Footwear Innovation Designer II — Shape Next-Gen Gear

Arc'teryx Equipment; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 82,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellbeing

401(k) retirement match

Employee stock purchase program (ESPP)

Paid time off

Parental leave

Career development opportunities

Employee discounts

Job summary

Arc'teryx Equipment in Portland is seeking a Designer 2 - Footwear Innovation to explore future footwear solutions, translate insight into prototypes, and help shape Arc'teryx's footwear DNA. You will identify athlete needs, build and test prototypes, and collaborate across teams to deliver innovative, performance-driven footwear concepts.

The role requires hands-on experience, strong knowledge of footwear construction, and the ability to communicate complex ideas through sketches, tech packs,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Footwear Design, Innovation, Engineering, or equivalent industry experience.
• 5+ years hands-on footwear innovation, design, or related field.
• Strong understanding of footwear construction, materials, fit, components, tooling, prototyping methods, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to turn insights and technical questions into experiments, prototypes, and learnings.
• Proficiency with Illustrator and tools to communicate footwear concepts, specs, and prototypes direction.

Responsibilities

• Support exploration of future footwear innovation opportunities through athlete insight, field observation, product research, trend awareness, and competitive analysis.
• Translate research, performance problems, and user needs into early concepts, prototypes, experiments, and product hypotheses.
• Help build and evolve Arc'teryx footwear innovation DNA across fit, ride, traction, protection, durability, materials, construction, and mountain utility.
• Create sketches, concept boards, mockups, prototypes, test samples, material explorations, and clear visual storytelling to communicate new footwear possibilities.
• Translate concepts into detailed tech packs to clearly communicate complex constructions to manufacturing partners.
• Build, test, and iterate footwear prototypes to validate comfort, fit, performance, durability, construction, and usability in real outdoor conditions.
• Work with material and development partners to investigate new materials, components, tooling approaches, construction methods, and manufacturing possibilities.
• Document experiments, learnings, product hypotheses, prototype intent, testing feedback, and next steps to support clear decision making through the innovation process.
• Stay current with developments in footwear, biomechanics, materials, manufacturing, outdoor equipment, and adjacent industries to inspire future product solutions.

Skills

Footwear design

Prototype development

Research interpretation

Adaptability

Team collaboration

Concept communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Job description

Arc'teryx Equipment in Portland is seeking a Designer 2 - Footwear Innovation to explore future footwear solutions, translate insight into prototypes, and help shape Arc'teryx's footwear DNA. You will identify athlete needs, build and test prototypes, and collaborate across teams to deliver innovative, performance-driven footwear concepts.

The role requires hands-on experience, strong knowledge of footwear construction, and the ability to communicate complex ideas through sketches, tech packs,