

• New Balance offers a comprehensive traditional benefits package including three options for medical insurance as well as dental, vision, life insurance and 401K.
• We also proudly offer a slate of more nontraditional perks – opportunities like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, $100 monthly student loan support and various mentorship programs – that encourage our associates to grow personally as they develop professionally.
• You’ll also enjoy a yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement, 4 weeks of vacations, 12 holidays and generous parental leave, because work-life balance is more than just a buzzword – it’s part of our culture.
• Temporary associates are provided three options for medical insurance as well as dental and vision insurance and an associate discount.
• Part time associates are provided 401k, short term disability, a yearly $300 lifestyle reimbursement and an associate discount.

What This Job Offers

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