Altra: Senior Footwear Developer

Altra Running

About The Position

At Altra, we are on a never-ending journey to seek out opportunities to unlock potential in ourselves and others and to create a more diverse and inclusive running community. When we’re all working together as the best versions of ourselves, we can feel empowered both individually and as a community. So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people driven to discover more about ourselves and the world around us, Altra just may be the place for you. To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Altra Careers or www.altrarunning.com. Position: Sr. Product Developer (Footwear) A Senior Product Developer for Footwear at Altra is responsible for driving the development, engineering, fit, margin adherence and specifications for new and existing Footwear from Final Design Review to Commercialization with a focus on Project based management. How You Will Make a Difference Help bring the consumer insight and design vision to life for the runner thorough the end-to-end product creation process Strong Team player with excellent cross functional skills and communication Understand and manage the development process end to end Help mentor and be a resources for other developers on the team Plan and track the development schedule of all products to ensure timely completion and adherence to stage gates following the seasonal product development calendar Ensure quality, fit and construction meet the runner’s needs and Altra’s high standards Develop products, recommend materials and construction techniques that meet the consumer insight and Design expectations Coordinate all phases of development utilizing the available resources of Product Line Management, Design, Lasts, CAD, Costing, Material and Product Testing, Fit and Wear Testing and Planning Partner, communicate and meet regularly with VF Asia Development to ensure product meets design intent, production best practices, predetermined margin targets and timely completion of stage gate milestones in the seasonal product development calendar Create product BOMs/specifications, publish and maintain all records, files and samples associated with the products as assigned. Serve as technical support and manufacturing resource for Product Line Management, Design and other members of the Product team. Ensure execution of fit through clear analysis, documentation, communication, adherence to fit standards, and partnering with VF Asia Development and Commercialization teams. Partner with VF Asia Product Supply, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to develop new materials, construction techniques, processes, and samples used to create innovative and technically superior products each season Interact in a dynamic team environment with the US Product team, VF Asia Product Supply, Quality Assurance, Marketing and Sales to ensure the accuracy and integrity of all product performance claims. Required international (2x times per calendar year) and domestic travel (2-3 times per calendar year) as required to achieve a high level of product and component development, including visits to manufacturing countries / factories, and off-site material and trade shows. What do you need to succeed? We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 5+ years of experience in Footwear Product Development, ideally with a focus on performance running or performance product. The foundation skills you will need in this position are: Team player. Positive outlook. High tolerance for ambiguity Self-driven and able to independently manage highly complex products through the Development cycle Detail oriented with a strong work ethic and superior organizational skills Demonstrates superior interpersonal skills, including the ability to create trust and build partnerships with cross functional teams Demonstrates superior communication skills, both written and verbal Demonstrates an advanced knowledge and understanding of fit, pattern engineering, tooling processes, mold and upper construction expertise and knowledge of manufacturing processes Ability to drive high quality product and fit optimization through interpretation of wear and fit test feedback from the Altra athlete teams and 3rd party testing labs Proficient in technical 2d designs Contributes to Development process/timelines and calendar optimization Ability to proactively troubleshoot and solve highly complex problems Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, 3D design, 2D/3D tooling processes, Project Management/Development systems and Microsoft Office program suite Overseas and domestic travel will be required on a seasonal basis.

Requirements

Team player.
Positive outlook.
High tolerance for ambiguity
Self-driven and able to independently manage highly complex products through the Development cycle
Detail oriented with a strong work ethic and superior organizational skills
Demonstrates superior interpersonal skills, including the ability to create trust and build partnerships with cross functional teams
Demonstrates superior communication skills, both written and verbal
Demonstrates an advanced knowledge and understanding of fit, pattern engineering, tooling processes, mold and upper construction expertise and knowledge of manufacturing processes
Ability to drive high quality product and fit optimization through interpretation of wear and fit test feedback from the Altra athlete teams and 3rd party testing labs
Proficient in technical 2d designs
Contributes to Development process/timelines and calendar optimization
Ability to proactively troubleshoot and solve highly complex problems
Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, 3D design, 2D/3D tooling processes, Project Management/Development systems and Microsoft Office program suite
Overseas and domestic travel will be required on a seasonal basis.
5+ years of experience in Footwear Product Development, ideally with a focus on performance running or performance product.

Responsibilities

Help bring the consumer insight and design vision to life for the runner thorough the end-to-end product creation process
Strong Team player with excellent cross functional skills and communication
Understand and manage the development process end to end
Help mentor and be a resources for other developers on the team
Plan and track the development schedule of all products to ensure timely completion and adherence to stage gates following the seasonal product development calendar
Ensure quality, fit and construction meet the runner’s needs and Altra’s high standards
Develop products, recommend materials and construction techniques that meet the consumer insight and Design expectations
Coordinate all phases of development utilizing the available resources of Product Line Management, Design, Lasts, CAD, Costing, Material and Product Testing, Fit and Wear Testing and Planning
Partner, communicate and meet regularly with VF Asia Development to ensure product meets design intent, production best practices, predetermined margin targets and timely completion of stage gate milestones in the seasonal product development calendar
Create product BOMs/specifications, publish and maintain all records, files and samples associated with the products as assigned.
Serve as technical support and manufacturing resource for Product Line Management, Design and other members of the Product team.
Ensure execution of fit through clear analysis, documentation, communication, adherence to fit standards, and partnering with VF Asia Development and Commercialization teams.
Partner with VF Asia Product Supply, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to develop new materials, construction techniques, processes, and samples used to create innovative and technically superior products each season
Interact in a dynamic team environment with the US Product team, VF Asia Product Supply, Quality Assurance, Marketing and Sales to ensure the accuracy and integrity of all product performance claims.
Required international (2x times per calendar year) and domestic travel (2-3 times per calendar year) as required to achieve a high level of product and component development, including visits to manufacturing countries / factories, and off-site material and trade shows.

Benefits

extensive development and growth opportunities for your current and future positions
a competitive compensation package
a strong benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and 401(k)

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