Principal, Running Footwear Product Developer

Nike; Beaverton (OR); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Nike Beaverton, OR seeks a Principal Footwear Developer to lead cross-functional product creation from concept through retail launch. You will guide innovation, engineering, testing and materials teams, aligning with design, product management and manufacturing to deliver high-performance footwear.

We value deep footwear manufacturing knowledge, strong communication and project leadership, and a hands-on, entrepreneurial mindset.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Product Development or related field.
• Minimum of 8+ years directly applicable work experience.
• Strong communication and influencing skills with leaders.
• Experience delivering footwear innovation projects to retail.
• Expert knowledge of footwear manufacturing technologies and materials.
• Ability to coordinate with Asia teammates to ensure mass production quality.
• Experience in product planning, forecasting, logistics, and project management.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and bias toward action in ambiguous environments.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Transition footwear innovation projects from Nike's innovation team through development to retail.
• Drive development through commercialization and successful market launch.
• Identify novel solutions to deliver transformative products for Nike athletes.
• Ensure timely manufacturability of quality crafted, tested, and sustainable products.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication

Footwear development

Leadership

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Product Development or related field

Job description

Who You’ll Work With

We are looking for a Principal Footwear Developer who will work collaboratively with key functional partners throughout the Product Development process. This includes Footwear Innovation, Footwear Engineering, Footwear Product Testing, Footwear Material Design and Material Development, Product Design, Product Management, Product Merchandising, Sourcing and Operations, Manufacturing and our overseas partners – both within Nike and external to Nike.

Who You’ll Work With

We are looking for a Principal Footwear Developer who will work collaboratively with key functional partners throughout the Product Development process. This includes Footwear Innovation, Footwear Engineering, Footwear Product Testing, Footwear Material Design and Material Development, Product Design, Product Management, Product Merchandising, Sourcing and Operations, Manufacturing and our overseas partners – both within Nike and external to Nike. You will need to navigate the Nike matrix to ensure that our processes model and match Nike’s Footwear Development standard methodologies for product excellence. You are the key point of contact for our overseas partners and ensure that communication during the product development process is clear and accurate.

Who We Are Looking For

The Product Brief is the first spark of a product idea sets the Footwear Product Creation team into motion. The team of Footwear Developers, Testers, Engineers and Designers collectively strive for product excellence in every way. They obsess over smallest of details, while collaborating, ideating and refining product construction, performance, fit and style. They use groundbreaking advancements in technology, sustainable design and materials to accelerate innovation. And they work lockstep with Marketing, Design, Materials, Testing, and Manufacturing to produce products that reflect the soul of Nike Footwear, that inspire and ultimately enable our athletes to reach all new levels of performance. As a member of the Nike Footwear Development team, you will inform, drive and facilitate decisions throughout the product creation process to meet or exceed the design vision, athlete performance and product excellence. You will be an active thought partner with Design, Product Management, Engineering, Materials, and Factory Product Creation Teams to develop processes and tools that push boundaries and create solutions that support the creation of Nike’s game changing footwear products.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Product Development or Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Industrial Design or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education,experience,and training.


• Minimum of 8+ years directly applicable work experience


• High profile communication and influencing skills, including the ability to interact and update leaders on status to ensure alignment.


• Consistent track record of pulling together diverse individuals with conflicting priorities, while identifying a path forward, and championing alignment.


• Prior experience in delivering footwear innovation projects through transition, commercialization and to retail


• Expert knowledge of footwear manufacturing technologies and equipment, tooling, and materials is highly preferred. Including Nike product creation software and tools.


• The ability to anticipate and solve complex footwear manufacturing issues with Asia teammates to ensure mass production can achieve quality and craftsmanship standards.


• Proficient understanding of product planning, forecasting, logistics, process planning, and expertise in project management with strong communication skills


• Instills confidence and empowers a project team in delivering product excellence through collaboration


• Entrepreneurial mindset and spirit to proactive address critical deliverables while identify novel solutions that address technical and business challenges.


• Bias towards action and comfortable working in ambiguous environments


• Adjust to changing circumstances and adapt to ensure product excellence


• In-depth understanding of Nike date and gates, with the ability to adjust project plans based on compressed timelines


• An understanding of consumer electronics product development, preferred


• The ability to travel 20% of the time domestic and international

What You’ll Work On

We are seeking a Principal Footwear Developer who will work in Product Creation to transition Footwear innovation projects from Nike’s innovation team through development to retail. You drive the development through commercialization and ensure successful launch to market. As a problem solver, your ability to identify novel solutions while creating innovative product and bringing it to market will be fuel by your love of product. You will have the opportunity to deliver transformative product that will excite and delight Nike athletes* and consumer. You will be passionate about achieving the ultimate goal of timely manufacturability of quality and crafted, tested and validated, sustainable and efficient products, that meet or exceed our performance criteria and design intent. 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.