Altra: Footwear Developer II

VF Outdoor; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Altra is seeking a Footwear Developer II to drive development from concept to production, ensuring fit, margin targets, and quality. You will collaborate with Design to produce technical packages and manage documentation through FlexPLM, coordinating with VF Asia Development to optimize materials and tooling.

You will lead meetings, publish complete tech packs, and manage samples and tooling reviews, ensuring on-time delivery and alignment with design intent throughout the product lifecycle.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of footwear development experience in a product team.
• Strong technical knowledge of materials, patterns, tooling, and mold construction.
• Experience with 2D/3D CAD and CAM for development.
• Solid understanding of product categories and development cycles.
• Self-driven, detail oriented and able to manage products end-to-end.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage product development from seasonal kickoff through production.
• Lead cross-functional meetings to review progress and decisions.
• Collaborate with Design to create technical packages and BOMs in FlexPLM.
• Publish tech packs to factories and maintain records and samples.
• Review tooling, read 2D blueprints, and review 3D CADs for samples.
• Recommend materials with VF Asia Development to meet design intent and margins.
• Ensure fit execution and coordinate with commercialization teams.
• Support wear testing from early prototypes to final samples.

Skills

Footwear development

CAD/CAM

2D CAD

3D CAD

Pattern engineering

Mold construction

Tooling processes

Material knowledge

Project management

Communication

Tools

FlexPLM

Adobe Illustrator

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 .

FOOTWEAR DEVELOPER II

What will you do?

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

As a Footwear Developer II , you will play a key role in bringing performance footwear from concept to production. You'll drive product development, engineering, fit, margin adherence, and specifications from Final Design Review through Commercialization, managing the development process from seasonal kickoff through confirmation for production.

Working closely with cross-functional footwear teams, you'll help create best-in-class performance products by applying footwear development standards, optimizing fit and comfort, providing technical solutions, meeting cost targets, and ensuring product quality.

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

• Manage product development from seasonal kickoff through production, ensuring key product creation calendar milestones are met through proactive coordination and follow-up.
• Initiate and lead meetings with cross-functional product teams throughout the development process to review progress, evaluate solutions, and drive timely decision-making that supports Buy Ready and margin goals.
• Collaborate with the Design team to create technical packages, including CADs, shell patterns, tooling artwork, and product details, used to build BOMs and specifications in FlexPLM.
• Publish complete tech packs to factories and VF Asia Development, and maintain accurate records, files, and samples throughout the product development process.
• Evaluate and review tooling, including reading 2D blueprints, reviewing 3D CADs, and printing 3D components for physical review prior to approving the opening of sample molds.
• Collaborate with VF Asia Development and the Materials Developer to recommend materials and provide technical expertise on constructions that achieve Design intent, maintain product integrity and quality, and meet or exceed gross margin targets.
• Drive fit execution through clear analysis, documentation, communication, and adherence to fit standards, partnering closely with the US Commercialization Manager and VF Asia Development and Commercialization teams.
• Provide the Commercialization Manager and Senior Product Developer with the product information needed to execute wear testing, from early prototypes through final confirmed samples.
• Confirm final development samples on time and ensure they meet established quality and accuracy standards. Manage sample retention and storage in coordination with the Commercialization Manager.
• Partner with VF Asia Development and factory Costing, Development, Engineering, and Manufacturing teams to identify and leverage manufacturing efficiencies that help reduce product cost.
• Address quality issues as they arise and collaborate with the US product team, VF Asia Product Supply, Quality Assurance, Marketing, Planning, and Sales to help ensure the accuracy and integrity of product performance claims.
• Participate in VF Asia collaborative meetings with Development, Global Material Sourcing, and Global Product Costing.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

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 4+ years of experience and professional achievements.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Strong understanding of the footwear development process from brief handoff through production.
• Strong technical knowledge of footwear materials, pattern engineering, tooling processes, and mold construction.
• Experience with tooling development processes, including 2D and 3D CAD and CAM.
• Strong understanding of product categories, materials, and the overall product development cycle.
• Self-driven with the ability to independently manage products throughout the development cycle.
• Detail-oriented with strong project management, organizational, collaboration, and time-management skills.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to contribute to and lead special and long-term projects as needed.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, product management and de