Footwear Product Developer, Asia

Brooks Sports Inc; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Brooks Sports Inc in Seattle, WA is seeking a Footwear Product Developer, Asia to drive development from concept to commercialization with supervision. You will work with cross-functional, multi-national product creation teams to support development between our US-based team and factories in Asia to meet model, commercialization and material timelines.

You will actively manage prototypes through product confirmation while collaborating with Pattern Engineering, Asia Mold Shop, Sample Room,

Qualifications

• Preferably hold a degree in a post-secondary discipline and could be substituted with relevant experience.
• 3+ years relevant experience in the product development of Footwear; 1+ years of development experience working with Athletic Footwear.
• Understanding of components that affect costing and has working knowledge of cost engineering.
• Strong logical thought process to identify root cause of issues.
• Proven track record of successful collaboration in global product development teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple projects from Brief stage through Design, Development, Costing and Commercialization with supervision and guidance.
• Execute project development according to the seasonal calendar to drive on-time delivery of sales samples.
• Review and understand blueprints, upper patterns and materials for footwear development.
• Communicate with US headquarters and factory partners to resolve issues and enable joint problem solving.
• Update and maintain technical packages for assigned projects quarterly, including color maps and specs.
• Collaborate with Materials team and vendors to select materials meeting Brooks’ quality standards.

Skills

Fluent English communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Attention to detail

MS Office / MS Project

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Associate degree acceptable with experience

Tools

flexPLM

Illustrator

Job description

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

• Runner First
  • We act in the best interest of the runner
• Word is Bond
  • We do what we say we’ll do
• Champion Heart
  • We give our all in everything we do
• There is no “I” in Run
  • We stay generous with our humanity
• Keep Moving
  • We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

Your Job:

The Footwear Product Developer, Asia will help drive our footwear development process from concept to commercialization with certain supervision and guidance from Senior Developer/ Development Manager. You will work with cross–functional and multi-national product creation teams to help support the development process between our US based team and our factories in China and Vietnam to meet model, commercialization and material development timelines. You will actively manage and engineer prototypes through to product confirmation while working directly with various product creation groups (Pattern Engineering, Asia Mold Shop, Sample Room, Costing, Materials, and Design Departments) to drive the tech package process and ensure products meet or exceed our quality standards. The Footwear Product Developer, Asia will be responsible for generating and communicating ideas regarding the engineering principles that enhance footwear performance and overall value to our products.

Your Responsibilities:

• Manage multiple projects from Brief stage through Design, Development, Costing and Commercialization with certain supervision and guidance from Senior Developer/ Development Managers.
• Execute project development according to the seasonal calendar to drive on–time delivery of sales samples, confirmation and commercialization.
• Review and understand all basic blueprints (outsole/ midsole/ upper), upper patterns and materials.
• Has a good understanding of basic concepts of footwear creation process - pattern engineering, model making, part drawings, drafting, 2D documentation, mold making, materials, and understand costing/quality implications.
• Display a basic knowledge of the manufacturing process with the desire/ability to learn new manufacturing techniques and apply them to products.
• Collaborate, develop good working relationship and maintain effective communication with internal and external partners (Factory Developers, Engineering, and Production) to obtain necessary information to resolve issues as necessary and to enable joint problem solving to achieve better products.
• Initiate meetings with engineering team during various phases of development to review, evaluate, update product that leads to on–time production confirmation and achieving FOB target.
• Document key issues and drive action plans to resolve outstanding issues.
• Demonstrate good problem-solving skills with persistent questioning to find out the “whys?”. Make some decisions independently and must be a good at identifying issues and facilitating resolution in a timely manner.
• Update and maintain technical packages for assigned projects for each quarter, including midsole/outsole blueprints, upper pattern packages, color maps and project specifications.
• Effectively communicate with our US Product teams (Development, Design, Product, Costing, R&D) to understand, manage, and execute product performance, aesthetics, and costing vision.
• Collaborate with our Materials team and vendors to select and improve materials that meet or exceed Brooks’ quality standards.
• Seek out learning opportunities on latest footwear trends and manufacturing processes and techniques.
• Willing to expand the technical skill sets and learn best practices and sound scientific methods.
• Other responsibilities as required.

Qualifications:

• Preferably hold a degree in a post-secondary discipline (ex. Associate degree, B.A, etc) and could be substituted with relevant experience.
• 3+ years relevant experience in the product development of Footwear; 1+ years of development experience working with Athletic Footwear.
• Understanding of components that effect costing and has working knowledge of cost engineering.
• Strong logical thought process to identify root cause of issues.
• Fluent English communication skills (both speaking and writing). Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from their counterparts at US headquarters, cross-functional colleagues, factory partners, etc.
• Proven track record of successful collaboration in global product development teams.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills; must be extremely detail-oriented.
• Must possess the ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced, team environment.
• Must be inquisitive, persistent, and assertive.
• Strong organizational skills and independent work habits.
• Must be proficient with MS Office applications (excel, word and powerpoint);
• flexPLM, MS Project, Illustrator experience a plus.

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.