Director, Product Engineering - UGG Footwear

Deckers Brands; Goleta (CA); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay and bonuses

Financial planning and wellbeing

Time away from work

Discounts & perks

Growth & development

Health & wellness

Job summary

Deckers Brands is seeking a Director of Product Engineering for UGG Footwear in Goleta, CA. You will anchor technical integrity, lead global fit/wear initiatives, and drive comfort optimization across genders. The role requires guiding product creation, setting standards, and mentoring a high-performance, global team.

You will shape engineering processes, balance capacity, and ensure alignment with brand strategies while delivering excellence across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• 15+ years’ experience in footwear and data analysis.
• 10+ years in a leadership role within the footwear industry for a global company.
• Proficient in footwear product creation, product testing, and biomechanics.
• Proficient in shoe last making and/or shoe manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Create and execute Product Engineering team strategies.
• Lead the unification of global engineering teams.
• Develop scalable engineering infrastructure balancing capacity and demand.
• Mentor and retain high-potential talent with defined career paths.
• Own and drive UGG comfort standards and toolboxes for product creation.
• Standardize product excellence across the UGG portfolio.
• Implement product analysis capabilities across design, last specs, and materials.
• Lead global fit and wear initiatives with a unified standard.
• Maintain and evolve global fit strategy for excellence.
• Create and manage robust wear testing programs.
• Drive milestone deadlines within an agile calendar with stakeholders.
• Measure progress via KPIs and identify improvement opportunities.
• Identify and implement global improvements aligning with industry trends.

Skills

Leadership

Data analytics

Footwear product creation

Biomechanics

Global team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

Footwear last making

Shoe manufacturing

Product testing

Job description

At Deckers Brands, Together, Every Step is a promise kept that every employee can bring their authentic self, is valued and supported, as a whole person, at work and beyond. Together, Every Step is how we continue to deliver exceptional business results, experience an amazing place to work, and have a positive impact on the communities and world around us.

Job Title: Director, Product Engineering - UGG Footwear Reports to: VP, Product Development- UGG & Quality Ops - Global Location: Goleta, CA - Hybrid Typically 3 times per week in office, Tuesday – Thursday

The Role As Director of Product Engineering for UGG Footwear, you will anchor the technical integrity of our footwear portfolio and lead a team dedicated to global fit, wear testing, and comfort optimization. You’ll guide the product creation process through optimal engineering, manage fit expectations, and deliver excellence across all genders. Your leadership will evolve the UGG product engineering landscape, optimizing resources and setting global standards for fit, wear, and comfort.

We celebrate diversity--of your background, your experiences and your unique identity. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable workplace where all of our employees can Come as They Are. We believe that when we bring our different perspectives to work, we are truly Better Together.

Your Impact

• Create and execute Product Engineering team strategies, building a high-performance culture aligned with global product development, engineering, supply chain, and brand strategies.
• Lead the unification of global engineering teams, integrating US and Asia-based teams with a unified focus.
• Develop scalable and sustainable engineering infrastructure to balance team capacity and demand, formalizing processes as guardrails around an entrepreneurial creation process.
• Identify, mentor, and retain high-potential talent through well-defined career paths.
• Own and drive UGG comfort standards, creating and evolving comfort toolboxes for product creation.
• Optimize and standardize product excellence across the UGG footwear portfolio.
• Implement critical product analysis capabilities for design, shoe last specifications, materials selection, blueprint review, pattern revisions, and product technologies.
• Lead global fit and wear initiatives, calibrating standards and processes into a unified global point of view.
• Maintain and evolve global fit strategy, ensuring product excellence.
• Create and manage robust wear testing programs, maintaining global awareness of standards and foot proportions.
• Drive milestone deadline awareness and discipline within an agile creation calendar, engaging stakeholders for timely handoffs.
• Measure progress through defined KPIs and identify improvement opportunities across the global organization.
• Continually identify and implement global improvement opportunities, keeping pace with industry trends and evolving consumer demand.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• 15+ years’ experience in the footwear industry and/or in a context where research, data collection, and results analysis were significant.
• 10+ years in a leadership role within the footwear industry for a global company.
• Proficient in footwear product creation, product testing, and biomechanics.
• Proficient in shoe last making and/or shoe manufacturing.
• Advanced knowledge in footwear product constructions.
• Advanced knowledge in using data analytics to provide quantifiable results.

What We'll Give You – Competitive Pay and Bonuses

Competitive Pay and Bonuses - We’ve created a variety of competitive compensation programs to foster career development, reward success and to show our employees just how much they’re valued.

• Financial Planning and wellbeing - No matter what financial goals our employees have set, we want to help them get there. Our plans provide powerful ways to protect income, pay for expenses and invest in the future.
• Time away from work - Sometimes we need time away to be with family, focus on our health or just simply recharge. Our plans support our employees’ needs to get out, get healthy and come back stronger than ever.
• Extras, discounts and perks - Being a valued member of the Deckers Brands team means more than just a paycheck. From generous discounts to community-based programs, we offer a variety of cool extras
• Growth and Development - Deckers Brands was built on the idea of pursuing passion. That’s why we offer extensive opportunities and support for personal and professional development.
• Health and Wellness - There’s nothing basic about our comprehensive health and wellness programs and offerings. While at work and at play, we aim to support a healthy lifestyle.

$154,700.00 - $208,800.00 The salary range posted reflects the estimated minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for this role in: Goleta, California Individual pay will be determined by location and additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Equal Employment Opportunity Diversity and inclusion are key to our success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds who share a passion for our brands. We welcome qualified applicants regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, mental or physical disability, medical condition and all the other beautiful parts of your identity.

More than Just a Footwear Company From our corporate offices to our global retail stores, there’s a curious, independent spirit that’s distinctively Deckers Brands. We’re about giving people the freedom to pursue their passions. And we’re committed to helping them succeed; to become their best selves. That’s why we’re about more than work, the 9 to 5 or daily grind. We’re about opportunity - opportunity to create, to grow and to have an impact. As we work to become better at everything we do, how we better the world matters, too. Our products and brands are loved, no doubt about it. But the difference we make in people’s lives begins with our people, right here at Deckers Brands. We’re adventurous, spirited, unafraid of new challenges and willing to take chances. We are always ready to rally around a cause. Put simply, we want all of our people to thrive - to reach their full potential and have fun while doing it. Because in the end, Deckers thrives when our people thrive.