Principal Materials Innovator, Apparel Innovation

Nike•Beaverton, OR

About The Position

The Principal Materials Innovator is an individual-contributor technical leader on the Apparel Materials Innovation team. The role sets technical direction and leads discovery, engineering, evaluation, and scale-up of advanced textile materials for sport-performance apparel. It connects consumer and athlete needs with material science, manufacturing capabilities, and data-informed development methods to create differentiated solutions that are technically credible, commercially viable, and ready for product application. The role translates performance opportunities into material strategies, technical briefs, experimental plans, and decision criteria. It engineers and evaluates yarn, structure, process, and finishing combinations across knit, woven, additive, and emerging textile platforms, and leads development from early research through prototyping, application trials, testing, data analysis, pilot production, and manufacturing integration. It evaluates technical and economic feasibility, performance potential, scalability, cost drivers, manufacturing readiness, and development risk. The Principal Materials Innovator builds and leads multidisciplinary project teams, influences decisions without direct reporting authority, and develops external partnerships with suppliers, mills, equipment manufacturers, laboratories, research institutions, universities, startups, and other technology organizations. The role also strengthens organizational capability through technical methods, intellectual-property opportunities, communication of research findings, and knowledge sharing with technical and product-creation teams. The role collaborates across Apparel Innovation, Design, Global Apparel Materials, Digital Product, Product Development, and Advanced Manufacturing, as well as with external partners. The employer offers accommodations during the interview process, including screen readers, sign-language interpreters, accessible or single-location in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in textile engineering, textile science, materials science, textile design, industrial engineering, industrial design, or a related field; suitable combinations of education, experience, and training will be accepted.
Demonstrated experience leading textile or apparel-material research and development from technical concept through prototype, validation, and commercial-scale manufacturing.
Advanced expertise in at least one textile-creation discipline, such as knitting, weaving, or additive manufacturing.
Working knowledge of yarns, dyeing, finishing, performance testing, and large-scale textile production.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multidisciplinary technical programs and influence internal and external partners without direct reporting authority.
Strong communication, project leadership, data analysis, and evidence-based decision-making skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying statistical methods, computational tools, machine learning, or AI to material design, experimentation, modeling, testing, or decision-making.
Experience conducting technical and economic feasibility assessments for research, development, equipment, or manufacturing investments.
Experience developing intellectual property related to materials, products, manufacturing methods, or processes.
Established relationships with textile mills, yarn suppliers, machinery manufacturers, testing laboratories, research institutes, universities, startups, or industry consortia.

Responsibilities

Set technical direction for advanced textile materials for sport-performance apparel.
Lead the discovery, engineering, evaluation, and scale-up of textile material solutions.
Translate consumer and athlete needs into material strategies, technical briefs, experimental plans, and decision criteria.
Engineer and evaluate yarn, textile structure, process, and finishing combinations across knit, woven, additive, and emerging textile platforms.
Lead development from research through prototyping, application trials, testing, data analysis, pilot production, and manufacturing integration.
Assess technical feasibility, performance potential, scalability, cost drivers, manufacturing readiness, and development risk.
Build and lead multidisciplinary project teams and influence decisions across materials, design, product development, manufacturing, digital, and sustainability functions.
Establish and maintain external partnerships with suppliers, mills, equipment manufacturers, laboratories, research institutions, universities, startups, and other technology organizations.
Develop technical methods and identify intellectual-property opportunities.
Communicate research findings and share knowledge with technical and product-creation teams.