Altra: Footwear Designer II

VFCorporation; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k)

Incentive plan

Job summary

VF Corporation’s Altra brand seeks a Footwear Designer II to lead design for athletic, outdoor, and casual footwear in a fast-paced, collaborative setting in Denver. You will shape design language, drive concepts, and deliver elite products aligned with brand strategy.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years of experience, strong rendering/presentation skills, and deep knowledge of biomechanics and performance footwear. In-office role with travel to sourcing partners and events.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in athletic/technical footwear design.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Strong rendering and presentation abilities.
• Good understanding of foot anatomy and biomechanics.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple footwear design projects and deadlines.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Development, Marketing, and Sales.
• Develop concepts and creative strategies aligned with brand.
• Translate briefs into mood boards, prototypes, and presentations.
• Travel to sourcing countries and partner locations as needed.

Skills

Footwear design

Adobe Creative Suite

2D & 3D rendering

Presentation skills

Biomechanics awareness

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

SolidWorks

Rhino

Blender

Job description

Position: Footwear Designer II

A day in the life of a Footwear Designer II at Altra looks a little like this.

You will be a critical role in generating functional and aesthetically appropriate footwear for Altra’s Athletic, Outdoor, and Casual Lifestyle categories. You will be asked to participate in the creative direction for all footwear design projects, maintain consistent and relevant design language, and provide industry insight and recommendations in creating elite technical product that aligns with Product Line Management, Sales and Merchandising vision and overall brand strategy. You will work alongside some of the most innovative, industry-challenging leaders in creating footwear that pushes boundaries and challenges old paradigms to innovate and discover solutions for Altra customers.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• Daily management of assigned projects and workload.
• Collaborate with cross-functional product partners: Product Line Management, Product Development, Marketing, and Sales.
• Coordinate Design deadlines to ensure on-time delivery of design projects and tasks.
• Participate inproduct strategy meetings to ensure competitive product design and successful products for the Altra brand.
• Develop concepts and creative strategies that fulfill objectives of category, concept, briefs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional team members to ensure consumer and brand focus is met.
• Participate in creation of short-term and long-term creative direction strategies.
• Identify opportunities of improvement, process change, and initiate own proposals/projects.
• Seek out new Design resources, materials and technologies to assist in the development of leading-edge product.
• Partner with Product Line Management to develop and sharpen briefs, lead collaborative idea generation, and develop consumer insights with cross-functional teams.
• Translate briefs and marketing plans into creative concepts that are clearly articulated in mood boards, interactive prototypes then develop presentations and storytelling vehicles to socialize and gain buy-in on your ideas
• Learn new skills and stay abreast of technical and digital design developments and successfully apply these to work practices
• Verbally present concepts and design solutions to mid and senior level managers. Ability to constructively discuss, utilize, and receive feedback to create excellent product.
• Manage multiple projects, with sensitivity to department priorities and deadlines.
• Willingness and ability to travel to sourcing countries, factory partners, team offsites and brand events to drive team projects.
• Perform other duties as required/assigned by manager.

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 your3-5 years of experienceand professional achievements.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Ability to understand complex and sometimes fuzzy problems in a fast-paced environment.
• ATHLETIC Technical footwear design experience.
• Proficient at Performance Tech Pack and Tooling 2D Blueprint creation.
• Strong knowledge of foot anatomy.
• Knowledge of how to design with footwear performance and biomechanics in mind.
• Excellent rendering and presentation skills required.
• High level of performance footwear materials knowledge.
• Sound understanding of footwear manufacturing processes and technologies.
• In-depth experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) and Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, etc.).
• An abundance of curiosity and desire to learn and grow your footwear craft.
• Location requirement: This position is an in- office position in Denver, CO at our Global Headquarters.

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred.

• Experience or interest in running.
• Knowledge of 3D software such as: Blender, SolidWorks, Rhino, Keyshot, etc.)
• AI Design and Agentic tools.

What do we offer you?

At Altra, we know you expect as much from us as we do from you. That is why we make a commitment to support and grow our people. We offer extensive development and growth opportunities for your current and future positions, a competitive compensation package, and a strong benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

Our commitment extends beyond this and into your daily work life. We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive culture based on respect, connection, and authenticity. Our focus on DEI is at the foundation of who we are and what we do.

To learn more about Altra’s benefits package, follow this MyVFBenefits.com and click “Looking to Join VF”.

To learn more about Altra’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts, go to www.altrarunning.com.

Now WE have a question for YOU.

Are you in?

Hiring Range

$82,080.00 USD - $102,600.00 USD annually

Incentive Potential

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.