Sr. Footwear Designer - Color, Material & Finish

Skechers•Manhattan Beach, CA

About The Position

Color, material, and finish are where footwear either earns its place on the shelf or disappears into the noise. This role sits at the intersection of trend intelligence and execution. You'll be working directly with the Sr. Director of Color & Materials, alongside merchandising and development teams, shaping how Skechers product looks and feels every season. If you've spent years developing that instinct and skill, keep reading.

Requirements

At least two years of footwear design experience with genuine fluency in CMF (Color, Material, Finish) — not just aesthetics, but materials sourcing, construction implications, and what decisions look like at the factory level.
Sketching ability precise enough that your design intent doesn't get lost in translation when it crosses an ocean.
Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, used as working tools, not finishing tools.
The ability to read where color and material trends are heading before they peak — and the judgment to know which ones are worth chasing.

Nice To Haves

A degree in Footwear Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, or a related field is preferred, but the quality of your work and the depth of your process matter more.

Responsibilities

Lead the color, material, and graphic concepting for Women's Sport footwear each season — from early concepting through tech pack delivery.
Work on new product development and refreshing existing franchise styles to keep them relevant and commercially sharp.
Dig into trend research across runway, retail and, materials, and translate findings into product decisions that are brand-right and buildable.
Partner with development teams in the U.S. and Asia to review prototypes and ensure samples reflect design intent before they move forward.
Travel to Asia twice a year for hands-on factory and development collaboration.
Manage multiple projects in parallel, hitting calendar deadlines, and keeping cross-timezone development work on track.