Expert Designer, Apparel In-Line Materials Design

NIKE Retail Services; Beaverton (OR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NIKE Retail Services seeks an Expert Material Designer to push apparel material concepts from ideation through production, contributing to innovative textiles and palettes.

The role emphasizes storytelling, collaboration with Design Excellence, Innovation, and Product teams, and mentoring colleagues to elevate Nike's material design.

Portfolio submission is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in design or related field; portfolio required.
• Digital design acumen with software such as Creative Suite.
• Preferred knowledge of advanced digital tools/3-D skills.
• Expert understanding of make and manufacturing processes.
• Strong presentation and communication abilities.
• Proficient design process and storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Design concepts and materials for Nike apparel on the vanguard.
• Curate and modernize Nike's apparel material palettes.
• Lead tech pack creation from concept to production.
• Collaborate across Apparel Design Excellence, Innovation, and Product teams.
• Mentor and inspire the team; drive material strategy.

Skills

Digital design

Presentation

Creative thinking

Design storytelling

Education

Bachelor's Degree in design

Tools

Creative Suite

3D skills

Manufacturing know-how

Job description

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for an Expert Material Designer to combine their experience, problem solving abilities, and creativity to help create the future of NIKE product. On the Apparel Material Design Excellence team, you will contribute to NIKE’s long term strategic direction for both Apparel Textile innovation and design.

The ideal candidate needs to be a highly creative problem solver, who doesn’t settle for anything less than the best design and material solutions. You lift and elevate not only the product you work on, but the environment of the teams you work with. You understand that the center of great product is a great team and both are equally important to you. You are eager to challenge the status quo, embrace the unknown and push boundaries in order to create industry-leading solutions that meet the needs of each athlete*. You are motivated to elevate our consumer’s experience by creating new materials and palettes that are innovative, distinct, benefit-driven and athlete-relevant for a range of products. You are passionate about ensuring the emotional connection of our product for the consumer through the use of narrative and storytelling.

Bachelor's Degree in design, or other relevant design field or will accept combination of relevant education, experience, and training. MUST SUBMIT PORTFOLIO TO BE CONSIDERED.

EXPERIENCE :

• Digital design acumen (design-based software needed: Creative Suite)
• Preferred knowledge and experience with advanced digital tools/3-D skills
• Expert of make and manufacturing
• Proficient presentation & communication skills
• Proficient design skills, brief to presentation to manufacturing
• Proficient creative process
• Basic business context
• Basic understanding of insights
• Actively seeks out and creates more sustainable materials

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON

If this is you, you will be working on a range of technical and complex projects using the latest techniques to design concepts and deliver materials that keep NIKE on the vanguard. You will also help to curate, elevate and modernize NIKE’s existing apparel material palettes.

You will approach the work from both the Art & Science of material design. Your work will range from trend and market research, insights gathering, concepting and ideation, all the way through to tech pack creation. In this, you will communicate with a wide range of experts across NIKE, from manufacturing partners, to operations, and at times directly with athletes; the daily responsibilities of this role are wide ranging, challenging, and rewarding.

As an Expert level designer you will also be responsible for inspiring the team around you and indirectly mentoring to support in driving a world class team environment and dynamic that feels inspiring and inspired. You will work with the the Design Directors and offer strategy & leadership through influencing seasonal material strategy and application of key concepts. You will lead and captain special projects and exhibit professional communication skills. You will leverage storytelling and craft culturally relevant material narratives with emotional connection + intuitive applications that highlight the innovation, icon or story.

WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH

You will closely collaborate with the Apparel Design Excellence Team, Innovation, Inline Sport Teams/Apparel Product Design teams to bring a material design point of view to briefed projects. You will partner with Development, Apparel Design, Color Design, Graphic Design, Digital Design and Marketing teams in bringing to life key material concepts and scalable innovation – all the way to our consumer.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.