Footwear Materials / Graphic Designer

SSi People; Beaverton (OR); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

SSi People is seeking a seasoned Materials Designer in Beaverton, Oregon, to shape innovative footwear material concepts and narratives. The role focuses on translating consumer insights and trend direction into compelling material solutions that support product excellence and cross‑functional execution.

You will develop material concepts, collaborate with design and manufacturing partners, and translate insights into clear presentations and mood boards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in design or equivalent education, experience, or training.
• 8+ years of footwear material design experience.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Experience with Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, and Miro.
• Understanding of the footwear product creation process and manufacturing collaboration.
• Ability to interpret consumer insights, create concept presentations and mood boards.
• Familiarity with Gravity Sketch or CLO; 3D samples and hand mockups are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop material concepts and dimensional strategies that support innovative footwear product direction.
• Collaborate with product design, color design, development, product management, and merchandising teams to advance design intent.
• Translate consumer insights, trend research, and cultural inspiration into clear, compelling product narratives and presentations.
• Support material execution by working with manufacturing partners and contributing to mood boards and presentation materials.

Skills

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Concept ideation

Consumer insights interpretation

3D prototyping concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in design

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Keynote

PowerPoint

Acrobat

Miro

Gravity Sketch

CLO

Job description

Job Title: Materials Designer

Location: Beaverton, Oregon (Hybrid)

Job Summary: We are supporting an opportunity for a creative and collaborative materials design professional to help shape innovative footwear material concepts and narratives. This position plays an important part in translating consumer insights, trend direction, and product needs into compelling material solutions that support product excellence and cross‑functional execution.

Responsibilities

• Develop material concepts and dimensional strategies that support innovative footwear product direction.
• Collaborate with product design, color design, development, product management, and merchandising teams to advance design intent.
• Translate consumer insights, trend research, and cultural inspiration into clear, compelling product narratives and presentations.
• Support material execution by working with manufacturing partners and contributing to seasonal inspiration boards, mood boards, and presentation materials.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in design or equivalent education, experience, or training.
• 8+ years of experience in footwear material design.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Experience with presentation programs such as Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, and Miro.
• Understanding of the footwear product creation process and experience collaborating with manufacturing partners.
• Ability to interpret consumer insights, create concept presentations and mood boards, and communicate clearly to small and large groups.
• Experience with digital ideation platforms such as Gravity Sketch or CLO is a plus, along with experience creating 3D samples and hand mockups.

About SSI People: With over 26 years of industry experience, SSi People has built its reputation and expertise on putting people first. Everything we do works toward delivering exceptional experience for our consultants, our clients, and our internal team. Through a genuine commitment to people in everything we do. We have developed refined processes and a stellar internal team to deliver talent quickly. More importantly, we focus on building long‑term relationships, not transactions. Putting people first is just what we do well.