Lead Materials Designer, Energy - Converse

Converse; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 109,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Converse seeks a Lead Material Designer in Boston to drive material concepts, trend insights, and product narratives across footwear collections. You will own concept development from ideation to commercialization, elevating texture, finish, and innovation while collaborating with cross-functional teams and manufacturing partners.

You will champion sustainability and craftsmanship, delivering premium expressions on silhouettes with a strong emphasis on consumer insights and global fashion

Qualifications

• Portfolio required to be considered for the role.
• 4+ years of experience in material, textile, or footwear design.
• Strong understanding of fashion trends and consumer insights.

Responsibilities

• Create original, industry-leading material concepts for lifestyle footwear collections.
• Develop material trend insights into seasonal narratives and product goals.
• Translate consumer and cultural insights into innovative material solutions.
• Explore new material constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques.
• Build and refine material palettes across franchises and product tiers.
• Collaborate with design, color, graphics, and development teams for cohesive storytelling.
• Partner with manufacturing to ensure quality, feasibility, and execution.
• Create and refine prototypes, mock-ups, and material samples.
• Drive innovation while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability and sustainability.
• Lead presentations and align cross-functional teams around material strategy.

Skills

Material design

Footwear design

Creative leadership

Trend research

Job description

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $108,500.00 in our lowest geographic market to $220,400.00 in our highest geographic market. Actual salary will vary based on a candidate's location, qualifications, skills and experience.

Information about benefits can be found here.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

You will be part of the Converse Global Trend & Expression Design team, working at the intersection of trend, material innovation & craftsmanship, global sport wear and fashion culture. This role collaborates closely with cross-functional partners acrossFootwear Design, Color Design, Graphic Design, Product Marketing, and Footwear & Material Development to deliver industry-leading product expressions.

You will research trend insights on an ongoing basis to inform and drive the seasonal creative direction, as well as the material design vision for Energy, partnering closely with your category director to bring expression concepts to life through material design, veneering& innovation. This role reports directly to theSenior Manager, Materials & Graphic Design Global.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for an outstanding Lead Material Designer who combines creative vision, technical expertise, strategic thinking, and strong leadership to help shape the future of Material Design at Converse.

The ideal candidate is an independent creative leader with a strong point of view on material innovation, consumer needs, cultural relevance, and footwear material design and construction. Through ongoing research, deep consumer connection, and a strong understanding of fashion industry trends, this designer balances the art and science of material design and trend forecasting to identify meaningful patterns that inform global direction. They thrive on solving complex design challenges, translating insights into compelling product narratives and material solutions that elevate the consumer experience, deliver both performance benefit and emotional connection, and bring a keen eye for detail to premium expressions on existing silhouettes.

The ideal candidate

• Brings a portfolio that demonstrates excellence in material design, textile design, footwear design, or related product design disciplines
• Has 4+ years of relevant experience in material design, textile design, footwear design, or a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.
• Demonstrates a deep understanding of fashion trends, footwear and fashion culture, consumer insights, and lifestyle product creation
• Has experience developing innovative material concepts from ideation through commercialization
• Translates consumer insights into compelling narratives and product solutions
• Understands how manufacturing processes can unlock new opportunities for material innovation
• Demonstrates strong craftsmanship through material exploration, sample creation, and prototyping
• Operates as a proactive and highly collaborative partner across functions
• Is highly organized, self-directed, and able to effectively prioritize across multiple work streams
• Thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Brings a passion for sustainability, innovation, and the future of sport

To be considered, you must submit a design portfolio.

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

As a Lead Material Designer, you will remain closely connected to footwear culture and fashion trend insights, leading the curation and development of innovative material concepts across key collaborator and licensing lifestyle products. Your work will span the full product creation journey, from concept development and material storytelling through commercialization and manufacturing execution. You will create materials that address consumer needs while elevating product expression through texture, finish, construction, and innovation.

A typical day may include trend research, material concept development, cross functional team collaboration, sample reviews, prototype evaluations, narrative development, and cross-functional working sessions with design and development teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Create original, industry-leading material concepts for lifestyle footwear collections
• Develop material trend insights into seasonal narratives, consumer insights, and product performance goals
• Translate consumer, athlete, and cultural insights into innovative material solutions
• Explore and implement new material constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques
• Build and refine material palettes that elevate product expression across multiple franchises and product tiers
• Partner with Design, Colour, Graphics, and Development teams to ensure cohesive product storytelling
• Collaborate directly with manufacturing partners to achieve material quality, feasibility, and execution excellence
• Create, evaluate, and refine physical prototypes, mock-ups, and material samples
• Drive innovation through material exploration while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability goals
• Contribute to both immediate seasonal product creation and long-term material innovations
• Lead presentations and communicate design intent to internal and external stakeholders
• Influence and align cross-functional teams around material strategy and creative direction

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

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.