Senior Manager, Footwear Materials
About The Position
As the Senior Manager of Footwear Materials, you will lead the Materials Development team and manage relationships with key Tier 2 partners. You will collaborate closely with Materials Designers, Footwear Developers and Engineers, and teams in Asia to create innovative products for mountain athletes. This role involves direct management of footwear materials developers and dotted line responsibility for materials analysts in Asia and a materials developer on the Innovation team. You will be a member of the Footwear Product Creation leadership team, contributing to the seasonal product creation process and the innovation agenda. Responsibilities will primarily focus on upper materials, with significant influence on strategies for foams and rubbers. This is an in-person role based in Portland, Oregon.
Requirements
- 15+ years of experience in footwear materials, either with a brand or a vendor
- Proven experience with upper materials, waterproof membranes, foams, rubber, and other footwear materials
- Experience with materials and/or footwear innovation
- Familiarity with rubbers, foams, plates, and other materials used in footwear bottom units
- Experience with managing people
- Extremely collaborative, valuing in-person work with cross-functional teams
- Excellent communication skills, ability to relate to all levels of stakeholders
- Strong leadership, interpersonal, facilitation, and project management experience
- Ability to think both strategically and tactically
- Highly flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity
- Familiarity with Centric, Plasma, PCX, or other footwear materials systems
- Inspires breakthrough thinking and continuous improvement
- Seeks the best solutions with an unwavering commitment to do what is right
Responsibilities
- Leading the Footwear Materials Development Team in Portland and Asia
- Partnering with the Innovation team on material aspects and maintaining connections on their projects
- Partnering with Engineering teams in Portland and Asia to ensure performance and manufacturing standards are met
- Owning relationships with strategic Tier 2 partners (e.g., Gore, Chamatex, TLC) and collaborating with Tier 1s
- Managing 2-4 direct reports, with additional dotted line responsibilities
- Representing the function in cross-functional leadership meetings and ensuring alignment on materials development decisions
- Partnering with the cost engineering team to meet financial targets
- Collaborating with the Footwear Engineering team on strategies for foams, rubbers, sockliners, etc.
- Providing training, guidance, and mentoring to the cross-functional footwear team on materials topics
- Proactively identifying and addressing potential issues with vendors or specific materials
- Calculating and sharing material forecasts with vendors
- Resolving issues related to lead times, timelines, colors, and costs
- Collaborating with raw materials teams in Vancouver on new vendor onboarding and quality challenges
Benefits
- Extended health, dental, and vision coverage
- Mental health support
- Fertility benefits
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Immediately vested 401(k) retirement savings plan matching
- Eligibility for Arc'teryx Annual Incentive Plan
- Access to Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), where applicable
- Paid time off
- No Wasted Day program (dedicated paid days to get outside & explore)
- Parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents, including an option to ease the transition back to work
- Professional development opportunities
- Arc'teryx Academies (outdoor skill-building events)
- Employee Belonging Councils
- Access to employee discounts and Pro Deals
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
