Senior Designer, Footwear

Macy's•New York, NY

About The Position

Macy's Design Team offers the opportunity to think, dream, and create, and we're looking for visionary leaders to join us. We value original design and create products with intent, fostering a design community that values innovation and teamwork. The Senior Designer is a highly skilled footwear designer and category expert who combines strong creative talent with technical product expertise and leadership capabilities. This role partners closely with the Senior Director/Director of Design, Product Development, Buyers, and Vendor partners to create innovative, commercially successful footwear collections. The Senior Designer is responsible for driving the design process from concept through production, translating trend insights into compelling products while ensuring alignment with brand strategy, customer needs, quality standards, and financial objectives. This individual serves as a key creative partner in vendor co-development, leveraging an understanding of footwear construction, materials, fit, and factory capabilities to bring best-in-class product to market.

Requirements

Advanced footwear design expertise across a variety of constructions and classifications.
Strong understanding of footwear materials, components, fit, development, and manufacturing processes.
Experience leading vendor co-development initiatives and collaborating with global factory partners.
Strong trend forecasting, storytelling, and assortment-building capabilities.
Exceptional color sense, material sensitivity, and aesthetic judgment.
Excellent sketching, CAD, and presentation skills.
Strong communication, influencing, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), PLM systems, Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and Canva.
A bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or Fine Arts is preferred.
6-8 years of relevant industry experience.
Experience serving as a footwear category expert and mentor to junior designers and cross-functional partners.
Ability to influence design direction through strong product knowledge, trend expertise, and creative vision.
Experience fostering collaborative relationships across teams and with external partners to drive exceptional product outcomes.
Operate on the pulse of Newness and have a strong desire to identify trends and react so that our brands are relevant.
Demonstrate curiosity, resilience, adaptability, and commitment to continuous learning and innovation.

Responsibilities

Partner with Design Leadership to research and identify emerging fashion, cultural, retail, and consumer trends relevant to the footwear marketplace.
Translate trend insights into innovative footwear concepts, silhouettes, materials, color stories, and seasonal assortments.
Develop compelling design narratives that connect trend, customer needs, and brand DNA.
Conduct competitive shopping, market analysis, and trend reporting to identify opportunities and white space within the category.
Create and present concept boards, inspiration materials, design presentations, and seasonal storytelling at key milestone meetings.
Source inspiration from runway as well as unique outlets (museums, vintage, tradeshows, etc.)
Develop compelling narratives.
Craft engaging stories around our footwear collections that resonate with our target audience and enhance brand connection.
Infuse trend into core concepts. Strategically incorporate trend elements into both new designs and the evolution of core styles, ensuring relevance and freshness while maintaining brand DNA.
Elevate storytelling through cross FOB connection. Drive seamless collaboration with RTW and Accessories Teams to maintain a cohesive and elevated brand aesthetic.
Design and develop footwear collections across multiple classifications including sneakers, sandals, casual, dress casual, and boots.
Execute the footwear design process from concept through commercialization, ensuring products meet aesthetic, functional, quality, and cost objectives.
Provide feedback on vendors on sketches and product concepts that clearly communicate design intent.
Provide expertise in footwear construction, components, materials, fit, comfort, and manufacturing techniques.
Participate in prototype reviews, fit sessions, wear-testing evaluations, and sample reviews, providing clear feedback and creative problem-solving.
Ensure product execution aligns with original design vision while meeting business requirements and development timelines.
Lead day-to-day collaboration with global footwear vendors to co-develop innovative product solutions, materials, constructions, and components.
Leverage vendor expertise and factory capabilities to identify opportunities for innovation, value engineering, and product differentiation.
Partner with overseas and domestic vendors throughout the development process to ensure alignment on design intent, quality expectations, and execution standards.
Evaluate materials, trims, hardware, and components in partnership with vendors to achieve aesthetic, functional, and cost objectives.
Troubleshoot development and production challenges by collaborating with Product Development, Technical Design, Sourcing, and factory partners.
Maintain a strong understanding of footwear manufacturing processes, factory capabilities, production limitations, and commercialization requirements.
Lead co-collaboration opportunities with vendors to ensure that all partners are aligned on brand DNA as well as expectations of vendor collaboration meetings.
Partner closely with Merchandising and Product Development teams to align product vision and assortment strategy.
Present designs and seasonal concepts to cross-functional teams and leadership, clearly articulating design rationale, and strategic intent.
React to sales performance, customer feedback, and market dynamics to refine future product direction.
Manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining calendar deadlines and milestone deliverables.

Benefits

Comprehensive health and wellness coverage
401(k) match
Paid time off
Eight paid holidays
Continuous learning and leadership development
Merchandise discounts
Performance-based incentives
Annual merit review
Employee Assistance Program with mental health counseling and legal/financial advice
Tuition reimbursement