3D CAD Designer II (Altra)

Vans; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 82,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Altra Inline 3D CAD Footwear Designer will bring inline footwear to life through advanced 3D design and visualization. You will translate design intent into accurate 3D models, prints and visual assets to support concepting, development and commercialization.

Collaborating with Design, Development, Product Management and Innovation teams, you will build high-quality models, rendering and prototypes, while helping establish our 3D standards and workflows and traveling up to 10% as needed.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of professional experience in footwear design or advanced 3D modeling.
• Strong proficiency in Rhinoceros 3D, Blender, SolidWorks or similar software.
• Solid understanding of footwear construction, tooling and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to create both rapid concept models and production-ready geometry.
• Strong visualization and rendering skills to communicate concepts.
• Excellent collaboration within cross-functional teams (Design, Development, PM).

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality 3D models of footwear concepts, components and tooling.
• Partner with Footwear Designers to translate sketches into digital form.
• Build and refine outsole, midsole and upper models for reviews and prototyping.
• Develop renderings and visualizations to communicate ideas and color/material execution.
• Support rapid iterations with fast-turn digital prototypes to accelerate decisions.
• Collaborate with Development, Product Management and Tooling to balance performance and cost.
• Maintain digital model integrity and handoff to factory partners.
• Explore new workflows in parametric modeling to improve capabilities.
• Contribute to 3D standards and workflows with cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Footwear design

3D modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Visualization

Time management

Tools

Rhinoceros 3D

Blender

SolidWorks

Job description

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.

What will you do?

A day in the life of an Inline 3D CAD Footwear Designer at Altra looks a little like this: As part of the Footwear Design team, you will help bring Altra’s inline footwear product to life through advanced 3D design and visualization. Working closely with Footwear Design, Development, Product Management, and Innovation teams, you will build digital product that helps accelerate concepting, improve design communication, and streamline the path to commercialization. This role is responsible for translating design intent into accurate, compelling 3D models, 3D prints and visual assets that support both creative decision-making and product execution. This role reports to the Design Director, Footwear. Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• Create high-quality 3D models of footwear concepts, components, and tooling that support inline product creation from concept through commercialization.
• Partner closely with Footwear Designers to translate sketches, concepts, and design intent into digital 3D form.
• Build and refine outsole, midsole, and upper models to support design reviews, prototyping, and factory communication.
• Develop compelling renderings and visualizations to communicate product ideas, storytelling, and material/color execution.
• Support rapid iteration by creating fast-turn digital prototypes that accelerate decision‑making and reduce development cycles.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Development, Product Management, and Tooling Manager to ensure designs balance performance, manufacturability, and cost targets.
• Maintain digital model integrity and support handoff to factory partners for tooling and engineering refinement.
• Explore and pilot new workflows and tools in computational design, parametric modeling, and digital creation to improve team capabilities.
• Contribute to establishing and evolving Altra’s 3D digital product creation standards and workflows in partnership with the Design Director and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Travel as needed (approximately 10%) to Asia, Europe, trade shows, races, factory sites, or other locations that advance the work and projects.
• Build a deep understanding of performance footwear construction, runner biomechanics, manufacturing processes, and design philosophy.
• Collaborate closely with Innovation Footwear Design and Development partners to develop breakthrough concepts that push performance forward.
• Partner cross-functionally with Run Research, Product Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering to ensure designs are rooted in performance science and aligned with real‑world manufacturing constraints.

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 2–5 years of experience and professional achievements in footwear product creation and 3D digital craft. The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

Foundation skills

• 2–5 years of professional experience in footwear design, product creation, or advanced 3D modeling.
• Strong proficiency in Rhinoceros 3D, Blender, SolidWorks or similar 3D surfacing/modeling software.
• Strong understanding of footwear construction, tooling development, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to create both rapid concept models and highly refined production‑ready geometry.
• Strong visualization and rendering skills to clearly communicate product concepts and storytelling.
• Excellent collaboration skills and ability to work cross‑functionally within a triad model (Design, Development, Product Management).
• Strong understanding of performance footwear and athlete‑first product thinking.
• Strong organization and time‑management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

Preferred skills

• Experience with computational or parametric workflows such as Grasshopper or Houdini.
• Experience working directly with factories and tooling partners in Asia.
• Knowledge of rendering platforms such as KeyShot or Maya.
• Passion for running, movement, and performance product design.

Now WE have a question for YOU. Are you in?

Hiring Range: $82,080.00 USD - $102,600.00 USD annually

Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation: You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process. Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at [e-mail]. VF will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals to the extent required by applicable law. Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

From inspiration to innovation to an evolution. Altra Running was founded on an innovative approach to running shoes. An approach that took us from the back room of a specialty running store to the front of the pack on roads and trails across the world. An approach that has kept us going for a decade and aims to keep you running for a lifetime. And an approach that ultimately inspired—and continues to inspire—every single Altra shoe. Naturally, Altra Co‑Founders Brian Beckstead and Golden Harper met on the first day of cross‑country practice their sophomore year at Orem High School in Utah. From there, it was off to the races, both literally and figuratively. When it comes to shoes, innovative thinking runs in the Harper family. So it was no surprise when Golden toasted a pair of shoes, heating them just enough to be able to remove the heel and form a Balanced Cushioning platform. What was surprising was the result: For the first time in his life, Golden was wearing a running shoe that he felt wasn’t obstructing the way he ran. Wide‑lacing shoes inspired a FootShape™ design. A household toaster oven inspired Balanced Cushioning. FootShape™ and Balanced Cushioning inspired 1,000s of people to purchase brand new, unmodified shoes and take them to a shoe cobbler to hack them up and balance them out. That’s the foundation of Altra Running: innovative, disruptive thinking. We’re going to continue to innovate. Continue to inspire that break‑free feeling of getting out there, far from expectation and constraint. We will continue to earn new perspectives by reaching new heights. We will continue to blaze trails and explore new roads. And continue to show up unapologetically ourselves as we encourage all who run to do the same. Join us.

VF Diversity Vision Statement VF is committed to creating an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the differences among all of our associates, customers, suppliers and the communities in which we live and conduct business. The continued success and growth of VF is enhanced through initiatives that promote diversity throughout VF around the world.VF is an equal employment opportunity employer of minorities, females, protected veterans and the disabled. VF is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, and treating our VF associates and VF applicants without discrimination on the basis of their race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, HIV/AIDS status, or any other legally protected factor. VF is committed to meeting the diverse needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner that is consistent with the principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity, and will do so by striving to identify, prevent and remove barriers to accessibility wherever possible as well as by meeting the accessibility requirements under the ADA, AODA, and other applicable state, local or provincial regulations. VF is committed to digital accessibility, and to conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA and complying with the ADA and AODA Standards for Accessible Design, and other applicable regulations. If you need an accommodation or have any questions regarding this statement, please send your request to [e-mail].